Saturday, September 14, 2019

Apple : Microsoft's dual-screen Surface device may use liquid-powered hinges

Apple : Microsoft's dual-screen Surface device may use liquid-powered hinges

Microsoft's dual-screen Surface device may use liquid-powered hinges

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 10:49 AM PDT

Rumors and patent leaks related to Microsoft’s still fabled foldable, dual-screen Surface device have been swirling around since 2018, with one even hinting at a 2020 release of a foldable Microsoft Surface with Android app compatibility. And yet such an actual device still has to be announced or revealed.

With Microsoft’s October 2 event mere weeks away, however, during which the Redmond behemoth is anticipated to release new Surface hardware as well as some Surface accessories, it’s unsurprising that a slew of fresh leaks has, well, surfaced. 

German online publication, WindowsUnited, for one, has recently spotted a new patent, which shows that Microsoft could utilize liquid-powered hinges on their rumored foldable Surface devices.


Fluid-filled hinge for Surface devices

Patent for liquid-powered hinges

Published this month on WIPO, this patent reveals that the company is working on a hinged device with a flexible OLED display and a hinge that can be filled with a semi-viscous fluid. This fluid, according to The Verge, should help Microsoft’s foldable Surface devices to bend and move into different positions easily, as well as reduce stress on their displays.

Unlike earlier leaks, this patent actually describes this liquid-powered hinged device in great detail, paying close attention to the hinge itself and complete with illustrations that showcase Microsoft’s conceptual structural designs.

In addition, the patent reveals that it’s been filed by “Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC.” This could mean that Microsoft’s partners and other PC manufacturers would be able to license this liquid-powered hinge design. This will potentially give mainstream consumers a wide range of options, if they ever want to get their hands on such a device.

Whether or not this liquid-powered hinge will be utilized in the Surface Centaurus dual-screen laptop, which is rumored to launch later in 2019, has yet to be determined. We might not actually see it implemented on foldable devices until 2020, considering the timing.

Still, if Microsoft decides to combine it with its nifty multi-function buttons, which were patented in July 2019, alongside other innovative designs, it just might be worth the wait.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Apple is neglecting the MacBook in favor of the iPhone 11 – and that could cost it dearly

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 08:30 AM PDT

You might have noticed that Apple released a few new smartphones recently – including the iPhone 11 Pro, and while the Cupertino company gushed about its latest handsets, it became ever more apparent that it seems almost completely uninterested in its Macs and MacBooks.

I can sort of understand why. Smartphones are still thought of as exciting and modern, and they are a reliable way of getting people to fork out their hard-earned money every few years.

Laptops like the MacBook, however, are seen more as everyday workhorses that are there to do a job, but aren’t the status symbols they once were. They've lost their cool. While Apple once was a computer company, it’s now essentially a phone manufacturer.

A phone manufacturer that actually wants to be a camera maker. Surely the reason why Apple stuck three ugly lenses on the iPhone Pro, and spent most of its launch event talking about the photo and video capabilities of its new phones, was because it desperately wants to be Canon or Nikon – not Nokia. I can’t actually remember Apple talking about phone calls or 5G or anything that you’d use to make phone calls with. Using a phone to call people? Why, that’s almost as boring as a laptop!

iPhone 11 Pro in Midnight Green

Admit it Apple - you just want to make a camera

But taking photos? That’s what all the cool kids are doing, so let’s make a camera that can also make a few phone calls.

So I get it, I do. But, for anyone who still thinks of Apple as a computer company, for anyone who uses MacBooks and Macs, Apple’s neglect of that side of things is beginning to frustrate.

Falling out of love

So, what do I mean when I say Apple is neglecting its PC side of the business? After all, Apple has recently released new versions of its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. Surely, that means it still has an interest in its laptops?

In fact, I’d argue that Apple’s latest refreshes of its MacBooks is a clear sign of how disinterested Apple is in its laptops.

After all, there were no big new features, nor any changes to the designs of the laptops. Apple even stuck with the hated Butterfly switch keyboard, despite widespread reports of the keyboards failing. If Apple really cared, surely it would have at least changed the keyboard, rather than tinkering around the edges.

Instead, the only upgrades this year’s models have is slightly improved specs – certainly nothing to get excited about.

Imagine if Apple treated the iPhone like it does its MacBooks – only a slight specs upgrade every year – there’d be rioting in the streets. OK, maybe not. But the lines outside the Apple Stores on their launch days would certainly be shorter.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019)

That bloody keyboard remains

New MacBooks coming?

Now, there have been rumors that a more revolutionary MacBook Pro refresh is coming at some point – with hints of a MacBook Pro 16-inch device launching with a (praise Tim Cook) new keyboard.

However, there wasn’t even a hint of that at Apple’s latest event. But if Apple is planning a major redesign, and had released the existing 2019 MacBooks as simply devices aimed at tiding people over until the new – more exciting – MacBook is announced, then this is a risky strategy.

Not only will it annoy anyone who bought a 2019 MacBook, only to find a few months later that it’s been completely superseded, but it has allowed Apple’s laptop competitors to catch up – and in some cases overtake them.

Apple used to be the go-to laptop maker if you wanted a thin, light and powerful device. However, many Windows PCs now offer premium designs that are just as impressive. Known as ‘Ultrabooks’, these Intel-powered Windows laptops offer stunning designs and performance that in many cases blows MacBooks out of the water. Apple took its eye off the ball, and companies like Asus, Dell and even Microsoft have been keen to step up.

Not only that, but while Apple is stubbornly sticking to the same tried and tested form factor, other laptop makers are trying out new and innovative designs. Sure, not all of them are successes (we weren't convinced by the dual-screen Asus ZenBook Pro Duo, for instance) but at least they are doing something different.

At least companies like Asus are innovating with laptops

A victim of its own success

In many ways, I think Apple’s neglect of MacBooks is because they do what they do so well. Apple arguably nailed the design years ago, so even without a major overhaul in the looks department, MacBooks remain some of the thinnest and best looking laptops in the world.

The solid build quality (keyboard issues aside) also means MacBooks can last years without their owners feeling like they need to upgrade. Sadly, I don’t think Apple is that interested in the type of customer that buys one of their devices once every five or six years. 

With the iPhone and Apple Watch (and to a certain extent, iPad), Apple has convinced a heck of a lot of people that they need to buy the latest version every year. That’s a money tree it’s keen to keep harvesting from, even if it leads to leaving other aspects of its business to lie fallow.

Perhaps Apple will release an exciting new MacBook. Maybe it will find its passion for laptops once again. But, there are now so many alternatives that do just as good a job – if not better – that Apple might find it’s left it too late.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The LG G8X ThinQ has a secret weapon that makes it a gaming beast

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 08:00 AM PDT

First, a quick disclaimer: I'm the world's biggest (read: outside of Korea, possibly only) LG smartphone fan. Or at least that's sometimes how it feels in the world of tech. 

While the masses sing the praises of Apple, Samsung and Huawei handsets, I sit quietly fawning over my LG G7 ThinQ, gazing longingly at its modest spec sheet with the "that'll do pig" pride of the farmer from Babe.

But I might have an actual winner on my hands this year: the LG G8X ThinQ, revealed at IFA 2019, might be the best handset for gamers out there. And that's all down to its second screen.

The LG G8X ThinQ follows in the footsteps of the LG V50 ThinQ which was revealed at the start of 2019, by offering an optional second display, and refining the experience as seen on the earlier phone considerably.

Its core specs are impressive, with a 6.4-inch OLED, the flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, dual rear cameras, a 32MP selfie camera and a 4,000mAh battery. There's even a 3.5mm headphone jack.

But it's the additional uses of the second attachable screen that make it so compelling for gamers.

One screen game, the other screen Game Pad

At its heart, the LG G8X ThinQ is all about multi-tasking. Its detachable second screen can be used to run full screen apps side by side, using the Android Extended Display API. You could have a map on one screen, a video call on the other, or access to your image library on one screen while you edit another picture on the second display.

For gamers though, that second display can become a full-size touchscreen Game Pad. LG has its own 'built in' Game Pad application, that can be used alongside all manner of gaming apps to map onscreen controls from the main screen to the secondary display. From virtual steering wheels to designs that ape retro 16-bit control pads, the LG app lets you swipe through all manner of pad styles.

Select the right pad for you (and your game)

We have beautiful screens on our phones, perfectly suited for gaming on the go – but no-one asked you to rub your thumbs against the original Game Boy's screen did they? It's still the advantage that the likes of the Nintendo Switch or PS Vita have over mobile gaming, physical controls well away from their displays. 

Now, LG's Game Pad, which flips down onto the display in a way that makes it have a form factor similar to a Nintendo DS, doesn't have the tactility that physical buttons do. But, compared to other phones, it does have the advantage of removing the need to obscure the fullscreen gaming experience. 

Compared to dedicated gaming devices, its multiple pad layouts and key customization make it much easier to personalize to your playstyle – itself a boon for those who require accessibility controls in order to play.

Game controls appear on the bottom screen, leaving the top screen clear for the game itself

A thoughtful addition

As for the phone itself, it may not boast gamer-centric refresh rates or resolutions that devices like the Razer Phone 2 offered, but for the average player, that won’t matter. 

The specs here are more than good enough to play any mobile title you’d throw at it and, unlike 'gaming phones' that really only lean on their super-powered internals in an attempt to fulfill that gaming-focused claim, the dedicated Game Pad screen is a genuinely-useful additional feature feature that regular smart phones can't lay claim to. 

With games increasingly becoming graphical showcases, and competitive play on mobile booming thanks to the likes of PUBG and Fortnite, the fewer distractions between us and the action, the better. 

It may not be perfect, but LG's efforts are a damn sight more enticing than anything else anyone is trying.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Oculus Insight: how Facebook unplugged VR and opened virtual worlds to everyone

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 07:00 AM PDT

VR can be a pain – setting up sensors or emitters, connecting cables and configuring the hardware can take so long, it might not seem worthwhile for a quick gaming session. It’s all too easy for that expensive VR headset to be left gathering dust – even if you’ve invested in a powerful gaming PC to support it.

The release of Oculus Go in 2018 went some way towards changing that, offering a VR experience that was fully self-contained, with no wires or need for additional hardware. Just strap on the headset and get started.

It was impressive stuff, and far more affordable than other VR headsets available at the time, but was much more limited than more powerful, tethered headsets. Most significantly, its movement system was ‘orientation only’, meaning you could turn your head to look around the environment, but couldn’t move through it.

That all changed with the release of Oculus Quest in May this year. The Quest is still fully wireless, but unlike the Go, it offers six degrees of freedom – all without the need for any external hardware dotted around your room.

How is that possible? TechRadar spoke to Anna Kozminski, AR/VR software manager at Facebook Zurich in Switzerland, to learn how Oculus cut the cord on virtual reality.

