Author: Abhinav Mishra

DriveClub Gets a Collection of Fresh Race Tracks from Japan

Evolution Studios have confirmed via their official Driveclub Facebook page that five new tracks are coming for the PS4 exclusive title today. The five new tracks are located in Japan and the studio has published previews of the four other tracks on Facebook and YouTube, a mix of race circuits and point to point blasts.

In addition, the preview videos also give us a sneak peek of some of the new cars that’ll feature in the game via the Apex Expansion Pack coming on January 27-29. The pack is a part of the season pass which brings new cars like the Jaguar c-X75 Concept, Enzo Ferrari, Caterham R500 Superlight along with the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

[quote text_size=”medium” author=”Evolution Studios”]

Along with our own research and gameplay data analysis, your input has been a big help in shaping all of the tracks we’re developing for Japan. Especially the many, many requests for an epic point-to-point like this and for wider tracks to make fighting for position less frustrating, particularly in online races.

[/quote]

Meanwhile, for those of you wondering about the delayed free PlayStation Plus Edition of DriveClub, Evolution Studios said that it’ll come as soon as they are able to improve server performance, so that players will be able to take its full advantage.

January 19, 2015
Britain and USA Team Up to Stage Cyber Wargames

In an attempt to bolster their cyber defence from online attackers, intelligence agencies from the U.S and Britain will conduct planned cyber attacks on each other’s financial and other critical sectors. These intended cyber attacks will be conducted to test and measure their online defences. Countries all around the globe are attempting to take on the increased concerns over vulnerabilities of critical online infrastructure.

U.S President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed upon this initiative on Friday. The joint effort has come amid concerns over the growing threat of online cyber attacks following the massive Sony hack last year.

Both countries will begin work on a series of large scale joint exercises to assess each other’s online infrastructure. The first attack is expected to take place later this year on the financial sector. Other online ‘war games’ exercises will include premeditated attacks on energy and transport sectors.

[quote text_size=”medium” author=”David Cameron”]

This is an evolving threat which poses a real risk to our businesses and that’s why we’re taking our cooperation with the U.S. to an unprecedented level, This is about pooling our effort so we stay one step ahead of those who seek to attack us

[/quote]

Meanwhile, Britain’s MI5 along with their communication intelligence agency, known as GCHQ will work with their US counterparts in the NSA (National Security Agency) and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to further bolster the exchange of information.

In addition, the two governments will also invest in training next-gen cyber agents; to lay down norms and standards to ensure big multinationals are getting constant advice on how to protect their systems.

January 19, 2015

Acer Liquid E700 Review

Last year was quite an exciting year for the Indian smartphone market, especially in the overcrowded budget phone category. We saw some top-notch devices coming from domestic as well as International manufacturers packed with relatively high-end specs at an attractive price. Manufacturers are constantly trying to invent new ways to create demand for their product by offering something unique. Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has tried to do something similar and have forayed into the Indian smartphone market after a long break with the launch of their triple-SIM phone the Acer Liquid E700.

The company known for making quality laptops has launched two new smartphones in its Liquid Range of handsets. While the Liquid Jade is a mid-range offering at Rs.16,999, the Liquid E700 is a budget phone, and the one, we’ll be reviewing, is priced at Rs.11,999.

The E700 comes with a good specs which include a hefty 3500mAh battery. The phone does seem like a great budget phone on paper but has it got enough to make its mark. The phone has something unique to offer geared towards frequent travelers. It is a quad-band phone, implying you’ll be able to use it anywhere in the world where there is support for GSM. It faces some stiff competition from the likes of the hot favourite Moto G (2nd Gen) while there are also other worthy contenders such as Xiaomi, Asus, Xolo, Lava and Huawei.

