Author: Vikhyaat Vivek

AMD Reveals Prices Of Top End Ryzen CPU And Radeon GPU
AMD has taken the computing world by storm with its announcements of various new generation CPUs and GPUs. The American company’s latest lineup have spurred its competitors such as NVIDIA and Intel. Both companies’ have seen a downfall in their respective stocks post-AMD’s announcement two-weeks prior at Computex 2019. Team red went on stage about the pricing of some of its top-notch products at E3 gaming expo 2019.

Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD’s Next Horizon Gaming Event at E3 2019 gaming expo unveiled the pricing of the worlds only gaming-centric CPU with 16 cores. Ryzen 9 3950X is priced at $750 (approx. Rs.52,000). The 16-core/ 32-thread CPU chipset has a base clock of 3.5GHz base clock and a boost clock of 4.7GHz. The cache is a massive 72MB and a relatively low 105W TDP for a 16-core processor. Even a 16-core Threadripper from AMD is rated at 180 watts; Intel’s very own 16-core has a 165W TDP.

The 7nm processors are proving to be much more power efficient and cheaper, not only in workloads for creators but for gaming performance as well. Apart from being the only 16-core gaming CPU, it is also compatible with an AM4 motherboard, becoming a Threadripper class capable CPU fully operational in a consumer grade small motherboards. Both Intel’s and AMD’s 16-core CPU draw a lot more power from expensive and large motherboards that harbour larger sockets.

Alongside the announcement, pricing was also revealed for its other lower-specced Ryzen 3000 series lineup.
- Ryzen 9 3900X – $499
- Ryzen 7 3800X – $399
- Ryzen 7 3700X – $329
- Ryzen 5 3600X – $249
- Ryzen 5 3600 – $199
- Ryzen 5 3400G – $149
- Ryzen 3 3200G – $99
Radeon RX 5700 Series

AMD announced two variants of its upper-mid-price range GPUs that will compete with NVIDIA’s RTX series GeForce graphics card. The company is focusing on the price range that is more accessible to gamers and focuses on beating NVIDIA at a lower price bracket. RX 5700 will cost $380 (approx. Rs.26,500) and provide noticeably better performance compared to the RTX 2060 GPU priced at $350 (approx. Rs.24,500). The higher variant RX 5700 XT is priced at $450 (approx. Rs.31,000) and also bests the RTX 2070 priced at $500 (approx. Rs.35,000).

Additionally, AMD unveiled a new proprietary Radeon Image Sharpening that will be supported by almost every game without requiring developers’ support. This technique barely has an impact on performance and framerate while improving the overall visual fidelity. RIS was seen in demos at E3 and is technically capable of being adopted by other GPU manufacturers. The new software is exclusive to the RX 5700 series for now, while generic version called Contrast Adaptive Sharpening is being prepared for developers to directly integrate into their games. A new Radeon Anti-Lag has also been announced, that reduces input lag during stressful computations faced by the GPU. This will help give an advantage during competitive games with faster response times.

Also Read: Ubisoft Roundup At E3

The new AMD graphics card will be available on 7th July 2019 (7th day of the 7th month with the 7nm processor chips), along with a special 50th Anniversary Edition Radeon RX 5700 XT. The special edition features black chassis and higher clocks that allow the card to go over 10TFLOPs. AMD still has time before taking on NVIDIA’s current top-end GPUs with its upcoming NAVI GPU in 2020.
June 11, 2019
Ubisoft Roundup At E3

Ubisoft’s keynote at E3 2019 gaming expo, has showcased a diverse lineup of new games along with the latest iterations of popular titles. The stage for the French video game developer also showcased a healthy criticism of game development of this day and age with a documentary. Additionally, apart from just game titles, the publisher announced details on a new TV show and a PC subscription service.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Ghost Recon Breakpoint has already been confirmed to be under development before E3 2019. However, Ubisoft announced the official release date of the new iteration of the Ghost Recon series. October 4th is the date the action-packed shooter will hit the global shelves. Jon Bernthal, most famously known for his work as the Punisher, will play as the main antagonist. Interestingly enough, the American made an appearance on Ubisoft’s E3 Stage with a dog by his side.

Watch Dogs Legion

The third iteration of the Watch Dogs title finally gets confirmed with the new reveal trailer by Ubisoft. The company in a bold move shifts the focus of the third entry into the near-future post-Brexit London. The key feature that sets the new title apart from its predecessors is the ability to control virtually any character in the game. This lets players build up a squad of hacking vigilantes from different demographics and skills. Watch Dogs Legion will be released on March 2020.