Inside-out tracking

First, a quick explanation: six degrees of freedom means your body can move in three dimensions along the X, Y and Z axes. Moving up and down along the Y axis is called ‘heaving’, moving forward and back along the X axis is called ‘surging’, and moving left and right along the Z axis is called ‘swaying’. You can also turn to face a different axis. A movement between X and Y is called ‘pitch’, a movement between X and Z is called ‘yaw’, and a movement between Z and Y is called ‘roll’.

"To make it feel fully natural, we needed to track the user's movements extremely precisely in real time"

Anna Kozminski, Facebook Zurich

If you want to create a truly immersive VR experience, that’s essential. “With a VR experience, ultimately you want it to feel as fluid as real life – you don’t want to be distracted because the display is lagging or jittering,” explains Kozminski.

“To make it feel fully natural, we needed to track the user’s movements extremely precisely in real time, so as you move your head and hands, those movements are perfectly represented in the virtual world.”

Oculus Quest is the first consumer device with full six-degrees of freedom tracking, made possible by the Oculus Insight system. This uses a technology called simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM), which uses input from various sensors to fix an object’s location within a constantly updated virtual map. It uses these objects as reference points (much like you’d use landmarks to orient yourself) and anchors them to points in the virtual world.

These points are observed repeatedly to compensate for drift (where tiny measurement discrepancies add up over time, making the map less accurate). The virtual area encompasses your whole field of view, so the system needs to respond as quickly as you can move and any tracking errors or lag are very noticeable.

“This tracking from six degrees of movement has been done before, but with a lot of external sensors in the room, and that presented a big barrier to entry,” said Kozminski. “You can’t share the device, you can’t bring it over to a friend’s house. [Our goal was to] his that level of immersion, but make it more practical so more people can use it.”

Making VR portable

To achieve that, Oculus had to move the software stack that does all the computation onto the headset itself. That presented a serious challenge; how do you put that kind of complex system onto something that’s lightweight, wearable, and powered by a rechargeable battery?

“There were a lot of challenges developing the architecture to use the least amount of power and leave a lot of space on the device for gaming content,” she said. “Oculus Insight is a gaming platform, but if there’s no content to enjoy, it’s moot. [We had to] break the trend that it can only run on powerful PCs, and enable developers to create cool games and experiences.”

"We had to collect thousands and thousands of data sets, coming up with all the different parameters of lighting and décor"

Anna Kozminski, Facebook Zurich

Of course, a room in your house could be totally different from one in your friend’s, so the system had to be capable of handling a huge range of conditions. “The algorithm is very sensitive to what kind of environment it’s used in,” said Kozminski. “The lighting conditions, the size of the space, the amount of texture on the walls and surfaces – but we can’t predict how people are going to set up their living room. Maybe they want to have dim lighting [for example].

“We had to collect thousands and thousands of data sets, coming up with all the different parameters of lighting and décor, then replay on Facebook’s servers and simulate the real use of the headset so we could compute metrics. It was a years-long effort.”

Oculus room setup

This room at Facebook's lab in Zurich is one of hundreds used by engineers to test how Oculus Insight performs in real-world environments

The work was worthwhile, though, and the hardware developers have been hugely impressed by what creatives have managed to achieve with it. We asked Kozminski about her favorites so far.

“I think there are two,” she said. “One is external uses in general, and one is an internal project. When it comes to external uses, I’m a big fan of 360-degree videos, in addition to gaming. When producers take 360-degree cameras into an environment like a rainforest or refugee camp and tell a message in video content, that’s really compelling. You have to be in someone else’s shoes to experience it. The video content is really compelling VR because it feels like you’re really there, and it gives you that first-person perspective, which is powerful in building empathy.

"VR can be a lonely experience if you use it on your own, and our aim is to create meaningful connections"

Anna Kozminski, Facebook Zurich

“We did a demo at OC5 last year – a proof of concept for future applications of Oculus, with six users in a Western-style shootout game in an arena. We were co-locating multiple players. Today you can do multiplayer experiences, but there’s nothing to indicate is that player is actually right next to you. In that demo, we shared the same map across all the devices in that co-located piece.

“VR can be a lonely experience if you use it on your own, and our aim is to create meaningful connections. That demo was a show of where we could go in the future to area-shared experiences – whether it’s playing or just hanging out.”

Breaking down divides

Kozminski and her colleagues at Facebook aren’t resting on their laurels. “Now that we’ve shipped the Quest, our team is busy writing new features that we’re shipping almost every month,” she said.

It’s not all about gaming, though – Oculus is a Facebook project, so it’s no surprise that the ultimate goal is connecting people. And to do that, the barrier to entry will need to be lowered even further

“I’ve got family who live in Canada,” Kosminski explains, “and with these VR experiences we’ve got multiplayer games, but in the future we want to be able to bring two people who are very far apart into the same experience and make them feel like they are in the same place. I want to get to a point where I can put on a headset and hang out with my brother in Canada like we’re in the same space – whether that’s in VR or AR.

“The Oculus Insight technology is what we will use to power AR glasses in the future. We’ve talked about investing in AR, and ultimately when we get to a lighter form factor – something that is more comfortable to wear – more people will use it and we can get more people into this community to have experiences digitally. Getting to AR glasses and dissolving these geographic divides.”

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

More details of Facebook's video streaming Portal box leak out

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 06:30 AM PDT

Rumors were already swirling about Facebook readying a new Portal device that streams media to your television set, and a new report fills in some of the details about the gadget, which is set to launch before the end of the year.

Sources speaking to Variety have backed up claims that a media streaming device is indeed on the way, one that doesn't have its own screen but attaches to the larger one sat in your living room.

The original Facebook Portal and Portal+ devices were focused on audio and video calling across the Facebook platform, and the new box is being tipped to add extra functionality while keeping those original features.

Sound and vision

Third-party content from the likes of Netflix and Disney could be consolidated in one central interface, Variety says, perhaps using the same approach as the Oculus TV app which runs on Facebook's VR headsets.

The box may well come with its own set of integrated speakers, according to sources, so you won't necessarily have to rely on the speakers built into your TV set.

Finally, Variety reports that augmented reality filters – like the ones available in Facebook Messenger and on the original Portal devices – are going to be included again, which should add to the appeal for the kids at least.

It seems certain now that more Portal hardware is on the way from Facebook – and whatever form it takes, it should be out in time for the Christmas rush.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The 'magic' buttons on this Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 might be the future of cockpit control

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 04:00 AM PDT

The interface available in cars will dictate the future of driving. The more intuitive the controls, the easier we can navigate through menus, and the more fluidly we can find autonomous driving features, the more we can focus on other tasks – like drinking a cup of coffee or testing.

In a recent test of a 2019 Mercedes-AMG CLS 53, two Touch Control buttons, as they're called, made driving more enjoyable. I was able to easily move my left thumb over to the 'magic' button on my left to control the gauge cluster (the display above the steering wheel) and them use my right thumb to tap and scroll through menus for the main center console.

It’s a bit like controlling an Apple iPad. If you’ve used one, you know it is all about the thumbs. You hold the device with your fingers and tap icons and swipe menus with your thumbs. (That is, unless you’re my wife who prefers to use the tips of her index fingers.) In interface design, the reference points we use for how we control and interface are super critical. 

A poorly designed interface is one that's awkward to control – you have to bend your fingers around a screen or perform some action that feels unnatural. I discovered this while car shopping recently – the person who designed a Honda Element (now defunct, but possibly coming back) likely never dropped his or her kids off at school. To jump out of the backseat, you have to open the main door first. It’s a terrible (ie confusing) design.

My issue with poorly designed interfaces is that – someday soon, or at least in the next 20-30 years, we will rely on interfaces to control all driving, perhaps even in cars without a steering wheel, brakes, or an accelerator. Cars will need to be as intuitive as an iPad.

Controls that 'just work'

In the CLS 53, the thumb controls feel natural, obvious, and well-positioned. I didn’t even have to think about what to do. In the main gauge display, you swipe right to control the left-most display, then swipe up and down to scroll through the menus. If it was any easier then Mercedes would probably have to pay royalties to Apple.

When I used the right Touch Control button for the center console display, I flipped through settings for the car itself (hello, audio surround sound control) and even found the control button to work well for Apple CarPlay.

To compare these buttons a bit to other interface controls – they 'just work' and feel natural. Too often, the interface control on some modern cars feels to jerky and abrupt. The cursor jumps around from one setting to another. On the CLS 53, you slide the touch-sensitive button, so you have full control over how fast the cursor moves.

This is more important than you might think. On many commutes to an office, driving on a side roads through the country, and on a highway in stop-and-go traffic, I was able to focus on the road and barely had to look at the displays. The buttons were an extension of the steering wheel, literally like using an iPad to find configure options. I calculated the time I spent adjusting the gauges compared to other cars and figured I was spending about half the time, mostly because my hands were already resting on the steering wheel.

When we are less distracted, and the interface is more fluid, we will enjoy driving more – or we will be able to focus on other tasks as the car drives itself. I’m looking forward to that age of driving a little more now that I’ve tested a car that has better touch controls.

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 self-driving cars.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Final Fantasy 7 Remake has a turn-based ‘Classic Mode’ for fans of the original

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 02:45 AM PDT

The upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake will have a Classic Mode for those that prefer the turn-based combat of the original 1997 release. 

The news was confirmed on stage at the Tokyo Game Show by producer Yoshinore Kitase and the game’s official Twitter account posted a translated recap of the presentation and what fans can expect from Classic Mode compared to the game's Standard Mode.

Combat choices

In the standard modes of the remake, the player’s ATB Gauge will fill up by repeatedly attacking enemies in real-time action so that the action can be paused to select special moves or items like a standard action RPG. 

In Classic Mode, however, like the original Final Fantasy 7, the ATB Gauge will fill up on its own while the character attacks automatically so the player will simply need to allow their character to fight before selecting their next move, rather than worry about any kind of real-time combat.

This means that those playing in Classic Mode won’t “have to worry about the action side of the combat system, and can instead focus on selecting commands” meaning they’ll be able to play the game “as if it were a classic menu-based RPG”. This is likely to be welcome news to fans of the original looking for an updated look rather than an entirely refreshed system of play.

Players will be able to choose between Classic Mode and Standard Mode when Final Fantasy 7 Remake launches on March 3 2020. 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Pixel 4 camera app leaks, showing off new modes and interface tweaks

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 02:30 AM PDT

Thanks to some handsets apparently getting out into the wild ahead of time, we already know quite a bit about the Google Pixel 4 phones. Now we've been given a closer look at the camera app that will ship with the phone, which tells us even more.

The team at XDA Developers were given the app code, as taken from one of the preview Pixel 4 handsets, and they've been playing around with the app after sideloading it on an older Pixel phone.

Options such as Night Sight, Motion Photos and Time Lapse have been repositioned so they're easier to find, and it looks as though the individual options for each of these modes will be easier to find too: you just swipe down on the viewfinder.

