Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Apple : The sensors in the Nissan Titan are obnoxious, but attention-getting

Apple : The sensors in the Nissan Titan are obnoxious, but attention-getting

The sensors in the Nissan Titan are obnoxious, but attention-getting

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 02:41 PM PST

It was a cascading symphony of beeps. I was driving a 2019 Nissan Titan truck, a hulking beast that could drive over a snowbank without blinking. Pulling out of my garage, a rain and snow mix pelting my driveway, I didn’t notice a shovel was sticking out a little... sideways.

Those beeps are slightly obnoxious, to be honest. Fortunately, you can adjust whether they scan around the truck with a near, medium, or far range. The Titan knows the difference between a shovel sticking out and someone walking past in a parking garage (thanks to moving object detection sensors), but in the future, vehicles will be able to scan even more specifically. In the age of distraction, human drivers will have to get used to the beeps.

All-seeing eyes

It’s going to be an adjustment for some. The sensors are important because it’s impossible to really know what is around you at all times. In my case, that day in the garage, I had no idea a shovel was sticking out. I didn’t see it in the rear view mirror or a side mirror. 

As I’ve mentioned countless times in this column, artificial intelligence algorithms and lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors can scan in all directions at once, and they are always vigilant. I’m not. Early in the morning, half-asleep but running on autopilot (from a human perspective), I don’t always jump out and look around the vehicle every time before heading to work.

In the Titan, there are two large buttons that can help you disable the sensors as needed. One is a parking sensor button and one is a rear-cross traffic alert button. Both augment the Intelligent Around View Monitor system to spot objects (both moving and not moving) that could interfere with the truck at lower speeds (such as in a parking situation) and at normal speeds.

In practice, you hear the chime and see a warning light in the direction of the object. In my case, that shovel in my garage caused all of the beeping and, in the dash display, I saw a flashing green then yellow light. I stopped, jumped out, and moved the shovel.

Context matters

It’s invaluable, but it takes some time to adjust to your senses. I set the distance to far so that the beeps didn’t happen quite so often, but I could see that someone owning this truck who uses it in a construction yard or who is maneuvering around tight corners towing a trailer who would like to know about any possible impediments and judge if they are serious or not.

Future cars might use sensors that are much more refined. I can imagine a truck knowing if an object is a human or an animal (some Volvo, Mercedes, and Audi vehicles already detect the difference) but also knowing the speed of the object and if it will collide with the truck. In a construction yard, the truck might know a lot more about the surroundings and even take over the steering to avoid a nasty ding. Sensors would know if it is a plastic object or a metal barrier. 

Many vehicles are already capable of intervening – some can steer away from an object, some will brake automatically – but few can tell the difference between a shovel and a fence.

The good news is that sensors (and the algorithms) will become even more refined, spot smaller object, judge whether a collision might occur, intervene even in tight spaces like a warehouse or your garage, or even decide that a little plastic object is no danger at all.

Computers always follow the same set pattern of instructions, day in and day out. In the Titan, that meant noticing the handle of a shovel blocking one of the tires below and to the right side of the truck. We might have to adjust to this future reality, when vehicles will feed more data to us than we can handle, but we will appreciate the intrusion. After a while, anyway.

On The Road is TechRadar's regular look at the futuristic tech in today's hottest cars. John Brandon, a journalist who's been writing about cars for 12 years, puts a new car and its cutting-edge tech through the paces every week. One goal: To find out which new technologies will lead us to fully driverless cars.  

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Samsung Galaxy S10 leak shows phone reverse wireless charging 'Galaxy Buds'

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 02:25 PM PST

The Galaxy S10 leaks have been so plentiful in the run up to February 20 that they're starting to clue us in on Samsung's other forthcoming announcements.

Case in point, the rumored Samsung Galaxy Buds got a little more real today with an official-looking photo showing off the true wireless earbuds, thanks to WinFuture.

The Galaxy Buds are shown on top of what looks to be the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus in white (one of the rumored Galaxy S10 colors) and inside a compact charging case.

Not only that, the earbuds case appears to be placed on the back of the phone in a way that suggests the phone will be able to wirelessly charge the new buds.

Samsung Galaxy S10 is taking on Huawei Mate 20...

This isn't the first time we've heard that the Samsung Galaxy Buds could be able to reverse wirelessly charge via the Samsung Galaxy S10. It's been reported before.

Here is just the first time we've seen Samsung's take on reverse wireless charging, and it appears to work a lot like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro's reverse wireless charging feature.

Samsung Galaxy S10

The Galaxy S10 could potentially reverse charge other phones, just like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. | Image Credit: Huawei

We tested this with the Mate 20 back-to-back with an iPhone XS Max, and it worked. We suspect Samsung's phone will be able to charge other Qi charging phones, too.

Here's one difference: reverse wireless charging may come to all three new Samsung phones, meaning even the cheap Galaxy S10E would get it. Only the Mate 20 Pro, not the Huawei Mate 20, has this feature.

... And Apple AirPods on price

Attached to this Samsung Galaxy S10 leak and first Galaxy Buds sighting is a price for the buds. WinFuture suggests that the wireless earbuds 'should' cost €149.

if true, Samsung's pricing wouldn't be far off from the cost of Apple's AirPods. This price converts to $169, £130 or AU$238, a bit higher than AirPods in the US and Australia, but cheaper than Apple's inflated AirPods price in the UK.

However, Apple is charging €179 for the AirPods in France and Germany, which could mean Samsung's buds will be cheaper and have more features. We're still waiting on Apple AirPods 2 with the long-promised wireless charging feature.

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Microsoft Build 2019 starts the day before Google IO – again

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 01:11 PM PST

Microsoft's annual developer conference and Windows news event, Build, has been officially announced to run from May 6 through May 8 in Seattle, Washington.

The company made the announcement well ahead of opening registration and posting its convention agenda, which will happen on February 27 and late February, respectively.

While we have no agenda in front of us yet, it would be safe to expect Microsoft to thoroughly discuss Windows '19H1' – code for first half 2019 – its next major update to the Windows 10 operating system (OS) most likely to be called the "April 2019 Update."

That said, Microsoft is already hard at work on '19H2', so we could get a taste of that upcoming major update to the OS well before it lands. 

In fact, this is almost exactly how last year's event went down, with the April 2018 Update releasing weeks prior to Build 2018, which allowed Microsoft to focus primarily on October 2018 Update information drops.

Once again, Build will overlap directly with IO 2019, Google's own developer-focused conference, which runs May 7 through May 9. So, expect May to be absolutely buzzing with tech news.

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HP's 'Copper' high-res VR headset is sharper than HTC Vive Pro

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 12:45 PM PST

HTC made waves last year when it released the high-powered HTC Vive Pro headset, but now HP could be firing back with an even higher-resolution headset of its own, which is codenamed Copper.

The headset was detailed in an exclusive first look piece on the website Road to VR and the outlet skipped no details on what it was like to use HP’s next-gen hardware. 

In terms of specs, Copper will have dual 2,160 × 2,160 displays (one per eye), which is much higher than the HTC Vive Pro’s 1440 x 1600 pixels-per-eye display. Copper won’t, however, radically improve other key metrics like field-of-view. 


Just as important as the improved resolution, Road to VR reports that HP will ditch the ‘halo’-style strap that its previous headset used and opt instead for Oculus Rift-style velcro straps that will run along the sides and top of the headset.

Like HP’s previous VR headset, Copper will run on the Windows Mixed Reality platform and will primarily focus on prosumer and enterprise applications. But according to HP, Copper will be available for anyone to buy, allowing everyone to partake in the higher-resolution headset. 

A rendering of the HP's protoype headset. Image Credit: HP and Road to VR

Is VR ready for a 4K upgrade? 

Now, if you’re doing the math here, HP Copper is a 4K headset (2,160 x 2,160 per eye), the first for HP and potentially one of the first major high-res VR headsets on the market if LG’s 4K prototype VR headset doesn’t beat it to store shelves. 

That's not to say there aren't other high-resolution options out there. The other contender in the ring for best-performing VR headset is Pimax’s 8K VR headset, which not only has the highest resolution available at 3840 x 2160 per eye but also has the widest field-of-view at 200 degrees and a decent 80Hz refresh rate. 

HP's may not have the wider field-of-view, but it would be the first high-resolution-per-eye headset from a major electronics manufacturer.

Unfortunately neither HP nor Road to VR could confirm Copper’s final price, but it's likely that it will come in just slightly above the $499 (around £385, AU$700) mark that HP currently charges for its Mixed Reality Headset from last year.

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Huge iOS 13 emoji update to include disabilities, waffles and yawning

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 12:33 PM PST

Apple is poised to introduce new emoji with iOS 13, and we're getting a preview of the new characters today, four months in advance of Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote.

There's a voluminous 230 new emoji coming with the OS update. This breaks down to 59 distinctly new emoji, 75 gender variations taken into account, and a full 230 when you consider new skin tones, according to Emojipedia.

Apple is said to have specifically proposed emoji designs for disabilities from the Unicode Consortium, so that's a big part of what's coming to iOS 13.

That means sprites for manual and motorized wheelchairs, people with canes, hearing aids, deaf people, and mechanical arms and legs. Service dogs and guide dog emojis are also a part of the next update.