HARDWARE

In terms of hardware, the E700 packs a decent set of specs at least on paper. It sports a mid-range Quad-core chipset from MediaTek bundled with a hefty 2GB of RAM, a lush bright 5-inch HD screen. Check out the key specs below:

Specifications	Acer Liquid E700
Display	5-inch IPS HD
Processor	Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
RAM	2 GB
Storage	16GB Internal, microSD upto 32GB
Camera	8 MP rear camera with flash, 2 MP front selfie cam
Battery	3,500mAh
OS	Android 4.4.2(KitKat)

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

The Acer Liquid E700 does not appear to be like any other budget smartphone one would come across. It has a curved top and bottom edge along with fine contours along the display, giving it a niche distinct look.

The front of the phone is largely covered by the display, with physical capacitive touch buttons placed below the screen while there are two front grills reminiscent of HTC’s recent phones. The right edge of the phone houses the volume rocker keys along with a micro-USB port, while on the top edge rests the 3.5 mm jack along with the power key.

Meanwhile, the back of the phone sports a soft black matte plastic finish offering better grip with a soft feel. The back also houses the primary camera unit bundled with flash along with an additional button which can be assigned a function. The back of the phone is removable which reveals the three SIM slots along with the microSD slots, with the battery unit embedded within the phone.

Hence, the overall look and feel of the phone is relatively good with precise cutouts made for camera units and flash. It sports a nice form factor with an ergonomic design making it apt for one handed usage. Despite featuring a heavy battery unit, the phone feels relatively light weight.

DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA

An HD IPS display is the standard norm these days, and the Acer Liquid E700 sports a 5-inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The same display is also found on the Moto G 2nd Gen along with the Asus ZenFone 5.

The 5-inch screen does the job quite handsomely rendering good colour saturation with crisp viewing angles. Visibility is top notch both indoors as well as outdoors owing to the bright screen.

Meanwhile, the phone is perfectly suited for multimedia consumption. The 720p screen can take care of all your multimedia needs. Even Full HD videos can be rendered easily and run quite smooth without any noticeable jitters. In addition, the front facing speakers pack enough punch, though at times gets distorted which is quite common in this category of phones.

ANDROID & UI

Acer Liquid E700 runs the Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the company’s Liquid Float UI on top. The Float UI brings in a whole new look and feel with its flashy icons and transparent shortcuts. Even the drop-down menu appears a bit different. The UI needs some time getting used to.

Once you’re a bit used to the UI, it offers new and unique ways to multitask. The Float app interface displays several apps and widgets at the same time. These apps come in very handy when you need to take note of something quickly. In addition, Acer has pre-installed a few apps including its Cloud-based Office suite, Polaris Office 5, Acer Snapnote and more.

Overall, the UI is quite snappy and smooth giving a seamless response to swipe and touch. The only weak link with the UI would be excessive bloatware that makes the home screen appear very cluttered. Acer would have been better off had they kept things simple.

PERFORMANCE & GAMING

The smartphone sports a quad-core Mediatek Soc clocked at 1.3Ghz bundled with an ARM Mali-400 MP2 graphics chip. This is further bolstered by a hefty 2GB RAM that enhances the overall performance of the phone.

The phone offers hassle free multitasking. It switches from one app to other in time. Meanwhile, it can even run high-end titles like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5. Even at fully cranked up settings, the device was able to render satisfactory frame rates.

Coming to its benchmark scores, the Acer Liquid 700 fared some average scores, have a look at the benchmark scores of this device along with its competitors below:

Device Name	Antutu	NenaMark II
Xolo Omega 5.0	27,290	59.1
Acer Liquid E700	18,254	54.5
Gionee Marathon M3	17,939	55.2
Lava Iris Fuel 60	18,025	59.1

CAMERA

The Acer Liquid E700 comes with an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash along with a 2 MP front-facing snapper. Meanwhile, the camera app on the E700 gives users a lot of options to fiddle around. Users can manually set the ISO and Exposure settings along with the white balance. Though the image quality is not as satisfying as one would want. There are better options in the same price range that render much better quality pictures.

Outdoors shots are fairly decent, especially the macro shots which come out fairly well rendered with good colour saturation and clarity. Though indoor shots appear a tad grainy and lack the finer details with noise clearly evident, while low light images are plain bad appearing washed out and dulled.

