Author: Vikhyaat Vivek

Top 5 Free To Play Multiplayer Shooter Games For Low Spec PCs
Shooter games are one of the fundamental genres of the gaming industry. Popular titles like the Halo and Call Of Duty franchise are one of the founding pillars that led to its massive success. Unfortunately, the aforementioned titles and many more of the sort have gamers shell out a fair amount of money. Here is a list that’ll showcase amazing experiences to be had without ever spending any money.

Games such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2 will not be included. These games are already well known free to play shooters. The list will also focus on games capable of running on low-end PCs or even laptops.

PUBG Lite

PUBG Corp. has just launched the latest instalment in its battle royale focused franchise. The original PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds had seen massive success which had even carried forward to its free PUBG Mobile version. The game is in beta stages with polishing still required but in all intents and purposes is a true PUBG experience. It features watered-down textures and effects to have a broader audience similar to its Mobile version. Its key elements include:
- Realistic gun mechanism and physics
- Minimal size and system requirements
- Indian Servers for a lag-free experience
- Better graphical fidelity over PUBG Mobile emulator
The game is slowly gaining traction in India and has a positive impact on the Indian gaming community and culture. It can be played from both first-person and third-person perspective. Similar to its previous iterations it will also feature every map that has been released so far. PUBG Lite is available on PC through its official website.

Paladins: Champions Of The Realm

The year 2016 had seen the massive success of two genres, Battle Royale and Hero Shooter. Paladins from HiRez studio is a free to play first-person hero shooter with an emphasis on a team focused gameplay like Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch. The game is based in a fantasy world of magic and dragons. It is one of the top 20 most played games on Steam and has a healthy player base. Every character in the game is unique and has dedicated roles to perform in every game. If people wonder what makes it different from Overwatch that features arguably similar characters and game modes:
- Free To Play
- Unique Champions
- In-depth card customisation and character modification options
- Capable of running on low-end PCs
It is one of the more popular games on Steam and has game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Onslaught (Secure area) and Siege, where a team captures the objective and pushes it. However, Unlike the more popular Overwatch, Paladins does not have the same great graphical fidelity or mirror polish that accompanies a Blizzard Entertainment title. It is constantly updated with new characters, skins and limited-time game modes making it a must-try title. The game is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo via Steam.

Warframe

Does space sound enticing? Do Ninjas? Now, how about space fighting Ninjas. Warframe is a title that heavily marketed its space ninjas before its launch. It is a game based on the distant future where humanity has conquered the solar system and the biggest threats they now face are themselves with various ongoing faction and allegiance fighting over dominance. The game involves a hack and slash melee gameplay mixed with fluidic gunslinging action from a third-person perspective. The game currently holds one of the top 5 players based on Steam. Key gameplay elements include:
- In-depth character customisation
- Faction wars and Special Events
- Fluidic Parkour movement across air, walls and ground.
- Amazing Gunplay and Special attacks
- Game is a looter shooter where the player can grind daily.
The game is developed by Digital Extreme game studio which is well renowned for its healthy relations with its gaming community. It is constantly updated and new features and cosmetics are always added. Warframe is available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One And PC via Steam.

Realm Royale

Realm Royale is a battle royale game with a unique twist in the formula. It is another game developed by HiRez Studios and adds its unique hero shooter formula to a larger map game mode. In the game 100 players drop in after preselecting their class which allows them to have special abilities or buffs in certain areas. This also includes the weapon choices that can be crafted in-game rather than constantly having to loot. The game, unlike most other battle royale titles, promotes engaging in fights rather than avoiding them to be the last man standing. Its key elements are:
- Unique class systems
- Class-based abilities, perks and weapons
- You turn into a Chicken when downed and are auto revived after a minute
- Players can summon a horse for traversing the large maps.
The game had initially taken off when it was first launched back in 2018 and had a numerous big streamers and people playing the game. Unfortunately, the game isn’t as popular as it used to be but still has a good amount of player base. The game is available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PCs via Steam.

