Saturday, June 13, 2020

Apple : The PS5 design has been revealed – but you might have missed this detail

Apple : The PS5 design has been revealed – but you might have missed this detail

The PS5 design has been revealed – but you might have missed this detail

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 11:34 AM PDT

After a long wait, Sony has finally revealed the design of the PS5 during its June 11 livestream but it seems there might still be more to see. 

A user on ResetEra (via VG247) recently shared a range of close-up images of the console and its peripherals which reveal that the textured areas, far from being random lumps and bumps, are actually comprised of lots of the x, square, circle and triangle symbols that are tied to the PlayStation brand. It’s a design touch that's reminiscent of what Sony did with its limited-edition 20th Anniversary PS4 console released back in 2014.

It’s not something you would notice straight away, and we had to visit the official PlayStation Flickr account to zoom in and squint at it for ourselves just to make sure that our eyes weren’t playing tricks on us. 

The symbols are certainly more obvious on some of the images than others – the PS5 camera offers the clearest view – but they were even briefly visible during the recent livestream (pictured below). 

PS5

Look closely and you'll see the small symbols

Look closer

Perhaps it’s details like this that Eric Lempel, Head of Global Marketing and Consumer Experience at Sony, was referring to when he mentioned the “nice, surprising features” that emerge when viewing the console in person during a recent interview with PlayStation Blog. 

Although some in the ResetEra thread and on social media have expressed appreciation for this texturing, it’s safe to say that the PS5’s overall design has divided opinion. Even on the TechRadar team, there are those who love what Sony has revealed and those who hate it. 

Now that Sony has revealed the design of the PS5, as well as some of the games that will be available to play on it, the big questions that still need answered are with regards to its price and its release date. 

Sony hasn’t given any indication as to when it will reveal these things, but given we’re fast approaching that holiday 2020 release window it’s unlikely we’re going to have to wait too much longer to find out. 

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Pick up a cheap Apple Watch in the latest Amazon Apple sale this weekend

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 09:15 AM PDT

Whether you're looking for a bargain or the latest, shiniest smartwatch, we've found Apple Watch deals worthy of your consideration thanks to the latest Apple sales from Amazon US and UK. 

In the US you can pick up an Apple Watch Series 3 for just $179 (was $199) right now. This is the cheapest we've ever seen a new (non-refurbished) Apple Watch deal go for and it's a perfect opportunity to grab your first Apple Watch for cheap. The Series 3 may be a little bit older, but it's still a great smartwatch and features all the latest Apple iOS software and apps so you're still getting all the sleep, activity, and fitness tracking you'd expect from an Apple Watch.

If you did want a brand new shiny Apple Watch though, there's also this fantastic $100 off discount on a Series 5 for just $329 (was $429) at the moment. These brand new Apple Watches feature a more slimline chassis, an upgraded processor, and a bigger screen, making them slightly slicker overall when compared to the Series 3, although you're definitely paying more for that extra style.

In the UK? We've also found some great Apple Watch deals on sale at Amazon this weekend, including a new Series 3 for just £195 and this new Series 5 for just £419. Whether you're looking for your first cheap Apple Watch or to upgrade to the newest version, both these deals are good value propositions and definitely worthy of your consideration this weekend.

  • See all the other Apple Watch deals at Amazon

For more information, our dedicated best Apple Watch deals article is a good place to do some further research and check the best prices across the whole range. If you'd like to consider an excellent Android alternative, then our best Galaxy Watch Active deals article is worth checking out.

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Now's the time to get a cheap MacBook deal with the latest Amazon Apple sale

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 08:56 AM PDT

If you're in the US or UK and have been holding off on buying that new MacBook deal for some time now, we've got some brand new Apple Sales from Amazon and Currys that might just be too good for you to resist.

At Amazon, we're seeing the MacBook Air go for it's cheapest price ever in the US at just $899.99 (was $999) - a $100 saving on the price that was set at release just a few months ago. There's also a belter of a deal on this MacBook Air in the UK currently, with Currys selling it for just £949 (was £999) with free next day delivery. Both these deals are for the baseline model, which features a new Intel Core I3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD  - which is a significant upgrade over the measly 128GB the baseline 2019 model came with.

If you're looking for a MacBook Pro deal specifically then you're also being well catered for this weekend at Amazon. They're currently knocking an astounding $300 off this 2019 MacBook 13 for just $1,498 (was $1,798) right now. Sure, it doesn't have that fancy new 'Magic Keyboard' upgrade, but you cannot argue with the amount of raw power that's being served up here for cheap - a 2.4Ghz Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD to be precise.

We've thrown in a couple more excellent MacBook deals for your consideration just down below, including some even more powerful 16-inch models, so just scroll down to see what's on offer. Also included are some non-US and UK deals, so if you're visiting from another region, you'll be glad to know you're not being left out either. 

For more options, be sure to visit our best MacBook deals page, where you'll not only find a detailed model comparison, but also the best prices in all regions. We've also got a fantastic cheap laptop deals page, which you can check out if you're finding the Apple sales a little too pricey and would like a cheap Windows alternative.

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GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X: release date, enhancements and what we know

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 08:30 AM PDT

GTA 5 will have released on three generations of consoles after it arrives on PS5 in 2021. Seven years after its first release, and 130 million copies shipped later, GTA 5 (and its multiplayer component, GTA Online) is still enormously lucrative for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive. It makes sense, then, that the publisher wants to support that player base for many years to come.

GTA 5 will be 'expanded and enhanced' for next-gen consoles, according to the first trailer. If you want to keep playing GTA Online in future, you'll want to get the next-gen versions eventually. Rockstar suggests that some future GTA updates won't be supported on Xbox One and PS4, with the publisher promising "more new updates including additional GTA Online content exclusive to the new consoles and PC". 

Moving to next-gen consoles, then, should allow GTA Online to do some more ambitious stuff, particularly with a new standalone version of the online component in the works. Our hope is GTA 5 on PS5 will allow the online part of the game to offer more instantaneous matchmaking and loading. 

Here's what we know about GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X so far. 

GTA 5 PS5 release date: coming in 2021

GTA 5 is coming to 'new generation consoles' in the second half of 2021, Rockstar has confirmed. There was no specific mention of the Xbox Series X in Rockstar's press release, only PS5 (our guess is that this is a condition of a marketing agreement with Sony), but clearly the phrase 'new generation consoles' refers to the new Xbox as well. 

GTA Online will also release as a separate standalone edition in the second half of 2021. Could this be a deliberate move to reduce GTA's storage demands, and allow the multiplayer component to do more ambitious things? Or is it simply to position GTA Online as a continuous entity, even if another numbered GTA gets announced in the next couple of years? We'll have to wait and see.

PlayStation owners have a significant advantage in all of this. If you play GTA Online on PS4, you'll get GTA$1 million to spend in-game every month until the PS5 version of GTA launches. And when GTA Online's standalone edition arrives on PS5, owners of the console will have three months to claim the game for free after release.

GTA 5 PS5 trailer: "why did I move here?"

GTA 5 on PS5 was the first trailer revealed for the console during The Future of Gaming Event. Check it out above. The intro, featuring Michael saying 'Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather" parallels GTA 5's famous first trailer in 2011. 

GTA 5 PS5 enhancements: what are they?

"The new generation versions of GTA 5 will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever," is how Rockstar describes the upgrades for GTA 5 on next-gen hardware.  

Hopefully we'll finally have the option to run GTA 5 on consoles at 60fps, which is pretty easy to achieve on PC. We'd speculate that the game is likely to resemble the PC version as it runs on high-end hardware – though it's possible Rockstar is planning other tweaks we don't know about yet.