Here are some camera samples for your viewing:

In addition, when you tap the screen for adjusting the focus, you are presented with a circle that can get annoying at times especially when you need to capture something in an instant. The shutter speed appears relatively sluggish; the only striking feature of the camera is its camera app.

The phone is capable of recording 1080 p but as you would from a phone in the given price range, videos appear to be grainy and shaky.

The front has a 2MP snapper which can manage just about average selfies, so hardcore selfie lovers should stay away from this marketing gimmick as Acer touts it as a ‘selfie phone’.

PHONES, NETWORKS AND BATTERY

The network connectivity is pretty top notch; all three SIM slots get good signal strength whether indoors or outdoors and voice quality is pretty crisp. All the three SIM slots support 3G, but can be used for only one SIM at a time. Other connectivity features include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and GPS. It also has support for USB on-the-go (OTG) support as well.

Additionally, the phone sports a 3500 mAh non-removable battery which the company claims provides upto 60 days of standby, 24 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby time.

The 3500 mAh battery can easily suffice a day of heavy usage without the need for charging. Meanwhile, in our battery test the phone was able to give over five plus hours of battery life.

All in all, the 3500 mAh battery can easily last a day of intense usage.

CONCLUSION

The Acer Liquid E700 is a decent all round performer given the price tag. It has a bright 5 inch IPS screen that is pretty amazing, a good overall design and build quality, along with a massive 3500 mAh battery. In addition, it has a few nifty features like triple SIM support which can be customised as per your needs ( data, roaming and calls) along with the Acer Rapid button makes it good overall buy.

Its camera performance is below par and the overall UI experience is not that great. There are better options available in the given price bracket including Xolo Omega 5.0 or even the Yu Yureka. If the battery is your main priority, there are smartphones that have a slight edge over the Acer E700 in terms of overall performance like the Iris Fuel 60 or the Gionee Marathon M3.

In our opinion, the Acer E700 Liquid is just another smartphone launch and doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

January 15, 2015

Forza Motorsport 6 Announced, Features the All New Ford GT

Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft today officially announced the Forza Motorsport 6 at the ongoing North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As expected, the game has been announced exclusively for Xbox One featuring the new Ford GT as the cover car, courtesy a partnership between Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios with the car manufacturer.

The announcement apparently was followed by Ford’s announcement today of its GT supercar, sporting a carbon fibre chassis powered by Ford’s twin-turbocharged Ecoboost engine producing 600 hp. In addition, other performance cars by Ford including the GT, Shelby GT350 Mustang and F-150 Raptor will also feature in the game. Meanwhile, Turn 10 Studios have confirmed that gameplay footage will be revealed at E3 this June.

Global Product Development, Vice President for Ford Group Raj Nair, said that Forza Motorsport will give fans an opportunity to “virtually experience” Ford’s lineup of performance cars.

However, no official launch date for Forza Motorsport 6 has been announced. The last title from the franchise Forza Motorsport 5 was launched back in 2013 for the Xbox One. Meanwhile, this year also mark’s the tenth anniversary of the Forza Motorsport series, which first debuted in 2005 for Xbox. Do check out the announcement video below:

January 13, 2015
The Personal Robot Of Your Dreams is About to Land in Your Home

You may have seen Robots in movies and wondered about how awesome it might be to have a mechanised friend of your own. In the real world you’ve seen Asimo, which has some really awesome features but is still in the prototype stage. There are many companies who are working towards making a good personal assistant endowed with Artificial Intelligence(AI). Well, it seems like the wait for a personal robot is about to come to an end thanks to the efforts of a New York-based company.

Robotbase is made up of a team of engineers based in New York who unveiled an AI robot at CES 2015 to kick-off its Kickstarter campaign. They call it the ‘Personal Robot’ and are keen on putting a robot in every home. The company touts its Personal Robot to be a multi-talented personal assistant. She’s a hands-free helper, an awesome photographer, a reliable security guard, a wonderful storyteller, and much more.

