Earlier this month, Samsung announced its next iteration of Wear OS – One UI Watch 5. Having initially promised that software would debut a beta version for existing Galaxy Watch models, the company is now backtracking with looming unknowns.
One UI Watch 5 is set to carry some serious improvements over the current version found on the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 series. Other than bringing the general updates inherently coming in Wear OS 4, One UI Watch 5 tweaks a few of Samsung’s popular features.
One major change is the shifting focus on sleep health and management. In One UI Watch 5, Samsung is aiming to take a holistic approach and use Sleep Insights and Sleep Coaching to build “healthy sleeping habits.” Samsung’s new iteration of Wear OS also brings personalized heart rate zones during running exercises.
Samsung made it clear that One UI Watch 5 would debut in full on the Galaxy Watch 6, which is likely to make its first appearance in July. That hasn’t changed, though the company is changing what was to come before that.
Announced in Samsung’s community forums, the company’s beta team stated that One UI Watch 5 would no longer be coming to beta on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 in May (via SamMobile). The team cites difficulties working with Wear OS 4, noting that it’s taking longer than expected. The initial assessment of a Wear OS 4 beta in May was exciting, though understandably hopeful.
While Samsung hasn’t made mention of changes to what the Galaxy Watch 6 will be running at launch, the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 will need to wait a little longer before a beta build is available. Of course, there is no timeline as to when this will happen, though we expect it to be available before the new version of Samsung’s smartwatch sees the spotlight.
The Galaxy Watch 6 is expected to be unveiled alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 in late July.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference regularly sets the tone for the company’s future, and that may be truer than ever for 2023. Many expect the company to introduce its first mixed reality headset at the event, with a new platform to match. However, the wearable is far from the only major announcement believed to be coming at WWDC this year. Rumors have included a larger MacBook Air, a major watchOS update and even app sideloading on iOS. Here’s what you’re likely to see on June 5th.
Mixed reality headset
Minh Pham on Unsplash
Apple’s first foray into mixed reality hardware (that is, a blend of real and virtual worlds) is one of the company’s worst-kept secrets. The tech giant has been acquiring headset-friendly startups for years, and Tim Cook hasn’t been shy about his interests in augmented and virtual reality. Now, though, a headset appears to be ready for a WWDC debut — Apple’s event logo even hints at a lens.
If the rumors are accurate, Apple’s stand-alone device (possibly called Reality Pro) may be more powerful than the Meta Quest Pro and many other high-end headsets. It might offer a 4K resolution per eye, with at least six cameras providing a view of the outside world as well as full body motion tracking. It could also use an M2 chip that outperforms the mobile processors you typically see in stand-alone headsets. Expectations are that it will require an external battery pack and last for just two hours on a charge, but it would be relatively light and slim.
The true star might be the software, though. The Apple headset will reportedly run a new platform (possibly called xrOS) designed with mixed reality in mind. Rather than rely on controllers, you would use hand gestures, gaze detection and Siri voice commands to navigate the interface. An Apple Watch-style crown would toggle between AR and VR, and you could type in mid-air.
This initial device is believed to be focused on productivity, with VR-ready versions of Apple apps like Pages, iMovie and GarageBand supposedly in the works. You could even have one-on-one FaceTime video calls with full-body avatars, or make simple apps using Siri. There could still be plenty of more entertaining options, though, including meditations, workouts, immersive video viewing and games. Many existing iPad and iPhone apps are said to work with only slight modifications, so you might not have to remove the headset just to use your favorite software. Just don’t expect a metaverse — Apple has apparently ruled out a persistent virtual space.
Apple’s headset isn’t expected to ship until later in the year. Not that it will necessarily be viable for many fans. Rumors suggest this first model will cost around $3,000, or three times the price of the Quest Pro. A more affordable variant is supposedly in development, but the first product could be aimed squarely at developers, professionals and early adopters.