That doesn't quite explain how this edition is 'expanded' for PS5, as the trailer mentions, but Rockstar will discuss the new version of the game more down the line.

Why is GTA 5 coming to PS5, and where's GTA 6?

GTA 6 simply isn't ready yet. While we know almost nothing about the next entry in the series, these games are grand undertakings for massive worldwide development teams. Red Dead Redemption 2, of course, was Rockstar's last major project, and expecting GTA 6 so soon after that is unrealistic. 

In the meantime, GTA Online has an enormous audience, and the game is sustained by continuing sales of GTA 5 and in-game currency. Rockstar likely wants to maintain that interest between generations until GTA 6 is finally ready. 

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Android 11 will add a recycle bin to your smartphone

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 08:00 AM PDT

The Android 11 public beta is out and available for anyone to try – anyone with a compatible phone, that is – and we're seeing a steady stream of new features come to light. The latest is a potentially very useful recycle bin for recovering deleted files.

As noted by 9to5Google, this trash folder has apparently been around since the developer preview launched in February, but it's largely flown under the radar until now.

It works exactly as you think it might, in the classic Windows Recycle Bin or macOS Trash folder tradition: files and photos you delete aren't fully deleted for a period of 30 days, giving you a window of opportunity to bring them back.

That's a significant improvement from the current way that Android works, where files deleted from the local storage are immediately wiped and can't be recovered unless you have a backup somewhere.

Bring it back

It'll be a reassuring safety net if you happen to accidentally delete a whole folder of audio files you were planning to listen to, or all the photos from your recent vacation – you should be able to get them back with a couple of taps.

App developers are going to have to implement the user-facing features however, so this recycle bin might look slightly different between apps. It's part of a more general change to the way Android handles files called scoped storage, and Google has a video on it here.

Some apps already have these features built in of course – Google Drive and Google Photos are two apps that can recover your files from the cloud if you mistakenly delete them from your Android phone and tablet. It's similar with many apps on iOS.

To have the feature built into the operating system adds some extra peace of mind though, and will be helpful for files that are only stored on your device (like downloads from the web). A full launch of Android 11 is expected later this year.

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Your Rock Band guitar and five other weird controllers you can now use with Android 11

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 07:30 AM PDT

Android 11 is the upcoming Android operating system update which is set to being rolling out to phones in late 2020 - however, a public beta is now available to download, giving users a first look at the future of Android phones.

As well as all the new Android 11 features that we knew about, a surprise extra one was discovered by XDA Developers hidden in code - a collection of 84 games controllers are now compatible with the operating system. This means if you connect them via Bluetooth or cables you can use them to control your phone without touching the screen at all.

For the most part, the list isn't wholly interesting, mostly consisting of third-party Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers and custom-designed variants, but if you delve into the list there are actually some really odd controllers that are compatible with Android 11.

To be clear, these aren't just controllers which can connect to your Android 11 phone - they will actually let you control it, which, given some of the odd options in this list, we're very curiously to see work. Read on to see the six weirdest games controllers that you can use to control your Android 11 phone.

Harmonix Rock Band Guitar

One of the least weird controllers you can use with your Android 11 phone (which is really saying something about the other entries on this list) is the plastic guitar you needed to play Harmonix's 2007 game Rock Band and its sequels.

Like the well-known Guitar Hero guitars, the main buttons on this small plastic guitar are four large ones on the fretboard (the light brown part of the picture) as well as a few dials, an effects switch, the whammy bar (that long metal stick) and a strum bar (that black and white thing below the fretboard. 

Suffice to say, this was a controller designed to emulate playing guitar, not to control your smartphone. If you've got one lying around, though, it seems you can now use it to browse social media and answer calls, and given the rhythm action genre simmered down a few years ago, this will likely be the most use it's gotten in a while.

It's worth pointing out that it seems only the official Harmonix Rock Band Guitar actually works, not third-party versions. But there is another toy guitar that works, which we'll explain below. 


Hori Xbox 360 Dead or Alive 4 Arcade Stick

Next on our list is an periperhal sold for Xbox 360 players of Dead or Alive 4 fighting game, designed to emulate the styles of controllers you'd find in an arcade to appeal to real hardcore fans. It goes without saying that this is a fairly niche audience, and it doesn't seem like this arcade stick was widely available, which is why we could only find a low-res image of it.

Compared to some of the other controllers on this list, we can picture how this would actually work as an Android 11 controller - it has a joystick and some buttons, after all - although it's not clear how a piece of plastic with six buttons and a joystick decked out in decals will elevate your phone experience much.

Hori also made a similar controller for Soul Calibur V, and some other arcade-style sticks for Xbox 360, which are also compatible with Android 11, some of which will have a few more buttons.

Mad Catz Beat Pad

Mad Catz is a prolific gaming peripheral maker, and by that we don't just mean 'standard console controllers' - the Beat Pad is a controller designed for dancing games, similar to the Dance Dance Revolution arcade game, that gets you jumping around and dancing in order to control the game.

Well, this Beat Pad apparently also works with your Android 11 smartphone, so you can scroll through menus and text your grandparents while jumping around like a toddler who's drunk too much cola.

Of all the entries on this list, the Beat Pad is arguably the weirdest, and it's also the one we're most interested to see in action controlling an Android 11 phone. Could this be a way to stay fit while checking out Instagram? Possibly.

Saitek Aviator Stick AV8R02

From our research it seems Saitek's AV8R02 Aviator Stick was was a peripheral designed for use with the Xbox 360 and PS3 game 'Damage Inc' - either way it was likely intended for use by flight simulator fans only, and it doesn't seem like many were made.

It's curious, then, that this is - by the looks of it - the only flight sim controller that works with Android 11. Of course 'curious' could be the defining feature of the ideas on this list.

This is a wired device too, so if you have one you're going to need an adaptor to get it to work with your phone.

Mad Catz Portable Drum

The Beat Pad wasn't the only Mad Catz controller on the Android 11 compatibility list, and it wasn't the only weird one either. Case in point, this wired portable drum machine designed for use in rhythm action games, which can now also control your phone.

Honestly, we've no idea how this would work, but we'd love to see someone try it. YouTube videos of people using drum controllers to complete popular video games are pretty popular too, so this could open the gate for the same with mobile games. Call of Duty: Mobile using only drum machines, anyone?

As mentioned, this is a wired device, though, and it's certainly not as portable as other controllers on this list since you need to set it up. Still, if you like controlling your phones in weird ways, the Mad Catz Portable Drum lets you.


RedOctane Guitar Hero X-plorer

According to the Guitar Hero Wiki (which is apparently a thing) RedOctane's X-plorer controller was packaged with the Xbox 360 port of Guitar Hero 2, which was released months after the game debuted on PlayStation 2, although it works with most music games on the console.

It's another guitar controller, similar to the aforementioned Harmonix one except it's wired and isn't modelled after the beautiful Fender Stratocaster. As with that other guitar, we've no idea how this would work on an actual Android 11 smartphone, especially since it has even fewer controls than the Rock Band equivalent.

It seems odd that so many musical instruments can be used to control Android 11, alongside the slew of games controllers, and it's a shame that most listed are no longer available to buy on the internet. If you have any of the above, though, you're sure to have a new way to use your smartphone.

If you have one of the listed controllers (or any of the other new controllers listed on XDA Developers' website) you can apparently use it to control Android 11, or may be able to at some point in the future. These are the phones which currently let you trial the Android 11 beta. It's worth pointing out we haven't been able to verify if these controllers work, though, and their functionality come with the full roll-out later in 2020.