New emojis you thought already existed

Move over pancakes, because there’s finally a waffle emoji, ideal for annotating your battered breakfast or creatively describing someone who waffles on issues.

Believe it or not, you couldn’t properly emote yawning in texts before, but that’s destined for iOS 13, as are simple icons for person standing and person kneeling.

We’re also finally getting food characters for onions, garlic, falafels, oysters and butter, all of which emoji you thought existed before today, but didn’t.

Juice boxes, ice cubes, kites, yo-yos, parachutes, and diving masks will get their due in iOS 13, and new animal emoji join the pack with orangutans, sloths, flamingos, otters and skunks.

iOS 13 emoji update

(Image Credit: Emojipedia)

New clothes and accessories include an orange safety vest, sari, one-piece swimsuit, briefs, shorts and ballot slippers. Music icons finally get their banjo solo, the only new instrument we see.

Hurt? There’s emojis coming to give you other options beyond the bandaged face. You’ll now have access to drop of blood, adhesive bandage, and stethoscope to describe your pain, in case you fall over a wooden chair (a new emoji) or fall victim to an axe (also a new one).

There are a lot of new useful emoji due to come to iOS 13. Aren’t excited? The final one we’ll mention is the yawn emoji – that’s for you. 

  • Curious what features are coming in iOS 12.2, the next iOS version? Check our roundup here

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Death Stranding release date, trailers and news

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 10:26 AM PST

What is Death Stranding about? Even after a deeper-dive showcase at E3 2018 , it's almost impossible to say. Broadly sci-fi, featuring elements of trippy horror, the first game from Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima's new studio looks set to meld the techno-future trappings of the Metal Gear series with his own mind-bending Silent Hill horror, too.

But at this point, it's almost all entirely conjecture. Sony and Kojima are playing up to the mysterious nature of the game, letting very few details be revealed. As the first game from Kojima Studios, there's a lot riding on its success, and the PR campaign to drum up interest is already creating a fever-pitch of anticipation.

After his well-publicized departure from Konami, Kojima announced Death Stranding at Sony’s E3 2016 presentation and made something of a massive impression. 

While the entire gaming planet tries to piece together the bread crumb trail to find out what exactly we're all waiting for, let this article guide you through everything there is to know about Death Stranding so far.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? Honestly, who really knows. It’s the debut title from Hideo Kojima’s new studio Kojima Studios.
  • When can I play it? Sometime in the next 2 years.
  • What will it cost? Likely to be around $60/£45/AU$59
  • What can I play it on? PS4

Death Stranding trailers and screenshots

The Tokyo Game Show 2018 trailer revealed voice-acting veteran Troy Baker has joined the cast as the mysterious villain The Man in the Golden Mask.

E3 2018 brought Death Stranding gameplay to our eyes and left our minds somewhat confused. 

Before E3 2018, Death Stranding featured at the Game Awards 2017. Coming in at nearly eight minutes long, this isn't a quick watch and unfortunately it doesn't answer many of the questions we have about the game (actually we think we have more). Watch it for yourself below:

The reveal trailer that was shown at E3 in 2016 may have been more than 3 minutes long, but it didn’t reveal much about the game at all other than that it would star The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus.

A second even longer and 4K trailer was shown at The Game Awards at the end of 2016. This trailer starred Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo Del Toro and although it didn’t give us any more of an idea of what the game will actually even be about (in fact leaving us more confused than we were before) it did send expectations soaring. 

From what we can guess, the events of the second trailer take place before the events of the first, since the baby being transported in the incubator (in the second) is almost certainly Norman Reedus (as seen in the first trailer). They have the same handcuff and stomach scars. 

As for what this means we have absolutely no idea. Bear in mind Kojima has, in the past, been a fan of including footage in trailers that never made it into the final game. Anyone remember the 'Grand Theft Auto' exchange from the first MGS3 trailer?

Death Stranding release date

There’s no definite release date just yet but Kojima did tell fans during the 2016 Tokyo Game Show that Death Stranding would be out before 2019. During a recent interview at the 2017 Game Awards, Kojima seemed to be happy with the development progress of the game, stating that a lot of work had been done with the Decima engine. 

In an interview with Dengeki PlayStation (via Wccftech) at the end of 2017, Kojima said that development of the game was going well: “Development on Death Stranding is going well enough that [Sony Interactive Entertainment] told us, ‘We have never before seen a game being created at such a fast pace.’ We are planning an announcement that will further surprise everyone in 2018.”

However, that runs counter to what a leak from an Amazon UK listing revealed. It put Death Stranding down for a release of March 29, 2019, which would see the game slip well beyond that 2018 aim. For a game that no-one is still all that sure of in terms of how it will play, let alone anyone having actually played it, this feels realistic.

That said, there's lots to suggest this was little more than a retail placeholder from Amazon. For instance, it appeared alongside a listing for The Last of Us 2 on the same date – competition that would seem bizarre for two first-party Sony titles to generate against each other. With March 29 2019 the end of the financial year, it's more likely simply a system default listing. 

The most recent update on development came from Kojima at Tokyo Game Show 2018, where he revealed at the team is "in the phase where I’m holding the controller the whole day, embedding new elements while playing the game".

In addition, Kojima revealed that the voice actor strikes have held up development as he was unable to record with Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen during that period - so recording is still taking place now.

What do we know so far about Death Stranding?

Troy Baker is a villain

Veteran voice-actor Troy Baker (who voices Joel in The Last of Us series) stars in Death Stranding as the enigmatic antagonist The Man in the Golden Mask. Baker was introduced in a teaser trailer shown during Tokyo Game Show, with his skull-masked character summoning a black tar-like demon to take on Norman Reedus' character.

E3 2018

E3 brought a brand new trailer, few answers and even more questions. The trailer for the game had the most revealing description we've seen yet, stating the game is about Sam ‘Porter’ Bridges, a delivery man who must journey across a vast world so that he can “reunite the shattered world one step at a time.”

We also got look at two more famous faces who will make an appearance in the game – Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner.

It'll be at E3 2018

Sony has confirmed the time and date of its E3 conference as June 11 at 6pm PT/ 9am BST. And Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shawn Layden, has confirmed during a PlayStation Blogcast that Death Stranding will feature. Layden said that Sony has decided to "refresh and remake its show" and that fans can expect "deep dives" into games like Death Stranding and Spider-Man, with updates on how development is progressing.

Hideo Kojima has been doing some teasing on Twitter with a brand new screenshot and an E3 countdown. As you'd expect, the screenshot raises more questions than it answers. Hopefully we'll get a little more to go on when E3 rolls around. 

Gameplay

At the moment, we don’t know all that much about Death Stranding other than that it’ll be an open world action title starring Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen. 

It’s not likely, however, to be the standard open world action fare we’ve grown used to, not that we’d expect anything standard from Kojima. 

According to Kojima his first title with Sony is going to be “slightly more edgy” and in an interview with IGN he stated that though he wants “to create something that’s what people expect” he also wants to bring “something new that people haven’t seen before.”

Unfortunately, this raises more questions than it answers. 

We do know that Kojima is planning to do something different with the game’s mechanics, most notably around the concept of dying and involving the baby that has appeared in every trailer. Kojima told IGN his plans for the mechanics of Death Stranding were inspired by a Japanese short story. 

In the story it’s stated that the first tool mankind creates is a stick for protection but that the second tool mankind created was a rope to keep things close and secure. “Most of your tools in action games are sticks” Kojima explained, “You punch or you shoot or you kick. The communication is always through these 'sticks.' In [Death Stranding], I want people to be connected not through sticks, but through what would be the equivalent of ropes… But of course you will be able to use the sticks too.”

Unfortunately we haven’t seen any gameplay that would give us a better insight into how this rope approach will actually work. 

In an interview with The Telegraph, Sony Interactive Entertainment America's President, Shawn Layden, admitted that he's played Death Stranding and that the game is, indeed, "up and running." 

After Hideo Kojima appeared at this year's E3 without any new information about, or footage from, Death Stranding, rumors began to circulate that the game is in for an extremely drawn out development process.

However, the mysterious game is apparently far enough along that Layden has played some prototype levels, though he admits "I couldn't explain to you what the game is..."

When asked if the game is as revolutionary as is being promised, Layden says it's "all that and more!" after what The Telegraph calls a "thoughtful pause."

Layden isn't the only person that's struggled to get to grips with Death Stranding; at a Q and A session at the E3 Coliseum, Kojima himself said that his own team didn't understand the game: "I started explaining a year ago to the team what I wanted to make. No one got it!"

Before this, the game's star Mads Mikkelsen admitted he "got lost" when Kojima tried to explain the game's plot to him. 

Though it's comfort to know that the game has gotten to the point in its development process that Layden is able to get hands on with it, it's less comforting that so many people close to Death Stranding are so perplexed by it. Or maybe that's exciting?  We have to say we can't wait to find out more. 

Sporadic details

Though Kojima has been coy, he’s given some nice teases into what we can expect from Death Stranding in terms of tone and gameplay modes.

At the Tokyo Game Show, Kojima told fans the game would have a female protagonist and would feature online co-op play.

We know the game will run on the Decima engine which was created by Horizon: Zero Dawn developers, Guerilla Games. Kojima praised this engine during PSX 2016 as being an excellent engine for creating open world games, something that Horizon: Zero Dawn’s reception suggests has an element of truth to it. 