New in the fabled Night Sight mode is an extra 'infinity focus' option, which we suspect is going to help with the astrophotography that the Pixel 4 is rumored to be capable of – you should be able to get a decent starry sky shot from these handsets.

Photo-taking capabilities

The built-in assistance that comes with the app has been tweaked too, so if you don't like the regular prompts to switch modes (to Night Sight in dark conditions, for example), then you can switch them off).

You'll also get suggestions for the speeds you might want to use in Time Lapse mode as well, while a horizon levelling feature should make sure that any pictures you snap with the Pixel 4 are at least level.

Among the interface tweaks arriving in the new camera app is an expanded photo-taking view that uses the whole screen when you're shooting in widescreen mode – something we've already seen with the new iPhone 11 phones.

This is version 7.0 of the Google Camera app, which will no doubt roll out to older Pixel phones once the Pixel 4 arrives, which should be in the middle of October.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Pokémon Sword and Shield release date, trailers, and brand new features

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 01:46 AM PDT

After releasing some of the best games in franchise history on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and Game Freak are finally ready to bring the main Pokémon games to the Nintendo Switch – the first of which are called Pokémon Sword and Shield.

The games will release globally on Nintendo Switch this November and will bring with them a brand-new region, features and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been dripping feeding us with snippets of gameplay and Pokémon designs too – though not everyone is happy with what's been shown so far (more on this below).

The Sword and Shield games will be set in the Galar Region (basically, a Pokémon-ified version of the United Kingdom) and will include a number of creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. We'll also see a new mechanic called Dynamaxing that will replace Z-Moves and Mega-Evolutions – and apparently even Poké Jobs that help your Pokémon gain experience.

So how does Sword and Shield stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee on Switch? Those games acted as a sort of reboot of the original Red and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for many didn't count as a 'core' Pokémon experience. Players will be looking to Pokémon Sword and Shield to bring the true Pokémon experience to Nintendo Switch, and expectations are much, much higher.

So what do we know, and what are we hoping to see when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch this year? Read on to find out.

[Update: A brand new Pokémon has been teased for Sword and Shield. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The eighth-generation of Pokémon games
  • When can I play it? November 15, 2019
  • What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Pokémon Sword and Shield release date

During a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will release globally on November 15, 2019. 

In addition, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games will be available soon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield trailers

Wondering what towns in the Galar region might look like? A brand new trailer dropped during Gamescom will give you a better idea. Rolling verdant hills, quaint train stations and the ever-familiar comfort of the Pokémon Center. Check out the new footage below:

Pokémon Sword and Shield will made battling bigger and better than ever, and we mean the former quite literally. In a trailer released in August 2019, some new battle mechanics are explored. Watch the trailer below to see new Hidden Abilities, moves, items and some more details about Dynamaxing. 

A new day, a new trailer. We were expecting possibly more of an in-depth Pokémon Direct, but this two-minute clip does give us a look at some new Pokémon designs – as well as some 'rivals' you'll be facing off against in the game.

Check out the video below:

Another recent Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer gave us a closer look at Dynamaxing, new Pokémon and the Galar Pokémon League. Check it out below:

The best glimpse we've had of Pokémon Sword and Shield was during a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed a lot of light on what new features we can expect alongside some new Pokémon pals. 

Check out the video below:

The first Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer didn't give too much away, but you can see the first glimpse of the environments and art style.

You also get a first look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a sad-looking tadpole (sadpole?) called Sobble.

Check the trailer out below:

The last video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted some of the geographical features of the Galar Region and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile game.

Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshots

Pokémon Sword and Shield news and features

Who's that new Pokémon?

A brand new Pokémon has been teased on the official Sword and Shield website but a glitch is obscuring its identity. Fan theories are flooding in to try and determine what this mysterious new Pokémon could be, with the most popular theory being that it's a Galar region evolution of Farfetch'd called Sirfetch'd. There's no confirmation on whether or not this is the case but with the November release date of Sword and Shield approaching we're sure it won't be long until we can see this fighting-type Pokémon for ourselves. 

Autosaves?

Could we finally see autosaves make an appearance in a mainline Pokémon game with Sword and Shield? Perhaps. A while after that Nintendo Direct it's now come to the attention of some eagle-eyed fans (via Eurogamer) that during the trailer "Now Saving..." briefly appeared during gameplay. This could, of course, just be the aftermath of a manual save but it looks like it could easily be marking the introduction of an autosave that is instigated by reaching certain points or crossing certain thresholds in the game. We won't know for sure, however, until it's confirmed or denied by Nintendo. 

Nintendo Direct September 2019

Nintendo dropped a Direct in early September with some brand new details on Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

First up, as we already knew character customisation is making a return but it's going to be more wide-ranging than ever before. Now in addition to changing tops and bottoms, you can change hairstyles, apply make up and pull some stylish outerwear. Catching Pokémon in a leather jacket? You betcha. 

There's also Pokémon Camp which allows you to pitch up a tent during your journeys and play with your Pokémon. This will improve their performance in battle and you can even take your Pokémon to visit the camps of other players online. 

Camping also means cooking. Now you can lovingly create dishes of curry and rice for you and your Pokémon with more than 100 variations to enjoy. To keep track of your recipes you'll be using the Currydex (yes, seriously). 

Of course, there are also some new Pokémon. The Direct introduced us to flying-water-type Cramorant and ghost-type Polteagiest. 

Gamescom 2019

Gamescom 2019 is here and despite that fact that Nintendo dropped a new Pokémon trailer merely days before the event, more new footage has been shown. Aren't we spoiled. 

The new footage gives a good look at an as-yet-unnamed town in the Galar region. This footage reveals that in addition to the previously revealed flying taxi service in the game, players will also be able to travel by train. Hopefully the attempt to reflect the UK will only be surface level or we'll get nowhere by rail. Towns will also have, as expected, Pokémon Centers, grocery stores and clothing stores to have a look around and spend some money. 

New battle mechanics

In a recent trailer, some brand new battle details have been confirmed. 

Corviknight is shown to have a Hidden Ability called Mirror Armor which will allow it to reflect any stat-lowering effects back at its opponents. 

Hidden Abilities, it’s been confirmed in a blog post, are slightly more special than standard abilities as they’ll only feature in Pokémon that have been caught in Max Raid Battles (so a Corviknight you catch from a normal encounter won't have the Mirror Armor ability). 

These Max Raid Battles, coincidentally, are the way to encounter another kind of special Pokémon: one that's capable of Gigantamaxing. If you’re really lucky you might go into a Max Raid Battle and come away with a Pokémon that can Gigantamax and has a Hidden Ability but that’ll be a very rare event and you’ll have to take part in a lot of Raids. 

New items will also be introduced to the game. One of these is Room Service, which will lower the speed of the Pokémon holding it during Trick Room. The other is Eject Pack which will switch the holding Pokémon out of battle if its stats are lowered, allowing you to replace it with another from your team. 

Battling online

A few more details on the Online Battle Stadium have been confirmed. Players with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription will be able to connect over the internet and compete in single or double battles. These battles can be ranked or casual, with the former involving facing trainers of similar ranks to try and earn points to move up, while the latter is, well, just for fun. With things working through the Nintendo Switch Online service, that means Pokémon Global Link is not supported. 

Pokémon have jobs now

An official listing on the Pokémon Sword and Shield's website shows a way of earning experience points by freelancing your Pokémon out to random employers. Exploitation, or a fun summer job? At the very least it's a great way of ensuring your boxed Pokémon aren't languishing while you take your main team on your adventure as can sometimes happen. It seems something of a shame that you can't go along with your Pokémon and take part in a mini game for some jobs but either way it's a great way to keep your Pokémon training and to bring in some special items as rewards. 

Region variants

Regional variations of familiar Pokémon always make exploring new areas even more fun. The region variants for the Galarian region really play up that U.K inspiration. 

There’s Galarian Weezing which is clearly drawing heavily on the Industrial Revolution with its chimney pipe hat and Victorian factory-owner vibe. 

Meanwhile Zigzagoon and Linoon have taken on a more badger-like appearance.

There’s also an entirely new Pokémon confirmed for the Galar region: Morpeko. This little hamster-like creature is adorable until It gets hungry. In perhaps the most relatable Pokémon behaviour ever, when Morpeko enters hangry mode, it goes from electric type to dark type and looks utterly merciless. 

The bad guys

Pokémon grunt organisations are very rarely subtle and Team Yell are continuing that trend with their name, their fashion and their utter adoration of Marnie. 

Marnie is one of your main rivals in Sword and Shield and she’s hell bent on becoming a champion. Team Yell are her followers who will get in your way in order to help her get there. 

Bede is your other rival. He’s a little more mysterious than Marnie (and looks a little more like a grandmother too). While he’s also aiming to become champion, he’s got other motives you’ll be aiming to uncover. 

Brand new models

The Pokémon Sword and Shield development team has been facing ire from fans following the news that every single Pokémon ever won’t be available to catch in the new games with the latest rumors suggesting that Game Freak has been utilising old 3DS creature models for the Switch game in order to cut costs. This theory has been shot down by an older Famitsu interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori (via Polygon) in which it’s stated that the models for the new game have been created from scratch. 

It was also said that the more intensive graphics of the Switch has lengthened the time needed to render Pokémon so the limited Pokédex would have come at some point. 

Version-exclusive Gym Leaders

Pokémon Sword and Shield will have version-exclusive Gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword you will battle karate prodigy Bea, while in Pokémon Shield, you take on emo king Allister.

Gigantamaxing

Previously we had heard of the Dynamax feature that allows Pokémon to become super-sized during battles, however Nintendo has now revealed the "phenomenon" of Gigantamaxing. 

While Dynamaxing can only occur in specific areas of the Galar region, and is a common occurrence for Pokémon from the region, Gigantaxmaxing is only specific to certain species of Pokémon and kicks things up a notch by not only increasing a Pokémon's size but also its appearance.

In addition, Gigantamaxing boosts the power of the Pokémon and allows it to use a unique move known as a G-Max Move - each G-Max Move is particular to a specific species of Gigantamax Pokémon.

More new Pokémon

In a recent trailer Nintendo introduced us to some more new Pokémon we'll be encountering in Galar, including the walking ice-cream sundae Alcremie, adorable puppy Yamper, coal chunk Rolycoly and steel dragon Duraludon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Doubling Down

Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the news that not all Pokémon would be available to catch in Sword and Shield in a statement to fans on the official Pokémon site. In the statement, Masuda thanked fans for their love of the Pokémon series but reaffirmed the decision to limit Pokémon in the game to those within the Galar region. 

He did, however, add that "even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games."

Fan backlash against the news has been severe but it seems that Game Freak is sticking to its guns. Masuda added in his statement that the Galar region will see “the world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.“

Can't catch 'em all 

It's been confirmed that Pokémon Sword and Shield will not feature every Pokémon from the franchise so far, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there are now more than 800 species of Pokémon this is, perhaps, not all that surprising.