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Lexus RX L

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 07:00 AM PDT

If you're looking for a luxury seven-seat SUV, the Lexus RX L makes a strong case. It's comfortable, quiet and eco-friendly thanks to its hybrid engine which allows you to drive short distances in a fully electric mode.

It is a premium vehicle, and with hybrid Lexus RX L prices starting at $50,510 / £52,855 (the RX L isn't available in Australia) this isn't a SUV which will be everyone's price range.

You do get seven seats for your money however, but if five will suffice you can always opt for the Lexus RX, which starts at $46,800 / £51,565 / AU$100,756.

Lexus RX L design and drive

The Lexus RX L features the same futuristic aesthetic to the rest of the manufacturer's range of cars with a massive front grill, slimline light blocks and sweeping body lines down either side.

Due to it's size - the RX L is 5 meters in length and almost 2 meters wide - it somewhat dominates on the road. It's tall too, at 1.7 meters, which gives you a commanding view from the driver's seat.

As we've mentioned, the Lexus RX L comes with seven seats - which explains why it's as long as it is. The rear couple of seats fold into the floor to provide you with a large, uninterrupted trunk space when you don't need to seat seven people.

Even with the rear row of seats up, there's enough space behind them for a few bags of shopping. If you're planning on popping bums on the rear seats, we'd recommend them belonging to kids as there isn't much in the way of legroom. An adult would find the seating arrangement uncomfortable for anything more than just the shortest trips.

Thankfully, the middle trio of seats offer more in the way of leg room and space, and further up the cabin the front two positions are comfortable and spacious. 

The front seats come with heat and cooling functions, ensuring you remain the perfect temperature whatever the weather, while the outer seats on the middle row also have a heating function - with the controls hidden in the fold-down central arm rest.

Lexus RX L

Storage continues to be a plus point throughout the cabin, with deep door pockets capable of holding a variety of trinkets and devices.

Hit the road in the Lexus RX L and you'll find the petrol engine provides more than enough power to get you moving at a decent pace. The RX L we drove had a top speed of 112mph and a quoted 0-62mph time of 8 seconds, which means you'll get up to speed without much effort.

There are Sport and Sport+ modes which stiffen the suspension and give you a little more power under foot compared to the normal and eco modes, but you don't have to guzzle gas on every journey.

The Lexus RX L comes with a self charging hybrid engine, which cuts down on the amount of gas you use on each journey, and you can even opt to drive in EV mode (fully electric). 

This only works for a handful of miles, so short trips only, but it's a nice additional feature to have if you need to make a quick run to the shops.

Lexus RX L specs and tech

The Lexus RX L comes packed with plenty of tech and features to keep you safe, entertained and on track.

Blind spot indicators on the mirrors give a quick visual alert as to whether it's a good time to change lanes, while the 360 degree cameras and parking sensors give you a view all the way around the car which - invaluable when it comes to parking such a large vehicle, especially in tight spots.

Inside there are USB ports so you can charge your devices and connect them to the infotainment system. There's a wireless charging pad as well, allowing you to top up compatible smartphones (which support Qi wireless charging) without the need for a cable.

Bluetooth is also on offer, allowing you to wirelessly stream music from your phone, as well as make and receive calls via the car's hands-free interface.

Lexus RX L

There isn't, however, support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, which means you can't get apps such as Spotify, Apple Maps, Google Maps and WhatsApp to take advantage of the huge 12-inch central display. This screen is bright and clear, and the way it's styled is a little futuristic.

Your instinct may be to prod this screen with your finger - ours certainly was - but this isn't a touch display. Instead, Lexus wants you to use the direction toggle which sits just below the gear stick.

Lexus RX L

Touchscreens in cars are becoming more common, and while they're not to everyone's taste, it feels like the newer technology is a little more intuitive and user friendly than Lexus' implementation.

It doesn't take too long to grasp the basics of the controls. The toggle moves in all directions, which allows you to move the cursor on screen, and depresses to allow you to select options. There are physical scrolling, menu and back buttons above it, for quick control, plus a dedicated Map button which can jump you straight to the sat nav.

We found the directional toggle a little fiddly to use, and it wasn't the most precise when it came to moving the cursor to some of the smaller icons.

The sat nav worked well, even if it did seem a little basic visually, and it includes useful junction and service station information - especially handy on long journeys. 

There's a smaller digital display tucked in the instrument cluster, nestled between the speedometer and hybrid engine gauge, which can relay a variety of data to you including speed, navigation directions, gear selection, trip computer and more.

Lexus RX L

That's not all, as the RX L also comes with a HUD (head's up display) which projects vital information such as your speed, the current road's speed limit, compass and cruise control setting into your eye line on the windshield. This allows you to keep your eyes on the road, while still seeing this information.

The climate control in the Lexus RX L is adaptive, which allows it to match the vehicle in front, speeding up (to the limit you set) and slowing down in unison. This makes driving long distances on motorways less demanding, and more relaxing.

The Lexus RX L offers a spacious, premium and greener experience with plenty of technology and storage. While the interface perhaps lacks the modern simplicity of touch technology, there's more than enough on offer to justify the outlay.

  • John McCann is getting behind the wheel to give you an alternative look at the wealth of cars – and the tech inside them – available today. From super-fast sports cars to tech-packed hatchbacks, he'll take you through a range of makes, models, power and price tags in his regular TR Drives column.

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Jio Fiber offers free Amazon Prime membership: Here is how to get it

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 06:28 AM PDT

Reliance Jio is offering free yearly membership to its Jio Fiber members over and above all the other benefits already available. The Rs. 999 annual plan of Prime video will be available to Jio Fiber Gold, Diamond, Platinum, and Titanium tiers, while the base pack – Bronze and Silver plan miss out on this benefit.

Interestingly, eligible Jio users are not required to charge extra to avail this benefit and it comes with access to Prime Music, Prime deliveries for free and fast deliveries from Amazon website, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading.

How can I claim free Amazon Prime membership on Jio Fiber connection?

To avail this new benefit, Jio Fiber users need to ensure that they continue to recharge their connection for the plan higher than Silver plan.

To activate the Amazon Prime offer, users need to log into their Amazon account or create a fresh one using the Jio Set-top box. Alternatively, the offer can be activated by logging in to the MyJio app or Jio.com website. Users will need to click on the Amazon Prime membership banner once logged in, and sign-in to the Amazon Prime account.

Apart from Amazon Prime, Jio already offers access to various OTT platforms like Hotstar, SonyLiv, Zee5, SunNxt, Voot and JioCinema to its Jio Fiber members.

Jio Fiber currently offers six different plans starting from Rs. 699 per month for the Bronze, Rs. 799 for Silver, Rs. 1,299 for Gold, Rs. 2,499 for Diamond, Rs. 3,999 for Platinum and Rs. 8,499 for the Titanium plan. Both Platinum and Titanium plans offer internet connectivity at 1 GBPS, while all plans come with free voice calling to any number across the country.

Apart from Reliance Jio, even Airtel offers similar benefits like access to a premium subscription to Zee5, free voice calls and a free Amazon Prime subscription.


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Virtual reality 101: a beginner’s guide to getting into VR games, movies and apps

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 06:00 AM PDT

It can be hard to catch up with a technology once it’s picked up steam. It seems like everyone knows every little detail about it and, if you can’t find a welcoming community, learning the ropes can be almost impossible. 

For some folks, that’s what happened with virtual reality. A technology that went from silly retro tech to developer kit to full-blown cultural phenomenon overnight. 

If you missed the first four years of VR’s rise to prominence, don’t worry. The technology is less complicated than you think and is super easy to understand. There’s affordable ways to try it before you buy it, and plenty of ways to find new content if you’ve already bought a headset.