Assassin’s Creed Odysseys Story Creator & Educational Mode

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey from 2018 took the popular franchise to a historic Greek setting. This instalment of Assassin’s Creed is now receiving new features to add a more in-depth customisation system for the players. Story Creator mode allows players to design their own quests using the web-based tool that is already available for free in open beta. Ubisoft is also planning another mode dubbed, “Discovery” that will be similar to Assassin’s Creed Origins accomplished Education mode.

Rainbox Six Quarantine

It has been a while since a fresh entry appeared in Ubisoft’s Rainbox Six franchise of tactical shooters. The upcoming co-op game was teased by the company at E3 and had showcased playable characters from Rainbox Six Siege making an appearance in the new title. Rainbox Six Quarantine is a squad-based survival first-person shooter that is being developed by a new dedicated team at Ubisoft’s Montreal studio and will release in early 2020.

Roller Champions

Stepping away from the recognizable game titles, Ubisoft unveiled a fresh unexpected title. Roller Champions is a competitive multiplayer game with the roller derby game as the main setting. Giving off a futuristic aesthetic with interesting characters, the game will also be free-to-play at launch. A release date has not been given but is rumoured to be in 2020.

Gods & Monsters

Ubisoft’s team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey have been working on a brand new game titled Gods & Monsters. While the Assasin’s game featured Greek history, the new title will dive into Greek mythology. The game is, ever so slightly, in resemblance to Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. This is in great taste for both the Nintendo title and Ubisoft game look gorgeous with their unique art styles and environment renditions. The game is set to launch on 25th February 2020.

The Division Movie

Not a lot of information regarding the upcoming division movie has been unveiled. Apart from the lead star, Jake Gyllenhaal that will also be seen in Spiderman: Far From Home, only the movie’s platform has been discerned. The movie has no official release date but will be available for streaming on Netflix.

Ubisoft’s PC Subscription Service

Ubisoft at E3 announced its own take of the PC game subscription plans that have been going about. The company unveiled UPlay Plus that cost $14.99 (approx. Rs.1,000)per month and will offer customers access to more than 100 Ubisoft game titles and DLCs. The subscription will be available starting from 3rd September 2019.

Also Read: Square Enix Roundup At E3

Ubisoft has come a long way from its past missteps at E3 that had it face accusations ranging from false advertising to poor after sales service. The game developer and publisher has made great efforts in the pro-consumer form of business strategies. This dedication to its community and good service with popular games and constant new titles will ensure its longevity in the highly competitive gaming market.

June 11, 2019
Square Enix Roundup At E3

Square Enix has a lot to prove at E3, the largest gaming expo in the world. The Japanese video game developer has kept its loyal fans waiting for its Final Fantasy VII Remake and Avengers titles. Square Enix has announced the release date for both the games. Announcements were made for further titles in Final Fantasy series to also receive remakes and remasters (namely Final Fantasy VIII). Additionally, the franchise’s iconic music is now available for streaming online.

The Avengers

Reports had already confirmed Crystal Dynamics studio collaborating with Eidos Montreal for an upcoming Avengers game. A first look was given to the world through a trailer after years going by since the announcement of its development. Actual gameplay can be seen in the trailer with the heroes in all their glory, capes, and superpowers. The Avengers game is scheduled for a May 2020 launch.

Final Fantasy VII

One of the most critically acclaimed game in the Final Fantasy series, the 7th title still holds a special appeal to RPG (Role Playing Game) lovers. Loyal fans have asked for the remake of the 22-year-old game for a while now. Square Enix has dropped trailers and teasers since the announcement of the remake at E3 2015. The game now features a robust action-oriented combat system with the return of fan favourite characters like Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth.

Outriders

A new co-op action game has been announced by Square Enix. The creators of the popular shooter Bulletstorm are working on the new title. Outriders is “set in an original dark and desperate sci-fi universe,” with drop-in an and drop-out co-op feature similar to many live always online game services like Destiny 2 from Blizzard and The Divison 2 by Ubisoft. The game will launch in summer of 2020.

Final Fantasy VIII

The 8th instalment in the Final Fantasy series that came after the extremely popular 7th game finally gets the attention it deserves. Final Fantasy VIII will be available on Steam later on this year alongside its PS4, Nintendo Switch, And Xbox One release later this year.

Oninaki

Tokyo RPG factory, famous for its Japanese styled RPGs or JRPGs, has announced its third title release at Square Enix E3 stage. The studio behind I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear takes a slightly different approach with its latest game in the same genre. Oninaki is an action RPG with the players controlling a character “whose duty is to usher souls into the next world.” The trailer showcases some gorgeous art styles similar to most JRPGs. The game will be released on Steam, Switch, PS4 on 22nd August 2019.