Though its unsettling trailers suggest otherwise, Kojima has said that Death Stranding won’t be as dark as some fans are expecting. It’s certainly not a horror game, he told Glixel, and it would have comedic moments which isn’t entirely surprising considering the overarching tone of the Metal Gear series. 

An impressive cast

We already knew Death Stranding had some big names attached to it including Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen . But now we know they'll be joined by writer and actress Emily O'Brien and the voice of video games, Troy Baker. 

O'Brien recently posted a picture to Instagram which showed her alongside Baker and Reedus, with a caption stating "Honored to be working alongside these two fine lads on [Hideo Kojima's] new project Death Stranding." 

While Baker is well known for his starring roles in video games such as The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite, O'Brien has had roles on both TV and in games, featuring in Telltale's Guardian's of the Galaxy and Batman: The Enemy Within as well as Rock in a Hard Place.

Players won't die

In a recent interview with IGN, Hideo Kojima was slightly more open with details than he usually is. The strange underwater sequence from the 2017 Game Awards trailer for example? That's apparently a kind of purgatory where players will go and freely explore when they die in the game, though Kojima notes that "death will never pull you out of the game." 

The game apparently explores the themes of life and death and it's for this reason that Kojima would like to explore the traditional death mechanic in games and let players know that  in-game death isn't the end for them when it happens.

In this underwater area, he explains, “you're not dead or alive. It's the equivalent of that screen that says 'Continue?' and a counter ticking down towards zero.” When players decide they're ready to leave and return to the game world, they won't be returned to a point before their death. Instead the game acknowledges their defeat and coming back to life is more of a reincarnation than a respawn.

There's a weird time rain

During the trailer shown at the 2017 Game Awards, fans noticed there's a strange kind of rain that has an effect on time. In makes plants grow in wilt and makes human bodies age and degenerate when it touches them. The rain is apparently called Timefall and it has a big role to play in the game's story. 

What's the deal with the babies?

There's been some seriously strange recurring baby imagery in the footage we've seen for Death Stranding that's included Norman Reedus cradling a baby while standing nude on a beach as well as having one living inside his throat. According to Kojima in an interview with IGN, the baby is apparently the same baby and it's a part of the game mechanics as well as the overarching plot. We assume it's related to the idea of not ever finitely dying but Kojima didn't confirm this. 

There will be online elements

We already knew there would be online co-op elements in the game after Kojima confirmed it at the Tokyo Game Show, but in a recent IGN interview he acknowledged that he's been keeping up with recent players reactions to things like microtransactions. 

“I think there are a lot of people out there who still enjoy single-player games, aside from some microtransactions." This suggests that while the game will have online co-op elements, they won't make up the entirety of the game. 

What could it all mean?

Though the game’s trailers don’t tell us much about how we’ll eventually play Death Stranding, they do reveal some important thematic elements. 

Quotes from William Blake, the repeated appearance of ruined dolls, and the inclusion of what looks like oil (but could very well be ink) and dead sea creatures suggests Kojima will be exploring the fractious relationship between man and the natural world and the impact it has on us and future generations.

The littering of dead crabs on beaches and tanks with definitely living tentacles coming out of them suggests to us a post-apocalyptic world over-run with robotic sea creatures which would certainly be interesting. After all, Kojima is working closely with Guerilla Games whose Horizon: Zero Dawn game focused on robotic dinosaurs.

There’s also a curious mix of futuristic technology and elements of the past in the game’s various trailers. 

In the second game trailer though Mads Mikkelsen is wearing a modern army uniform and appears to be using some kind of cable, the undead soldiers around him are wearing WW2 era uniforms and the game world outside of the tunnel he’s in is almost certainly from the second world war time period. 

Whether this mix of past and future will manifest itself as time travelling or simply alternate universe science fiction isn’t clear. 

Safe to say, as a Kojima title, there’s a lot of mystery and symbolism at play here and fans online are tearing through what little materials there are to try and find out more information about the game. 

We’ll keep updating as more solid information becomes available.

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Google blocked 100m spam Gmail messages using AI

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 10:08 AM PST

Google's Gmail is used by 1.5bn people each month with 5m businesses using the service as part of G Suite and one of the biggest draws of the service is its built-in security protections.

Through the use of machine learning (ML), the company is able to block 99.9 percent of spam, phishing and malware from ending up in user's inboxes.

However, by implementing new protections powered by Google's open-source machine learning framework TensorFlow, the search giant has succeeded at blocking an additional 100m spam messages each day.

Google is now blocking spam categories that were previously very hard to detect. By using TensorFlow to scan incoming emails, the company is now able to block image-based messages, emails with hidden embedded content and messages from new domains trying to hide a low volume of spam within legitimate traffic.

Using ML to block spam

ML is helping Google catch spam by allowing the company to identify patterns in large data sets that humans might not catch. The technology also makes it easier to adapt quickly to new tactics used by spammers while personalizing spam protections for each user as one person's spam may be an important message for someone else.

Applying ML at scale can be both complex and time consuming which is why TensorFlow contains many components to make ML easier and more efficient. TensorFlow Extended (TFX) is one of these components that allows Google to deploy ML pipelines in a quick and standardized fashion while TensorBoard allows it to monitor model training pipelines and quickly evaluate new models to determine their usefulness.

TensorFlow also provides the flexibility to train and experiment with different models in parallel. This helps businesses develop the most effective approach as opposed to being limited to running one experiment at a time.

Google is also experimenting with TensorFlow in other security-related areas such as phishing and malware detection in its ongoing goal to make the internet a safer place.

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Luigi's Mansion 3 release date, news, and features

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:56 AM PST

It’s been six long years since Nintendo last released a game in the Luigi’s Mansion series, and with fans beginning to give up hope of another, the announcement that a sequel will hit Nintendo Switch in 2019 is very welcome news indeed.

Announced with a trailer during a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2018 the tentatively named Luigi’s Mansion 3, is set to be released on Switch at some point in 2019 - so far no official release date has been divulged.

No other details about the spooky new installation of Luigi’s flagship franchise have been released as of yet. However the trailer shows Luigi creeping through a haunted mansion with ghosts bursting out from behind cleaning supplies as he battles them with his trusty new Poltergust G-00 (which is essentially a glorified vacuum cleaner). 

With the first two games focussing on Luigi’s efforts to save his brother Mario from the haunted mansion, we imagine Mario has got himself into trouble again, although details on the premise of the third installation are yet to be announced.

The last Nintendo Direct broadcast Luigi’s apparent death, with his soul appearing to leave his body - so whether the new game will address this is yet to be seen. 

Fans of the second game, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon will be pleased to know that the mischievous little Polterpup makes a return, most likely to cause havoc for ghost-busting plumber. 

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The third entry in Nintendo's spooky series
  • When can I play it? 2019 - no official date has been announced yet
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Luigi's Mansion 3 release date

All we know so far is that the game will be available on Switch in 2019, but if you can’t wait that long, fear not - the original Luigi’s Mansion is being re-released on 3DS on October 12, so you can get your ghost-busting skills up to scratch in preparation for the new installment. 

The rebooted version of the Gamecube classic will have a fun new feature that allows you to play in multiplayer, much like the second in the series. 

Luigi’s Mansion 3 trailers

Although the 41 second trailer doesn’t give away much, it does give us a sneak peek at the high quality graphics and gameplay. Check it out below:

Luigi's Mansion 3 news

Poltergust G-00

Luigi's got a brand new vacuum, in the form of the Poltergust G-00. This new super sucker can fire plungers, use jet propulsion to increase jumping, and use the Strobulb.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 rumors

With very little information offered by Nintendo during the stream on September 13, there’s not much in the way of rumors at this time. However, with Luigi’s apparent death being broadcast on the last Nintendo Direct, fans are speculating that Luigi may actually be a ghost himself in this new incarnation... in any case, we can’t wait to find out. 

Here’s how Nintendo fans are reacting to the news:

It seems like Nintendo has made a smart move and appeased its fans, but with very few details about the new game available, we will continue to update this story and more announcements are made.

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Ghost of Tsushima: release date, trailers and news

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:36 AM PST

First announced at 2017’s Paris Games Week, Ghost of Tsushima is a brand new IP from Sucker Punch which will be exclusive to PlayStation 4. 

Though Sucker Punch is largely known for the inFamous games, the developer is departing quite significantly from the inFamous formula with this new game. Saying so-long to high-rise cities and neon superpowers, Ghost of Tsushima will be a historical open world adventure that will take players back to Feudal Japan.

Sound like your kind of thing? This is everything we know about the game so far.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? A brand new PlayStation exclusive IP from Sucker Punch 
  • When can I play it? No release window just yet 
  • What can I play it on? PS4 

Ghost of Tsushima release date

Though we know development of Ghost of Tsushima is well underway and we’ve seen some gameplay footage, there’s not been any inkling of a release date just yet - but late 2019 looks likely.

Ghost of Tsushima trailers

PlayStation showed us more of Ghost of Tsushima than ever during its E3 2018 conference with a brand new lengthy gameplay debut. The trailer shows a huge open world that almost looks like a painting with a soaring atmospheric soundtrack. 

We see our samurai challenge Mongol invaders in a combat style that reminded us of Assassin's Creed. But as well as up front and outright combat, there will be an emphasis on stealth with players using the element of surprise to avoid being outnumbered.