The reason, according to Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there will be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number means "it has become extremely difficult to make Pokémon with a new personality play an active part and to balance their compatibility" as well as to make sure they'll all be balanced in battle.

Not only that, it would be too difficult to have so many in-game models with a high enough graphical quality. 

Though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that it's a decision he "had to make some day" and that he's opting to "choose the quality". 

Poké Ball Plus

Pokémon Ball Plus

We didn't hear much about Pokémon Sword and Shield during Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, but it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus can be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". However, the ball cannot be used as a controller.

In addition, it was teased that "good things" will happen if you build up a strong connection to one Pokémon in particular.

Release date revealed

Nintendo held a special Pokémon Sword and Shield focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019.

Max Raid Battles

Much like Pokémon Go, Sword and Shield has a feature which allows trainers to team up with up to three others online to take on more powerful Pokémon.

Legendaries

Pokémon Sword and Shield's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (shield).

Dynamax Mode

This new mode allows trainers to make their Pokémon giant and super-powered. This mode can only be activated once during a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to normal size.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

More new Pokémon

Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also revealed a few more new Pokémon joining Sword and Shield: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy lady Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi service for the Galar region).

Wild Area

Galar features a Wild Area where trainers can explore, battle and capture Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the environment and weather.

Stadiums

Trainers will battle Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the usual gyms. These stadiums are huge and packed with a cheering audience. 

New characters

Nintendo revealed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. Meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your guides.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

Trainer outfit customization will be a feature

While it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon players since it was introduced in X and Y. And it's a feature which a recent Uniqlo competition has confirmed will be in Pokémon Sword and Shield. 

In a collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the clothing brand asked fans to design a top which would then be sold in stores. Now that the winning entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the top will also be wearable in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a trainer outfit.

Just how many more outfit options there'll be in the games isn't known yet, but we're hoping to catch a glimpse of some more if Nintendo shows us some new Sword and Shield footage during its E3 conference this year. 

Made for handheld

While the Pokémon Let's Go games were developed with TV mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Pokémon Sword and Shield will "emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode." Furukawa made the comments during Nintendo's March 2019 Financial Results Briefing (via Nintendo Life).

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield

Image credit: Nintendo

A whole new world

We know the game is set in a brand new region of Galar, rather than a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired by England's cities and countryside, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to explore.

The trailer also showed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what might even be a football stadium (see the kit below), though we're waiting to see whether competing in a Pokémon-themed Football World Cup will be possible for players.

Brand new Pokémon

Yup, this is a new generation of Pokémon, meaning you'll be seeing a lot of new faces – as well as a lot of old ones. The trailer gave us a mix of familiar Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot along the new starters, and we're hoping Game Freak manage to keep the new designs interesting (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.)

Modern to the core

Sword and Shield look to retain the look and 3D animation style of the Pokeémon Let's Go games that launched on Nintendo Switch last year.

Pokémon games haven't been flat 2D games in years, and has increasingly been moving towards full-size avatars and 3D environments. Some may miss the old-school pixel charm of the earlier games – and find the 3D creature models a bit bland – but for better or worse this is what we're getting.

Pokémon Stars what?

What still confuses us is that we've been waiting for the long-rumored Pokémon Stars game for over two years now, 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. 

While it never materialized, 'Stars' could well have been a code-name for what eventually became the Let's Go games, or could still prove a Switch port for the Sun and Moon games.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Official Sword and Shield website teases a brand new Pokémon

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 01:39 AM PDT

A brand new Pokémon is being teased for the upcoming Generation 8 titles Pokémon Sword and Shield, but at the moment it’s not entirely clear what that Pokémon is. 

On the official Pokémon Twitter it was posted that a brand new Pokémon has been discovered with a link purporting to lead to some Galar region research. 

The link leads to the official website for Sword and Shield  where a glitched image of a Pokémon now appears. Chase this moving image across the screen enough and you can click on it to access a Pokédex entry that has more redactions than revelations. 

Farfetch'd theories

From the entry all we can really tell about the cryptic new Pokémon is that it’s a fighting-type, coming in at 257.9 lbs with an ability called Steadfast. There’s also a small descriptive paragraph (with many further redactions) which reads: “Only [redacted] that have survived many battles can attain this [redacted]. When this Pokémon’s [redacted] [redacted]ers, it will retire from combat.”

Of course, this enticing mystery has led to a rush of theories from fans. Somewhat ironically, one of the most plausible theories is that the glitched Pokémon is an evolved form of Farfetch’d called Sirfetch’d, found only in the Galar region. Sirfetch’d has already been rumored as a new Pokémon prior to this.

Given the original Farfetch’d holds a leek in battle it’s not completely, er, far-fetched that in the British-inspired Galar region this leek could become a knightly lance which, once shattered, forces the Pokémon into retirement. Certainly the green, beige and cream color palette of the glitched image matches that of a Farfetch’d. 

There’s been no further information on when this Pokémon’s identity will be confirmed but it’s really not long until Sword and Shield’s November release date. Whatever it is, this Pokémon will join the roster of new Generation 8 Pokémon which has already been confirmed to include a Galarian variant of Weezing as well as Polteageist the teapot Pokémon and the adorable sheep Wooloo. 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

iPhone pre-orders are live: these are the top five iPhone 11 deals to go for this weekend

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 01:19 AM PDT

Apple fans, take a deep breath because your time has come - iPhone 11 deals are now available to pre-order. We've seen the features, we've observed the camera capabilities and now we know the prices of contracts on pre-order.

Of course, you've likely seen a few different iPhone 11 deals float by, not completely sure which one to go for. But luckily we're here to help. We've seen a lot of these kind of launches now and have a pretty good inkling for what makes a good offer - spoiler alert...they're the ones on this page!

And, to save you driving yourself to insanity comparing hundreds of deals, we've found the best iPhone 11 deals for you. Since pre-orders went live, our team of writers have been living, breathing and now likely dreaming of iPhone 11 deals.

We've picked out what we believe are the top five offers to go for, not just on the iPhone 11 but also the more powerful iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max as well. We've listed them below with everything from EE to the best unlimited data offer.

And, as an added bonus to getting one of these deals, Apple is throwing in a year's subscription to its new TV service. You can find out more below.

Divider

1. An exclusive EE bargain iPhone 11 deal

2. Affordable monthly bills on the iPhone 11

3. Go big with unlimited data on the iPhone 11

4. Balance costs and specs with iPhone 11 Pro deals

5. Max out your phone contract with the 11 Pro Max

What's the iPhone 11 like?

The iPhone 11 might not have made any drastic improvements on what was on offer with the iPhone XR, but the improvements that were made were crucial. An increased 3110mAh battery, the fastest CPU in a phone around right now, a dual camera set-up and a IP68 rating. Overall, this is the iPhone XR, just cheaper and boosted in all of the most important places.

Find out more with our iPhone 11 review

What is Apple TV+?

As mentioned above, if you buy an iPhone 11 deal, either SIM-free or on contract, you will also get a year of Apple TV+ for free. This is a brand new service from Apple, in fact it won't actually launch until November 1.

In essence, Apple TV+ is the company's direct competition to both Netflix and Amazon Prime, offering a host of original shows and films. A number of originals have already been announced with a host of big names involved, including Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, M. Night Shyamalan and Steven Spielberg.

Find out more about Apple TV Plus

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Cyberpunk 2077 release date, trailers, gameplay, and that Keanu Reeves cameo

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 12:40 AM PDT

Cyberpunk 2077 will be hacking into our digital lives in only a few months – but the more teasers, trailers, and gameplay we get to see, the less sure we can wait that long before CD Projekt Red's massive dystopian RPG actually comes to our screens.

Landing on Xbox One, PC, and PS4, Cyberpunk 2077 looks set to be a vast open-world game, draped in dizzying neon colors and futuristic gadgetry, and packed with more branching storylines than you could shake a high-tech drone at.

In both an extended trailer and in our hands-off demo at E3 2019, we saw a bit more of the metropolis of the future, where body modification has become an obsession, and you play a mysterious outlaw in the sleazy underbelly of the city.

Here's all the news, trailers, and announcements we've had on Cyberpunk 2077 so far. Or, if you can't take the anticipation ahead of the game's 2020 release, check out our thoughts on the Cyberpunk RED tabletop role-playing game instead.

UPDATE: Sorry Keanu fans, it's been confirmed he won't be a romance option in Cyberpunk 2077. And it looks like there will be some multiplayer elements launched after the game's release. Read on to find out more. 

Cut to the Chase

  • What is Cyberpunk 2077? A brand new IP from CD Projekt Red starring Keanu Reeves 
  • What's the Cyberpunk 2077 release date? April 16, 2020
  • What systems will Cyberpunk 2077 be released on? PS4, Xbox One and PC
  • Will it come to next-gen consoles too? We think it's likely, though there's no official word so far
  • Is it not coming to Switch? Sorry, Nintendo – while the Witcher III is somehow being ported to Switch, it seems unlikely the hardware could cope with what Cyberpunk is promising

What is Cyberpunk 2077?

Cyberpunk 2077 is a neon cyberpunk game that has The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red moving from a gritty, high fantasy world to an equally gritty, science fiction world metropolis. It's based off the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name, but plays a hell of a lot like The Matrix game we've always wanted.

We caught our first peek at the game behind closed doors at E3 2018 – you can check out what we saw in the 48-minute walkthrough video below (in the trailers section).

Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that looks vastly different from its developer's The Witcher series, with towering neon skyscrapers, bionic enhancements and a focus on vertical movement rather than wide open plains. It's also all in first-person.

At E3 2019 we learned a lot more about the plot of the game, which features the one and only Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays a character named Johnny Silverhand who's embedded in a biochip that's placed in the main character's brain. 

In order to unlock the secrets to the biochip, what basically becomes the main thread of the game, Silverhand will guide you to Alt Cunningham, the most legendary net runner of all-time. The only problem? She’s dead. But her consciousness lives on the web and you’ll need to do whatever it takes to track her down – including, but not limited to, befriending or eliminating leaders of the biggest gangs in Night City. 

Cyberpunk 2077 trailers

The latest Cyberpunk 2077 trailer is a 15-minute deep dive into the game's lore, world, and gameplay. If you don't mind spoiling some of the visual treats in store – including what it's like to actually step into cyberspace – check out the video here.

E3 2019 gave us an incredibly slick trailer, with a look at some new characters, weapon-play – including Keanu Reeves, who will be playing the rock star Johnny Silverhand. Get your fix in the trailer below.

In March 2019, we got yet another video, this time of the development team gearing up for the E3 2019 showcase event. Those hoping for a 2019 release may want to start to brace themselves however – though the game remains without a release date, the suggestion of the video below is that development is still in full swing, and a release date may be some time away yet:

After a veritable truckload of hype, CD Projekt Red released 48 minutes of gameplay footage, based on the demo journalists saw at E3 2018. 