15-inch MacBook Air
Cherlynn Low/Engadget
Until now, you’ve had to spring for a high-end MacBook Pro to get an Apple laptop larger than 14 inches. That might not be necessary after WWDC. Rumors and developer logs suggest Apple is on the cusp of launching a 15-inch MacBook Air that puts big-screen portable Macs within reach of more people.
While the current-generation 13-inch MacBook Air is roughly a year old, the rumored 15-inch version would continue to use a variant of that system’s M2 chip and might come with 8GB of RAM in a base configuration. You could see a higher resolution display. similar to that of the 14-inch MacBook Pro (albeit without a 120Hz refresh rate), and it won’t be surprising if the larger chassis allows for a bigger battery.
iOS 17 and iPadOS 17
Cherlynn Low/Engadget
This year, Apple’s most important software upgrade for the iPhone and iPad may expand user choice. Rumors have persisted for months that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will enable sideloading – that is, installing apps outside the App Store – to honor European Union competition rules. Just like on Android, you could download apps directly from the web or through third-party stores. That would allow for things that aren’t possible under Apple’s existing rules, such as web browsers that use their own engines instead of WebKit.
Sideloading might not be the only notable feature. MacRumorsclaims iOS 17 will revamp the Control Center. You could also see a Day One-style life journaling app and mood tracking in the Health app. There have also been reports the company will expand the functionality of the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, give Maps a new lock screen interface and streamline the Music and Wallet apps. The iPad may play catch-up in some areas, with iPadOS 17 rumored to inherit iOS 16’s lock screen customization and include a tablet-native Health app.
Accessibility may play an important role, as well. Apple recently previewed a series of iOS features that make the iPhone more usable for people with disabilities. Assistive Access provides a simplified interface for people with cognitive issues, while Live Speech and Personal Voice have iOS speak written text during calls. You can even have your phone speak what it sees on text and buttons. Apple hasn’t explicitly said iOS 17 will introduce these features, but a release “later this year” suggests that’s more than likely.
WWDC may also represent Apple’s opportunity to detail the next-gen CarPlay interface it teased at last year’s conference. While the company previously said the platform could control more in-cabin systems, it has yet to explain those capabilities. The first cars using this experience are due to arrive late this year, so Apple doesn’t have much time to prepare developers for the upgrade.
iOS and iPadOS updates typically launch in September or October. Public betas should be available considerably sooner, though, and have historically arrived within weeks.
WatchOS 10
Photo by Cherlynn Low/Engadget
The Apple Watch may be due for the largest software update in its history. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims watchOS 10 will be redesigned around widgets, bringing back traces of the Glances from the original OS with elements of the Siri watch face. Apps aren’t expected to go away, but they may be deemphasized in favor of quick peeks at information. Gurman speculates that Apple could make the interface optional at first to help users adjust to the revamp.
MacOS 14
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Very little is known about the next major Mac platform update, but it’s safe to presume macOS 14 will make its debut at WWDC. Apple’s computer platform updates typically include some features borrowed from its iOS equivalent. Upgrades tend to arrive in October, with betas available in late spring or early summer.
Wildcards: M3 and more Macs
Photo by Cherlynn Low/Engadget
Most buzz around WWDC suggests Apple won’t debut its M3 system-on-chip at WWDC — hence the 15-inch MacBook Air apparently using the M2. With that said, we can’t completely rule out an introduction. If so, the new chip is poised to deliver performance and efficiency improvements thanks in part to a denser 3-nanometer manufacturing process.
If the M3 does show up, it won’t be shocking to see other Macs premiere alongside the Air. Gurman says a refreshed 13-inch Air is in the works, and an M3-powered iMac might ship in the second half of 2023. Pro machines aren’t likely, though. Gurman doesn’t believe an M3 Pro-based MacBook Pro will surface until 2024, and we wouldn’t count on Mac Pro or Mac Studio upgrades.
Rest now, little Chromecast. Google has announced the decade-old Chromecast 1 is finally hitting end of life. A message on Google's Chromecast firmware support page (first spotted by 9to5Google) announced the wind-down of support, saying, "Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended, which means these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance." The first-gen Chromecast launched in 2013 for $35.