Check out the gameplay debut trailer below:

Before this we saw the announcement trailer that was released at Paris Games Week.

Though it was captured in the game engine, it doesn’t feature much in terms of gameplay. What it does show, however, is the game world we’ll be playing in and it’s clear that Sucker Punch is aiming for a stunning aesthetic. You can watch it for yourself below:

Though it doesn't focus on in-game footage or gameplay, there was also an enlightening panel held at PSX with several members of the game's development team. 

Watch below for details on the above trailer and what kind of research has gone into it.

News and features

The main character is Jin Sakai - but he's not alone

Ghost of Tsushima focuses on samurai Jin Sakai but you will also gather allies such as  archer Masako (who was you might remember from the trailer).

It’ll be set in Feudal Japan 

As revealed by the game’s announcement trailer, Ghost of Tsushima will be set in 13th century Japan - the time of the Mongol invasions. In the year 1274, the Mongols made their first stop on the island of Tsushima. You'll play Jin, one of the last of the samurai on the devastated island, determined to quash the invasion and push the Mongols out despite the odds being stacked against him.

The game's art director, Jason Connell, stated in a recent PSX panel for the game that the team are taking an "inspired by" approach to the game with the setting serving as a "jumping off point" for a completely original story. 

There will be an open world and you’ll play in the third-person

Though it’s very different from Sucker Punch’s previous games in many ways, Ghost of Tsushima will bear one similarity to inFamous with its third-person perspective; this time players will take up the role of a samurai called Jin.

The game will have a huge open world. Specifically, the setting will be the large island of Tsushima, located off the coast of Japan. Tsushima is a geographically diverse place and the game’s trailer shows that players will be able to travel from lush forests, to rugged mountains and towns filled with interesting characters.

Judging by trailer footage it looks likely that the player will do the majority of terrain traversal on horseback. 

Gameplay

We’ve seen very little of gameplay thus far, but given the setting and overarching storyline it has the potential to be interesting. Playing a samurai unsurprisingly means there will be both action and stealth elements but there seem to be some plans to mix up the formula. 

The samurai the player will take control of, for example, is the one of the last of his kind and as a result he’s forced to shed traditional samurai tactics and form a new method of fighting call the ‘Way of the Ghost’. 

While we don’t know what this Way of the Ghost actually involves, we're interested because it’s an entirely new method of fighting necessitated by there being only one samurai facing an entire army. All of this together makes us think there will be a heavy emphasis on tactical stealth and the use of enhanced (perhaps mildly supernatural) powers. 

According to the game's listing on the New Zealand PlayStation Store, players will be building the legend of 'the Ghost' in a tale "inspired by classic samurai stories."

There will be a range of weapons 

Naturally weapons will be key in this game and from the trailer we can see that there will be a wide range of them. Alongside the traditional samurai katana, we also glimpsed long bows, armored horses and plenty of fire.

The villain will be interesting

Alongside an intriguing protagonist, we’re also anticipating a villain of substance. The player will be facing the Mongol Empire, known for its advanced horseback and archery skills as well as its ferocity. 

The leader of this army will be the player’s main enemy and Sucker Punch has described this leader as being an “uncomfortably reasonable killer.” How this will manifest itself in the game is unclear but it suggests an engaging story line and hero/villain dynamic.

We're expecting to hear more about Ghost of Tsushima at this year's PlayStation Experience taking place in early December. Keep checking back here for more updates!

It could use Japanese dialogue

During a recent panel at PSX, the game's creative director Nate Fox asked the audience if they'd be interested in playing the game with Japanese dialogue. After applause that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than affirmation, he stated "Noted, thank you."

While this isn't a confirmation of anything, it does suggest that Ghost of Tsushima could very well go down the route of games such as Nier: Automata with dialogue entirely in Japanese alongside English subtitles. It would certainly compliment the efforts the development team has clearly gone to in going on research trips and asking for expert advice to achieve cultural authenticity. 

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Apple retail head Angela Ahrendts departs

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:33 AM PST

Angela Ahrendts, the head of Apple’s retail stores, is to leave the company in April after five years in the role.

The former Burberry CEO was appointed in 2014, tasked with overhauling Apple’s retail presence ahead of the launch of the Apple Watch.

Her experience in the world of fashion was seen as desirable as Apple expanded into a new category of device, while it was suggested that CEO Tim Cook wanted to increase sales through the company’s direct channels.

Angela Ahrendts Apple

But despite this focus on sales, Ahrendts is widely credited with turning the portfolio of more than 500 stores worldwide into destinations rather than just places to promote and sell products. This will be even more crucial going forward as Apple has identified customer financing and recycling programmes as key methods of encouraging device upgrades.

Ahrendts departure has been attributed for a desire for “new personal and professional pursuits” and she will be replaced by Deirdre O’Brien, whose role has been expanded to senior vice president of Retail + People.

“I want to thank Angela for inspiring and energizing our teams over the past five years,” declared Cook. “She has been a positive, transformative force, both for Apple’s stores and the communities they serve. We all wish her the very best as she begins a new chapter.”

 

“The last five years have been the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling of my career. Through the teams’ collective efforts, Retail has never been stronger or better positioned to make an even greater contribution for Apple,” added Ahrendts.

“I feel there is no better time to pass the baton to Deirdre, one of Apple’s strongest executives. I look forward to watching how this amazing team, under her leadership, will continue to change the world one person and one community at a time.”

The expansion of O’Brien’s role comes at a time when iPhone sales are struggling. iPhone revenue is down 15 per cent year-on-year to $51.9 billion thanks to lower-than-expected sales over the usually buoyant Christmas period.

 This has been attributed to market saturation, expensive flagship devices and a battery replacement programme that extends the life of devices.

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Samsung Galaxy S10e leak gives us close look at the ‘affordable’ handset

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:26 AM PST

Images claiming to show the Samsung Galaxy S10e have leaked, giving us a clearer picture of the handset also known as the Galaxy S10 Lite. 

The device is to be a cheaper alternative to the flagship Galaxy S10, in the same way the iPhone XR is to the iPhone XS. According to press images found by WinFuture, the device will vary in many ways from the bigger flagship.

However one feature it appears to share with the rumored S10 and S10 Plus is a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. There’s no sign of a digit reader on the front or rear of these S10e renders, and it’s unlikely Samsung will omit the technology altogether. 

This will increase ease of accessing the phone and will free up space below the screen, although the display is said to be smaller than the Galaxy S10 with current predictions pegging it at 5.8 inches. 

In addition the S10e is to have only a dual-lens camera, instead of a tri-lens camera that the S10 and S10+ will have. 

Like its larger siblings the S10e will not have a notch, with a front camera surrounded by screen instead and it appears to also have a headphone jack on the the bottom. Again, the leaked images here suggest this is true, with rear shots of the device showing only two lenses, a ‘punch-hole’ camera and a headphone jack.

The front and back of the Samsung Galaxy S10. Note the headphone jack and dual cameras on the rear. Image credit: WinFuture.

Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S10e

Previous leaks have given us information as to the specifications and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S10e, with it tipped to pack a 3100mAh battery, slightly behind the 3400mAh and 4100mAh batteries of the S10 and S10+ respectively. 

There is said to be only one size option for the model, with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. Suggested prices for the device starts at €749 (about US$850, £660, AU$1200). As with all leaks surrounding phones the information isn’t confirmed, however it provides information in keeping with other leaks about the device.

We’ll definitely find out more about the Galaxy S10 phones at Samsung’s launch event on February 20, just days before the MWC 2019 event in Barcelona. We’ll be reporting live on the event announcements as they happen. 

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First leaked Oculus Rift S details reveal slight upgrades so far

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:21 AM PST

The rumored Oculus Rift S virtual reality (VR) headset reportedly has rather minor upgrades in the works so far, further affirming rumors that the device will not focus on visual experience upgrades but rather quality-of-life improvements.

UploadVR reports to have found evidence of this within the Oculus PC app’s user interface code, first quoting references to a setting that would allow the user to choose between 50Hz and 60Hz room lighting as well as automated function for this setting.

Described as “lighting frequency for Rift S cameras to adjust to room lighting,” this suggests that the Oculus Rift S will handle its own positional tracking via built-in cameras much like the Oculus Go of 2018.

UploadVR goes on to detail that this new headset will likely remove the physical dial that adjusts inter-pupillary distance, or the space between the centers of your eyes, in lieu of a software control. Without this physical lever, the headset would have to either include a motor or adjust the pixels on the screen to match the unique distance between each users' eyes.

It’s unknown both to this outlet and to us why Facebook and Oculus would make such a change when the upcoming Oculus Quest standalone headset maintains the feature.

Of course, Oculus and Facebook declined to comment on the matter.

These new details help affirm earlier rumors that the Oculus Rift 2 that was supposed to be the company's true next phase in PC-based VR is cancelled. They also lend credence to the reports that Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe left parent company Facebook over the rumored cancellation of his Rift 2 project in favor of this smaller revision.

For this Oculus Rift S, the adoption of internal positioning cameras would be a major quality-of-life improvement for existing fans and far less intimidating to new users. However, we would adjust our expectations for a knock-out VR experience if and when Oculus Rift S sees the light of day.