It’s apparently the world’s first Artificial Intelligence based Personal Robot with the ability to detect faces, recognise emotions and everyday objects. According to the company, this PERSONAL ROBOT does everything for you from understanding what’re you’re saying and then replying back to you. She can even navigate around the house by herself with navigation and mapping algorithms. In addition, the device comes equipped with sensors to detect the outside environment and can communicate via your connected devices.

On the design front, the Personal Robot looks like the Mobile Virtual Presence Device that Sheldon Cooper created on the popular sitcom Big Bang Theory. A giant oval display is attached to a movable platform. The avatar on the display looks like one of the characters from a Japanese anime show. It might feel a bit creepy at first to interact with a cartoon who knows everything about you before you even ask.

Barring all that, she’s got a few special talents too, she can place food orders, act as a personal assistant and can even be a storyteller for your kids. It’s also an emotionally responsive personal assistant and can remind you about appointments. As of now, the company’s primary focus is the consumer version of the Personal Robot, however they are also getting keen interest from businesses as well, especially department stores.

The campaign seems quite promising, the company has already scooped up around $25,000 and promises that early takers can get the device for $995, delivery for which will begin by late 2015. You can head over to the Kickstarter campaign for more information. Check out the video below to find what this innovative device can do for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pSkPgBrcTA

January 12, 2015
New Round of Details Emerge about Ultra Street Fighter IV for PS4

More details about the upcoming PS4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV have emerged via a post on the official PlayStation Blog. Gio Corsi of Sony says that along with five new characters and six brand new stages, the game will include all previously released costume DLC, including the Vacation and Wild Costumes.

Also a part of the package will be the Omega Mode. Sony says that a combination of all these aspects makes the PS4 version “the ultimate” edition of the game. Ultra Street Fighter IV is already available on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, though an Xbox One version hasn’t been announced yet.

The PS4 version of the game was earlier announced in December and is slated for a launch sometime around spring. Meanwhile, Capcom and Sony recently announced the Street Fighter V for PS4 and PC, which will have support for cross-platform play.

January 12, 2015
A Round Up of the Coolest Gaming Gadgets at CES 2015

CES 2015 has already some witnessed some awesome technological innovations. Apart from super slim bendable TV’s and mobile phones, we’ve seen some whacked out gaming products and accessories being flaunted at the biggest tech event of the year. These gadgets are bound to impress gamers as well as people who are not into hardcore gaming.

Here are the top gaming highlights from the largest consumer electronics tech extravaganza from Las Vegas-

1. Occulus Rift Crescent Bay

The current Occulus Rift Prototype has been spruced up with new audio enhancements, thanks to the Crescent Bay Occulus Rift headset. These brand new lightweight headphones come with inbuilt sonics similar to a surround sound system.

Occulus has promised a 2015 consumer launch though there’s no confirmation of an exact release date.

2. Razer Going VR

Razer has announced its plans to make its VR technology an open source initiative, called OSVR(Open-Source Virtual Reality). It’s an effort by the company to make this technology more accessible and is going the Toyota way, providing information and technical support to whoever wants it. The VR headset is being showcased at CES and features a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a compass. In addition, it features a surround sound codec that will allow developers to add 3D sound to their gaming titles.

3. Mad Catz L.Y.N.X

One of the snazziest gaming accessories we’ve come across in a long time, the Mad Catz L.Y.N.X looks like a ‘Transformer’ from the Hollywood blockbuster and can literally transform itself to suit your needs. It can either be used with a tablet, smartphone, QWERTY keyboard or just as a standalone controller. In addition, it also features an integrated mousepad for navigation and is compatible with Android, PC, SmartTV’s and also has Bluetooth support.

4. Dell Alienware

Dell after all hasn’t forgotten the gamers, the company showcased the Alienware 15 and 17 that feature Intel’s latest fifth-gen chipsets. The Core i7 quad-core chipsets are also bundled with Nvidia’s GTX980M GPU, which can also support desktop graphic cards via the Alienware Gaming Amplifier.

5. CyberPower’s Fang Trinity Gaming PC

Cyber Power’s Fanged gaming PC is pure eye candy. This gaming rig might be the whackiest desktop ever built.