Splitgate: Arena Warfare

Splitgate: Arena Warfare is a multiplayer first-person shooter that uses player-controlled portals to open a new gameplay mechanic in a first-person multiplayer shooter game. Ever had a pesky camper spawn camp? No problem shoot a portal behind him then gun him down via portals. The game places heavy emphasis on the old arena shooter like Unreal Tournament or Quake. Its unique elements are:
- Players can make portals to open different angles of attack and movement.
- Jetpack! To open aerial combat into the mix.
- Simple but sound shooting and movement mechanics
- Completely free and is extremely easy to get into.
The game was launched to a welcoming audience and has a healthy playerbase. It is capable of running in various low-end PCs as well with a little tinkering. Splitgate is currently available on Steam for Xbox One and PC.

Also Read: Indian Government Will Soon Be Able To Track Stolen Mobiles More Effectively

Comment below if you ever get a chance to try out any of the games. Give us your feedback as to what other gaming related information you’d like to receive. More updates similar to this and upcoming titles will be arriving soon. Stay tuned for more on the gaming world.
July 9, 2019
Indian Government Will Soon Be Able To Track Stolen Mobiles More Effectively

People unlucky enough have had their smartphones being lost, and more, unfortunately, stolen. It is a common sight in police stations to see multiple people lining up to file a report for stolen handsets in India. There has already been a large outcry over the authorities inability and ill-equipped manner to tackle this issue. The widespread evil that has already affected most people either directly or indirectly. Now, The Department of Telecommunications of the Indian Government is reportedly ready with a new system to finally tackle the extremely evident problem.

Xiaomi Redmi 7A

DoT’s new system will be capable of tracking mobile phones that are detectable even if they have their SIM cards removed or IMEI numbers changed. As per a report, the new system will be called the Central Equipment Identity Register which will be deployed nationwide in August. CIER is a new technology for tracking lost and stolen phones which have been under development since July 2017 under the DoT. The agency was instructed to create a system that discourages theft and snatching cases that prevalent in the country by the Indian Government.

Mobile phone theft and snatching cases have blown out of control over the past couple of years. According to reports, a 500% increase of snatching cases has been reported in New Delhi alone over the last five years. The Indian Government has reportedly allocated a sum of INR 15 crores for the spread of the CIER system throughout the country. CIER will make all stolen or lost handsets unusable across every service provider networks. Most stolen phones are sold in the black market where new IMEI numbers are flashed on these devices to make them untraceable. The new method will still affect the stolen devices with changed IMEI numbers making them just an expensive paperweight, unusable across networks.

Also Read: Instagram Introduces An Abuse Filter To Restrict Cyber Bullying

IMEI database of all mobile operators will be consolidated in one central system. It means that network providers will be able to share details of stolen or lost handsets to be blocked from future use. The new system is currently being tested for the first time in Maharashtra. Indian Government have finally found a concrete method to crack down on criminals that harm its lawful citizens. It can potentially save the people crores in rupee from the loss of property. CIER is a much-needed system which will finally be put into practice.

July 9, 2019
Instagram Introduces An Abuse Filter To Restrict Cyber Bullying
Hate speech is a common occurrence and an evil that goes side by side with the growth of the internet and social media. The digital world gave a powerful tool at the hands of men, which was impersonal mode of exchange. One of Instagram’s greatest feature is its impersonal method of communication and portrayal of lives. By basic psychology, it is much easier to speak ill online or to say certain things that have an impact without having a physical presence.

To curb a growing trend of online negativity, Instagram is now introducing a new system that checks profanity and abusive words on its app. It includes a filter to restrict foul languages and hates speech on the comment sections and posts. Instagram has rolled out two new features to reduce online bullying.
- The firstly is anyone trying to comment on a post in an abusive manner will receive a popup warning.
- The second is the new ‘Restrict’ function which has been added to limit other users’ interaction with another.
Profanity Filter

According to the early testing period reports, the AI powered warning feature has stopped some people from posting abusive comments. The new intervening feature will occur if a user types any abusive comments which will be responded by a popup message. It asks the user if they are sure they wish to post the negative content. People are still capable of fooling the aforementioned AI by simply using symbols or alternative spellings. Instagram has not given any statement as to how it is going to prevent this from occurring. The new features functionality has yet to be extended towards other languages.