The original Chromecast was wildly successful and sold 10 million units in 2014 alone. For years, the device was mentioned in Google earnings calls as the highlight of the company's hardware efforts, and it was essentially the company's first successful piece of hardware. The Chromecast made it easy to beam Internet videos to your TV at a time when that was otherwise pretty complicated.
Google does not really make "Chromecasts" anymore—or at least it doesn't make products that use the original Chromecast technology stack. The original 2013 Chromecast, 2015's second-generation version, 2016's Chromecast Ultra, and 2018's third-gen versions are all dead-simple streaming sticks. They run the Cast OS, which is an ultra-lightweight OS cobbled together from bits of Chrome OS and Android. They have no default interface, they can't run apps, and they have no control mechanism of their own. Old-school Chromecasts exist solely as media receivers for the cast button in various apps like YouTube. You press the cast button in an app, pick a TV, and the screen turns on and starts playing media. That's it.
In 2020, Google released the "Chromecast with Google TV," a product that keeps the Chromecast brand alive but pivots away from the idea of a simple streaming stick. The new "Chromecasts" can still be media receivers, but they are dramatically more complicated Android TV boxes now. They run a full Android operating system, have their own interface, and come with a physical remote control for navigating the UI. You can log in to the stick, fire up the Play Store, and download updates and install apps. New Chromecasts are just set-top boxes in the form factor of a dongle.
Chromecast's pivot to Android TV means there are no current products that use the Cast OS. In fact, Google has worked to expunge the misfit OS from all of Google, with the other Cast OS product, the Google Nest Hub, switching to Fuchsia. The only work on the OS nowadays will be supporting the obsolete Chromecasts, with the newest being the 5-year-old Chromecast third generation. There's no word on how much time the other Cast OS sticks have left.
The iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a taller aspect ratio of 19.6:9, a change that will trickle down to the standard iPhone 17 models the following year, new forecasts from display analyst Ross Young claim.
The iPhone 14 lineup has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, a specification that is expected to remain the same across this year's iPhone 15 lineup. The change with the iPhone 16 Pro models means that the devices should get slightly taller, rather than wider. While the iPhone 16 Pro models have been widely rumored to feature larger screens for some time, the aspect ratio of the devices was unclear until now.
Young also provided exact display sizes for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The devices are expected to increase from 6.12- and 6.69-inches to 6.27- and 6.86-inches, respectively. This represents a display size increase of 2.5% on both devices.
With the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus in 2025, Apple will apparently bring the larger 6.27- and 6.86-inch display sizes to its two standard iPhone models. As Young has previously reported, these devices are also expected to gain LTPO panels to support ProMotion for variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. This means that the standard iPhone 17 models look set to receive a substantial display upgrade, with larger sizes and LPTO for ProMotion.
In addition, Young reaffirmed his previous statement that the iPhone 17 Pro models will be the first to feature under-display Face ID technology, sitting alongside a hole-shaped cutout for the front-facing camera.
Popular Stories
Google hosted its annual I/O developers keynote at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California today, announcing multiple new products and services related to Android, search, messaging, home automation, and more. Google Assistant Google Assistant is described as a "conversational assistant" that builds upon Google Now based on two-way dialog. The tool can be used, for example,...
Article From & Read More ( iPhone 16 Pro to Feature Taller Aspect Ratio, Regular iPhone 17 to Follow and Add ProMotion in 2025 - MacRumors )
https://ift.tt/63yVPxf
Technology
HyperX announced a new version of its flagship Cloud gaming headset for PC and consoles, the Cloud 3. It’s available starting Tuesday for $99.99. While its design doesn’t seems to have evolved much from the previous version that launched 2015 and quickly became the gold standard, the company says that the Cloud 3 boasts several improvements.