Despite its bizarre looks, the Fang Trinity can house all standard PC components. The first one has enough room to fit in a graphic card, an intake fan and upto five solid sate drives. The second one houses the power supply along with the optical drive and hard drives. While, the third houses the processor, a compact Mini-ITX motherboard and even a liquid cooler fan.

As expected, the case alone costs about $350 while an entry-level configuration with the case will cost about $999 while a high-end gaming rig can go as high as $4000.

6. 3D Rudder

Virtual Reality is going leaps and bounds, and the 3DRudder is another such example. It is a rounded board that tracks your feet motion and then provide feedback to the controller, which then maps out different methods of control in the form of button presses or joystick motion.

The device is expected to be priced at $130 while shipping starts sometime in May.

7. Steel Series Sentry Eye Tracker and Apex M800 Keyboard

For Pro gamers, the SteelSeries Sentry Eye Tracker keeps a track of your eye movements when you’re playing. Based on the feedback, players can alter their strategy as viewers watching the live stream can see exactly where players are looking.

Meanwhile, the company also showcased their mechanical keyboard, the Steelseries Apex M800. The company touts it to be the most responsive and customisable keyboard ever built. It features a LED surface on every key, with colour choices of upto 16.8 million. The company claims the keyboard to be ultra responsive with 25 percent better response times than standard mechanical keyboards. The SteelSeries Apex M800 is priced at $245.

8. Turtle Beach Elite 800X

Turtle Beach announced a slew of headsets at CES this year, though the cream of crop was the Turtle Beach Elite 800X. It’s a brand new headset for the Xbox One which comes equipped with active noise cancellation along with an invisible microphone. It boasts off a 7.1 channel DTS surround sound including a plethora of customisable audio presets. Just like the PS4 version, it also comes with a magnetic charging stand.

9. Gaming SmartTV’s

We don’t hear this very often, but Sony and Samsung for once are collaborating to bring ‘PlayStation Now’ to Samsung’ s latest range of smart TVs. Sony plans to bring over 300 PlayStation titles to the Korean manufacturer’s latest range of Smart TVs.

10. ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ

Asus has also announced a broad range of gaming accessories including the ROG Swift gaming monitor along with the Strix Series gaming gear. The 27 inch UHD gaming monitor features a stunning display resolution of 3840×2160 pixels 4K/UHD resolution.

It also features Nvidia’s G-Sync technology that works in conjunction with the computer’s GPU unit, eliminating stutters and screen lags to deliver one of a kind gaming experience. The monitor sports an ergonomic design with full tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment and has a super slim bezel.

January 9, 2015
CES 2015: Intel’s Button Sized Chipset lets Anyone Make Wearables

Future looks quite promising for wearables as prominent manufacturers have shown a renewed interest in the wearable segment. Intel being the latest to jump onto the wearable bandwagon, as the company’s CEO Brian Krzanic announced a new tiny chipset for wearable devices which is the size of a coat button. It’s a low power 32 bit micro controller called the Quark SE which has 384kb of flash memory and 80kb SRAM. In addition, the chipset also features a plethora of sensors including accelerometer, gyroscope and Bluetooth LE support.

CEO Brian Kraznic with the Intel Curie Prototype

Intel also announced a development module called Curie, that will allow companies to manufacture wearable devices out of anything. Krazinch claimed that with Curie and Quark, one could build a wearable device out of anything from rings to handbags, pendants and even glasses.

Intel seems all geared up to speed up the development of Curie based devices. It is providing complete software and technical support needed to work with its reference wearable applications called Intel IQ Software Kit. The company believes it will help customers across all demographics, including fashion, sports and lifestyle companies.

January 7, 2015
CES 2015: VoiceBridge transforms your Mobile Device into a Landline

SwissVoice has announced a new device called the ‘VoiceBox’ at its press event at CES 2015, which allows a user to make and receive calls on their mobile devices using their existing fixed line without additional costs.