Restrict Function

The social media platform is also testing a new feature dubbed as ‘Restrict’. It will allow a person to limit undesired users to interact with them. A restricted person can still comment on the posts from the person that restricted them; however, the comments will only be visible to themselves. The person that utilizes the Restrict function can review and allow the restricted user’s comments to be visible to others specifically. Instagram has stated that people avoid blocking, reporting or even unfollowing their bullies fearing the escalation of the problem. The new feature would have restricted users not being able to see when the victim is active or when they’ve read their messages.

Also Read: AMD Radeon RX 5700 & 5700 XT GPU Prices Revealed In India

Instagram has started to demote offensive posts that propagate hate speech starting in April 2019. The company is working hard to stop the ever-growing negativity that spreads on any social networking platform. Updates are expected to arrive that boost the AI’s capabilities to detect the hidden abusive language in comments. The new feature will add a much-needed function to help its users avoid troublesome people on its platform; a healthy step towards a positive online environment.
July 9, 2019
AMD Radeon RX 5700 & 5700 XT GPU Prices Revealed In India

AMD had announced its latest Radeon RX 5700 & 5700 XT graphics card offerings in its keynote at Computex 2019. It marks the company’s entry into the mid to high tier ranges of GPUs. The video cards were made in response to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 20 series GPUs with a better price to performance value. AMD officially launched the cards on 7th July and finally released the official Indian pricing after the surprise price slash.

Team green’s Ray Tracing enabled cards featured flagship (from the 2080Ti and 2080) to the upper mid range (2070 and 2060) GPUs; unfortunately, the aforementioned PC components also carried a hefty price for the new technology offered. AMD is seeking to fill the premium and mid range gap with its RX 5700 series of powerful cards and lucrative prices. NVIDIA is launching its refreshed, beefed up version of the original, RTX SUPER cards today to be better compete with AMD.

Specifications

AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 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. It will compete with the new RTX 2070 SUPER while outperforming the now discontinued vanilla RTX 2070 from NVIDIA.

On the other hand, the Radeon RX 5700 features 36 compute units or 2304 streaming processors that deliver 7.95 TFLOPs of FP32 performance. The 7nm GPU will sport 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM with a core clock of 1465MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz. It will compete with the new RTX 2060 SUPER while outperforming vanilla RTX 2060 from NVIDIA.

Price & Availability

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is officially priced at INR 30,990 (INR 36,570, after tax), while the Radeon RX 5700 will sell for INR 26,990 (INR 31,850, after tax). However, AMD is not launching the higher end RX 5700 XT Anniversary Edition in India. The two GPUs will be under AMD’s current flagship the Radeon VII and will also be available from other brands. Variations of the graphics card will be sold by Gigabyte, MSI, Sapphire, ASUS, and more with single digit percentage difference in performance.

Also Read: LG Working On A Cryptocurrency Wallet Suggests Patent

It is a great time to be a gamer or build a gaming PC. Prices for viable PC components are now available. The sub $500 market has never been so competitive. Both team green and red offer are offering some great deals that give more choice to consumers which is always a plus point. One can essentially buy from either the RTX SUPER or RX 5700 Series and not regret it. The tech giants have offered great value for money with the new affordable graphics card. The new launches bring a positive impact for the Indian gaming community and culture as a whole.

July 9, 2019
Google Pixel 4 Design Leaked In All Its Glory

Google’s long-awaited Pixel 4 smartphone is just around the corner. The device is set to launch in October this year and will mark the fourth iteration of the company’s flagship handsets. Following initial leaks, the American company had unveiled the rear design of the device which showcased the new camera module. Now, the latest report reveals the complete design of the Pixel 4 in great detail.

According to the source, the front of the Google Pixel 4 XL features minimal bezels on all sides except for a noticeable forehead on top which houses the selfie camera alongside the essential sensors. The power button and volume rockers are housed on the right of the device, while the left is devoid of any seams. Its square rear camera module is seen at the top left on the back panel with the ‘G’ logo on the bottom.