It claims to have re-engineered its 53 mm audio drivers for better performance, and its adjustable boom microphone supports noise-cancellation. Plus, it has a built-in metal pop filter to prevent unwanted sounds from getting through. In terms of fit, HyperX credits new materials with making it more comfortable to wear over long periods of time. It also includes a lifetime activation of DTS Headphone:X, PC software that enables 3D audio for a more immersive soundscape.
One of the most welcome changes is how it can connect to devices. The Cloud 3 can connect more easily to modern devices via USB-C, USB-A, or with the standard 3.5 mm headphone port. With this flexibility, you can easily connect to most consoles or portable devices you might have.
While the headset’s launch is exciting, a new iteration of HyperX’s flagship Cloud headset hitting shelves usually means that there are several tweaks of the formula to come. Historically, HyperX has released a wireless version after the launch of the revised wired model, then it follows that move up with console-specific headsets with lower costs. However, it’s possible that its release plans may be a tad different for the Cloud 3, since it’s now under the ownership of HP.
Not everyone fell for the bait or played into it. “Bend Studio is not making Days Gone 2,” wrote gaming news account Okami13. “In all likelihood, Sony acquiring CDPR is false too.” Popular Witcher content creator LastKnownMeal tweeted he wouldn’t even react to the rumors on his channel because they were obviously baseless. “Yah, we’re not in such talks with Sony,” responded CDPR rep Ola Sondej.
Still, the rumor made its way to analysts’ questions during the company’s May 29 earnings call. “Nothing has changed on our end,” said CEO Adam Kiciński flatly (via VGC). “So, I can repeat what we have been saying throughout the years—CD Projekt is not for sale.” He continued, “We want to remain independent. We have, I believe an excellent strategy. Not easy to execute, for sure, but it’s very exciting to follow our own path. So it’s a pure rumor.”
And what about Days Gone 2? The Sony studio behind the original game already confirmed in a blog post last year that it was working on a new IP that would use similar gameplay systems but take place in a completely different world than the third-person zombie action game. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier previously reported that Sony had pushed Bend away from making a sequel, initially having the studio’s teams assist Naughty Dog with its projects. The first Days Gone’s director, Jeff Ross, even recently tweeted that Days Gone 2 would have been due out around now, but only if things had gone differently. Even popular leaker The Snitch literally typed “wtf” after seeing the rumor in another Discord.
Where did the Days Gone 2 rumor come from?
“So I usually post Destiny stuff,” Liz, the source of the rumor, told Kotaku in a Discord DM. Part of what gave it a whiff of credibility initially is that Liz has also been the source of some giant leaks for Bungie’s massive sci-fi MMO, now technically a PlayStation first-party game post Sony acquisition. It wasn’t just some random internet stranger throwing darts at a rumor board, at least not entirely.
“I go through a pretty thorough process to confirm/deny information sent to me,” Liz said. “Someone who I was speaking to sent me some stuff, which I posted to my Discord. Since it was general Playstation info and not Destiny, I didn’t really go through the effort I usually do. I definitely underestimated the reach I had, especially coming to non-Destiny related stuff. I expected it to kind of sit in the channel I posted it in, and that would be the end of it, fake or not.”
While the rumor was baeless, it’s also easy to see why it was the exact right type of rumor at the precise moment to breakout of the Destiny leaks containment zone. Specifically, some diehard Sony fans came out of the company’s latest PlayStation showcase feeling underwhelmed. Questions were raised about what the rest of the company’s first-party studios are working on besides Spider-Man 2, an epidemic of “hopium” that took over some quarters of the PlayStation community.
Some players no doubt want to believe that big secret moves were in the works. Long-standing fan dreams about what a Days Gone sequel could have been like and a perennial rumor that Sony will buy the company behind one of the most beloved open world RPGs ever. It’s not even a particularly outlandish set of claims, which is probably also part of why they bubbled up to the surface this past weekend despite almost everyone involved knowing better. With Summer Game Fest and the Xbox showcase just around the corner, it won’t be the last time either.
Crucial T700 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD review Fastest SSD on the Market
Unleash the Power with Crucial T700 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD: The Fastest SSD on the Market.