Final Fantasy Chronicles

Square Enix announced a remastered edition of Crystal Chronicles, which originally released on the Nintendo Gamecube. Apart from the fresh new aesthetical changes, the game will now feature an online multiplayer. The remaster will ship to platforms such as the PS4, Switch, iOS, and Android. The title will arrive this winter.

Square Enix has been reeling from a disappointing E3 event and lacklustre performance in 2018. On stage, this year the company has a lot on its roaster for its loyal fans with the hope to recapture the glory of its past days with the new remasters and remakes of its most popular tiles.

June 11, 2019
Google Pixel 4 Renders Leaked On Twitter

Google’s flagship smartphone, the Pixel series, are now caught amidst various rumours. Leaks across the internet showcase entirely different form factors and design. One of the most reliable sources from which information can be gathered is from a leakster OnLeaks on Twitter. Google had recently launched its mid-range handsets, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Anticipation regarding its upcoming flagship smartphones lineup has been building up nearing its announcement in October. The famous leakster OnLeaks (on Twitter) leaked out planned schematics of the Pixel 4. The 5K renders of the latest Pixel flagship are claimed to be based on prototypes and might undergo slight changes before its actual launch.

And here comes your very first glimpse at the #Google #Pixel4 in form of gorgeous 5K renders based upon early prototyping schematics, on behalf of my Friends over @Pricebaba -> https://t.co/gjbtMlybdg (Please read the full story before reacting in order to make educated comments) pic.twitter.com/ZZAiseB9WP
— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) June 10, 2019

The most notable aspect of the renders points at the square camera module, similar to the leaked Apple iPhone XI renders. Google Pixel smartphones are known for their class-leading camera capabilities with its single camera sensor setup. The new leaks have pointed to a dual and, quite possibly, a triple camera module at the rear. This will be the first multi-camera function utilized on the Google Pixel. Renders also highlight the lack of a fingerprint sensor, that is traditionally placed on the back of the company’s smartphones.

The American company might be going for 3D face recognition tech in addition to in-display fingerprint sensor with the Google Pixel 4. Due to an earpiece being seen in the renders, it is safe to assume a notch will be present this year as well. Two speaker grills are seen on the sides of the USB Type-C port, ditching its front-facing speakers seen in previous iterations. Physical buttons for volume and power can be found on the right side of the device with the left being devoid of any seams. Similar to its predecessors, the Google Pixel skips out on the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Also Read: Microsoft Xbox 2020 Leaked To Arrive In Two Variants

Specifications

Finer details regarding the Google Pixel 4 and any of its variants are yet to be discerned. Being a flagship grade device, it is most likely to be equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which is one of the few options for high end SoCs. The device from the search engine giant might finally cross the 4GB RAM threshold with alleged benchmarks of 6GB variants being seen. Since it is a Google flagship handset, it is destined to ship with the latest version of Android OS which will be Android Q at the time of launch.

June 11, 2019
iOS 13 Beta Reveals iPhone 2019 May Ship With USB Type-C To Lightning Cable

Apple iPhones are the major buzz around this time each year, right before the launch of its flagship smartphones. The company is rumoured to ship the upcoming iPhones with an 18W charger with USB Type-C to Lightning cable. Apple has already moved the iPad Pro over to USB-C for its faster-charging capabilities and compatibility with a lot more accessories.

It is unlikely that Apple would shift its entire lineup to USB type-C as it still generates considerable revenue by selling Lightning cables to its third-party accessory makers. The USB-C to Lightning cable adapter is one of the highest selling accessories from Apple. Hence, the complete shift would cause the company to rethink its revenue strategy and might only ship the iPhone XI and XI Max with the port, skipping the XIR. Since the iPhone 5 launched in the year 2012, the American company has used its proprietary connector dubbed the Lightning port.

#IOS13 #iOS13Beta Plus de Lightning et d'iTunes sur l'écran de restauration, de l'USB-C ? et un futur utilitaire pour iPhone sur mac ? @LeoDuffOff pic.twitter.com/iTJj4Tp18O
— Comic Book Guy (@__JeffAlbertson) June 7, 2019

The switch to USB Type-C to Lightning cable will also allow connecting the upcoming iPhones to a MacBook much easier; Negating the need for purchasing a separate cable to make the connection. The latest leak showcases a recovery screen from the iOS 13 Beta that shows a USB-C cable pointing towards a computer. The past iterations of this mode had a Lightning cable pointing at iTunes. However, due to the discontinuation of the iTunes platform, Apple may have decided to change the icon with the latest update.