Not sure where to start in this wondrous world on the edge of the digital and physical spaces? Let us be your virtual tour guides as we take you step-by-step through the technology.

What is virtual reality? How is it different from a computer or a TV?  

When we talk about virtual reality, we’re talking about images, videos, games or software that offers a 180-degree or 360-degree field of view. It’s content that you can explore or experience first-hand, getting closer than ever before.

When most folks think about VR, their first thoughts are of 3D – the display technology that used stereoscopy to give the illusion that images were popping out of the screen. VR is similar in that it sometimes uses tricks to add realism to content, but it doesn’t stop where the screen stops – it fills your entire field of view with an image or environment.

Instead of looking at a shark on Discovery Channel, there are apps that put you in a shark cage and allow you to experience what it'd be like to see the animals swimming around you.

Why people like it so much is because the content feels more immersive. Instead of looking at a shark on Discovery Channel, there are apps that put you in a shark cage and allow you to experience what it’d be like to see the animals swimming around you. It’s the first step towards the holodeck that you saw on Star Trek 40 years ago.

Now, obviously, not every video or videogame ever made is available in VR – at least not natively. VR works best when the content is produced for virtual reality and is viewed on a virtual reality headset… even a cheap one like the Google Cardboard.

The quality of this content varies wildly – just like every YouTube video isn’t an Oscar-award winning production – but the central idea behind it all is that it’s more immersive than 2D.

Is VR healthy? Can you get hurt while using it? 

The general consensus is that yes, it’s totally safe to use, especially for adults whose eyes have already stopped developing and who don't really get motion sick. Whether it’s safe for kids ages 13 and under remains a subject of debate, but most companies recommend limited use for the age group with plenty of breaks. 

In fact, even for adults just getting into the medium, we recommend slowly getting acclimated. Putting the headset on for a few minutes at a time then taking it off, just to get your eyes used to having a screen that close. 

Wearing a headset for an hour or more does put some strain on your eyes and it can cause headaches if you're not properly hydrated or motion sickness if the content you're watching moves in a way that feels unnatural to your body.

That said, eye fatigue is probably the most ‘dangerous’ part of VR. Wearing a headset for an hour or more does put some strain on your eyes and it can cause headaches if you’re not properly hydrated or motion sickness if the content you’re watching moves in a way that feels unnatural to your body. Neither is permanent, though, and both should subside fairly quickly once you take the headset off.

Just as important as taking breaks is clearing the space around you while using a VR headset – unless you’re using the passthrough cameras on the headset, there’s no way to see what’s going on around you so it’s incredibly easy to trip and fall if you’re playing in a furnished room. Most PC headsets will ask you to setup boundaries before you start playing that will prevent you from walking into anything but usually the more empty the playspace is, the safer it’s going to be for you.

What’s the difference between the headsets? Do you need one? 

When we talk about headsets, they usually fall into three categories: PC-tethered headsets like the Oculus Rift and Valve Index, mobile-powered headsets like the Samsung Gear VR and standalone headsets like the Oculus Quest. There's also one console-based VR headset called PlayStation VR that plugs right into your PS4.

PC-tethered headsets usually look the best, feel the most immersive and offer the greatest range of experiences. They’re also typically the most expensive, too. They work by plugging the headset into the USB and DisplayPort/HDMI ports on your computer and installing specific software like SteamVR or the Oculus app. Most often they come with specific controllers and tracking stations, but that’s not always the case and each headset is different.

Mobile-powered headsets were the first to market and gained popularity when Samsung gave them away with the purchase of a new phone back in 2017. They work, as you’d expect, by slotting your phone into the headset and strapping it to your face. The experiences on this platform aren’t as immersive or as good-looking as the ones you’d find on PC-tethered headsets, but they’re a good starting point if you’re not sure about VR.

Last but not least, there’s standalone headsets that build everything you need into the headset itself so you can basically unbox it and be ready to play in minutes. We like these because they offer a happy medium between price and performance, and offer almost all of the same experiences you’d find on PC-tethered headsets. Heck, Oculus even gives you the option of plugging the Quest into your PC via the Oculus Connect Cable – so it’s the most flexible option as well.

Once you’ve decided on what type of headset you want, it’s worth looking at the specific specs each headset offers. You should compare resolutions (how many pixels are on the screen), field of views (how much you can see at once), frame rates (how smooth content is) and how the headset is tracked, either with discrete base stations or via built-in cameras. 

So do you need a headset at all? Well, if you want the full experience, yes. But if you just want to watch VR videos to see what you’re missing, YouTube, Facebook and many other sites have the option to view 360-degree videos on your mobile phone and PC. This can be a good first step into the world of VR without plunking any money down.

Beat Saber is one of the most popular games in VR right now.

What type of content is out there?  

This question is sort of like asking “what type of content is out there on the internet?” The answer is, well, lots of things! The vast majority of the time, though, you’ll use a VR headset to watch VR videos like 360-degree concerts or art installations or roller coaster rides as well as play VR games from Oculus and Steam. 

If you’re an enterprise user or you need a VR headset for work, you might use it to hold virtual meetings where you bring in 3D assets for everyone to look at or use the headset for specific training simulations. Educators might use it to bring their lessons to life for their students via interactive experiences, and you might even try a headset on inside amusement parks as more begin to adopt VR as a new form of entertainment.

The pool of content is as wide and deep as you’d expect it to be. There’s a lot out there, and there’s no way to see everything in one day.  

The pool of content is as wide and deep as you'd expect it to be. There's a lot out there, and there's no way to see everything in one day.

So how much does this content cost? Well, it varies. Lots of these YouTube and Facebook videos are free, as are the apps like Gizmo and Oculus Video that you use to view them. There are also a number of free demos of VR games that are available to try, and a number of free VR educational apps. You can get reasonably far without every spending a dime.

That said, premium content like AAA games or longer VR experiences do cost money, from $10/£10 all the way up to $60/£60. 

The good news is that there are a number of subscription services out there like Viveport Infinity that allow you to download a number of these games for one monthly fee and many of the online stores where you buy games and experiences often hold sales with massive discounts on the most popular content.

Should you buy a VR headset? 

Hopefully by now you can answer this one yourself. If you’re the kind of person who likes to be on the cutting edge of technology and who has the time to dabble in new experiences, then yeah, it’s totally worth diving into VR. But if you’re strapped on time and money, and you’re not sure VR is right for you, watch a few VR videos on your phone to get a preview of the experience or buy a cheap VR headset that you won’t feel bad if it sits on the shelf.

Personally, we use our VR headsets once a week – typically to try the latest marquee game that’s available in VR or catch up on cool new videos. Some people use it everyday as their primary way to play games, while some might use it a lot less. It all depends on you, your schedule and your interest in the platform. 

But hopefully now you have a better idea of what to expect from VR and how it’s different. 

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PS5 to arrive in India this holiday season - here's what we heard

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 04:01 AM PDT

Sony finally unveiled its much-hyped and eagerly awaited next-gen gaming console – the PlayStation 5.  Apart from coming out with an extremely futuristic looking gaming console, the company was able to keep leaksters at the bay ensuring that the actual design was only seen when the company intended it to be seen. Indeed, a praiseworthy effort.

While at the unveiling the company did not announce the price or the exact availability date, however, it was confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will start launch during the holidays i.e. around the end of the year and would be available across the globe at the same time.

PS5 India launch and availability

While the company is tightlipped about the timelines of PS5’s India availability, some reports suggest that Sony has been more proactive in its approach this time and has already started reaching out to the major retailers to assess the demand and hype around the new console.