Introducing the impressive Crucial T700 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, the epitome of speed and performance. Designed to push boundaries, this SSD delivers speed that sets it apart as the fastest SSD available. We are delighted to have received two samples of this SSD series, both boasting a generous capacity of 2TB but with 1TB and a 4TB model available as well. Among the SKU options, you'll notice one unit features a built-in heatsink. At the same time, the other is ingeniously designed to fit seamlessly underneath a motherboard heatsink (which is a must, as we'll explain later). At the core of the Crucial T700 lies the Phison E26 controller, the controller that supports the new PCIe 5.0 interface. Paired with Micron's advanced 232-layer 3D TLC NAND, this SSD series offers exceptional performance metrics, reaching up to an astounding 12 GB/sec for sustained writes. Although much anticipation surrounded the arrival of these drives, they have only recently made their way to the market in significant volumes. Currently, all "Gen 5" SSDs are based on the Phison E26 controller, positioning the Crucial T700 as a pioneer among production-grade PCI-Express 5.0 solid-state drives. The Crucial T700 sets itself apart with Micron's cutting-edge 232-layer 3D TLC NAND, ensuring optimal performance. The high-end drive also incorporates a DRAM cache chip to enhance its capabilities further.
Available in capacities of 1TB (USD 180), 2TB (USD 340), and 4TB (USD 600), the Crucial T700 offers a range of options to suit different storage needs. These models come with impressive endurance ratings, with the 1TB model offering 600TBW, the 2TB model offering 1200TBW, and the 4TB model boasting a remarkable 2400TBW. Crucial includes a generous five-year warranty with the MP700 SSD to provide peace of mind.
We've received two 2TB samples, one with included heatsink and the other to be placed underneath one on the motherboard. Mind you that Crucial is asking $30 extra for the heatsink.
Japan and JAXA, the country's space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric kettle, more than 50 meters to a wireless receiver. Now, Japan is poised to bring the technology one step closer to reality.
Nikkei reports a Japanese public-private partnership will attempt to beam solar energy from space as early as 2025. The project, led by Naoki Shinohara, a Kyoto University professor who has been working on space-based solar energy since 2009, will attempt to deploy a series of small satellites in orbit. Those will then try to beam the solar energy the arrays collect to ground-based receiving stations hundreds of miles away.
Orbital solar arrays "represent a potentially unlimited renewable energy supply," the article points out -- running 24 hours a day.
Apple will begin accepting trade-ins of three new Mac models on June 5, the day of Apple's WWDC 2023 keynote event, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a tweet shared earlier today, Gurman said that the Mac Studio, 13-inch M2MacBook Air, and 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro, will become eligible for trade-in with Apple on Monday, June 5. Gurman is expecting new Mac hardware to be unveiled during Apple's keynote on June 5, including an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air model. "Read into that as you will," he added.
Apple introduced the Mac Studio in May 2022, offering M1 Max and M1 Ultra chip configurations. Despite the launch of a range of Macs with the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max chips, Apple has not yet refreshed the Mac Studio. Gurman believes that two new Mac Studio models are in the works, but is unsure of when they will launch.
He has previously cast doubt over the possibility of update being announced at WWDC, suggesting that Apple is more likely to wait until the M3 generation to update the Mac Studio as to avoid cannibalizing the Apple silicon Mac Pro. Even so, updated Mac Studio models with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chip options are not out of the question for WWDC.
13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with the M3 chip are also rumored to be in development, but the first M3 Macs are not expected to launch until toward the end of the year. As such, Gurman's latest information about new Mac trade-ins does not necessarily that indicate direct successors for all of the aforementioned devices are on the immediate horizon.
Popular Stories
Google hosted its annual I/O developers keynote at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California today, announcing multiple new products and services related to Android, search, messaging, home automation, and more. Google Assistant Google Assistant is described as a "conversational assistant" that builds upon Google Now based on two-way dialog. The tool can be used, for example,...