Via Engadget

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The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti all but confirmed by retail listings

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:21 AM PST

At this point, it almost seems certain that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is real, especially when this rumored graphics card has just appeared both on retail and within testing software code.

Four different versions of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti have appeared on four different Russian retail sites, including DNS Shop, Mitcor, Nix and Albasoft. These newly listed GTX 1660 Ti cards include the usual suspects with Gaming X and Armor models from MSI as well as Palit Storm X and Storm X OC variants.

Going by these purported product pages, we can also suss out some of the GTX 1660 Ti’s specs. It seems that this GPU will indeed feature 6GB of GDDR6 memory, but potentially clocked at a slightly slower 12Gbps memory clock.

The reference speeds of the GTX 1660 Ti also seem to sit between 1,500MHz and 1,770MHz. Lastly, the graphics card is supposedly listed to include 1,536 CUDA cores and 96 texture units.

Unfortunately, none of these sites seem to have included pricing, but previous reports have suggested this card will retail for $279 (about  £215, AU$395).

Image Credit: Videocardz

Comparatively, the Nvidia GTX 1060 featured 1,280 CUDA cores, 80 texture units, a 1,506MHz base clock and a 1,708 boost clock. The Nvidia RTX 2060, on the other hand, packs in 1,920 CUDA cores, 120 texture units, a 1,365MHz base clock and a 1,680MHz boost clock.

We can debate the reliability of these Russian sites all day but, alongside these retail listings, Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti's existence seems almost certain, thanks to AIDA64 Extreme’s latest beta. 

According to the software notes, this version “adds GPU information for nVIDIA TU116,” which happens to be the supposed underlying GPU name for Nvidia’s rumored 16-series GTX cards. 

With how rapidly these leaks are coming out, we must be getting close to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti’s official reveal. Only time (and Nvidia) can tell if these reports are correct.

Via PCGamesN

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Facebook is building a unified messaging system for businesses

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 09:12 AM PST

Social media giant Facebook is reportedly building a unified messaging for business feature that will allow companies to access and manage Instagram Direct messages alongside Facebook Messenger messages.

Last month, The New York Times reported that the company was planning to unite the back-end technology running Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp on the consumer side. Now though, it appears that Facebook is also building a tool to do the exact same thing with its apps for business.

The company's new feature will add Instagram Direct messaging to the messaging inbox inside the Facebook Pages Manager app on both desktop and mobile. Currently the tool only allows businesses to receive and interact with messages from Facebook Messenger.

End users will be unable to see the difference between a message sent on Instagram and one sent on Facebook Messenger as the function would exist only on the front-end for business page mangers.

Business messaging

Facebook's decision to unite the backed of its three messaging services has the potential to shake up the business messaging space as the company looks to gain a foothold in the growing market.

As users spend more time with its messaging apps, this could help grow its advertising business and while there there are currently no monetization plans for its combined messaging experience, the idea has been discussed by the company.

Facebook's messaging tools are used as a B2B communication platform between vendors and consumers with 150m people using Instagram to talk with businesses and 10bn messages sent between consumers and businesses every month on Facebook Messenger.

As of now, the company has yet to announce anything regarding the possibility of combining Instagram and Facebook Messenger into a unified messaging service but if the rumors are true, we could likely hear an announcement soon.

Via Axios

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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – release date, trailers and news

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 08:50 AM PST

Hold on to your lightsabers: there's a new Star Wars game in development, and it's called Jedi: Fallen Order.

The reveal came in a surprisingly low-key fashion during EA's conference at E3 2018, during an off-the-cuff interview with Vince Zambella, co-founder of Respawn Entertainment (of Titanfall fame).

While fans of the galactic franchise have seen official tie-ins in the form of Star Wars Battlefront I and II, the new entry seems to be taking a different tack, possibly focusing on a single-player experience more in line with 2008's The Force Unleashed – but we have all the concrete news and wild speculation you could want below.

[Update: EA has revealed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release in Fall 2019.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? A new single-player Star Wars game from the creators of Titanfall
  • What can I play it on? It's all but certain we'll see it on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
  • When can I play it? Autumn/Fall 2019

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release date

EA has confirmed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release in Fall 2019 (so between mid September and December), just in time for Christmas. 

Star Wars Battlefront I and II were both released on November 17, in 2015 and 2017 respectively, so it's likely Fallen Order will fall on the same date (or in November anyway). Given the two-year windows between each game, though, this may mean a third Battlefront game is a long way off.

Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order trailers

At the time of writing, there's no trailer, or even any concept art to go on. 

When there is one, it's likely to be at EA's official Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order webpage – but feel free to stare at the site and drool in the meantime.

There is, however, this video from EA on its future Star Wars titles:

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order news and rumors

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release window

"In addition to Apex Legends, another team at Respawn is set to deliver Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order this fall," EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). "This game's development is led by the former director of the God of War series, with a team of veterans from some of the industry's biggest action-adventure games. 

Development is well underway

"It’s very far along in development, and having spent time with it recently myself, it plays spectacularly well," EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). "This game truly captures the fantasy of becoming a Jedi, and we will have a lot more to share soon."

We will start seeing more soon

"You'll start to see in the next few months glimpses of the Star Wars game and I think you'll be blown away by what you see," said EA CFO Blake Jorgensen during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). "We've played 20 plus minutes of it last week and it is exceptional in terms of its like level of polish depth and what living inside of the Star Wars world is a Jedi and I think people will be blown away by."

A Padawan called Cal?

According to rumored information from a Star Wars marketing day (which obviously made its way to Reddit) the story will take place roughly five years after Revenge of the Sith and will follow surviving Padawan Cal (via GamesRadar). This rumor also states that one of the game's main plot points will revolve around Cal's mentor figure - a woman named Ceres.

It's set after Revenge of the Sith

We don't know the specific time in which the game is set, but we've heard that it will take place at some point between Episodes 3 and 4, after the end of Revenge of the Sith but before Luke Skywalker's appearance in A New Hope.

This places it after the Galactic Empire hunted the 10,000-strong Jedi Order practically to extinction, leaving only a small fraction of Jedi alive (aka Order 66). With the promise that the game will be set 'in the dark times', it sounds like our Jedi protagonist may be more the hunted than the hunter.

You'll play as a young padawan

EA's official webpage for Fallen Order specifies you'll play "a surviving Padawan", technically meaning a Jedi apprentice rather than a fully-fledged master of the Force. Given the dearth of living mentors left to train you, it's possible Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda – or some less high-profile Jedi, like Quinlan Vos – will appear in a supporting role. 

The single-player mode comes first

Respawn co-founder Vince Zambella tweeted about the upcoming game, describing it as an 'SP' (single-player) story. While a multiplayer component seems likely, given both Respawn's strengths in the area and EA's focus on online play, it sounds like the primary focus this time could be on a well-delivered single-player experience.

Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)

I find your lack of faith disturbing

It's been a bit of a fallow year for Star Wars, with Star Wars: A Solo Story struggling in cinemas and the negative player response to EA Dice's Star Wars: Battlefront 2 – largely in reaction to its prevalent use of microtransactions – still in recent memory.

Jedi: Fallen Order has been handed to a different studio, albeit one that's still a subsidiary of EA. But Respawn has garnered a lot of respect as the studio behind Titanfall and Titanfall 2, two critically acclaimed sci-fi action games that pit players against each other in giant mechanized suits, and which both came with strong single-player and multiplayer offerings. 

So, while we haven't heard much about Fallen Order so far, it looks like the game is in safe hands.

Keep checking back here for all the latest Jedi: Fallen Order news 

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Spotify spends over $200 million securing podcasting future

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 08:45 AM PST

Podcasts have enjoyed a popularity boost in recent years, with weekly listening numbers reaching a high of 48 million in the US in 2018 – and Spotify has taken notice.

The streaming giant has announced that it has acquired not one, but two podcast-related companies, in a bid to become “both the premier producer of podcasts and the leading platform for podcast creators”, according to an announcement on the Spotify investors website. 

The first of the acquisitions is Gimlet Media, a podcast production company that will apparently bring Spotify its “best-in-class podcast studio with dedicated IP development, production and advertising capabilities”.

Podcasts produced by Gimlet Media cover everything from history to internet culture, with some outlets reporting that it was bought by Spotify for over $200 million. 

Spotify has also announced its acquisition of Anchor, whose platform is designed to make it easier for podcasters to create, distribute, and monetize their shows. The app is available for free on iOS and Android.

How will Spotify change?

Spotify co-founder and CEO, Daniel Ek says that “these acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the world’s leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience as well as enhance the Spotify brand”.

Although the streaming platform hasn’t confirmed how much podcast content it’s planning to put out this year, we can be fairly certain that we will start to see more podcasts on the platform, signaling a move away for the company from music-only streaming. 

In a separate blog post, Ek suggested that “over time, 20% of all Spotify listening will be non-music content”, adding that Spotify’s podcast users “spend almost twice the time on the platform” as those who listen exclusively to music.

Diversifying its content in this way gives Spotify an edge over competitors like Apple Music; although Apple has its own podcast app that comes pre-installed on iOS devices, having podcasts and music in one place is an attractive proposition for customers looking for an easy way to stream content. 

As well as that, the acquisition of Anchor could mean that Spotify begins to produce its own podcasts, much like Netflix creates exclusive content under Netflix Originals. 