While the company wants to keep the launch date close to the launch of rival X Box One X that is slated to launch between October to December 2020, unconfirmed rumours suggest that the PlayStation 5 may be released around November 20th. This would leave enough time for the consoles to reach to the users right in time for the Christmas holidays.

Online blog TheMakoRactor reports that multiple retailers from different cities in India have hinted that the console will be released in India in line with the global release. Though it also quotes one retailer stating that the price of PlayStation 5 in India would be higher and they were advised by Sony officials to focus on selling the current console PS4.

“No price has been given to us and we just wanted to do this, so customers could tell us if they’re interested. However, Sony India told us it would be on the expensive side when it hits and has asked us to focus on PS4 instead,” a retailer from Delhi was quoted as saying.

The retailer also hinted that the price of the new Sony PlayStation 5 could be higher, it would be interesting to see how much Sony India prices the console for. A high price of a gaming console in the current coronavirus-induced slowdown will not be logical. However, going by the specs both the Microsoft XBox One X and Sony PlayStation 5 look extremely similar yet insanely powerful.


Another domestic online retailer, GamesTheShop, also proudly displays a banner for PS5 stating "in time for Holiday 2020", hinting at the Indian release. When we reached out to them for clarity, they also confirmed that the “PlayStation 5 is scheduled for India launch around the end of the year, alongside its global release”.

A screenshot of an Amazon India mobile app is also doing rounds on social media suggesting that the console will be making its way to India through Amazon. This screenshot carries the same banner as the GamesTheShop is running. 

However, we could not establish the authenticity of the screenshot and hence decided to ignore it for the moment. However, do watch this space as we track the arrival of the next generation gaming consoles starting with PS5 and moving over to the XBox Series X. 

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New leak offers more specs for Google's rumored Android TV dongle

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 04:00 AM PDT

We now know more about the hardware specs for Google's next video streaming device – either a cut-down Android TV dongle or an upgraded Chromecast, however you prefer to think about it – thanks to the early firmware code that's leaked out.

Details spilled by XDA Developers show the dongle will come with a Amlogic S905X2 chipset and 2GB of RAM, which is fairly standard for other Android TV devices currently on the market. That will enable 4K and 60 frames per second output, with support for HDR and Dolby Vision.

The code also reveals that the device – codenamed Sabrina – will have an "auto low latency mode", part of the HDMI 2.1 spec, designed to get video up on your TV more quickly when needed – no doubt useful for reducing lag if you're thinking of a Google Stadia gaming session.

Another interesting nugget of info shows that the special 'star' button we saw in previous leaks is going to be user-programmable – so you'll be able to set it to go straight to Netflix, or YouTube, or whatever your favorite streaming service happens to be.

Google Sabrina leak

What we're expecting the new device to look like.

Google itself has never put out a fully fledged Android TV device – leaving it to others instead – but it has released three generations of the Chromecast, along with the 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra.

It would appear this combines the two ideas: a dongle as small as a Chromecast, that slots into the back of your television set, but which also has its own software interface and storage. In other words, you wouldn't have to control it with your phone.

Rumors about such a device have actually been floating around for years – it seems exactly the sort of device Google would be interested in making. In March we heard from inside sources that an Android TV+Chromecast dongle was on the way, and then earlier this month we got a host of leaked images as well.

With tech launch schedules all up in the air at the moment, it's more difficult than it would usually be to predict when such a device would arrive, but it seems a good bet that it's going to land this year – and we'll let you know as soon as it does.

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Redmi Laptops around Rs 20,000 could be coming very soon to India

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 01:37 AM PDT

Xiaomi recently launched the Mi Notebook laptops in India making an entry into the laptop segment for the first time in India. And if recent reports are any indicator, we may soon see RedmiBooks following suit very soon. 

And, were this to happens, as it appears very likely now, the company could end up following Xiaomi's smartphone development strategy in China where Redmi caters to the price-sensitive consumer segment. Also, it would mean that Redmi would  follow in the footsteps of its parent Xiaomi, in terms of new category launches.   

Reports from TechPP have hinted that Xiaomi could be planning on bringing affordable laptops under Rs 30,000 within the next few months to India. It further says Xiaomi is planning to market this for students and budget consumers.

If the rumours are anything to go by, we are looking at laptops that may start below Rs 20,000 as well. Redmibooks, known for their value-for-money props in China, are also rumoured to land in India with older generation i3 and i5 powering the machines. 

Of course, Xiaomi could slightly alter configurations like an older 8th generation CPU to keep the costs low. Though the processors from Intel are quite old as per industry standards, they might just get the job done for the targeted budget consumers. On the other hand, the already-announced Redmibooks in China could also launch as it is, without any hardware changes whatsoever. 

While nothing is certain about the on-board chips yet, we can expect the company to market it under the well-known budget Redmi Branding for sure. This indicates that Xiaomi might be looking at two ranges of laptops in India - Mi Notebooks for premium specifications, build and Redmi Notebooks for laptops with affordable price points.

The rumours further point to a launch date of around Independence day, which is mid-August. The laptops are rumoured to be built specifically for India, and come with various coloured chassis that may be built on plastic, again to keep the costs low.

Indications are that the laptops may also have a battery life of upto 8 hours and run on the latest Windows 10. However, these are early rumours and we need official information to corroborate it. 

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PS5 and Xbox Series X reveals prove that PC is still king when it comes to gaming

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 01:00 AM PDT

If there’s anything we’ve learned from the game reveals for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it’s that you don’t need to wait for next-gen to arrive – just play on a PC.

You see, when Microsoft showed off its ‘gameplay’ reveal earlier this year, which was designed to get us excited about the Xbox Series X, what little gameplay that was actually shown off (most of it was pre-rendered cinematics) was rather unexciting for PC gamers.

This is because there was nothing shown off that screamed ‘this is next-gen’. All the games looked like they could be easily played on a modern gaming PC or gaming laptop.

There’s also that knowledge that with Microsoft’s conference, any game it shows off for Xbox Series X will also be available for PC. It’s a bit of an odd strategy, as it means most PC gamers would have no reason to buy an Xbox Series X, but I’m not complaining.

So, I approached Sony’s recent PS5 reveal event with a lot more interest. Despite primarily being a PC gamer, I’ve also always bought (and enjoyed) PlayStation consoles as well. Plus, unlike Microsoft, Sony usually shows off stuff that will make PC gamers jealous as they can’t play the games on PC.

However, once again many of the games shown off at the event didn’t look like they would cause most gaming PCs much of a problem.

It also emerged afterwards that around half of the PS5 games shown at the event will also be coming to PC.

This means, once again, that the PC is the best gaming platform if you want to play the broadest amount of games possible.

Should PC gamers buy a PS5?

However, unlike Microsoft, which has yet to give PC gamers a reason to buy an Xbox Series X, Sony could still convince some of us to part with their cash.

For a start, while a fair amount of PS5 games will arrive on PC, many won’t. I loved the original Spider-Man game on PS4, and if I want to play the expanded Miles Morales version, it looks like I need a PS5.

Also, the two most technically-impressive games of the show, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon Forbidden West, are PS5-exclusive, and are likely to stay that way for a long time.

THey were also two of the games that made me think maybe my ultra-powerful gaming PC couldn’t handle them.

Horizon Forbidden West looks absolutely gorgeous, and if the final product matches what we saw at Sony’s event, then it could end up being one of the most graphically-impressive games ever made.

Meanwhile, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart showed the potential of the PS5’s incredibly fast SSD as players are able to seamlessly jump between different universes in-game.