Article From & Read More ( Gurman: Apple to Begin Accepting Trade-Ins for Three New Mac Models on Day of WWDC Keynote - MacRumors )
https://ift.tt/cICYPh7
Technology
Article From & Read More ( Meta Quest 3 Real Life Hands-On: How It Compares to Apple Mixed-Reality Headset - Bloomberg )
https://ift.tt/bRI9oWS
Technology
Users have taken to Twitter after finding a QR code hidden within the Marathon trailer released at PlayStation’s Showcase on Wednesday. This code led users to a website with a bunch of code and a login page. After some code cracking, users were able to login and recover some videos of an interview with the game’s director revealing more details on the upcoming title.
If you're interested then YouTuber Stylosa has a good video breakdown here:
Is Marathon on your wish list or is it too much of a Game as a Service for you to be bothered by it? Let us know in the comments below.
Article From & Read More ( Bungie's Marathon Trailer QR Code Leads to ARG with More Hidden Information - Push Square )
https://ift.tt/Dm27vdP
Technology
Alongside fixing the audio issue and the Camera Work in the Depths quest, the "Several issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience," note is covering a lot of ground. It seems most if not all of the duplication glitches players discovered, which allowed them to duplicate rare items in the game with suprisingly little effort, have effectively been removed from the game, according to posters on the r/NintendoSwitch subreddit.
Article From & Read More ( Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom 1.1.2 Patch Removes Duplication Glitches And Fixes Audio Issues - Game Informer )
https://ift.tt/R36FTpx
Technology
Google has launched Search Generative Experience, or SGE, an experimental version of Search that integrates artificial intelligence answers directly into results, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
Unlike a normal Google Search, which brings up a list of blue links, SGE uses AI to answer your questions right on the Google Search webpage. After entering a query in Google Search, a green or blue box will expand with a novel answer generated by Google's large language model, like the one powering OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Google pulls this information from websites and links to sources used when generating an answer. It's also possible to ask follow-up questions in SGE to get more precise results.
At the moment, SGE isn't open to the public and requires you to sign up to Google's Search Labs. To join, click the link here. Search Labs is currently available only to a limited number people in the US and in English only, though you can join the waitlist. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
With the launch of ChatGPT late last year, an AI chatbot that could answer almost any question with a unique answer, companies have been adding generative AI features to their products amid increased public interest. Google unveiled Bard earlier this year, an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT. Microsoft followed up by adding ChatGPT into Bing directly, including an AI image generator powered by Dall-E, also by OpenAI. AI chatbots are powered by a large language model, or LLM, a technology that uses a massive set of text data to write sentences that mimic human language. The model essentially aims to figure out what the next best word should be when generating sentences, a process that's been described as "autocomplete on steroids."
AI was also a core focus earlier this month at Google I/O, the search giant's annual developers conference, with the term being said more than 140 times during the two-hour presentation. During I/O, Cathy Edwards, vice president of engineering at Google, said that with a standard Google Search, people have to break up complex queries into multiple questions, sift through websites for information and formulate the answer in their heads. With SGE, the AI can do all of that for you.
How to join the Google Search Labs waitlist
Here's how to join the waitlist for Search Labs so you can be among the first to test Google's SGE:
Open the Chrome browser on a computer.
Sign into you Google account.
Open a new tab in your browser.
At the top right, there will be a Labs icon (of a beaker) if Labs is available to you.
If the Labs icon is there, click it and then click Join Waitlist.
You'll get an email when Labs becomes available.
SGE is part of Search Labs and includes experimental features such as Code Tips, which gives coding suggestions directly in Search, and Add to Sheets, a feature that can automatically bring in information found in Search into Google Sheets.
If you're able to get into SGE now, Google requires you to agree to its privacy notice and asks you not to include sensitive or confidential personal information that "can be used to identify you or others in your interactions with SGE features." This is because during this trial run, some data will be analyzed by human reviewers, although the data will be "stored in a manner that is not associated with your Google account." It's possible to delete interactions via the My Activity page.