In it, you'll see what gunplay looks like, character creation and backstory assignment, plus how you'll upgrade yourself via cybernetic enhancements. You'll meet some of the characters in Cyberpunk's seedy crime circuit and explore the city on foot and in vehicles. (Quick warning: the trailer contains nudity, violence and swearing.)

We were treated to a Cyberpunk 2077 trailer during E3 2018 which you can watch below:

Cyberpunk 2077 release date: April 16, 2020

In the game’s first official teaser trailer, it was stated that the game will be coming “when it’s ready,” but now we have an official release date: April 16, 2020, care of the E3 2019 trailer.

This is despite an investor call in early 2016 that suggested that Cyberpunk 2077 would be released before June 2019. It was also said in this call that CD Projekt Red is planning to release two new triple A RPGs before 2021. 

It was later clarified in forums that Cyberpunk 2077 would be the first of these games to arrive and work on the second would not start before Cyberpunk 2077 was finished. 

Cyberpunk 2077

Image Credit: CD Projekt Red

Considering The Witcher 3 took around three and a half years to develop, a 2019 release didn't seem unmanageable for the studio. But the scale of the development, as well as rumors of the game being a cross-gen Xbox Two and PS5 title, it makes sense that the game has taken longer than initially anticipated.

Cyberpunk 2077 news and features

No Reeves romance for you

We know, you're devastated. We all are. But it's now been confirmed that Keanu Reeves is not a character you'll be able to romance during Cyberpunk 2077 (via PCGamer). 

What about multiplayer?

After repeatedly stating that multiplayer elements were in R&D but saying nothing more, CD Projekt Red has confirmed on Twitter that it's definitely in the works. So far, the plan appears to be to release the game in April as a single-player experience and then follow this up with various single DLCs that will be free to download and play, after which players will begin to be invited for "some multiplayer action." Multiplayer is, then, slightly down the road but it is coming. 

Character creation will be gender fluid
In an interview with Metro, senior concept artist Marthe Jonkers clarified that players would be able to customize their characters's gender expression in a much more fluid way than traditional RPGs – with two masculine / feminine body types and voices you can mix and match as you please.

Jonkers said that "you don’t choose your gender anymore. You don’t choose, ‘I want to be a female or male character’ you now choose a body type. Because we want you to feel free to create any character you want."

GTA-style radio
You can listen to some music GTA-style while cruising about in your vehicle.

Coming to Stadia
Cyberpunk 2077 has now been announced for the Google Stadia streaming service for games.

Cyberpunk 2077

Spin-off card game
Forget Gwent—Cyberpunk 2077 is getting its very own spin-off card game called Afterlife that will launch sometime in 2020. The game is being made in collaboration with board game publisher Cmon, whose listing for the game reads:

“The game thrusts players into the dark alleyways of Night City, where ruthless gangs clash with corporations in an endless war for money, power, and control.

“In Cyberpunk 2077: Afterlife, players become Fixers, the data brokers and masterminds in Night City that recruit cyberpunks, equip them with gear, and send them out on missions. But nothing's free in Night City. Players need to balance between what they want and what they can actually afford. Using an innovative drafting mechanic and special dashboard, players must decide which cards they want to buy, and which to sacrifice for funds in order to purchase new ones.

Each successful mission raises the player's Street Cred, with mission survivors becoming Veterans, imparting their knowledge and experience to newer recruits. In this chrome-infused world, Street Cred is the only currency that truly matters.”

Hardcore mode that says goodbye to UI In an interview with Wccftech, CD Projekt Red’s Alvin Liu discussed hardcore mode, revealing that it will get rid of the game’s UI to provide a “real challenge” for players. That means there’ll be no markers or indicators telling you where things are or what level of enemy you’re going up against. It’s real immersion in Night City and the desert beyond with the potential for real frustration. 

Of course, it’s not just the hardcore players that are being catered to in Cyberpunk 2077; Liu revealed that there will also be modes for those who are less experienced with first person games and shooters and wish to enjoy a more laidback experience. 

“If you want to play more casually for the story and maybe you’re not experienced with shooters, which was a real big concern for us. We want to tell a story and maybe you’re a big fan of The Witcher and you’re not comfortable playing a shooter, we have settings available for that.”

Liu explains that as well as settings for less experienced players, there will also be weapons. The smart gun, for example, will help players to aim. Though it comes at the cost of the smart gun being a weaker and slower weapon. It will, however, be a good start for those looking to get to grips with the aiming system. 

For those unfamiliar with first person games, there’s also going to be a Field of View slider. Making more of the game world visible through the eyes of the avatar should alleviate that sense of tunnel vision that comes from trading third person view for first person and the potential for nausea this can cause some players.

Environmental hazards In an interview with Wccftech, UI director Alan Liu revealed Cyberpunk 2077 will feature dynamic weather such as acid rain and other environmental hazards.

Cyberpunk 2077


Settings available for those uncomfortable with FPS
The game includes a number of difficulty levels for those who may struggle to adjust to playing an RPG in the style of an FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077 will look just as good on console as PC
In an interview with Wccftech, UI director Alan Liu was asked about the challenges of optimizing Cyberpunk 2077 for low-end hardware. 

"Actually no, we have a very custom engine, the RED Engine," Liu responded. "And actually, we’re targeting consoles as first-class platforms and it looks amazing there. So obviously, if you spent, you know, $2,000 building your PC rig, it’s going to look better on that. But the graphics are quite amazing for what you’re going to get from Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles and low-end PCs."

Could we see a movie adaptation in the future?
In an interview with VGC at E3 2019, Pondsmith admitted that Keanu Reeves' involvement in the game has made the possibility of a Cyberpunk movie adaption much more likely.

"I can’t really say anything on that," Pondsmith told VGC in response to whether he is optioning the Cyberpunk movie rights. "But with Keanu Reeves being tied up in things, it’s become much more of a possibility."

"At this point we are teaching people about this new kind of cyberpunk. My favorite film is Blade Runner, but I recognise inherently that it’s a cerebral film and 2049 was even more cerebral. A cerebral film is not necessarily going to allow other people to enter that space and understand it, but at the same time you don’t want to do it totally action."

Keanu Reeves' band gets its first single
If the appearance of Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077 as a rock star wasn't enough, punk band Refused are creating the music for his in-game band (named Samurai). And if that wasn't enough, Samurai have released their first single, Chippin' In – presumably something to do with microchips – so you can start getting a sense of Night City's soundscapes already.

There may or may not be three games in development
Polish news site Bankier reported that CD Projekt President Adam Kiciński had confirmed the existence of yet another AAA game set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, likely being the planned follow-up to next year's game – with a secondary team apparently working on a multiplayer mode too. CD Projekt has refuted the claims, while refusing to be drawn on whether a sequel could appear down the line. To be fair, they're probably focused on getting the main title out first.

Take your pick of protagonists
Instead of a set lead character like the Witcher, it sounds like we'll have a few options to choose from. Cyberpunk 2077's lead quest designer, Paweł Sasko, has commented that "The player in Cyberpunk 2077 can create a custom character that has one of three origin stories, that we call Lifepaths," each with their own "starting location and story background that are strongly connected with the origin story" (via VG24/7). The three choices are Street Kid, Nomad and Corporate.

There will be romance
Fans of The Witcher 3's romantic sub-plots will be happy to hear that CD Projekt is bringing something similar to Cyberpunk 2077. In an interview with GamesRadar, the game's Quest Designer, Mateusz Tomaskiewicz, confirmed that players will be able to have relationships with different "entities", all of whom will have their own stories, goals and ideas for you to engage with. He stopped short of confirming just how many romance threads players will have the option to pursue and whether or not one of them will be with Keanu Reeves. It seems unlikely, though.

There will be no morality system
Players won't be constrained by any kind of morality system in Cyberpunk 2077 it has been confirmed by Mateusz Tomaskiewicz in an interview with GamingBolt. Given the complex nature of the decisions players made in The Witcher 3, this decision to favor the grey probably won't come as much of a surprise. This means that if you want to play through the entire game without killing anyone you absolutely can. Or if you want to be the next Angel of Death you can do that too. You just have to invest in the right in-game skills to do so. 


There's more than Night City
From what we've seen so far, the setting of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 looks like a mighty impressive, expansive and very neon place to explore. But it won't be the only location in the game to explore. In an interview with VG247, the Lead Quest Designer, Pawel Sasko, revealed that players will be able to go beyond the walls of the metropolis and explore an area known as the "Badlands". Largely desolate and populated by Nomads, this area will have its own quests. You can even start the game as a Nomad and begin your story outside of the city. 

Multiple Endings
In an interview with CD Projekt, YouTuber Yong Yea got confirmation that Cyberpunk 2077 will have multiple endings. It's not been confirmed just how many there will be but this ties in with the expansive image of the game that's being presented and the idea that players are crafting a highly personal story.

New Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay shown at E3 2019, but not playable
At E3 2019 we got the chance to see Cyberpunk 2077 at a behind-closed doors demo centered around Pacifica – the southern-most region of Night City – and Keanu Reeves' character, Johnny Silverhand. The weirdest part? Keanu may in fact be the key to immortality. Yes, you read that correctly.

Inside Pacifica, two gangs – The Animals and The Voodoo Boys – are fighting for supremacy. In order to meet Bridgitte, the head of the Voodoo Boys, you'll have to first deal with her lieutenant Placide, who wants you to infiltrate The Animals' hideout. Your goal, at least you're told, is to find a high-tech van that's monitoring all the network traffic in Pacifica. 

To get to this van, you'll have to make your way past The Animals' crew. The reason they're called The Animals, it turns out, is because they take a drug that enhances their muscle mass. To get through them you'll either need to fight your way through – a risky proposition – or sneak your way into the hideout.

Image Credit: CD Projekt Red

Customization: perks, skills and attributes
You’ll customize your character’s look; you’ll customize their backstory; you’ll customize their base skills and you’ll give them perks that make them who they are. If you want a ninja samurai who came from the streets and is skilled in firearms and hand-to-hand combat, you can make that. If you want a net runner super hacker that can take over turrets and jack into enemies, you can make that, too. 

The choices are vast, and while they're not completely limitless, CD Projekt Red doesn’t want to confine you to a single play style or set path.   

The reasoning behind that, it seems, is to better mirror the game’s source material – a 30-year-old tabletop role playing game called Cyberpunk (however, there was also a later edition called Cyberpunk 2020). 

Behind all of the hacking and gunplay lies a fairly complex RPG – the perks screen we saw during our demo had more than 20 perks to choose from and level up. These perks impact how your character plays, but can also impact what choices you have in conversations with the world’s NPCs. 