Designed for both personal as well as professional use, the device has a box like structure that can connect your landlines to smartphone and tablets. Voice Bridge can connect upto 5 devices to a fixed line. The device should come in real handy in situations where everyone wants to use and share their existing fixed line numbers on several smartphones and tablets in the same house or office. An ideal choice for start ups or SOHO companies as they can easily have a conversation in conference mode.

While away form home, Voice Bridge sends instant notifications to your smartphone of any incoming call courtesy of a feature called ‘Follow Me’. As it can fully integrate your smartphone’s address book, you can call back with the touch of a button from your smartphone.

The device uses PSTN line and acts like a standard PSTN line, so there’s no need to modify the home setup. Meanwhile, there’s also no need for Wi-Fi pairing or setting up a user account. Voice Bridge is failry easy to setup as it comes with a plug and play installation. Users will simply need to plug the voice bridge box to their Wi-Fi Router, download the app from the App Store or Google Play and launch the app on their smartphone or tablet.

VoiceBridge will be launched in the US, South America and Europe in the first quarter of 2015 priced at $99.

January 5, 2015
Top 10 Games to Watch Out for in 2015

This year saw a slew of some awesome game launches. Along with that, we witnessed the prowess of the Xbox One and PlayStaion 4 and what these high-end consoles are capable of. With 2015 knocking on the door, what better time to explore what’s in store for us gamers in the coming year. A lot of promising new developers along with already established franchises, 2015 is expected to be a game changer for this industry.

There are some awesome projects in the making, hence lets jump onto our list of the most anticipated games for 2015:

Bloodborne

From the developers of Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne has all the elements of a gripping horror story. Despite having a similar feel to the Souls games, Bloodborne has a persona of its own, with a gripping gothic setting and new game mechanics. The game boasts different weapons that make combat all the more fun. Bloodborne is all geared up to make us face the Darkside and definitely one of the games to watch out for in the coming year.

The game is slated for a March 24, 2015 release on the PS4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nHT2RSD5GAM

Evolve

This asymmetric shooter has the making of something special, which blends in teamwork and competitive play with real panache. It features some over the top shooting mechanics where co-op teamwork is not just a gimmick, but a necessity. Four players don the role of futuristic hunters, each having their set of skills and weapons.

Not one of your everyday shooters, the gameplay looks stunning and certainly one of the titles to watch for. Evolve will be coming 2nd February, 2015 for PC, PS4 and the Xbox One.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BNiPQ90iWJ4

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Stunning vast landscapes, great storytelling, and new combat mechanics await us in this massive open world game. The Witcher 3 has a bit of everything and following on from its predecessor; the game oozes quality and more depth. From everything we’ve seen so far of The Witcher 3, it has immense potential we just can’t wait to see what’s really in store for us.

The game is scheduled for a release on May 19 for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=901vOVBTF6g

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Knight marks the return of Rocksteady Studios. Last year’s Arkham Origins developed by Warner Bros. was a bit of a disappointment. The game also marks the return of the veteran voice actor Kevin Conroy as Batman with Scarecrow being the Dark Knight’s nemesis. In this explosive finale of the Arkham saga, Batman faces his arch nemesis Scarecrow, who has united Gotham’s top evil geniuses including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn to destroy the Dark Knight forever. The game will feature the intriguing Batmobile, which apparently will form an integral part of the gameplay, for the first time in the franchise. A deadly combo of Batmobile and new gameplay mechanics should suffice hardcore Batman fanatics who have been longing for that complete Batman experience.

Arkham Knight is slated for a June 2 release and will be coming to the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jPXtuCDp47s

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Creators of the Game of the Year 2013 (The Last of Us), Naughty Dog Studios is now focusing on its other hot property – Uncharted 4. Expected to be an explosive high paced Indiana Jones like adventure, it’ll be interesting to see what the game has in store. Moreover, some of Uncharted’s lead creators not a part of the studio anymore, we’re sure that The Last of Us directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley have something special to do with the franchise.

Expect a well-paced cinematic adventure with some witty characters, certainly one of the titles to watch out for in 2015. No exact launch date has been announced for the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ow2cL-pp6p8

The Division

Slated for a release in 2014, Tom Clancy’s The Division was pushed back to 2015 with Ubisoft aiming to deliver something of a spectacle with the game. Three studios are working together on The Division namely Ubisoft Red Storm, Ubisoft Reflections, and Massive Entertainment.