Google also warns of the follies of generative AI and that accuracy may vary. This is likely referring to "hallucinations," a problem found with generative AI where it can confidently say something is accurate when it isn't. Google suggests you not rely on generative AI for medical, legal, financial or other professional services.
Editors' note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.SGE can be accessed via the Chome desktop web browser or the Android and iOS Google apps. a large language model
We got an extended look at Spider-Man 2, and announcements of the much-rumoured Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, Bungie's next game Marathon, Haven's first title Fairgame$, and something called Concord. Actual gameplay and firm release dates were thin on the ground, however. And many of the games shown during PlayStation's event will also be available on Xbox.
Was this a good games event, even if it wasn't a great PlayStation one? How do we feel about Sony's game roadmap now? Joining me to discuss all of that and much more are Ed Nightingale, Victoria Kennedy and Liv Ngan.
Newscast: PlayStation Showcase saw Sony fumble its first-party future plans.
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.
Article From & Read More ( Newscast: PlayStation Showcase saw Sony fumble its first-party future plans - Eurogamer.net )
https://ift.tt/P56Wyih
Technology
Article From & Read More ( Shunned GeForce RTX 4060 Ti secures future special offer status as gamers refuse to settle for a pricey 8 GB of VRAM in 2023 - Notebookcheck.net )
https://ift.tt/mQM80ZL
Technology
Smartphone apps can change their behavior well after you download them, turning a once innocent-seeming app into something much worse.
ByWes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.
Innocent-seeming apps can be trojan horses for your information.
Image: Amar Toor / The Verge
An Android recording app called iRecorder Screen Recorder began as an innocent screen recording app but turned evil nearly a year after it was first released, as detailed by Ars Technica. The app first came out in September 2021, but after an update the following August, it began recording a minute of audio every 15 minutes and forwarding those recordings, through an encrypted link, to the developer’s server. The whole thing is documented in a blog post from Essential Security against Evolving Threats (ESET) researcher Lukas Stefanko.
In the post, Stefanko said the app was updated in August 2022 to include malicious code “based on the open-source AhMyth Android RAT (remote access trojan).” The app had 50,000 downloads by the time it was reported and removed from the Play store. Stefanko added that apps with AhMyth embedded in them had made it past Google’s filters before.
Scam apps aren’t new on either Apple’s or Google’s app stores. Recorder apps can be especially bad, sometimes having predatory subscription pricing and fake reviews to inflate their visibility on those platforms. And Stefanko’s blog post highlights a particularly sticky problem: apps turning to the dark side after you’ve had them for a while, using the permissions you granted them at the outset to gather sensitive information from your device and shuttle it off to the developer for nefarious activities.
This particular app is gone, but what’s to keep another sleeper agent from activating on your phone? Google is at least working on updates that will tell you via monthly notification which, and when, apps have changed their data-sharing practices — if it finds out, that is.
One thing you can’t say about J.R.R. Tolkien’s orcs is that they lacked personality. The generic orc of generic fantasy may be a hulking, dimwitted goon, but to Tolkien they were his chief way of injecting humor into the darkest moments of The Lord of the Rings. No orc shouted “Meat’s on the menu, boys!” in the books, but Peter Jackson’s trilogy was right on the mark.
This was on my mind as I played The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Daedalic Entertainment’s new LotR-inspired action-adventure. Shortly after completing the tutorial of Gollum, I had been captured by Sauron’s ringwraiths (canon), tortured (canon), and thrown in the slave pit of Mordor (canon, not a spoiler!). A hunched and armored orc was yelling at me — Gollum — to get out of my cell and follow a line of slaves to a black iron elevator. He was a hulking, dimwitted goon, in a big stone-and-jagged-metal room, with a spooky lady in the center chanting, “The Eye sees all! The Eye knows all!”
But I could press the control stick forward and walk into his legs for as long as it amused me. He would just emit another NPC bark — like “Get moving, slave!” — and harmlessly whip his arm through his single animation again. Any scraps of personality I found in the first few hours of Gollum were largely the ones I provided myself.