Cyberpunk 2077

Image Credit: CD Projekt Red

Vampire Bloodlines and Deus Ex were inspirations for the game
Given it’s based on a tabletop roleplaying game and Cyberpunk is already a massive sub-genre in science fiction, we knew Cyberpunk 2077 hadn’t been totally pulled from the ether without any kind of influence. But we’re always interested to find out about some of the more subtle influences on the game and the way it plays, some of which Quest Director Mateusz Tomaskiewicz has revealed in a recent interview with gaming publication AreaJugones.

Tomaskiewicz said that games such as Deus Ex, Vampire Bloodlines and Elder Scrolls had influenced him in his work on Cyberpunk 2077's quests. He cites the original Deus Ex as a particular influence and praises the ways in which it gives players the freedom to complete missions in multiple ways. This suggests we can expect a great deal of freedom and complexity and non-linearity in Cyberpunk 2077’s missions as well as in the protagonist you'll be using to cause havoc in the game world which is something quite different from the tight gameplay-loop found in The Witcher. 

CD Projekt Red is working on two AAA titles – both to be released by 2021
CD Projekt Red has confirmed it still plans to release two AAA titles by 2021. While we know one of these titles will definitely be Cyberpunk 2077, we're still in the dark about what the second title could be.

This release window was reaffirmed on the official CD Projekt Red forums, with moderator Donata Popławska confirming the studio is sticking to its original roadmap.

"As far as the strategy of the CD Projekt Capital Group for 2016-2021 is concerned, its plans to release the second AAA game by 2021 remain unchanged," the moderator wrote (translated via Resetera user Antiax). 

However, Popławska did not expand on what the second AAA title to be released in this time frame could be.

"We are currently focusing on the production and promotion of Cyberpunk, so we do not want to comment on further projects," they continued.

Lady Gaga could be making an appearance?
According to french site ActuGaming, Lady Gaga and CD Projekt Red are collaborating for Cyberpunk 2077 and the artist has already visited the Polish studio to take part in motion-capture – suggesting she will have a character role in the game itself.

In addition ActuGaming claims the collaboration will be officially announced at E3 2019, with Gaga rumored to be making an appearance at the gaming convention.

Last year Gaga tweeted a strange mix of letters and numbers, which the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account replied to with "Of course! Of course we will!", suggesting the A Star is Born actress would be involved with the game in some way or another.

E3 2018 confirmed features
We got to spend some time watching a demo of Cyberpunk 2077 during E3 and we learned some interesting things about the game. 

It's a first person RPG set in a huge open world known as Night City – a metropolis split into six districts, each offering a different environment to explore. During the demo we only saw a small part of one of them. 

Players can create their own character called V and embark on their journey to crawl up from the criminal underbelly. This is a dark game and though The Witcher series is mature, this takes it to a new level. 

As you'd expect, the game lets you augment your body using various bits of tech – illegal or otherwise – and you can use drugs to enhance your combat, or a kind of digital brain-hack called 'Braindance'. We know weapons are wide ranging and seriously creative, with smart guns and bullets as well as terrifying Mantis Blades for melee.

There are no loading screens in Cyberpunk 2077 and the story and side quests are branching and numerous, and your choices genuinely impact the outcome. You can read more about how impressed were were by what we saw.

E3 2018 secret message
CD Projekt RED used the Xbox Showcase to show its latest trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. But it's more than just a trailer. Spotted by Polygon, there's a moment in the trailer with hidden text with more information on the game which is revealed when you enhance the image.

In the message CD Projekt first apologises for "staying silent longer than we planned" but following the release of The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine the developer wanted to wait until it had "something meaningful and substantial" to show.

It goes on to say that the vision for Cyberpunk is "an alternative version of the future where America is in pieces, megacorporations control all aspects of civilized life, and gangs rule the rest." This game will, CD Projekt says, be a "true single player, story-driven RPG" where you'll be able to create your own character.

At the moment the developer isn't ready to confirm any kind of release date and asks for more patience. It also says it has "no bloody clue" about how big the game is but does say it's "seriously big."

Cyberpunk 2077

Image Credit: CD Projekt Red

It could be on the next generation of consoles
CD Projekt Red has hinted that Cyberpunk 2077 could be developed for both current and next gen titles. GamingBolt has reported that during a presentation at the Pareto Securities Gaming Seminar 2018 event, the studio's CFO Piotr Nielubowicz and CEO Adam Kiciński mentioned Cyberpunk 2077 hinted that it may be being developed for future hardware. The slide in question stated the team was developing the title for “current and next-generation technology”.

Given the game's current timeline, it's possible it could launch on current systems in April (PS4, Xbox One) and then next-gen systems (PlayStation 5, Xbox Two) later in the year.

It will be on Steam
Good news Steam fans: Cyberpunk 2077 will definitely be coming to the platform. At the Pareto Securities Gaming Seminar (via PCGamesN) the studio’s CEO Adam Kiciński gave a presentation in which he confirmed that the game would not be exclusive to GOG. There's been a lot of furore over the Metro Exodus being 'removed' from Steam and onto the Epic Games Store, but it looks like CD Projekt Red is steering clear of that minefield.

It’s going to be bigger than The Witcher 3
It would have been a pretty safe guess to say that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a big game, but in an interview with MCV in 2015 visual effects artist Jose Teixeira said it’s going to be “far, far bigger” than anything the studio has ever done. 

In fact, he said that The Witcher 3 was being treated as a learning experience and that they could do better. To do better, the studio has doubled in size with studio head Adam Badowski saying that after The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 needs to be “even better, even bigger, even more revolutionary” than what had originally been planned. 

Cyberpunk 2077

Image Credit: CD Projekt Red

You’ll be travelling on more advanced tech than boats and horses
So, we know the game map is going to be intimidatingly big. How will we get around it, then? Well fortunately, moving out of the high fantasy realm gives CD Projekt Red a little more freedom when it comes to creating vehicles.

Don’t expect horses and basic boats here – a job listing for a Senior Vehicle Artist for the studio said they’d be expected to work on “incredibly complex vehicles, planes, bikes, robots and mechanics.“

There may be multiplayer
It was confirmed years ago that the game would have multiplayer elements but what exactly they’ll be is unclear. It was said, though, that the game would mainly focus on single player. 

The company president said in March 2018 that these elements are not on the table right now, so it's possible that they'll be introduced after the game's release in a sort of online world like GTA Online. 

There will be online
As well as multiplayer, CD Projekt's CEO has confirmed that there will also be online elements to the game. In an interview with Polish tech site Strefa Inwestorow Kiciński stated that “Online is necessary, or very recommended if you wish to achieve a long-term success. At some point, we have mentioned that there will be a certain online element related to Cyberpunk.”

Whether or not the online elements will feed into the multiplayer is unclear.

But there won't be microtransactions
The studio also tweeted to quell fears over microtransactions in online components, stating that Cyberpunk 2077 will be "nothing less than" the Witcher 3, adding that players will "get what [they] pay for" with "no hidden catch."

It appears that while many studios are feeling the need to move to a service model to ensure their titles make money, CD Projekt is staying committed to the story-driven single player experience with Cyberpunk 2077, one which served them very well with The Witcher. 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Last of Us 2: release date, news, and rumors

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 12:25 AM PDT

You read that right: The Last of Us 2 is in development, and on its way in the coming year. The release date isn't quite pinned down – though Gamescom 2019 could correct that for us – but there's still plenty of rumors about when it might land, covered in the article below.

As endings go, The Last of Us's was pretty conclusive. But as it turns out, that hasn't stopped The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog from cranking out a sequel in the form of The Last of Us 2 – or, The Last of Us Part II if we're using its proper name. 

Given the first game was hailed by players and critics alike as a masterpiece with excellent, emotional storytelling and engaging, realistic characters, we have to admit that the decision to release a follow-up isn't particularly shocking. We'd probably have been more surprised if there wasn't one. And yet, when The Last of Us 2 was first announced, we'd be lying if we said our hearts didn't skip a beat. 

The Last of Us 2 was first announced by Naughty Dog at PlayStation Experience in 2016 alongside a teaser trailer and the last significant news drop around the game came at E3 2018. As we're now well into 2019, we're now hoping to hear an official release date any day now. 

And it really could be any day - after Sony decided to bow out of E3 2019 it's become increasingly hard to predict when news around the game could drop. Regardless, as this year goes on it's looking increasingly likely that we'll have to wait until late 2019 or maybe even 2020 before we join Ellie in her new adventure. 

[Update: More The Last of Us 2 news has been promised at a PlayStation event in September. Read on to find out more!]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The sequel to the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us
  • When can I play it? It’ll be a while from now, late 2019 or early 2020
  • What can I play it on? PlayStation 4

The Last of Us 2 trailers 

The most recent trailer we have for The Last of Us 2 was shown during E3 2018. This trailer finally gives us a look at Ellie in an intimate scene before cutting away to some of the brutal but stealth-based combat we can expect to see in the game when it's launched.

The gameplay sequence gives us a look at Ellie fighting for her life in the wild. Success in a fight appears to require the right balance between stealth and all out attack as damage seems to have a more realistic impact. Ellie can move quietly between areas, taking weapons from bodies and crafting, before bursting out and taking down her enemies. It's a different creature in many ways to the original The Last of Us but it looks like something to look forward to, with more advanced enemies to challenge us and more complex gameplay to thrill us. 

See the gameplay for yourself below.

The Last of Us Part 2 had another trailer drop during PSX 2017. During a panel it was confirmed that the game will be set in the city of Seattle and the darker themes we know are coming were touched upon. You can watch the panel for yourself below:

Another trailer for the game was shown at Sony's press conference during the 2017 Paris Games Week. This trailer is around 5 minutes long, focusing on conflicts between the human factions in the game. It shows part 2 is going to have a dark story, perhaps even darker than the first, and the trailer is fairly harrowing to watch. 

Visually impressive though it is, do note that it's gory before you watch it for yourself below. 

The first look at The Last of Us 2 came with its announcement at PlayStation Experience in 2016. Despite the fact that the game was early in development, the trailer showed a full (non-gameplay) scene that features both Ellie and Joel. You can watch it below:

The Last of Us 2 release date

The Last of Us 2 has been in the works for a while but we're still waiting for a definite release date. Considering Naughty Dog has experienced the bad side of promising a solid release date and missing it before, it’s hard to blame them for not committing before being ready. 

In an interview with Vorterix, the game's composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, said that the game is going to launch in 2019. Naturally, this hasn't been confirmed so we'd take it with a pinch of salt. 

Making that 2019 release date seem less likely are the recent rumors suggesting we won't see The Last of Us 2 on shelves until early 2020, especially after another big PlayStation exclusive, Death Stranding, just had a November 2019 release date confirmed. It would be incredible to have two releases from PlayStation that are this big during the holiday season but it's unlikely.  