The company has made fast charging feature available in its smartphone lineups since 2017s iPhone 8. However, the devices were never bundled with the fast charger but had to be separately purchased. Apple has since bundled the 18W fast charger along with the iPad Pro in late 2018, a first for the company. This move might be mirrored in the newer releases in Q3 2019.

Also Read: Everything We Know About The Samsung Galaxy M40

The faster charging rates and better port compatibility in the future iPhones might take away from exclusivity but provide a healthy addition to the lineup. Although considering Apple’s tendency for a smooth and steady transition, it may entirely skip the USB-C to lightning cable for the new iPhones but instead offer the USB Type C port as a standard going forward in future iPhones.

June 10, 2019
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X And Radeon RX 5700XT Leaked

AMD is having its share in the spotlight after its various announcements in Computex 2019. The American chip manufacturer company impressed the global audience with its new lineup of CPUs and GPUs, with many rumours and leaks surrounding the much-awaited products. In a new report, detailed specifications on AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 XT and confirmed existence of a 16-core Ryzen 3000 processor was uncovered.

Ryzen 9 3950X

The leaked 16-core CPU processor is being dubbed the Ryzen 9 3950X and will be the flagship Zen 2 product available for consumers. The AMD chipset features a 16 core/ 32 threads with a boost clock of 4.7Ghz (base 3.5Ghz) and a TDP of 105W. Gaming is the main focus of the new chipset that runs on the existing 3000 motherboards. AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is essentially a 3900X with all of its cores on both chiplets enabled for more raw output in performance with 16 cores.

The top-end consumer chipset will most probably be announced along with the new Navi GPUs. AMD Ryzen 9 3900X currently has no competition, with the closest being the high-end Intel Core i9-9900K Coffee Lake chipset for gaming. The Ryzen 9 is the first gaming dedicated CPU that crosses the 8-core milestone and should, on paper, outperform the Core i9 CPU.

Radeon RX 5700 XT

AMD’s reveal of its RDNA graphical architecture based Radeon RX 5000 GPUs at the Horizon Next Gaming event might be offset with a new leak. The leakster apparently got his hands on the slides meant for the show. Images leaked show the details of the GPU, including the picture of the RX 5700XT. The new generation Radeon is expected to go up against NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2070 GPU.

Also Read: HTC To Launch A Mid Range Smartphone Called The U19e On The 11th Of June

AMD Radeon RX 5700XT features 40 compute units or 2560 streaming processors that deliver 9.75 TFLOPs of FP32 performance. The 7nm GPU will sport 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM with a core clock of 1606MHz and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. This is by far the highest clockspeed seen in any AMD GPU, all thanks to its new RDNA architecture and 7nm process. Apparently, a ‘Game Clock’ is also planned which will probably be a hybrid state between boost and base clocks for when the entire GPU is not being fully utilized.

June 10, 2019
Bethesda Roundup E3 2019

Bethesda Game Studio’s kicked off its E3 2019 announcements with the keynote on June 9th. The keynote featured some great reveals and information regarding a lot the studios much-awaited game titles and projects. Bethesda however, has decided to not give out any details regarding The Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield, two of its arguably best titles.

Project Orion

With the advent of game streaming services arrival to mainstream audiences and markets globally, Bethesda announced its own stance on it. Orion is a software that essentially optimizes game engines for online streaming services. It will make games run better on streaming platforms like Google’s Stadia and Microsoft xCloud. The selling point is the fact that it can reduce latency by upto 20% per frame and lower the bandwidth demands by an impressive 40% as claimed by Bethesda. The software is open to any platform and will be compatible with any game engine as said by the company.

Doom Eternal Release Date

Doom Eternal will be one of the first few new titles that will bring the debut wave of many game streaming services. The company showcased this feature by playing Doom on a mobile platform. A new trailer of the run-and-gun shooter game has been unveiled with its new story. Exciting new locations were seen in the trailer with many more demons to slay. November 22nd is the official release date in the year-end of 2019.

Arkane’s Deathloop

https://youtu.be/MXv5IDp8y74

The live press conference by Bethesda unveiled a fresh new game title, an always welcomed sight in the industry. Arkane studios best known for its critically acclaimed Dishonored series is back with a new take on its action-adventure genre of games. Deathloop will be from a first-person perspective that will have two assassins, primarily, fighting in an ‘eternal struggle’. The focus of the campaign will have players explore environments hunt down targets all over the island to put an end to the endless cycle of death and revival.

Wolfenstein: Young Blood

Bethesda’s announcement last year of the upcoming Wolfenstein spin-off game finally got an actual release date. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is launching on July 26th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch. The game will bring a unique 80s vibe to the game with an emphasis on co-op form of gameplay.