With the custom SSD of the PS5 reaching potential sequential read speeds of 5.5 GB/s – far outstripping pretty much any SSD you’d find in a current gaming PC. This will allow the PS5 to stream in assets at impressively fast speeds, allowing for effect like the ones seen in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, where new worlds are seamlessly loaded as you jump between dimensions.

While there will be SSDs for gaming PCs out there that can compete with the PS5’s SSD eventually – Samsung could bring one out as early as August – for most people, their gaming PCs won’t be able to compete with the PS5 in that respect.

Also, for PS5-exclusive games, where devs know players will have access to the super-fast SSD, they can design their games to make full use of those speeds. For PC games, devs are going to develop their games knowing that the majority of players won’t have those kind of SSDs.

Potentially, this gives the PS5 a pretty big advantage. Throw in the fact that we won’t be able to play games from critically-acclaimed developers like Naughty Dog on anything but a PlayStation console, and it’s looking like enough reasons for this PC gamer, at least, to splash out on a PS5 as well.

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iPhone 12 camera: 7 new features we want to see

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 01:00 AM PDT

The new iPhone 12 may well end up being delayed, but it's still expected to land this year – which means we've got some exciting new camera features to look forward to soon.

Can the iPhone 12 series possibly repeat the leaps made by the like of the iPhone 11 Pro? It's a tall order, given last year's iPhones were a big (and necessary) step forward for Apple's photographic smarts.

We got some improved Smart HDR, an excellent new Night Mode and more versatile camera hardware, including that new ultra-wide lens with its 120-degree field of view.

Yet, in many ways, the 'Pro' versions of the iPhone 11 fell a little short of delivering on their name, at least from a photographic perspective. And now the Huawei P40 Pro has nabbed the top spot from the iPhone 11 Pro in our best camera phone guide.

So what does the iPhone 12 need to regain the number one spot? The strongest rumors so far point to the addition of a LiDAR scanner, which is a depth-sensing system that Apple recently debuted on the iPad Pro 2020.

But that system is designed more for AR than photography, given that its resolution isn't high enough to help with Portrait mode. Which means we're more excited about Apple fulfilling our ever-growing wishlist of iPhone 12 camera features on – collectively, this lot would make it a far better photographic companion.

Here are the seven camera features we'd like to see in the iPhone 12 series.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

1. A brighter lens for the ultra-wide camera

The iPhone 11 brought an ultra-wide camera to Apple's smartphones for the first time, and it's a great new addition. In fact, its 13mm equivalent focal length is so wide, it almost needs an automatic 'finger removal' tool for the times you accidentally get your hand in shot.

But with a relatively slow f/2.4 lens and small 1/3.6in sensor, the ultra-wide is also the poor cousin of the iPhone 11 camera family. We'd like to see it get a brighter maximum aperture on the iPhone 12 – for example, the f/1.8 lens seen on the Huawei P40 Pro's ultra-wide – to help it perform better in low light situations. Or even get Night mode, which is currently reserved for the main Wide camera.  

2. An improved hybrid zoom system

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max both have a Telephoto camera, which you don't get on the standard iPhone 11. But its 2x optical zoom falls a little short of the reach seen on rivals like the Huawei P40 Pro (5x optical zoom) and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (10x hybrid zoom), which is our current zoom champ.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

Smartphone cameras use various techniques to boost their zoom. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, for example, uses a folded periscope lens to reach 4x optical zoom, followed by a combination of cropping and pixel binning to reach 'lossless' 10x hybrid zoom. 

From the latest rumors, it looks unlikely that the iPhone 12 will have a periscope lens. But we'd like to see its Telephoto camera include an equivalent of the 'Super Res Zoom' system seen on the Google Pixel 4. This boosts detail and reduces noise for the useful levels of zoom (3x, 5x, and 10x) that are beyond its 52mm focal length.

3. Some genuinely 'Pro' features in the camera app

Apple tends to treat its default Camera app as a point-and-shoot camera experience, leaving more professional manual controls to third-party apps. But we think there are a few features that could make a big difference, without cluttering its interface.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

The main one is an option for 'Raw' shooting. This is available in apps like Halide, but we'd love to be able to shoot 'Raw + HEIC' in the Camera app, giving us the option of making our own tweaks when Smart HDR goes overboard on the sharpening algorithms. It'd also be great to see the ultra-wide camera support Raw shooting.

Elsewhere, we'd like a built-in spirit level to help you see when your shot is level, which would be particularly handy for the ultra-wide camera. And a long exposure mode, one that uses computational trickery like the Spectre Camera app, would be a great addition to its main shooting modes.

4. A video Portrait mode (that actually works)

Smartphone cameras are now capable of some impressive bokeh simulation for stills, but video is another challenge entirely. Samsung has attempted it recently with its 'Live focus video' mode on phones like the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, but right now it's an inconsistent gimmick.

Samsung Live Focus Video

That's because simulated background blur is much harder to achieve for video than stills. Objects very close to the camera will have some natural shallow depth of field, but beyond that your phone needs to apply a mask to the subject and apply blur to each frame even as you move around.

It's certainly a big technical challenge, but perhaps an iPhone 12 LiDAR scanner could supply some additional information to help here, even if it's too low-resolution to do the job on its own. Until phones like the iPhone 12 can solve it, cameras like the Sony ZV-1 will remain higher on our best vlogging camera list for YouTubers.

5. A more versatile Night mode

The arrival of Night mode on the iPhone 11 series was very welcome indeed, and we're fans of Apple's natural-looking implementation of the feature. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

Firstly, it'd be great to see Night mode available on all of the iPhone 12's cameras. Right now, it's only available on the wide 26mm camera. Although it appears to sometimes work on the telephoto camera, some photographers discovered that it achieves this by sneakily switching to the 'wide' camera and digitally cropping the image.

We'd like to see Night mode available, without any of this kind of trickery, on all three lenses of the iPhone 12. It'd also be nice to have the option of manually triggering the mode, rather than waiting for it to automatically kick in, but this seems an unlikely move for Apple.

6. A little more resolution (but not too much)

So far, Apple has resisted the temptation to embrace the high-resolution sensors used by the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Huawei P40 Pro. Given the quality of the photos produced by the latest iPhones, we're perfectly happy with that, but it'd still be nice to see the iPhone 12's main camera get a 16MP sensor.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

That extra resolution could come in handy when cropping details from images, without upsetting the iPhone 12 camera's performance or image processing pipeline. 

High-resolution sensors, like the 108MP camera on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, can come with downsides like a lack of Dual Pixel autofocus, but we reckon 16MP would be a nice sweet spot for the iPhone 12.

7. Unlimited photo storage in iCloud

One of the best features of Google Photos is that is it lets you store an unlimited number of 16MP snaps and 1080p videos. And while the Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL sadly didn't extend this to all photos at 'original resolution' for their owners, it's still a darn sight better than the free offerings you get with Apple's iCloud.

Apple iPhone 12 camera

Right now, you still only get a paltry 5GB of free storage with iCloud, after which you'll pay a small fee for 50GB or more for options up to 2TB. You can, of course, still just back up all your snaps with Google Photos, which works perfectly well with iPhones. 

But it'd be a lot more seamless, particularly for those who back up their phones to iCloud, to have everything in one place – and with the camera likely to be such a key part of the iPhone 12, free photo storage in iCloud would be a big, easy win for Apple. 

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Sony to launch two affordable wireless earbuds on June 24 in India

Posted: 13 Jun 2020 12:10 AM PDT

Sony is gearing up to launch a couple of truly wireless earbuds in the country. The new products are likely to go official on June 24th, and as per reports one of them could be priced under Rs.20,000.