Image: Daedalic Entertainment/Nacon
In fact, I could walk endlessly into the legs of any NPC in the room, including the spooky lady. The orcs had some extra barks about how I wasn’t allowed near her, but there was absolutely nothing to actually stop me from wandering. I could walk into any orc in any corner of any room the game took me into. I could leap up and down. I could do it to the beastmaster orc as he threatened to feed me to his monsters. I could do it to the mine master as he called me a worthless digger.
I did it a lot, as I walked Gollum from one room full of orcs to another, investigating whether anyone would respond to my capering antics. Nobody did. Instead, I had to buckle down and do what the NPC barks told me to do, a set of what I’m gonna call “slave tasks.”
Superficially, these were all different, but mechanically, they all called on me to navigate an area that looked fancy but really only had one intended path. Sometimes I stealthed through the area. Sometimes I climbed. Sometimes I raced against a timer. If I ever lost track of the path, I could press a trigger button to activate “the Gollum Sense,” which turned the world grayscale and displayed some bright orange wisps moving in the direction I was supposed to have chosen, as if Daedalic had a lack of confidence in the game’s environmental signposting.
Eventually, I dutifully walked Gollum into his cell and dutifully pressed X to go to sleep, thinking that after one day of slave tasks, surely there’d be a cutscene speeding the game along. Unfortunately, I woke up the next day and repeated my walk down to the same elevator (no spooky lady this time) and through the same hallway where other slaves spat on me through a grate, in order to do more slave tasks.
My time with Gollum was neatly divided into traversal challenges, walking (crawling, really) simulation, and a soupcon of dialogue choices. Daedalic has promoted the game as a chance to really get inside the fractured mind of the lowliest victim of Sauron’s cruelty. In my roughly two hours of experience, I suspect that that Daedalic later applies the Smeagol/Gollum dynamic to more nuanced choices than the single one I encountered.
Image: Daedalic Entertainment/Nacon
But even in the more casual, less consequential dialogue options I saw, Gollum seems to be resting on an interpretation of Gollum’s “personalities” that rings false to Tolkien’s writing. In The Lord of the Rings, it’s not that Gollum is bad and Smeagol is a sweet wittle baby what never done did any wrong. Smeagol is simply a passive and craven voice, seated in tandem with Gollum’s violent and manic one. Sam called him “Slinker and Stinker,” after all, not “the Nice One and Stinker.”
The easy response to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is to dismissively ask, “Out of the whole Lord of the Rings, why would you make a game about Gollum?” But one can conceive of any number of ways to make a great video game about Gollum. I’d at least check out a goofy Gollum fishing game for mobile! I’d 100% an Untitled Goose Game-style romp through the major beats of The Lord of the Rings. I’d look up strategies for a deck-builder “riddle” game where you play against lost orcs that wander down to your pool and eventually the final boss, that cheater Bilbo Baggins.
A better question is: “Why did you make this video game about Gollum?” If you’re gonna make a simulation game about a Wretched Creature in a Wretched Situation, it’s either got to be meaningful and immersive, or it’s gotta have a Heeheehoohoo Factor. Based on trailers and certain hints in the opening hours of Gollum, I know that there’s gameplay on the other side of Mordor in store. But the lack of personality has already sealed my save file’s doom (doom, drums in the deep). I’ve seen these orcs before; I’ve seen this Mordor before. It’s a version of Middle-earth played utterly straight, but without the creativity or flexibility to maintain immersion.
I wasn’t just imprisoned in a cell by orcs. I was also imprisoned by a game that wanted me to find eight dog tags from eight slave corpses hidden in the mines before I could move on to the not-slave part of the game. The memory of strawberries might have kept Frodo going through Mordor, but I can just turn the game off.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was released on May 25 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a pre-release download code provided by Daedalic Entertainment. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can findadditional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8086323/DSC03940.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24678902/5.png)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24678763/ss_effdae9533b4f5b63caa8e21bec17ca29d863acd.1920x1080.jpg)