Elder Scrolls On The Switch

https://youtu.be/wev_raLJ6PM

Bethesda is seeking to bring its hit mobile version of its famous game title Elder Scrolls to the Nintendo Switch. Elder Scrolls: Blades, was recently launched to the mobile on open beta. The game is a free-to-play dungeon crawler that will ship with cross-play compatibility and cross-progression with its existing mobile variants.

Major Fallout 76 Update

The infamous entry to the popular Fallout series, Fallout 76, is an always online co-op and quest based looter-shooter. The game has received major backlash from gamers and media globally due to false advertising, buggy gameplay, lag and the worst of all predatory form of monetisation in a paid game. This update will seek to revert the negative PR with NPCs from the hit single player titles making an entry, seeking to branch out more storylines with new quests. ‘Wastelands’, the new update, will also bring a 52-person battle royale mode called “Nuclear Winter”.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Shinji Mikami at Bethesda’s E3 keynote revealed his studio’s next big project. Ghostwire: Tokyo is an action-adventure game title. The premise revolves around a horror setting with people mysteriously vanishing in the city of Tokyo. Although, even if it is a horror game by the Resident Evil creator, it will highlight action-oriented combat as a key point in gameplay. Shinji Mikami’s Tango Gameworks latest work includes The Evil Within series.

Commander Keen Mobile

https://youtu.be/FtQjGPfkEe8

The 90s hit side-scrolling action game Commander Keen is being revisited. However, the title is gonna be different from the past with its new free-to-play tag. The cartoon-styled mobile game will receive a soft launch this summer on both the Android and iOS.

Rage 2 Expansion

Rage 2 is receiving a big expansion dubbed the “rise of the ghosts”. The post-apocalyptic first-person shooter gets an addition of new quests, weaponry, and vehicles. The most anticipated addition in gameplay is the new mech suits. Release date is still uncertain but it is confirmed to hit the shelf later on in this year 2019.

Also Read: Advanced Melanoma Can Be Treated With Three-Drug Combination

Bethesda with its diverse lineup of new game entries and healthy updates to pre-existing titles seek to undo the negative press it had garnered over the past year. Tell us about your favourite upcoming game title that you look forward to experiencing in the comment section below.

June 10, 2019
Halo Infinite 2020 Xbox, PC Trailer Released

Halo, the almost two-decade long-running series will launch its latest entry in fall 2020. The multi-billion dollar franchise that comprises of video games, feature films, and novels will culminate the vast and detailed storyline in its 6th title in the main story. The legendary first-person shooter game that cemented many of the fundamentals of the genre will be the launch title for the new generation Xbox.

Microsoft initially teased Halo Infinite at E3 in 2018. It unveiled the game studio’s plan on going back to the original artwork and styling like the first three games in the series. The trailer at E3 has given the iconic Master Chief (the protagonist) a lot more screen time. The Chief was seen slotting in Cortana’s chip into his helmet, with her voice also being heard later at the Control Room, suggesting her possible return.

Halo Infinite will launch alongside the company’s next-generation consoles, codenamed Project Scarlet. The game will also be available to Xbox One and, for the first time since Halo 2, on PCs. Microsoft earlier in the year announced the entire lineup of the Halo franchise will be ported to PC. In the new trailer, an unnamed engineer is seen resuscitating the Spartan, Master Chief.

343 Industries, the team behind the game states that Halo Infinite will be a “spiritual reboot” of Halo. The game will feature new characters and a “perfect starting point” for new players. This implies that the game would be set on the titular Halo ring just like the first title 20 years ago.

Also Read: Nokia Reportedly Plans On Releasing Two 5G Smartphones In Q3 Of 2019

The story will bring distinct challenges for the Master Chief along with new and repeating characters. Halo Infinite is rumoured to be an open-world version of Halo. The game will run on the new Slipspace Engine developed by 343 Industries. This will provide ample power for future Halo entries and experiences. Glimpses of the engine’s capabilities are seen in the trailers that carry the “in-game captured footage” tag.

June 10, 2019
Nokia Reportedly Plans On Releasing Two 5G Smartphones In Q3 Of 2019

A new report claims that HMD Global is planning to unveil two new Nokia smartphones with 5G capabilities. The handsets are currently being developed with the rumours of a Q3 launch in 2019. The announcement has Nokia follow every other major manufacturers and OEMs incorporating the 5G bandwidth networking in their lineups.