While most OEMs are moving towards a full-screen front panel, Google Pixel 4 XL is seen here still sporting the traditional design philosophy. However, the design has a function and meaning behind its existence. The forehead houses two front-facing cameras, primary and wide angle lens, and a specialized sensor for Air Gestures. It has no visible fingerprint sensor at the back which implies that Google will probably include an in display fingerprint sensor.

Also Read: Indian Teenager Commits Suicide After Not Being Allowed To Play PUBG Mobile

Google Pixel 4 will compete with other giant flagship releasing around the time of its release, namely iPhone 11 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10. The upcoming device has to bring either great functionality with the Air Gestures or a unique feature to stay relevant amidst the releases. More information is expected to be available in the arriving week with updates being provided soon.

July 8, 2019
You Can Pre Book The Redmi K20 Pro Before Launch, Here’s How

Xiaomi had unveiled its new flagship Redmi K20 series in May to its Chinese audiences; which was followed by the European release. Xiaomi is one of the most popular brands in India and has been one of the leading smartphone OEM in the country. It is particularly famous for its budget to mid-range smartphones that the Indian market adores due to their competitive pricing and specs. Hence, Indians have long awaited for the launch of this device in the country.

Xiaomi’s Redmi K20 has already received a release date of 17th July. But for those who plan to buy and want to skip the predicted cue, here is how to reserve the device a bit earlier.

How To Pre-Book The Redmi K20

Xiaomi has announced the new “Alpha Sale” for the upcoming Redmi K20 series of smartphones. It will be the first time this method is being opted by the company. The original sale starts on the 17th of July but the Redmi K20 series flagship will be available from the July 12th for the devout Mi Fans. Prospective buyers that cannot risk having the device being sold out have the opportunity of pre-booking and reserving a unit for themselves. The offer can be availed via Flipkart and the Mi website.

Users have to pay an initial fee of INR 855 to reserve a Redmi K20 unit and the offer goes live on 12th July at 12 pm. Through this, the users get to directly reach the final check out portal for the purchase on 17th July. If users do not get to avail the pre-booking purchase, the amount will be automatically refunded to their Mi Account or via a coupon in their Flipkart account.

Redmi K20 Series

The Redmi K20 and the K20 Pro have glass on both the front and rear which is held together with a metal chassis. The handsets have a 6.39 inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. To maximise the screen real estate, they both have a pop-up mechanism on top which houses the front-facing selfie camera. For biometric security and rapidly getting through the lock screen, the Redmi K20 series has an in display fingerprint scanner along with support for face unlock. Both devices are powered by a 4,000mAh battery which is capable of 27W fast charging.

Also Read: Sony To Launch A Rollable Smartphone To Compete Against Galaxy Fold

Under the hood, the economical Redmi K20 is kitted with the 8nm Snapdragon 730 SoC. The chipset is comprised of an Octa-core CPU and the Adreno 618 GPU. On the other hand, the flagship grade Redmi K20 Pro runs on the 7nm Snapdragon 855 SoC which has an Octa-core CPU and the Adreno 640 GPU. In terms of optics, both smartphones have a triple rear camera setup consisting of an f/1.75 aperture equipped 48MP sensor, an f/2.4 aperture equipped 13MP ultra wide angle sensor; and a tertiary f/2.4 aperture equipped 8MP telephoto sensor. For selfies, an f/2.0 aperture equipped 32MP sensor is housed in the pop-up mechanism on top of the handsets.

July 8, 2019
Indian Teenager Commits Suicide After Not Being Allowed To Play PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile, the portable free version of the massively popular PC game, took India by storm. The game currently has one of its major demographics stem from the southeastern nation. It has become so popular among the youth that it’s its bad effects have started to show. A 17 year old boy in Jind, Haryana, has reportedly committed suicide after his mother prevented him from playing the game by taking away his phone.