Yesterday, a teaser page pointing to a launch date of June 24th got leaked on Social media. Sony retweeted the same confirming the launch will happen on the same date. The poster further had a hashtag #BoostYourVibes and a glimpse of the TWS in blue colour.

Soon enough, two TWS products got listed on Sony's website, one being the WF-SP800N and the other WF-XB700. Interestingly, all the specifications have already been listed on the website.

WF-SP800N launched in Europe

However, both the TWS earbuds have already been launched in Europe. The WF-SP800N listed on the website comes in Orange, White, Black and Blue colours while Only Black is listed as of now. 

The earbuds with Extra Bass EQ tuning will give high powered bass at low ends. We also know that the earbuds will have Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format for spatial audio support. Additional features include hands-free calling, ambient noise mode, digital noise cancellation, support for voice assistants, Alexa, Siri and Google.

Sony says the earbuds will give a battery life of up to 18 hours with the case when Noise cancellation is turned ON.  However, it can give a higher life of up to 26 hours of playback on a single charge. It also has support for quick charging which Sony says will give a 60minutes of playback in 10 minutes of Charge.

WF-XB700 - here's what we know

The WF-XB700 buds are said to be slightly cheaper than the SP800N and come in Blue and Black colours. The earbuds will have a secure and ergonomic fit, with extra Bass having a powerful base and punchy low-end sound. 

It will have an IPX4 rating against sweat and water splashes. The listing says the earbud will also have a hands-free calling, voice assistant support, a quick charge of 60-minute playback on a 10-minute charge with playback of up to 18 hours on a single charge.

Expected Price

Both the TWS buds will have Type-C ports for charging. While the WF-SP800N and WF-XB700 retail for EUR 160 and EUR 130 currently, they are expected to come at around different price points in India. We will have to wait for more info as we get closer to launch.

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Why I hate the design of the PS5

Posted: 12 Jun 2020 11:30 PM PDT

After months of speculation and questionable concept designs from eager fans, Sony has finally revealed what the PS5 looks like. And honestly, I think it's hideous...

The PS5 has a polarizing design to say the least. At a glance, it produces the same reaction as when you put a spoon of Marmite in your mouth for the very first time – you either wrench in disgust or are pleasantly surprised. There's no in between (and for the record, I hate Marmite).

If you were to be kind, though, you could say the PS5 is reminiscent of something the PC manufacturer Alienware would produce. But I personally agree with the less flattering comparisons that are floating around the internet: Sony’s console does look like a Wi-Fi router or a cheap knock-off.

From its strange popped collar to its inhaled middle and two-tone color scheme, the PS5 is at odds with almost every piece of technology I've ever owned. There’s no getting away from the fact this is a gaming console, either, and Sony seemingly wants everyone to know it. While I have no qualms with that, I’d still prefer something that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. A console should, ideally, complement my existing home entertainment devices, particularly if it’s going to be around for five plus years. 

If you want to go hard on the gaming aesthetic like Nintendo did with the GameCube, then that's fine. I bloody love that purple cube. But this feels like Sony is trying to prove its console is some sort of space-age technology, which doesn't really hold up when we already know that the Xbox Series X trumps it when it comes to technical specs.

Large and in charge

With two versions of the PS5 available, it’s clear that compromises were made to the original vision of the console’s design. The PS5 Digital Edition, which removes the 4K Blu-Ray drive, looks like the console Sony really wants people to buy (and the one it would prefer to use in all its marketing material). 

The standard model, though, is blighted by an unsightly spare tire in the form of the disk drive. It destroys any symmetry Sony was clearly aiming for and it’s plain weird to look at – it appears as though it's been bolted on at the last second. 

Sony definitely wants people to stand the console up vertically as well. Yes, it can be placed horizontally, but it looks rather awkward – the console seems to be almost balancing on the accompanying plastic stand. 

With evidence pointing towards the PS5 being absolutely gargantuan in size, you’ll need to make ample room for Sony’s towering piece of plastic, too, no matter which orientation you choose. If the comparisons people have made based on the console's disk drive are anything to go by, this will be the biggest console Sony has ever made – and it's comically large. 

Despite Sony’s best efforts to inspire a different reaction, the console’s appearance is ultimately cheapened by its plastic design. The DualSense PS5 controller looks far more appealing to me, and manages to retain a premium look. But the console misses the mark completely. I can’t envision it taking pride of place in my living room, and I can almost feel it creaking in my hands as I summon the strength to move it.

Party chat

Are there any positives about the PS5’s design, though? Well, yes. There’s one big win for Sony: everyone is talking about the new console – whether it’s good or bad. When placed next to the Xbox Series X – which is seriously understated in comparison but no less ambitious in its design philosophy – it’s even more of a conversation starter. The PS5 design can’t help but make you say, “have you seen the PS5” to your friends and family, just to see their reactions. 

I must admit that I do like the blue light that envelops the console, though. However, I’m sceptical that it will remain on during gameplay. I’ve been burnt before by consoles that promised an alluring glow – the Wii was famously advertised with a futuristic blue light on the console’s disc drive, but it would only appear when you had a notification (and that quickly became annoying). The PS4 is also guilty of the old bait and switch, as its LED switches to a white light when in use, not blue. And when fans thought the top of the Xbox Series X was a green LED, it actually turned out to be just a piece of plastic.  

Frankly, though, the PlayStation has generated so much goodwill over the years that I can see the majority of fans looking past the console’s garish design simply because the PS5 has the games they want to play. And that’s what it ultimately comes down to, of course. No console generation has ever been won by having the most attractive plastic box (although there’s no denying the Wii was gorgeous and sold by the bucket load). It’s what lies inside that counts, but let’s gloss over the fact that the Xbox Series X has Sony beat this time around when it comes to specs, shall we? 

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Why I love the design of the PS5

Posted: 12 Jun 2020 11:30 PM PDT

Hey! Gamer! Chill out! Your hot take may be sizzling, but I think the PS5 console design looks cool.

After years of sticking black boxes under my TV, I’m more than ready for something that has a bit more flair to it. With its white plastic wraparound shell and curvy design, the PlayStation 5 looks like a science-fiction movie prop, complete with glowing blue highlights that give it an icy personality.

If the Xbox Series X is Pixar’s Wall-E, the PS5 is his robot lady friend E.V.E, the roadster to Xbox’s Humvee. Both look good in their own way, both serve to lure in slightly different audiences and I think, interestingly, both speak to the direction their different ideologies towards consoles are going in.

The Xbox Series X is a bigger, beefier black box. It shouts grunt and power. An Xbox + an Xbox = better Xbox. If you want more Xbox, the Xbox Series X is more Xboxy. And that’s absolutely fine! It’s what Microsoft wants you to think – it’s not so much a step away from Xbox’s past as it is the latest chunky evolution of it, the One X on ‘roids. 

xbox series x price pre-orders deals bundles

As Microsoft itself has said in the marketing, it’s ‘the most powerful console ever’, and it looks as muscled as that title demands. Its design language follows Microsoft’s plan to make the idea of console ‘generations’ moot this time around, a generation-less generation, with new games working on older hardware and being enhanced if you pick them up on the incoming machine. 

The Xbox Series X isn’t so much the ‘next’ Xbox as it is ‘another’ Xbox, right down to its continuation of the black box design; but it’s the one you’re going to want if you demand the absolute most powerful beast of an Xbox you can find. 

Future nostalgia

Sony has taken a different approach. It’s stated that it still believes in the power of distinct generations – it’s pushing titles exclusive to the PS5 generation (if not exclusive to PS5) primarily, and hasn’t made anywhere near the progress Microsoft has made with backwards compatibility efforts. 