According to the new report that hints at the specifications of the devices, the first handset will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 alongside the X55 modem for 5G connections. The other smartphone will be aimed at a mid-range price bracket with the Snapdragon 735 processor (rumoured). The Qualcomm Snapdragon 735 SoC is reported to be a 7nm based octa-core chipset with the Adreno 620 for graphics, with optional 5G network connectivity and compatibility with sub-6GHz and millimetre wavelength spectrum.

Rumours call the would-be flagship smartphone the successor of Nokia 9 Pureview, these are not confirmed as of yet by the company. The mid-range smartphone, on the other hand, will probably replace the Nokia 8.1. The upcoming rumoured smartphone might be dubbed the Nokia 8.2 and could be a budget 5G capable handset. These new Nokia 5G phones might be the starting point of the company’s shift in focus from lower-segment and mid-segment markets and to the higher priced regions.

The Nokia 9 Pureview’s had a lukewarm reception in the few countries that received it and ever since no other smartphone from the company has competed in the premium segment of smartphones. Nokia recently unveiled the Nokia 2.2 in India and hopefully would follow suit with the announcements of the two rumoured 5G smartphones.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Tab S5 Benchmark Scores Leaked Via Geekbench, Launch Imminent

Q3 2019 will have myriad of handsets from various OEMs and manufacturers (such as Apple) being launched with Nokia might being one of them. other rumours point to a year-end release owing to the company’s need for various stress tests before mass production.

June 8, 2019
PUBG Lite Confirmed To Launch In India Soon

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) took the world by storm when it launched in March of 2017. The game brought the widely popular Battle Royale genre of gaming to the global mainstream audience. The game took inspirations from various games and mods like H1Z1 and Arma II mods. Now a Lite version of the original game that was tested in some countries will most likely see its debut in India by the end of June 2019.

PUBG wasn’t as successful in India due to its high cost of entry (Rs.1,000 then) and high system requirements to actually play it on PCs. However, where the company struck gold is the mobile platform with PUBG mobile. India is the second largest market for smartphones in the world; naturally, a large player base and fan following was gained in the southeastern country. Bluehole, the company behind the original PUBG seeking to lower the aforementioned barriers of entry for many of the Asian countries made a new free Lite version of the PC game.

PUBG Lite is a free-to-play entry in the BR franchise that carries, for the most part, the formula and gameplay of the original game along with watered down graphics for a broader PC units compatibility. The BR game is an online last-man-standing survival looter shooter that can be played solo, duo or in teams of four. The original game is notorious for its massive RAM and processing power remands that left out low-end PCs from even attempting to run the game. Only the higher-end PCs could deliver the complete full gameplay experience of visual fidelity and fast-paced action.

Also Read: Asus To Launch The ZenFone 6 In India As Asus 6Z On The 19th Of June

Bluehole Corporation launched PUBG Lite back in the month of January and so far has only been available in countries such as Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. The game is now rumoured to release by the end of June 2019. Reports claim the date could be around June 25th, right about the time when the famous Steam sale hits the Valve store. Tencent, the company famously credited for porting the PC game to the mobile platform is also in the works of releasing PUBG Mobile Lite which starts its testing in India.

June 8, 2019
Amazon Alexa Receiving Improvements On Indian Speech Patterns

Amazon had unveiled a new category of skill dubbed Cleo for its Indian markets back in 2018. The idea behind Cleo was to improve Alexa’s language model for its Indian users by learning from the customers themselves. The southeastern country is a key region for Amazon Alexa’s global team that is working on drastically improving the user interface.

The company identifying the potential in the market, worked on various regional languages to grow the linguistic capabilities of Amazon Alexa. The voice-based assistant has received a warm welcome in Indian homes with its Echo line up and is still gaining traction in the country. The Indian smart speakers market is currently dominated by Amazon Echo at 59 per cent of the market share while Google Home only has about 39 per cent, as reported by IDC (International Data Corporation).

With such a large user base it is inevitable that the company will seek to expand on its existing language parameters. The Amazon team dedicated to the Indian market have promised robust support on the upcoming regional languages capabilities of Alexa. The voice assistant in its current state is only capable of understanding Hinglish (Hindi-English) commands to a very limited degree.

Amazon is focusing on the content relayed by Alexa along with its contextual and cultural impacts. The company stated that Alexa must sound Indian when it comes to speaking Hindi. Several dialects and accents are being taken into account to give an actual life-like conversational experience with Amazon Alexa in real-world scenarios. Users can respond to Alexa’s English replies with Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati and certain other regional languages.

Also Read: Microsoft Takes Down Online Facial Recognition Database Over Accusations

Amazon Alexa is being pushed by the company to stay relevant and practical in every home with near human-like natural conversations facilitated by Machine Learning. The company has heavily invested in India for developing skills for Alexa by hiring various scientists and engineers. Available in over 80 countries and compatible with 14 languages, the Indian variant would add a lot more languages to the existing list.