It’ll be interesting to see how the game redefines the genre, touted as the most technologically advanced game in the making. With so much going on, Tom Clancy’s The Division by Ubisoft is worth the wait. The game will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows though an exact launch date has not yet been specified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JhBAc6DYiys

Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain

Boasting a new open world approach, the Phantom Pain is all about a complex plot line, while the core of the game maintains those intense stealth mechanics. With Ground Zeroes already getting rave reviews, laying down a solid base for stealth action game, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays on the large scale Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Long time fans of the franchise will be eager to see how the Big Boss takes the next step to becoming the warlord he’s destined to be. The game will be launched on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, though an exact launch date hasn’t been announced yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rfn4UBmhfAM

Rise of the Tomb Raider

The franchises’ 2013 offering reestablished our faith in the series, while the next installment in the Tom Raider saga shows a Lara Croft, who is broken. However, this is where she is strengthened by the experiences of the first game, and it’ll be interesting to see how her character evolves in the next game. The game is scheduled for a launch sometime in 2015 for the Xbox One, though an exact launch date has not been announced as of now.

Mortal Kombat X

One of the oldest franchises in video game history and soon to get its tenth installment – Mortal Kombat X. The game is expected to get bloodier and badder and is set to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever. In addition, the massive memory pool of current gen consoles will deliver cutting edge graphics along with new game mechanics which should make it all the more gnarly and brutal.

Mortal Kombat X is coming on the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and the PC around the 15th of April next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jSi2LDkyKmI

Star Wars: Battlefront

DICE’s reboot of the multiplayer shooter series, Battlefront just looks stunning; showing us glimpses of the ice planet Hoth and forests of Endor. But how the game will play, what kind of game modes it will have or if we will have a full-fledged single player campaign as well, still remains a mystery.

The game is slated for a late 2015 release for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. At around the same time when Episode VII hits cinemas next year, there’re sure to be some epic levels of hype surrounding the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2yKv45X_OIo

January 1, 2015
Xiaomi Redmi 1S with LTE Support to be Announced Soon

Xiaomi will soon be announcing the LTE variant of its highly popular Redmi 1S. The Chinese manufacturer who was recently banned from selling its products in India, teased on a social networking site Weibo that it plans to unwrap the LTE compatible Redmi 1S on Friday.

The listing further stated that the smartphone would come with a 64 bit Snapdragon 410 processor bundled with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone would feature a 4.7 inch 720p display and would be equipped with both front and rear camera units at 2MP and 8MP respectively. The dual-SIM phone will have support for TD-LTE and LTE-FDD networks. Meanwhile, the leaked image also points to a thinner bezel compared to its predecessor. It also sports an OGS screen which should enhance colour and display quality. Sources also reveal additional colour options for the Redmi 1S with LTE support.

There are no details available as of now regarding its launch in India; however an announcement is expected to be made on January 4th.

December 31, 2014

Review : Micromax Canvas 4 Plus

Some would say that Micromax is on a roll, touted as one of the dominant force in the Indian smartphone industry. The domestic manufacturer is closing down on Samsung to claim the No.1 spot for the largest smartphone vendor in the Indian subcontinent. There’s no denying that company’s recent products have significantly improved when it comes to build quality.

Micromax’s latest addition to its lineup is the Micromax Canvas 4 Plus, which surprisingly was launched in a subtle way without creating all the hype the company is known for.

OVERVIEW

Since the launch of the Canvas Knight earlier this year along with the recently launched Yu Yureka, Micormax is constantly striving to offer high-end specs at mid-range prices. The recently launched Micromax Canvas 4 Plus does boast off a fairly appealing outer demeanor along with a decent set of specs. This device is priced on major e-commerce websites at approximately Rs. 14,000.

The smartphone arrived in our test lab, hence without any more delay, let’s check out how the Micromax Canvas 4 Plus performs in our grilling review.