India is not one of the major markets that video game studios target, however, PUBG Mobile’s success certainly did entice the industry. Major names like Activision are also seeking to focus more on the mobile gaming market to capture its broader potential audiences. Gaming has always existed in India, however, not having the same impact as the ones in countries like the US. But as India emerges in the gaming industry, so does its harmful effects. Issues like gaming addiction are bound to arise from popular games like PUBG Mobile.

According to a new report, the mother of the victim found the 17 year old hanging in his room the next morning after snatching away his phone. The deceased had reportedly dropped from school after the 10th grade a year prior to the incident and spent most of his time on PUBG Mobile. The boy’s father and mother had often scolded him for playing the game for hours on end. Such incidents are becoming a more common occurrence as last week a person was killed by his younger brother over the same game.

Also Read: Microsoft Is Developing An xCloud Console To Take On Google Stadia

On the 6th of July, Jordan banned PUBG Mobile due to its reportedly negative effects on its citizens. The move was similarly reciprocated in Iraq, Nepal, and even the Indonesian province of Aceh and India’s Gujarat. Game addiction is now officially listed under mental disability category by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

July 8, 2019
Microsoft Is Developing An xCloud Console To Take On Google Stadia

Initial rumours had claimed that Microsoft will take a new direction with its Xbox gaming consoles. Its latest generation of the console was speculated to arrive in two variants with one being beefier and higher spec than the other. That fell through after Microsoft’s E3 2019 keynote that did not feature a separate tag for a second console. A brand new report now claims that the weaker console was scrapped for an xCloud based console.

The new report may give both Sony and Google a run for their money. Sony’s PlayStation Now and PlayStation 5 and Google’s Stadia might have to rethink strategies and prices after the launch of both Microsoft consoles. Project Scarlett will be the flagship console of this generation from the company while an xCloud exclusive gaming console will be sold separately. The concept is similar to Stadia controllers which directly connects to users routers.

It seems that Microsoft is renewing its intent for a sister console according to the fresh report. An xCloud console is apparently in the works. Project xCloud is Microsoft’s proprietary take on the cloud game streaming service. The new service blew up on social media after Google had announced Stadia for the first time. It brought the existing cloud gaming service to mainstream media. The upcoming console will be a low powered machine as most of the computing hassles are taken care of by Microsoft’s own servers. It will be designed to give a low power and low latency experience designed specifically for a better gaming experience on the xCloud.

Also Read: Xiaomi Develops A Periscope Camera Module, May Debut With Mi Mix 4

The new xCloud console could possibly sell for anywhere between the bracket of $60 to $100, not including the monthly subscription. It is a step away from the reduced graphics and performance variant of Project Scarlett. The console will be a bit more than a basic set-top box like Apple TV but will connect to an Xbox controller directly to xCloud for gaming. Finer details are still unavailable but more updates are expected to arrive soon.

July 8, 2019
Xiaomi Develops A Periscope Camera Module, May Debut With Mi Mix 4

Smartphone manufacturers have set the norm of having at least two cameras at the rear in most devices now. The nature of the secondary lens was, in most cases, merely to supplement the primary camera. It was most commonly seen in the form of depth sensors to reproduce popular Bokeh effects on ‘Portrait’ modes. The sensor that lately started gaining popularity is the periscope lens that gives a stand-alone functionality. Xiaomi is now reportedly equipping the Mi Mix 4 with such a lens.

It is common for premium grade smartphones to feature a wide angle lens and telephoto camera, like in the OnePlus 7 Pro. But OEMs like Huawei and Oppo in their latest flagships have introduced a new form of secondary lenses. Huawei’s P30 Pro and Oppo Reno 10X Zoom feature a periscope lens that offers a much deeper optical zoom than the telephoto counterpart. In a new report, Xiaomi has patented designs for a similar in-house developed module. The new technology will reportedly be incorporated in the upcoming Mi Mix 4.

Huawei P30 Pro

The report arrives after Xiaomi filed a patent titled, “Camera Components and Electronic Devices.” It details that the camera setup will feature an auxiliary lens alongside the primary shooter. Like an actual periscope, the secondary lens will be set one optical axis perpendicular to the main lens light axis. It enables the befitting of a periscope assist lens directly on the main sensor. In simpler words, the new periscope lens can be incorporated within the main camera without having to increase the lens thickness. Thus, Xiaomi fans can soon expect to see a 5x optical to 10x hybrid zoom on the Mi Mix 4.