June 8, 2019
NASA Opens Commercial Opportunities For The International Space Station

The National Aeronautical Space Agency of the US has opened the door for business endeavours in the ISS. The American space agency made this decision with national interest in mind. “US industry innovation and ingenuity can accelerate a thriving commercial economy in low-orbit,” as stated by NASA in a press release, will open the space station to private sectors

NASA executives announced today the commercial viability of opening up certain sections of the International Space Station. This will allow companies to work in space with the station’s facilities. The filming industry could greatly utilize the opportunity for filming commercials or movies in space. NASA is also encouraging the private space industry to send in ideas for habitats and modules attachable to the ISS for a temporary basis.

Private companies can now buy time and space for a chance aboard the ISS to produce, market, or test products. These companies will also be allocated resources directly from the ISS for their commercial endeavours. Starting from 2020, companies can send their astronauts to the ISS but with a heavy cost. NASA has always been openly against the commercialisation of the ISS, unlike Russia that is open to ads and branding on its side of the station. The Russian side has even allowed tourism to some extent while NASA has strictly regulated all forms of commercial activities, save educational undertakings or technological demonstrations that are non-commercial in nature.

The extent of this commercial-phobia even had NASA ban its astronauts from experimenting on any research that might be profitable down on Earth. A committee formed by the western space agency was tasked to devise new methods to commercialize the space station for a new source of revenue and recognition. This business-oriented mindset might also see NASA selling naming rights of its past spacecraft and rockets, although nothing concrete supports this claim.

The leadership behind NASA is looking into a transition for the commercialization of the ISS and its low orbit region of space to the private sector. This will help alleviate the monetary load required to run and maintain the ISS, $3-4 billion per year. Eventually, the entire station might be handed over to private sectors and the funds acquired will help in making the new space station near the moon.

Also Read: Huawei P30 With 12GB RAM Spotted On TENAA

The new opportunities for commercial activities might lead to some really interesting outcomes in the near future. The world has already started moving post this announcement with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon space being contacted by Bigelow Aerospace, the space habitat developer, for the transport of its private astronauts. Soon many more announcements and projects like the aforementioned collaboration are likely to be seen.

June 8, 2019
Google Stadia Price And Launch Date Revealed

Google, ahead of the gaming expo E3 2019, has unveiled the details for its new game streaming service. The company’s announcement in March for Google Stadia had left out many of the finer details that have since been disclosed. Google will directly compete with companies like Sony and Microsoft, that are suddenly dealing with a new platform that had no hardware limitations, in the widely popular and ever-growing cloud based gaming market.

Google Stadia is confirmed to launch in November 2019. 14 regions will be in the first wave of countries to receive the game streaming service, such as the US and Canada. 31 games from 21 different publishers will be available at the initial launch with the “Founder’s Edition”. The special edition will cost $130 (approx. Rs.9,000) for a hardware starter kit (bundling a $70 or Rs.4,000 controller) with 3 months of premium service, and a $10/per month (approx. Rs.700) after the complimentary period ends.

The company has only announced the pricing of one tier in Google Stadia’s subscription options. Stadia Pro that is priced at $99.9 (approx. Rs.7,000) will offer 4K gaming at 60fps streaming with HDR and 5.1 surround sound. This pack requires a stable 35Mbps of bandwidth connectivity. Google Stadia promises more games in its free category alongside exclusive discounts on games. A Standard edition is being prepared as well, with no details given on that version, more information might be revealed at E3 2019.

Google is also planning a separate free tier that will be seen sometime in 2020. Pre-orders for the “Founder’s Edition” of Google Stadia are now open in 14 countries that receive the service first. The quality of this service is yet to be determined in the real world since Stadia has only been seen in action under controlled environments. Stadia should not be grouped with services like Netflix, in which users pay a monthly subscription and watch movies or a series. Google only offers a platform in which users can buy the games that they wish to play, along with a monthly fee for the online service. The only game that comes free with just the subscription is Destiny 2 by Blizzard-Activision, as of right now.

Google Stadia in practice is closer in resemblance to Steam, the digital game store by Valve. Apart from the 31 game titles at launch, like Mortal Kombat 11 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, more games will be added eventually along the way. However, it is still unclear if Google Stadia will be a host for games developed exclusively for the platform. Notably, the $130 price tag for early buyers is still a cheaper alternative to any gaming console currently available in the market, namely PS4 and Xbox One. Google is currently bundling the Chromecast Ultra that plugs into TVs with a limited-edition dark blue version of Stadia’s controller.