So, what do these acquisitions mean for the humble listener? Hopefully, it means we’ll be getting higher-quality podcasts and more of them, all in one convenient place, but we'll have to wait and see. 

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Xbox Game Pass getting Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Crackdown 3 and more this month

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 08:33 AM PST

Microsoft has revealed the titles being added to Xbox Games Pass in February 2019 – and there are definitely some whoppers. 

During the latest Inside Xbox livestream, Microsoft announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season, Pumped BMX Pro, de Blob, Crackdown 3, and Batman: Return to Arkham will be added to Xbox Games Pass this month.

Check out the tweet from Xbox's Larry 'Major Nelson' below: 

When can we expect them?

Arguably the biggest announcement on the list is Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the final instalment in the Lara Croft reboot, which will arrive on February 7. 

Alongside this, we will also see the first season of Telltale's episodic adventure The Walking Dead and arcade trickathon Pumped BMX Pro arriving on February 7.

Then, just in time for Valentine's Day, platform-puzzler de Blob will arrive on February 14. 

But if you prefer your games a bit more action-packed then Crackdown 3 will launch straight onto Xbox Games Pass on its release day of February 15. It will also be available on PC via Play Anywhere. 

Last, but certainly not least, Batman: Return to Arkham will swoop in on February 21.

Not a bad haul for $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$10.95 a month...

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Rage 2 release date, trailer, news and rumors

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 08:28 AM PST

The run up to the reveal of Rage 2 has been somewhat fitting for a game that seems like it’s going to revolve around chaos and anarchy. 

Between leaks, tongue-in cheek teasers and even more leaks we now officially know that Bethesda is going to be following up 2011’s Rage with a sequel titled Rage 2.

From everything we've seen so far Rage 2 will be another post-apocalyptic thrill-ride that will bring players into a world that’s a cross between Mad Max, Fallout and Borderlands. With, of course, the fast-paced shooting we've come to know Bethesda games to have.

[Update: We had some hands on time with Rage 2 - and it's not quite we we expected. Check out our Rage 2 first look review.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? A sequel to 2011’s post-apocalyptic first-person shooter Rage 
  • What can I play it on? PS4, Xbox One and PC 
  • When can I play it? May 14, 2019

Rage 2 release date

Bethesda originally confirmed a Spring 2019 release date, and we now know it'll be on May 14, 2019. Start your engines, survivors.

Rage 2 trailers

Game Awards 2018 open-world trailer

Not much to add at this point, but this trailer is still a fun MTV-meets-Fallout run-through of the dusty neon wasteland.

QuakeCon 2018 extended gameplay trailer

We’ve already seen quite a bit of Rage 2, but the Eden Assault extended gameplay trailer shown during the QuakeCon 2018 keynote gave us a closer look at the seamless open world, vehicle combat, abilities and enemy convoys. 

Take a look:

E3 2018 gameplay trailer

E3 brought us an extended gameplay trailer of Rage 2 and you can watch this fast-paced adventure for yourself:

Official Trailer

Though many people had already watched it through leaked recordings, the official advertisement for Rage 2 has finally launched and you can watch it for yourself below. 

Gameplay trailer

Following this somewhat obscure live action footage, Bethesda went on to release a gameplay trailer which gives us a little more of an idea of what we can expect. 

Overall, Rage 2 looks like it's going to be a fast-paced, chaotic and utterly silly game (in a good way, of course). The trailer promises a more open world, more vehicle gameplay and some seriously big guns. With more expletives than that. Watch it for yourself below:

Rage 2 news and rumors

QuakeCon 2018

The QuakeCon extended gameplay trailer gave us a closer look at the obstacles we'll be facing in Rage 2.

Set 30 years after the events of Rage, Rage 2 takes place in the aftermath of a global catastrophe which essentially turned Earth into a wasteland. Although the world is beginning to recover, with wildlife slowly making a return, the Authority is using extreme measures to shape the wasteland in the way it sees fit – even if that means taking out non-mutant humans.

Alongside the Authority, the wasteland is home to an array of bandits and rebels, such as the hyper-violent Goon Squad and the technologically-advanced Immortal Shrouded. Each faction has its own weapons, settlements, combat styles and vehicles. Some even travel in monstrous convoys - but they're no match for your mortar.

Explore jungle, wetlands and desert biomes on your mission to take down the Authority and cause utter chaos.

E3 2018

Bethesda's showcase during E3 brought us a little more information about Rage 2 and gave us a good glimpse into how it will play. Players will take up the role of Walker, an orphan of the wasteland fighting to survive. In the gameplay footage we saw a wide open world, a look at some seriously cool off road vehicle and some fast-paced, intense shootouts. 

The gameplay trailer

Our most in depth look at Rage 2 yet has come from the gameplay trailer which was revealed on May 15. This trailer confirms that the game will be released sometime in 2019 and suggests that players will be entering a much more open world than was featured in the original title. The combat looks utterly wild, with big guns and super-fast fluid movement. 

As far as story is concerned, information is still pretty thin on the ground but we do know there will at least be one. Bethesda says that players will take the role of Walker, “the last Ranger of the wasteland." As Walker "you will tear across an unforgiving wasteland battling sadistic gangs to find the tools and tech needed to crush the oppressive rule of The Authority once and for all.”

A more open world

The trailer leak

After the Walmart leak, Bethesda managed to claw back some control over Rage 2 with its Twitter campaign which teased a formal reveal and trailer. Only to fall foul of another leak.

Following the teasing that a trailer for Rage 2 would be released on May 14, Gematsu reported that the trailer had leaked in a YouTube pre-roll advert. The trailer apparently revealed in front of several videos tied to gaming on YouTube and outside of Gematsu’s report, Tweets from Wario64 and others appeared online.

The trailer was quickly set to private and anyone that managed to mirror capture the trailer and re-upload it to YouTube has seen their videos taken down. The Twitter captures, however, remain. They show a range of Mad Max-style characters screaming, shooting and lifting weights while plumes of neon smoke billow in the background. 

The Twitter teasing

In response to the Walmart leak, Bethesda did the right thing. It teased Rage 2 by reviving the Rage Twitter account. And teased Walmart. After picking apart Walmart Canada’s font on the leaked game cover, the account started teasing an announcement and trailer for Monday May 14 through a series of images.

Clean up on aisle 6 – Walmart Canada has sprung a big leak 

The first evidence of Rage 2 emerged from a May 2018 leak on Walmart Canada’s website. The retailer published a list of games, some of which hadn’t been announced, to its website. And one of the games which appeared on this list was Rage 2. 

Naturally at this point, Rage 2 wasn’t a certainty since the list did have some spurious titles on it – Forza Horizon 5, for example. However, it also appeared alongside some games we both know are coming such as Beyond Good and Evil 2 and The Last of Us 2, as well as games that haven’t been announced but seem likely such as Gears of War 5 and Splinter Cell. 

What we want to see from Rage 2

It’s been a long time since the release of the original Rage and there have been a lot of advancements in gameplay that we would love to see the sequel take advantage of. 

Maintain the visual quality

If there’s one thing the original Rage got right it was its looks. It was a visually stunning game and very graphically impressive, particularly for its time. We’d like to see the same effort go into this release, particularly now that we’re a few years into the new generation which offers 4K and HDR opportunities.

Keep the combat and AI quality

As well as its visuals, Rage impressed with its combat and enemy AI. It was a first-person shooter with seriously satisfying gunplay and its enemy AI was genuinely clever. Combined this makes for some thrilling gameplay. If the original game could have such advanced AI, we’d love to see Rage 2 continue to innovate in this area and maybe make player movement and action even more varied to keep up with it. 

Make it more open

When it comes to exploration, the Rage game world had a lot of potential but it didn’t quite live up to it. We’d love to see the game world open up a little more in Rage 2. However, it’s worth noting that we only want a large map if it’s going to be filled with interesting things to do and characters to meet. 

Open world games have come a long way since 2011 and recently we’ve seen a wide range of releases which manage to balance open world freedom with a gripping and engaging story as well as strong characters. Without the need to fill maps with pointless check points. We’d like to see Rage 2 try this for itself. 

Thanks to the gameplay trailer revealed in May, we now know this will be a part of it.

Better vehicle gameplay

While the first person shooting in Rage was fantastic, its car combat was somewhat lacking. Thankfully footage in the announcement and gameplay trailers says it's going to be back but we would like to see it improved upon significantly because it could really help Rage 2 stand out from all the other post-apocalyptic games out there. Especially if it does have a more open world.

Keep a single-player element and improve the story

After Rage’s story was criticised, we hope that the developers will try to improve it rather than eradicate it for the sequel. In fact, given the end of the original was somewhat short we wonder if this might be a chance to expand on it and make up for it. 

As more and more games move into always-online multiplayer gameplay, there is some part of us that’s expecting Rage to go the same way. The original Rage did have some co-operative and online elements but we wouldn’t have liked to have played an entire game with just those. 

Rage 2 would, admittedly, be a great game world for a AAA battle royale and we imagine Bethesda is keen to seize on the current popularity of this genre in some way. However, it’s also a great game world for a gripping single-player narrative and we hope that Rage 2 tries to get this right with something that’s a little longer and more engaging.

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Pokemon on Switch: everything we know about the 2019 Pokemon RPG

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 08:13 AM PST

E3 2017 was a big event for Pokemon fans, as it was the place where it was confirmed by Nintendo that we will see a mainline Pokemon game come to the Nintendo Switch. Eventually.