Also Read: Indian Pricing Of AMD Ryzen 3000 CPUs Revealed

The Mi Mix 4 is reported to feature this new technology as it is one at it will be the latest addition to flagship MIX smartphone lineup from Xiaomi. Its new camera lens feature will be a great new feature added to its devices. Users can soon expect to see this type of lens becoming a more common occurrence in upcoming/future smartphones from the company. More information is expected to be available in the arriving week with updates following soon.

July 8, 2019
Indian Pricing Of AMD Ryzen 3000 CPUs Revealed

AMD has finally released its much awaited third generation Ryzen CPUs. The company on the 7/7 (7th of July) launched eight new 7nm Ryzen 3000 series desktop processors. They are the first to incorporate AMD’s latest Zen 2 architecture built on a 7nm manufacturing process. The CPUs will go on sale globally alongside the new NAVI Radeon GPUs and motherboards from the company. AMD has currently only announced the pricing of CPUs for the Indian market.

Price

The top end Ryzen 9 3950X with 16 cores will only be available from September. The Ryzen 9 3900X, with 12 cores an 24 threads, will go on sale today for INR 35,990 in India (approx Rs. 42,470 after 18% tax). AMD’s 8 core CPUs like the Ryzen 7 3800X and 3700X are priced at INR 28,490 and INR 24990 (excluding tax) respectively; while the mid range affordable yet powerful cores such as the Ryzen 5 3600X and 3600 will sell for INR 17,690 and INR 14,490 (excluding tax) respectively. The aforementioned cards are all fabricated on a 7nm architecture and will replace the second generation of Ryzen processors.

AMD also launched two new APUs, namely, the Ryzen 5 3400G and Ryzen 3200G; they are based on the previous gen Zen+ architecture that features Radeon Vega graphics processors. The prices for the CPUs are INR 10,990 and INR 7,190 (excluding tax) respectively and are aimed at casual or budget gamers. The new launches are AMD’s move on upgrading their single-threaded and multi-threaded performance to outclass the 9th generation Intel Core processors.

The Competition

Intel has infamously struggled with the transition to the 10nm fabrication process and will only incorporate it in its upcoming 10th gen CPUs. The company has stayed competitive by tweaking its 14nm chipsets to give better performance but team red is taking the lead now. The company’s 10th gen Intel Core processors will have to bring great new improvements or features to stay relevant against AMD. Intel and AMD have always been neck-in-neck with their PC components arms race, with Intel always having an edge. Now, AMD is seemingly ahead of the curve and already a step ahead of Intel. Only time will tell how Intel responds to the new threat it faces in the computing industry.

Also Read: Top Upcoming Smartphones To Look Out For In Second Half Of 2019

AMD has also launched its new motherboards and NAVI based Radeon GPUs; however, the pricing of the later is yet to be announced for the Indian market. The company will partner with other brands like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and more to introduce its X570 chipset based motherboards. Its prices range from INR 13,805 for Asus Prime X570-p/CSM to INR 38,150 for Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Formula. The second being a flagship motherboard and both exclude GST taxes.

July 8, 2019
HongMeng OS Is Upto 60 Percent Faster Than Android OS And MacOS

It was revealed a while back that Huawei’s proprietary HongMeng OS has been planned in secrecy years ago. The top officials of the Chinese company had decided on the development of a native OS after fearing US based software dominance. Skip a few years forward and that is all but true. Android and Apple are the most popular OS out there that belong from the US with which China has always had unstable trade relations.

Now, a report claims that the recently announced HongMeng OS is reportedly 60% faster than its main competitor Android.

HongMeng OS turned out to be Huawei’s trump card against US monopoly. It was finally unveiled from secrecy and had sought to ensure Huawei’s long term market security regardless of international trade relations. In a new report from, Chairman of Huawei had claimed that its HongMeng OS outperforms Android by a massive 60% lead. The aforementioned OS will complete development; regardless of Huawei being able to continue business with US companies. This arrives after the US ban that prohibited the company to have unrestricted operations in the western nation.