Also Read: iPhones Valued At $19 Million Stolen By ‘Fraud Ring’

The cross-platform streaming of games from Xbox allows users to play on any PC, Pixel 3 or 3a device (Google plans on supporting more smartphones soon) or Chromecast TVs. Google Stadia has led Microsoft and Sony to develop their own game streaming services such as xCloud and PlayStation Now respectively. A move just to stay relevant in the market and in the future. With the advent of network advancements like 5G, digital media is growing at an ever-increasing pace.

June 7, 2019
Nokia 2.2 Is Now Available For Pre-Order In India

HMD Global, the parent company of Nokia, has been fighting for its market share in various price segments. Its smartphones of different prices have, through Nokia’s brand name, become increasingly more relevant in the smartphone industry. The newly launched Nokia 2.2 will find its spot in the lower-end price bracket in the market. Nokia 2.2 will be the cheapest Android One smartphone made by the company, and by that extension, the cheapest smartphone to ever will receive the Android Q update. The handset has launched globally with the first pre-orders being available in India as of right now.

Price and Specification

The smartphone will be available in India for Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,999 depending on the configuration of the variants. Despite the relatively low price tag, Nokia 2.2 sports a large 5.71-inch display with a waterdrop notch design on the top. The display is an HD+ IPS LCD panel that is claimed to reach 400 nits of brightness with a 5MP selfie camera at the front. Rear shooter of the device is a 13MP sensor with an LED flash.

A fingerprint reader is skipped hence, users will have to rely on the face unlock for the biometric security. Nokia 2.2 is equipped with the Helio A22 chipset, which is a quad-core CPU, and either 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The internal storage option includes 16GB or 32GB with microSD card support for expandable external storage. Battery capacity sits at a modest 3,000mAh (removable battery) that charges via the bottom mounted microUSB port. The entire configuration is encased in a reflective polycarbonate design.

Since Nokia 2.2 is an Android One device, it is guaranteed to receive latest Android updates for at least 2 years. This makes the smartphone stand out the most in comparison to other entry-level options in the market, a huge selling point. Notably, a dedicated Google Assistant button is also available on the left of the device.

Also Read: iPhones Valued At $19 Million Stolen By ‘Fraud Ring’

Only two colour variants are available for the Nokia 2.2, namely Black and Steel. Official sales start on 11th June 2019 with the 2/16GB version priced at INR 6,999 while the 3/32GB version at a reasonable INR 7,999. Nokia with its smartphones hopes to capture its former glory and dominance in the phone making business, and smartphones like these are a small step in the right direction.

June 7, 2019
iPhones Valued At $19 Million Stolen By ‘Fraud Ring’

A gang of fraudsters have reportedly stolen $19 million (approx. Rs. 132 crores) worth of iPhones over the past seven years in the United States of America. The FBI and NYPD aptly named the gang ‘Fraud Ring’, which was run by six people that called themselves ‘Top Dogs’. The gangs used counterfeit debit cards and fake IDs to buy new iPhones to be sold for high prices in the black market.

The payment method that involved instalments enabled the scam to go undetected. A detailed report has been uploaded online regarding the fraud case. The victims of the scam included customers whose accounts were compromised along with respective carriers. The gang, possessing the debit cards and fake identification bought iPhone units from stores posing as the original account holders. The reason listed by the scammers was to upgrade to a newer handset on their previously existing accounts. Fraudsters stretched the scammed devices instalments over many months, that later showed up on the actual customer’s bill.

The perpetrators are being charged with felony counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. A total of 34 states in the US were affected while the exact number of individuals have yet to be disclosed. One of the accused co-operated with the authorities and revealed the workings of the Fraud Ring in exchange for a reduced sentence. It has been reported that the ‘Top Dogs’ took the largest chunk of the revenue, while the middlemen were responsible for all illegal activities like stealing identities by scamming customers. The bottom level involved drivers and runners that made rounds to various destinations to commit the fraud and ship the iPhone units back.

The co-operating witness claimed to have joined the gang in 2013 and has made about 18 trips in total. Fraud Ring paid $100 for each iPhone that was stolen by him during that period. A shipping company (back in 2014) was discovered in possession of 250 phones, fraud cards, driver’s licenses, and passports after an employee opened one of the packages.

Also Read: Astrobotic’s Tiny Rover To Test Endurance Of Small Robots On The Moon

This incident is reported to be one of the largest smartphone scams to date in terms of the value of stolen devices. Similarly, a group of scammers was accused of stealing 1,300 iPhones worth $1 million in 2018. Many such scams have been surfacing recently as fraud is being taken more seriously by the Government and investigating agencies.

June 6, 2019