With that announcement, the time seems ripe to speculate on what form this game would take (as if we weren't doing it regardless of an official confirmation). At a May 2018 press conference it was confirmed that this core Pokemon RPG will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in late 2019. 

However, it's been two years since the Pokemon RPG was announced and we're still short on solid information. But that hasn't stopped us from speculating about what the upcoming core game will involve...

Here we've laid out exactly what the latest rumors are, and we've also thrown in a few things we'd like to see from the first core Pokémon Nintendo Switch title.  

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The first core Pokemon game to launch on the Nintendo Switch
  • When can I play it? It'll be late 2019
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch of course!

Pokemon Switch release date

We don't have any kind of solid release date for Pokemon on Nintendo Switch but during a May 2018 Pokemon press conference where Pokemon Let's Go were confirmed for 2018, it was also confirmed that the core Pokemon RPG will be released in late 2019. 

We imagine a November 2019 release is the most likely outcome. 

Pokemon Switch news and rumors

Tzunekazu Ishihara talks

After the announcement of the more stripped back and simplified Pokemon Let's Go titles, there has been some concern amongst fans that the 2019 RPG won't offer the full gameplay experience that's been built up over the past 20 years. Head of the Pokemon Company Tzunekazu Ishihara assuaged these concerns in a recent interview with Famitsu magazine (via Siliconera).

According to Ishihara, the 2018 Pokemon release will be a "completely different game" to Pokemon Let's Go. "It's is not an entry game," he says, "but a game that we want long term fans of the Pokemon series to look forward to."

Ishihara has promised a game with "new Pokemon" that will "succeed the traditions of Game Freak."

The Pokemon press conference

It's widely expected by fans that Nintendo will bring some kind of Pokemon Switch news to E3 2018 but that didn't stop all kinds of rumors emerging in the run up to it. 

Industry insider Emily Rogers created a blog post which suggested that Pokemon on Switch will be revealed before the end of May, cutting in just before E3. 

As with all core Pokemon games, Rogers reported that the Switch release will have two versions. Though she added that the versions may surprise some fans. 

Not long after this a 4Chan user uploaded an image of what they said was a logo for the game: Pokemon Let's Go! And reported that the two versions Rogers had hinted at would be Pikachu and Eevee versions. 

These games, the user said, would be remakes of the Pokemon Yellow games, featuring Piakchu and Eevee as starter Pokemon who would follow the player around the world. The Switch version will, according to this leak, take players back to Kanto and, while Red and Blue, wouldn't be the protagonists, they would feature.

Now we know, however, that while Pokemon Let's Go will be released with both Pikachu and Eevee versions, they won't be the core RPG release that was first promised at E3 2017.

This news came at a Pokemon press conference which was held, as Rogers rightly predicted, at the end of May. The Let's Go titles will instead be spin-offs designed to draw the Pokemon Go audience into both Switch and the Pokemon console experience. 

As it stands, then, we still don't know much at all about the core Pokemon RPG for Switch other than that it's going to be a "brand-new" adventure. 

Holding a Pokemon press conference this close to E3 suggests that Nintendo wanted to give the Let's Go releases their own platform, while we may find out a little more about the 2019 core release at the gaming show in LA. This is, after all, where the hardcore Pokemon audience is likely to be paying the most attention.

CEO of the Pokemon Company publicly puts faith in the Switch

In an interview with Bloomberg, The Pokemon Company's CEO, Tsunekazu Ishihara has said that while he originally thought the Nintendo Switch wouldn't be a success, he now realizes his error. 

Ishihara said that he told Nintendo that in the age of the smartphone, no one would want to carry around a games console before adding "it's obvious I was wrong."

"I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple - software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware," he said, "Playing style can be flexible if the software is attractive enough.” 

What about his own company's software offering for the console? Ishihara offered what could be seen as a few small hints. 

“With the Switch,“ he said, ”we see it as a chance to create Pokémon that goes deeper and with a higher level of expression. As a result, that makes it an extremely important platform [...] Right now we’re using 7 to 8 inch screens, but on a high-definition TV you can express a whole different world with graphics and sound.”

He also suggested larger scale multiplayer gameplay is being considered: “Until now, games were made as one for one person, but now you can go home and play with everyone - so how do we tackle these themes, and how do we make sure it’s not complicated?” Whether or not that'll be split Joy-Con local multiplayer or something more online based, we can't tell. 

As far as extra Pokemon-themed peripherals for the console, Ishihara wasn't able to offer any confirmation but did say he'd "like to think of that possibility."

Game's developers admit they're feeling the pressure

Considering the yet-to-be named Pokemon Switch title will be the first mainline game in the franchise to come to a home console it's understandable that fans are excited but this means expectations are high.

As a result, the game's developers have admitted they're feeling the pressure. In an interview with Game Informer series director/producer/composer Junichi Masuda and director Shigeru Ohmori said that though it's "really fun" to see "all the excitement for the announcement" it does mean there's "a lot of pressure" on the team. 

Ohmori said that Game Freak is going to to do its utmost to meet a game that's capable of living up to these expectations but asks that fans don't raise them "too high."

Pokemon confirmed for Nintendo Switch at E3 2017

After a long build up of speculation, Nintendo confirmed during its 2017 E3 live stream that a core Pokemon game would be coming to Nintendo Switch. 

Other than the fact that the game is coming, we know nothing else. Nintendo didn't offer a name nor did it offer a release date other than it being more than a year away.

The fact that the release date is so far in the future means it could very well be different from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon which have been confirmed to be coming to the 3DS later this year. 

This announcement means that the Nintendo Switch is breaking the Nintendo home console curse, whereby only side titles, such as the already confirmed Pokken Tournament, were released while mainline titles stayed on handhelds.

The Pokemon Company and Game Freak had previously said that they were waiting to see how the Nintendo Switch performed and whether or not it would work with the Pokemon series before committing a core game to the console. 

Rumors have been circulating for a number of months about the game, suggesting it might be released under the name Pokemon Stars, but Nintendo offered no comment on this. 

Main series producer, Junichi Masuda, doesn’t discount it and Pokémon Company CEO confirms.

In September 2016, back when the Switch was still known as the NX, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara confirmed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the company would develop games for the console. 

Later in the year, Pokémon series producer, Junichi Masuda, was less enthusiastic with his commitment to Switch support. However, he did not discount that mainline Pokémon titles were a possibility for the Switch, stating that he was waiting for the console to be released to market to determine whether or not it would benefit from Pokémon .

Then came the Eurogamer report

Adding fuel to the rumor fire, Eurogamer published a report in late 2016 that said multiple sources had confirmed a new version of Pokémon Sun and Moon was being developed for the Switch under the code named Pokémon Stars. 

According to the report, this third title was developed alongside Sun and Moon for 3DS and already had feature working versions of Sun and Moon content. 

Development was said to be slowed down in the run up to the launch of the 3DS titles but after their release would resume and work would begin on new features. 

The report finished up by stating that though the game had initially been slotted for a Summer 2017 release, it was then pushed to later in the year. Now that we're well into 2018 we know this report wasn't entirely accurate in terms of release windows but Pokemon Stars still hasn't been ruled out. 

Then came the hiring call

Just after the Switch’s release in March of 2017, Game Freak re-started the rumor mill by posting job ads on Indeed Japan stating that they were looking to temporarily hire people capable of creating character models on machines like the Wii U and PlayStation Vita for a new entry in an RPG series which is “popular on a global scale.”

Now, there was no direct mention of Pokémon in this listing but it does seem like the most likely scenario considering Game Freak doesn’t have many RPG franchises under its belt that would fall into this globally popular category.

What kind of Pokemon game can we expect on Switch?

After the E3 2017 confirmation, we now know we're going to be getting a mainline Pokemon game, but where this game will be set and which generation it'll explore is unclear. It's unlikely that it's going to take players back to Kanto since Pokemon Let's Go will do that in November 2018. 

The official Pokemon Twitter account said that this release would be an "all-new" core series title. This suggests that the game won't be a continuation of Pokemon Sun and Moon as has been previously rumored and could even take players to a new map and into a whole new generation. 

A Spanish edition of Nintendo Life certainly seems to think this is the plan. According to this publication (via NintendoLife) Pokemon on Switch will introduce players to an entirely new generation: generation 8. Not only that it suggests that the game will have entirely new mechanics, which isn't really that far out of the realm of possibility given what we've seen Pokemon Let's Go is attempting with Switch hardware and Game Freak will want to take advantage of the tech as other developers have done. Things will need to change slightly, realistically. 

It's worth noting, however, that though this is an official Nintendo publication, it has gotten things wrong before with Pokemon rumors so we'd say take it with a pinch of salt until we know more.

At the very least we know we'll have Pokemon Bank to bring our creatures from past consoles and generations to our newest adventure with little fuss.

What we'd like to see in Pokemon on Switch

That's everything we know. Now let's get into the things we'd love to see from the rumored game.

Better graphics and animations

Game Freak pushed the Nintendo 3DS to its absolute limits with Pokémon Sun and Moon (to the point where 3D support had to be removed). That means Game Freak is ready to move beyond the limitations of the 3DS and we’d fully expect to see graphical advancements in the Nintendo Switch version. 