Adding fuel to the 2020 fire is a Between the Sheets interview with Ellie actress Ashely Johnson. When asked when the game is going to be released, Johnson appears to begin to say "February", which would tie up with the rumored release date after Death Stranding took the end of 2019 release slot. 

Of course, Johnson didn't actually get to finish what she was saying and a lot can change between now and February 2020. We won't know for certain until Naughty Dog makes it official. You can watch the interview with Johnson below (with that release moment being around the one hour and seven minutes mark).

What we know so far

September PlayStation Events

After what has felt like an age of no news, The Last of Us fans finally have something to look forward to. Naughty Dog and PlayStation have confirmed that they're ready to make some The Last of Us 2 reveals at a dedicated media event on September 24 in Los Angeles. 

What exactly will be revealed during the event isn't currently known but naturally fans are hoping for some more footage and maybe even some kind of release window. Perhaps we'll get a glimpse of that reported GameStop footage from August. Regardless, it's not long now for fans to wait and find out. 

GameStop Conference

Some brand new The Last of Us 2 footage was apparently shown behind closed doors during the recent GameStop managers conference in Nashville. The footage, which will be available to the wider world "soon", was short and showcased some of the game's stealth aspects, including how clickers can be used to your advantage. 

When this "soon" that the footage will be released is isn't yet known but one opportunity for Sony and Naughty Dog to show some new footage would be during Paris Games Week in October if it doesn't drop even sooner.

More from Troy Baker

The teasing for The Last of Us 2 continues at Manchester Comic-Con. Troy Baker, voice of Joel, has once again been talking about the game and this time he’s said:

“There is nothing about this game, nor the reveals, that hasn’t been 100% carefully crafted and methodically curated. All I can tell you is that as much as you’re clamoring for it, you’re not ready.”

If that’s true then the careful curation possibly extends to Baker’s excellent hyping here. What that tells us is that we’re not going to hear anything about this game’s release date until Sony and Naughty Dog want us to and it could be a little while longer before we do. 

Troy Baker shedding some light

Things have been a little quiet around The Last of Us Part II lately so Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, has caused some excitement merely by mentioning the game. During Manchester Comic-Con, Baker was asked what can be expected from the sequel and wasn't able to give away much. What he did say, however, was that "it's hands down the most ambitious game that Naughty Dog has ever done for sure. It's far larger than I thought was going to be possible." That's a pretty big statement to make and one guaranteed to leave fans salivating. 

When it came to the release date, though, Baker wasn't able to make any announcements. Not because he didn't want to (though obviously and understandably he didn't) but because he and his fellow cast members don't know the release date just yet. "Last time we announced, we slipped," he explained, "And they don't want to do that again." 

(Via PlayStationLifestyle)

Rumors of a delay

There was much excitement on May 29 as a result of PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding finally getting its release date confirmed as November 8 2019. This has, however, had a ripple effect which is concerning fans of The Last of Us 2.

With Death Stranding now slotted in as PlayStation's big exclusive release for the holiday season of 2019, it's been rumored (by Kotaku's Jason Schreier among others) that The Last of Us 2, also originally said to be looking at a late 2019 release, will now be pushed into early 2020.

This has not been confirmed by Naughty Dog or PlayStation so it remains nothing more than rumor at the moment. It's also worth pointing out that The Last of Us 2 has never had a set-in-stone release date anyway. 

However, an early 2020 release date for The Last of Us 2 does not seem impossible at this point as PlayStation having two such huge releases close together at the end of 2019 would be a surprise indeed.

A recent interview with Ellie actress, Ashley Johnson, has also added to those early 2020 rumors as, when asked by the interviewer when the game will release, she appears to begin to say February. However, nothing has been confirmed by Naughty Dog just yet so everything stands as rumor only at the the moment.

Into the final stages

News around The Last of Us 2 has been hotting up recently as the game inches closer towards completion. Naughty Dog has now confirmed that the final scene for the game has been shot and the game’s co-director, Anthony Newman, has tweeted out a recruitment call as the studio begins to “close out” the game’s development. 

As promising as these announcements are, they don't reveal anything about whether or not we can expect to see The Last of Us 2 this year or next. Regardless, development has reached a critical stage and though Sony won’t be attending E3 2019, that doesn’t mean it can’t make some announcements around the time of the show. In fact, recent rumors have suggested that we will see some kind of news around this time. Hopefully we’ll see a confirmed release date in the coming months. 

Mocap is underway

Things have been quiet on the official news front for The Last of Us 2 but we've been glad to see some studio insiders and actors from the game posting images on social media which show that the game's motion capture is well underway. Actors Ashley Johnson and Shannon Woodward have both posted images of themselves wearing mocap suits. They didn't give much away but the fact that Naughty Dog is this far into the motion capture process suggests we might at least be closer to hearing about a possible release date. 

Troy Baker is impressed

The Last of Us 2 is still in the works, but we now know that one of its lead voice actors, Troy Baker, has had an in-depth look and he thinks the game is 'awesome'. It's not clear whether Baker just saw some gameplay or had the chance to go hands-on himself but according to GameRant he said during MCM Comic Con at Birmingham “It’s a fantastic story. It’s a fantastic game. We just finished a playtest. It’s looking awesome. I can’t for it to be on shelves.” Though we can't be sure where exactly in the development process it is (during PSX, it was said that Naughty Dog had reached around the 50 to 60% mark) this playtest is an encouraging sign. 

Directors

With Neil Druckmann having been promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog, The Last of Us 2 now has two confirmed directors. Druckmann will, of course, still be heavily involved in the creation of the game but it's now being headed up by Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead designers on Uncharted 4. 

Story

Although it was no slouch in the gameplay department, it was the story told by The Last of Us that stuck with us for months afterwards. Naturally Naughty Dog had to give us some kind of hint about where the sequel would go. 

At the moment we know The Last of Us 2 will take place in the city of Seattle, five years after the end of the original game, with a 19 year old Ellie taking the starring playable role. Joel will still appear in the game but if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, he could be a much more passive presence. 

This time around, Ellie is extremely angry about...something. From what we saw from the teaser trailer she wants revenge, which to her appears to be a dish best served deadly. 

She does, after all, promise to “kill every last one of them.” It’s not clear who “them” is but it could signal that the Fireflies, the first game's well-meaning but morally grey antagonists, will make a return. Anger, hate and revenge are going to be key themes this time around so expect to be in for an emotionally heavy ride. 

In the trailer for the game shown at Paris Games Week in 2017, we got a look at how dark the game is likely to be. The trailer focuses on the opposing relationships between human characters in the game and features some seriously cringe-inducing violence. 

It doesn't tell us much about any new characters of how they'll relate to one another but it does confirm that we're going into a dark game world in The Last of Us part 2. 

In a recent panel at PSX both Druckmann and Gross said that though the game's story will indeed be dark and there'll be a focus on the theme of hate, "there is hope" and there will be "lighthearted moments." 

We can't pretend we're not relieved to hear this after the game's controversial Paris Games Week trailer which, Druckmann said, was intended to highlight the game's exploration of the pursuit of justice.

Ellie is one of the most real and refreshing characters we’ve seen in gaming so it’s exciting that Naughty Dog are going to take her story further and put her in center stage. 

The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann has said that the story will be about Ellie and Joel’s relationship and that though the story would be complementary to the story of the first game, it would be much larger. 

When asked at a PSX panel whether or not Joel or Ellie may die, Druckmann responded that "no one is safe" highlighting that the game's story really could go anywhere. 

Hopes are particularly high for this larger story as it’s been revealed that one of the writers of Westworld, Halley Gross, will be co-writing the game’s story. Having someone who’s written scripts for such an incredibly popular and successful show should be a boon for the game's story. 

Gameplay

E3 2018 brought us our first proper look at the gameplay in The Last of Us Part 2. Given Ellie is now the leading playable character, it was expected that things would be a little different from the first game and the presentation at the show made this fairly clear. 

Ellie will have some moves similar to Joel but there are some things she'll be able to do that are completely different. For one thing she can jump - the new jump button should make the world of The Last of Us Part 2 more complex and more enjoyable to traverse. It also has the potential to make combat more interesting. Speaking of combat, Ellie doesn't really throw punches as her first form of attack, she has a stealthy knife. Melee combat generally appears to offer a little more than the original game, with evasions and an environment that can help as well as hinder your fighting.

Not only has Ellie matured as a character, the enemies she faces have developed and they're more realistic than ever. The Infected in The Last of Us Part 2 are smarter and more reactive than their predecessors, making them a tougher foe to face. AI has improved, allowing enemies to communicate with one another and to look for Ellie when she's hiding. Expect some tense moments to arise from this. 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Realme XT 730G with 30W VOOC charging teased, launch set for December

Posted: 14 Sep 2019 12:22 AM PDT

On the heels of the announcement of Realme XT in India on Friday, Realme Mobiles teased their next smartphone due out in December. Realme XT 730G was introduced as the company's gaming-centric offering and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G. During the launch event, there wasn't any mention of the much-rumored Realme XT Pro.

Realme CEO Madhav Sheth stated that “this version will be named as Realme XT 730G. There will be many more surprises along with 730G in December.” Well, that’s as close as a confirmation as we can get about the upcoming phone. 

Realme XT 730G will feature a bunch of updates to the regular XT variant with quad cameras of the back. Let’s take a look at what we know about the XT 730G.

Realme XT 730G specifications

Realme revealed two significant changes to the Realme XT which will be released as XT 730G. The first is an upgrade to Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G from Snapdragon 712 chipset and support for 30W VOOC Flash Charge fast-charging solution. The regular variant supports 20W.

Other than that, the XT 730G retains all the other hardware from the regular version. It will have the same 3D glass design with 64MP primary camera, Super AMOLED screen with an in-display fingerprint sensor and 4,000mAh battery.

This falls in line with a couple of our earlier reports (1,2,3) where a mysterious Realme phone with Snapdragon 730G made rounds of the Internet. 

Many, included us, speculated that it will be released as the Realme XT Pro alongside the XT, however, the company has now clarified that it will be called Realme XT 730G.

The Snapdragon 730G is the third most powerful chipset from the house of Qualcomm and it brings a bunch of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features along with an additional 15% bump in graphics performance. The chipset is fabricated on an 8nm architecture process and has been tuned to perform efficiently. It brings HDR gaming with support for upto QHD+ display and with an updated Adreno 618 GPU which gives a 25% boost to graphics rendering.

When the Realme XT 730G launches, it will compete against the likes of Redmi K20 and Oppo Reno2.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

IoT devices still major target for cyberattacks

Posted: 13 Sep 2019 04:15 PM PDT

During the first half of 2019, cybercriminals increased the intensity of both IoT and SMB-related attacks according to a new report from F-Secure.

The firm's “Attack Landscape H1 2019” report highlighted the threat unsecured IoT devices can pose to businesses and consumers as well as the continued popularity of Eternal Blue and similar exploits two years after the WannaCry ransomware was released on the world.