And that future-gazing desire is reflected in the design. The PS5 looks nothing like the PlayStation 4, or the PlayStation 3, or even the PlayStation 2. In fact, its color scheme and curved elements have more in common with the original PlayStation than any recent iteration.

That’s an interesting thought, tying in not only to what products the hardware designers of today were brought up on, but also what the promise of a new console used to mean. A SNES, for instance, looked vastly different from a NES, and its design was playful, a reflection of the gameplay experiences it would offer. The PlayStation 1 entered a gaming space where consoles were still seen alongside toys, and ground-breakingly bridged the gap in its industrial design between playful box and more adult-oriented consumer electronics device. 

The PS5 sees Sony come full circle – here is a games console that verges on cliche in its attempt to look futuristic, one that your younger self would have screamed for, in a modern age where consoles are increasingly being compared to more conventional-looking PC hardware. The PS5 design looks forward, while playing to an imagined nostalgia you may have sketched on the back of your school books. That’s very attractive for the now-older gaming audience (or at least in terms of grown-ups having more disposable income than kids, and more likely to be the cash-flushed early adopters of sure-to-be-expensive wave one hardware).

In fact, I read a tweet (that I’ve now lost to the annals of my Twitter timeline) that said the PS5 looks like what a 15 year-old would have scribbled as their hopes for a PS3 design back in 2005. And that’s probably pretty accurate, given a Sony designer now in their thirties would have been about that age then. 

But it goes to show that the kids eventually become the gatekeepers of taste, and I’m all for what they’ve grown up to produce this time around. Me and the PS5, we’re in sync. And, in turn, I expect I’ll be duly horrified by what the kids of today conjure up for the PS6 and PS7 of tomorrow.

  • PS5: everything you need to know

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These malicious Android apps were able to crack Google's anti-adware code

Posted: 12 Jun 2020 11:15 PM PDT

Google has removed a number of malicious Android apps from the Play Store after multiple reports the programs were overloading user devices.

At least 38 Android apps were identified as threats, bombarding users with out-of-context ads and intrusive browser redirects.

The apps were reportedly developed by the same criminal group, which was able to get the services onto the official Play Store by disabling malicious adware functions inside the source code to get around Google's security protections.

Beauty apps

The apps were identified by security firm White Ops, which reported its findings to Google in order to get them removed.

Most were beauty-related or filter packages, including selfie apps or services that promised to add a number of filters over user images. Once downloaded and installed however, the apps bombarded users with intrusive adverts, repeatedly tried to open browsers to redirect to websites, and attempted to avoid being uninstalled by hiding their app icons.

Many of the apps appeared to be modified or amended versions of previous services, which had seen little pick up with users on the Play Store until they had the anti-adware code removed.

Although many were accepted into the Play Store initially, these original apps only normally lasted just over two weeks on the marketplace before being detected and removed by Google. In spite of their short shelf life, White Ops detected that the 17 apps were downloaded over half a million times in total.

In order to try and reinstate their apps, the developers adopted a number of measures to try and trick Google into re-accepting them - which primarily involved removing the malicious code entirely. This would trick the Play Store into clearing the apps, which, once uploaded, would have this code re-added through a data update.

This included using Arabic characters, including verses from the Quran, in place of English in the app source code, disguising malicious features.

All the apps have now been removed, with Google saying it will up scrutiny on suspicious additions such as those mentioned in White Ops' report.

Via ZDNet

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WhatsApp to get search option - one of many features in the works

Posted: 12 Jun 2020 10:49 PM PDT

The battle for instant messaging apps just intensified. Barely a day after Snapchat announced a slew of new offerings at its virtual Partnership Summit, news has started filtering in of WhatsApp testing upgraded search functionalities and a slew of other new features. 

Various reports published on WABetaInfo.com, a blog that tracks developments around WhatsApp, suggest that the search functionality would allow users to identify messages using dates. The instant messaging app, owned by Facebook, already supports in-chat search, which doesn't allow users to search a sent or received message on a specific date. 

The feature, currently in alpha phase of development, would permit users to filter out results of other dates though it remains to be seen how many of us actually would be able to recall specific dates or time periods when messages were exchanged. 

Whatsapp Search feature

Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com

Screenshots provided by WABetaInfo indicates that a calendar icon would appear once the company rolls out the feature. The icon is seen positioned right above the keyboard about the Chat Search on WhatsApp for iPhone. Tapping on the icon opens up the calendar on which users can pick the month, year and date for the search. There is no indication that the feature would be available on Android but in the past WhatsApp has always launched new stuff on both platforms. 

This is not all. WhatsApp could also be readying a redesigned storage usage section that allows users to view large files that get stored upon receipt. There would also be a Forwarded files option in the Storage usage that helps users filter files that have been forwarded via the messaging app. Looks like WhatsApp is taking user complaints around storage issues quite seriously. 

Whatsapp Delete all but Starred Messages

Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com

The Storage usage section also appears to have a Sort option according to the images available that suggests a facility to view photos shared by one contact. We hope the feature provides users with the capability to sort photos chronologically as well as by the file size. This would go a long way in retaining pictures and discarding those that carry everything from memes to motivational messages. 

In addition, WhatsApp also appears to be working on an easier Delete message option whereby users can remove all messages barring the starred ones. The screenshot shared by WABetaInfo suggests that a Delete All except Starred option would be placed alongside the Delete All button. A similar Delete all functionality could be in the works for Storage as well where users can junk all messages except the starred ones. 

ShareChat play on WhatsApp

In another report, the blog post indicates that WhatsApp could have a dedicated player for ShareChat videos that could seamlessly play videos within the app just as Instagram and YouTube videos can do at present. In other words, the picture-in-picture format for videos from ShareChat could be another feature readying for launch on WhatsApp. 

The picture-in-picture format was introduced in January 2018 for iPhone users and quickly expanded to Android thereafter. It included support for Facebook, Instagram and YouTube videos last year and with developers working on getting the same format for ShareChat, it looks like WhatsApp is getting ready for easing the way all types of videos play within it. 

Other features said to be in the development phase include an image search on the Web for iPhone users that could go a long way in curbing fake news circulation. A similar feature for Android has also been in testing for some time now though there is still no update on this front.

All the news features mentioned by WABetaInfo are reportedly in the testing state and may undergo multiple tweaks before they actually get rolled out on WhatsApp. In the past the blog has been largely accurate with its predictions, so we believe that some, if not all of these may soon become a reality. 

(Via) WABetaInfo

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MIUI 12 Pilot testing program for Redmi phones: Here’s how you can register

Posted: 12 Jun 2020 10:40 PM PDT

Xiaomi announced its latest ROM MIUI 12 last month and is now gearing up for the release of a stable build for its budget smartphones. The company is inviting beta testers for its MIUI 12 Pilot Testing program in India for its Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 7, and Redmi Note 7S devices.

As per MIUI’s update timeline, flagship devices like Mi 9, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi K20, and the Redmi K20 Pro are the first in line to receive the update and are scheduled to get the new software update sometime later this month.

How to apply for the MIUI 12 Pilot testing program?

The registration for beta testers is open till June 17th and the selected users will get a chance to test the MIUI 12 Global ROM build way ahead of the other users.

To become a MIUI 12 Pilot Tester you need to follow the below process:

  • Eligibility: Only available for Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7s users
  • Join the official MIUI Global Stable Beta Testing Recruitment Group on Telegram
  • Fill the application form
  • The handful of selected users will then be added to a separate Telegram group for further communication

Before applying to become a Pilot Tester, remember that apart from using the specified Redmi devices, users are expected to be regular and active members of the MIUI community and are expected not to leak details and features during the testing phase.

Via: MI Community

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