The graphics and animations in Sun and Moon were already excellent, definitely the best we’ve seen so far from a Pokémon game, but moving to Nintendo Switch could very well allow for sharper character and environment models and much more expressive character faces.

A well-translated UI

For a long time now, the Pokémon games have been developed for Nintendo’s DS handhelds which has given developers two screens over which to spread the game’s UI. This has resulted in arguably one of the most well-designed UIs in video games with Game Freak making the most of the space to put interactive menus on the bottom touchscreen of the DS consoles. 

The Nintendo Switch, however, only uses one screen which would mean Game Freak would have to drastically rethink its UI approach and there’s a risk it wouldn’t work quite as seamlessly. Of course, the company had to develop single screen UIs for Pokémon before the release of the DS but we’re not sure we’d like to return to this more crammed in design. 

The fact that the Switch has a touchscreen could possibly help to balance matters, though, as it would allow for more immediate interaction rather than a return to using the directional pad to scroll through options. There's also room for interesting innovations using the console's modular controllers. 

Make good use of the Festival Plaza

The Festival Plaza was an odd addition to Sun and Moon. It felt strangely separate from the main game and wasn’t a particularly good use of online features. This could completely change with the Switch. The plaza could become the perfect place for players to meet up and the LAN party capabilities of the Switch could see Festival Plaza become the place where an eSports community takes off. 

New Pokémon 

While most people say they’re not sure they can handle any more Pokémon and that they stopped paying attention after the original 150, we just want to see more. The new setting in Pokémon Sun and Moon brought in interesting and fun Alolan variations on Pokémon we already know and love so if we can’t get any more completely new creatures, we’d love to see a few more instances of this. Alolan Vulpix changed our lives and we'd like some more of that. 

Motion controls

The Nintendo Switch benefits from its motion-control capable Joy-Cons. We've seen them used in some interesting ways thus far which gives us some hope that they'll be implemented in Pokemon Stars. The hat-throwing mechanic used in Super Mario Odyssey, for example, could be translated to a PokeBall throwing mechanic and that'd be an interesting new dimension to the series that only the Switch could offer.

Now that Pokemon-specific Z moves have been introduced, it could even be that players have to move their Joy-Cons in the right pattern to start up their Pokemon's special powers. While we're not particularly keen on doing some of those dad-dance moves in public, we're more than willing to do them in the privacy of our own home.

Amiibo Support

We want Pokemon Amiibo support. There, we said it. Though Pokken tournament and Detective Pikachu have Amiibo figurines, we want to see even more introduced for the brand new mainline Pokemon game. Whether they unlock new accessories for mini games, new items of clothing, or new moves we just know these will be highly collectible and probably adorable. 

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Is a high-speed hyperloop close to becoming a reality?

Posted: 06 Feb 2019 07:45 AM PST

Would you get into a 10-seater 'vac-pod' to be whisked through a vacuum tube at 670mph? What if it cut your journey time by a staggering 90%?

The hyperloop concept, first mooted by Elon Musk in 2013 (or, at least, updated for the modern age), at last looks like becoming a reality. In India.

Hyperloop

Hyperloop will bring airplane speeds to ground level. Image credit: Virgin Hyperloop One 

What is Virgin Hyperloop One planning in India?

The first operational hyperloop. Despite being just 90 miles southeast of Mumbai in India, the journey from 'cultural capital' Pune to India's economic powerhouse city takes three hours. On a good day.

The Mumbai Pune Expressway is India's busiest corridor, with over 130,000 vehicles crawling between the two cities. The trains are full to bursting. Something has to give. Cue a concept for an ultra high-speed hyperloop between the two cities that could cut the journey time to just 25 minutes.

The plan is to construct a hyperloop between central Pune and Mumbai designed to take freight as well as people. And it might just be happening.

Authorities signed an agreement with Virgin Hyperloop One in 2017 to do feasibility studies and recently announced the company as Official Project Proponent. It will now invite suggestions and objections, and move to a bidding process.

This is as close as any hyperloop project has come so far. So what is a hyperloop, exactly?

Hyperloop

Hyperloops could send pods down a tube at 670 mph. Image credit: Hyperloop TT 

What is the tech behind Virgin Hyperloop One?

Magnetic levitation. Although Musk's concept involved air bearings, the engineers at Virgin One Hyperloop have come up with their own spin.

"The original hyperloop ran on air bearings, but when we tested it, it took too much energy and also wasn't as stable as we wanted to be, so we moved to a magnetic levitation system," says Ryan Kelly, head of marketing and communications at Virgin Hyperloop One.

Also called maglev, this isn't new propulsion technology. It's about 30 years old, and currently only used on the Shanghai Transrapid, which travels from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road in downtown Shangai in eight minutes, reaching top speeds of 268 mph.

Maglev tech replaces wheels with superconducting magnets on both the train and the track; the magnets are ranged so their opposite poles attract, with the fixed magnets on the track staying in place while repelling away from the magnets on the bottom of the train.

Hyperloop

Virgin Hyperloop One is inspired by the maglev tech used in an airport train in Shanghai. Image credit: Alex Needham/Wikipedia (public domain)

How does it differ from maglev?

The journey takes place in a vacuum tube, so there’s less friction from the air. "It's an iteration of maglev, but we're also evacuating the tube – we've engineered a maglev system that can work in a low-pressure environment similar to about 200,000 feet above sea level," says Kelly. "Maglev tech from bullet trains doesn't work in a vacuum (and) we can go two or three times faster than a maglev train, but use the same energy, hopefully less."

A critical part of the concept is that there's also an autonomous platform control and switching system. "It's not only about going fast," says Kelly. "It's also a point-to-point, direct-to-destination system – and it will be on-demand."

The idea is that passengers can enter a hyperloop station in the centre of a city, request a specific destination, and depart almost immediately in a pod. Crucially, the switching tech isn't in the track, but in the pod. "We will have small pods that can break off the main line," says Kelly. "You show up when you want, and we're able to customise journeys more than trains can, and balance supply and demand."

Hyperloop

DevLoop is a hyperloop test track near Las Vegas. Image credit: Virgin Hyperloop One 

What is DevLoop?

DevLoop is Virgin’s full-scale hyperloop test site in the Nevada Desert, just outside Las Vegas. Around 500 meters (1,640 feet) long, it's where all the performance and safety tests are done, though it can't yet take people.

"Ask an engineer about why DevLoop is important and they will say that it's all about testing the product, and that's true, but we're talking about a new mass transportation system," says Kelly, who thinks DevLoop is just as important because it allows government officials and investors to see a hyperloop up close.

"We haven't seen a new type of mass transportation in over a hundred years, this is something completely new, so DevLoop is pivotal."

How is Virgin Hyperloop One different to Boring Co?

Yes, there are two main companies in this space, but don't get to fixated on the Richard Branson vs Elon Musk dynamic (besides, Branson recently stepped down as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One). After all, Elon Musk's original paper was an open-source call-to-action, not a blueprint for his own company's plans.

Nevertheless, in December Musk unveiled a test tunnel of a proposed underground transportation network across Los Angeles. However, The Boring Co plans for a hyperloop are quite different to Virgin's.

"Boring is interesting," says Kelly. "It's focusing more on travel within cities whereas we're looking at creating mega-regions and connecting two cities together." However, the fast-digging tech pioneered by Boring Co could at last make tunneling cost-efficient and effective.

"Tunneling is so cost-prohibitive – the original concept of hyperloop was for them to be primarily underground, but the majority of our systems will be above-ground, from a cost-efficiency standpoint, and looking like a monorail," says Kelly. 

Other competitors to Virgin Hyperloop One include Hyperloop Transportation Technologies in France (which claims to have a test track in Toulouse), Canadian firm TransPod and Delft Hyperloop in the Netherlands.

Transpod

Canadian company Transpod is one of many companies with hyperloop concepts and mock-ups. Image credit: Transpod 

How Hyperloop could work where you live

If you worked in London but could get to work in 20 minutes from another part of the UK where house prices were cheaper, would you leave the capital?

With hyperloops it would be possible to live in Edinburgh but work in London, or live in San Francisco but work in Los Angeles, or better still in terms of house prices, commute to a big city from a rural area.

"To give you an example, London Heathrow airport's planned third runway will cost between US$13-19 billion," says Kelly. "You could take that money and build a hyperloop between all of London's airports, Gatwick, Stansted, and Heathrow, have one check-in process, and balance supply and demand depending on what runways are open."

That specific route is no being discussed, but airport links could well prove to be the first use for live hyperloops. In fact, the mooted Pune-Mumbai hyperloop will have a node at the now-under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport, which will be completed by 2032.

Where else will we see the first hyperloops?

You can find the time-saving benefits for any route you may care to dream-up on Virgin One Hyperloop’s online route estimator. Although there are advanced plans to create hyperloops in Missouri (St Louis to Kansas City in 31 minutes) and the Midwest (Pittsburgh to Chicago via Columbus in 30 minutes), the most likely to happen after the Pune to Mumbai line is in the UAE, where Dubai to Abu Dhabi in 12 minutes looks like a strong candidate for an early showpiece hyperloop.

Either way, expect hyperloop to be a major talking point at the World Expo in Dubai in 2020 when we get a glimpse of exactly what's coming down the pipeline.

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