F-Secure uses decoy servers called honeypots to lure in attackers to collect information on their activities and this year its honeypots measured a twelvefold increase in IoT and SMB-related attacks compared to the same period a year ago. This increase was driven by traffic targeting the Telnet and UPnP protocols, which are used by IoT devices, as well as the SMB protocol, which is used by the Eternal family of exploits to spread ransomware and banking Trojans.

Telnet, UPnP and SMB traffic

The largest share of traffic during H1 2019 was led by Telnet with over 760m attack events logged or around 26 percent of traffic. UPnP was the next most frequent with 611m attacks followed by SSH, which is also used to target IoT devices, at 456m attacks.

IoT devices that have been infected with malware such as Mirai are likely sources of this traffic as Mirai was the most common malware family observed by F-Secure's honeypots. Mirai targets and infects routers, security cameras and other IoT devices which use factory default credentials.

F-Secure also found that traffic to SMB port 445 accounted for 556m attacks. The high level of SMB traffic indicates that the Eternal family of exploits, which were first used in 2017's WannaCry ransomware outbreak, are still being used by cybercriminals looking to target millions of machines that have not yet been patched.

Principal researcher at F-Secure, Jarno Niemal provided further insight on the report's findings, saying:

“Three years after Mirai first appeared, and two years after WannaCry, it shows that we still haven’t solved the problems leveraged in those outbreaks. The insecurity of the IoT, for one, is only getting more profound, with more and more devices cropping up all the time and then being co-opted into botnets. And the activity on SMB indicates there are still too many machines out there that remain unpatched.” 

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Google Nest Hub Max vs Amazon Echo Show: which smart display is better?

Posted: 13 Sep 2019 03:16 PM PDT

In the on-going war between Amazon and Google to win your smart home, the companies have released a number of products to keep you connected, entertained and now, keep you safe as well. 

If you want all of the above in a single device, however, your best bets are the latest Amazon Echo Show (2nd Gen) and the Google Nest Hub Max, both of which have a built-in camera that allow you to keep tabs on your home while you’re away through their respective apps and a number of compatible streaming services.

But when both devices are so similar in terms of specs and features, how do you know which one to buy? Well, we put together a guide to help answer that very question.

Display 

The reason you’d buy an Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub Max is because they have a screen attached to it that allows you to watch videos and see visual representations of your voice requests. These displays are necessary for video chatting and allow you to watch any external smart security cams you bought to protect your house.

But of the two, which has the better display?

The Google Nest Hub Max has a 10-inch HD display with a 1280x800 resolution… which is almost identical to the 10.1-inch screen with 1280x800 resolution that’s used on the Amazon Echo Show Gen. 2. When no one is around the Amazon Echo Show will turn the interface completely off, while the Google Nest Hub Max dims its display to a nearly off state - not that it really makes that much of a difference either way. 

Which one is better? It’s a tie.

Video services 

Both devices have a number of decent compatible streaming services - but in terms of big names, you’ll find a slightly better selection on the Nest Home Hub. 

For the Amazon Echo Show you’ve got the choices of Amazon Prime Video, DailyMotion and Hulu, plus you can get daily news from NBC. It’s possible to watch videos from YouTube on the Amazon Echo Show, but you’ll have to go through the built-in web browser until Amazon and Google add native YouTube support back to the service.

If you’re bound and determined to stream content, the Nest Hub Max has a few more options. First up, the Nest Hub Max definitely supports YouTube, YouTube TV and YouTube Kids - perfect if you have little ones who are going to be using the speaker too. For the adults in the home there’s HBO Now and Starz support - though, you could get both of those on Amazon as long as you’re willing to subscribe to them through Amazon Prime Video.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Google Nest Hub Max has Chromecast Built-in, which allows you to cast content to the screen as long as you’re on the same Wi-Fi network. The downside is that not every Chromecast-compatible app works with the Nest Hub Max - which means there’s currently no way on either device to watch Netflix.

Which one is better? Unless you’re only watching Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, the Nest Hub Max has a greater diversity of content thanks to native YouTube support.

Audio performance 

You can’t talk about visual performance without talking about how these displays sound. Again, it’s another close match but the Echo Show walks away as the better audio option. 

For reference, the Nest Hub Max uses a stereo speaker system with two 18mm 10W tweeters and one 75mm 30W woofer while the Amazon Echo Show uses much larger two-inch (50mm) drivers and powerful bass radiator - though Amazon doesn’t disclose the latter’s exact measurements.

In terms of real-world listening, we found the Amazon Echo Show to be a bit bass-heavy while the Nest Home Hub had a slightly better balance, despite being a bit quieter overall. 

Which one is better? Depends on what you’re after, but in terms of sheer power, the Amazon Echo Show has it.

Audio streaming services 

But what can you expect in terms of streaming services? Both services are pretty comparable in terms of the big names, but again, Google probably wins thanks to its support of YouTube - and, by extension - YouTube Music.

On the Amazon Echo Show you can pick from six main music sources: Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Vevo. Amazon Music has a pretty decent selection of music that numbers somewhere in the tens of millions and comes free to anyone with an Amazon Prime Account. If you want even more options there’s Amazon Music Unlimited, but most of the main hits can be found with the base service.

That said, if you want to pick from the most music anywhere, you’ll find it on YouTube Music - a service which offers a majority of the music found on YouTube for free with ads. If you want to stick to the official sources, though, the Nest Hub Max supports Pandora, Spotify, Deezer and Google’s own Play Music.

Which one is better? We have to hand this to the Google Nest Hub Max. It doesn’t have as many streaming options, but there wasn’t a song we couldn’t find with YouTube Music.

google assistant

Smart home compatibility 

When it comes to smart home… er, smarts, these two devices employ two of the most powerful smart assistants in tech: Alexa and Google Assistant. 

Both are compatible with most major smart platforms and smart devices, but the biggest differences come down to Nest (a Google sub-brand) and Ring, which is now owned by Amazon. That said, both Ring and Nest have a similar lineup of products - both have smart cameras, doorbells, etc... - so you can’t go wrong with either option.

While both the Hub Max and Echo Show are compatible with most (if not all) of the same products, there is a small difference in how they learn new skills - Amazon has an open marketplace called the Skills Store where you can go to get new skills, while Google just tells you when its speakers can do something new. We like the former more than the latter.

Which one is better? In terms of hardware support, the Hub Max and the Echo Show are evenly matched, but the Echo Show’s library of skills give it a slight advantage.

Home security  

Being able to turn on and off lights using your voice is great, but so is being able to keep an eye on your home while you’re away. Thankfully, both the Echo Show and Nest Hub Max have the ability to drop in while you’re away, but the Nest Hub is more of a security device.

Let’s talk through both devices.

Through the Alexa app on your phone or tablet you can, at any point, drop into any one of your Amazon Echo Show devices provided they are connected to the internet. This allows you to see what’s happening at home at a given time, but you won’t get intelligent movement notifications or 30-day recordings. If you’re really interested in those, you’ll need to get a Google Nest Hub Max… with a Nest Aware subscription. 

The Nest Hub Max is Google’s crossover smart speaker / security device, and thus has a number of decent security features right out of the box. By connecting your Nest Hub Max to the Nest app, you can get a live feed of whatever room the Hub Max is in, plus video storage. Upgrading to the Nest Aware subscription gets you 30 days of stored video plus intelligent motion and voice detection, but it’s a decent security system right out of the box.

Which one is better? Considering that a Nest Hub Max doubles as a Nest security camera, we’re going to hand this one to Google.

Communication

One of the nice perks of these speakers having a display is that you can use them to talk to family and friends - either from one Amazon Echo device to another or using Google Duo on the Nest Hub Max. 

To be honest, both video calling options are rather niche and require some work on your friend or family's part as well. Still, if you've got friends/family with either of these devices, it might make sense for you to get one of the same to avoid any extra hassle.

The good news? Both devices support voice over internet calling, which means you can use both to make phone calls nationally to any line inside the US, Canada and the UK for free.

Which one is better? There's room for improvement with both devices. Let's call this one a draw and move on.

Verdict

As you can see, it’s a pretty even match between the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max. They’re evenly matched in nearly every key area, with a few minor differences when it comes to streaming service selection, home security and their smart assistants. 

That said, if home security and having an unlimited song catalog are the things that matter to you, it’s worth going for the Google Nest Hub Max.It’s nearly impossible to find a song that isn’t on YouTube Music and the built-in Nest Cam makes watching over your home a breeze.

Otherwise, if you’re all about Amazon Prime Video, a smart assistant with an ever-expanding skills library and very loud speakers, the Amazon Echo Show is your better option. It allows you to call up Amazon shows on demand and shop for new skills. It’s also crazy loud, which is great if you plan on placing it in a larger room.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Simjacker attack could affect a billion smartphones

Posted: 13 Sep 2019 03:01 PM PDT

A new SIM card flaw has been discovered by security researchers who say that more than a billion smartphones could be at risk as threat actors are currently exploiting it in the wild.

The vulnerability, called Simjacker, was found in mobile SIM cards by researchers at AdaptiveMobile Security and it is being used to track user's locations, intercept calls and more all by sending an SMS message to a victim's smartphone.

The researchers released a blog post in which they disclosed the vulnerability and explained that Simjacker has been exploited by a private company over the past two years, saying:

  • SIM hijacking and the flaws of traditional two-factor authentication

“This vulnerability is currently being actively exploited by a specific private company that works with governments to monitor individuals. Simjacker and its associated exploits is a huge jump in complexity and sophistication compared to attacks previously seen over mobile core networks. The main Simjacker attack involves an SMS containing a specific type of spyware-like code being sent to a mobile phone, which then instructs the SIM Card within the phone to ‘take over’ the mobile phone to retrieve and perform sensitive commands.”

Simjacker

Simjacker has already been used to launch attacks against individuals and telecoms including fraud, scam calls, information leakage, denial of service and espionage. Since the vulnerability is linked to a technology embedded on SIM cards and not to a particular device, it has the potential to affect every smartphone which uses a SIM card regardless of the make or model.

The attack itself stems from a technology built in to SIM cards called S@T Browser which stands for SIMalliance Toolbox Browser. Although the technology is generally used for browsing through a SIM card, it can also be used for a number of functions such as opening a browser, setting up calls, playing a ring tone and more. Once a threat actor has used Simjacker to have a smartphone open a browser, they can even instruct the targeted device to open known malicious sites to infect the device with malware.

AdaptiveMobile Security has not yet named the group which has been exploiting the Simjacker vulnerability in the wild though they did provide more details on who they think it might be, saying:

“We can say with a high degree of certainty, that the source is a large professional surveillance company, with very sophisticated abilities in both signaling and handsets.” 

The researchers have submitted details on the exploit to GSMA and they promise to continue investigating how the attacks function while looking for other variants of Simjacker exploits.

Via Threat Post

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)