In terms of speed, Huawei has claimed that the OS is much faster than Google’s as well as Apple’s MacOS. HongMeng OS will also be introduced to the company’s laptop computer offerings too and are reportedly faster than MacOS. Huawei’s OS is designed to be versatile with a broad range of compatibility across different electronic devices which will interact with one another. A move that is similar to Apple’s iCloud based electronic economy and family connectivity. The company’s top officials have acknowledged its two giant competitors which have a sizeable application ecosystem; true with Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store apps which contain millions of apps.

Also Read: Redmi K20 Pro Indian Price Leaks, Starts At Rs 24,999

The implications of the new report are massive. An OS that is both flexible and more powerful than what is currently offered in the market; it can possibly even disrupt the westward focused technology power structure. The claims can currently not be disproved since the HongMeng OS hasn’t been released yet. However, even exaggerated it may still hold some truth regarding performance and speed.

July 6, 2019
Nintendo Gears Up To Dip Toes In Cloud Gaming

The mainstream gaming term of the year can be coined under “Cloud Game Streaming.” Large corporations that are well renowned in the gaming community have already started the shift in focus towards hardware-less philosophy. The concept is not new by any means but Google’s announcement of Stadia clearly brought it to the mainstream medias’ attention. Now, Nintendo in a statement has addressed the implications of the new technology alongside its possible interests with it.

Multi-billion dollar corporations like Sony and Microsoft are already working on their own proprietary online service. The Window’s company has already announced the xCloud while the Sony will launch its PlayStation Now. Notably, both the companies already have their own major consoles, namely Xbox and PlayStation, which the service will seek to replace. Nintendo has been on the sidelines during the announcement of the aforementioned services, however, the company has not ruled it out entirely.

Nintendo, unlike Microsoft and Sony, has not revealed any involvement with the gaming buzz of the year. The company’s Switch which is a handheld portable gaming console offers much of the similar functions as the online game streaming service. One of the key selling points of cloud gaming is its portability; anyone with an internet connection can essentially game anywhere and on any device with a screen. Google Stadia was seen playing the popular gaming title Doom on the Pixel as an example.

Nintendo’s President was quoted saying that game streaming is still early but will soon catch on; the company will always strive to adapt to the dynamic gaming environment. Other top officials also stated that services like this cannot ever completely replace hardware-based consoles like the Switch. The company is rather open to future endeavours focused on cloud computing. It would help them bring its beloved title to more broader audiences across the globe.

Also Read: Redmi K20 Pro Indian Price Leaks, Starts At Rs 24,999

The company is currently working on its subscription model that was teased at its E3 Gaming Expo Stage. It will review every product and offer the ones that are viable for the new business model to further expand its horizons. We might soon see one or another form of game streaming from Nintendo as a Switch was recently seen running popular AAA titles. The company while not actively promoting the service has discreetly tested games, like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey on its handheld machine. Popular titles like Mario might be soon appearing with subscription-based models.

July 6, 2019
Apple Maybe Working On A Laptop Sized Foldable iPad

Apple iPad is one of the best selling tablet devices in the global market. However, the mobile industry is one of the most volatile markets and currently suffers from oversaturation that has led to a decline in Apple’s sales volume. The American company is reportedly planning on overcoming this slump with the introduction of its first 5G ready devices.

A new report from a Chinese source has claimed that Apple is developing a foldable iPad with 5G connectivity.

The news arrives after rumours had surfaced on an upcoming dual screen Microsoft Surface laptops. It can be implied that Apple is taking the portable ultrabook category more seriously to compete against Microsoft’s offering. The upcoming foldable iPad would feature the first major redesign in the series in about 10 years and will help boost Apple’s sales. The foldable tablet is also implied to offer 5G networking capabilities alongside the new design philosophy. However, it is unclear as to when the device will be released as a 5G iPhone is more likely to be released before a 5G iPad.

Apple is rumoured to unveil its first 5G ready iPhone in early 2020, although rumours are also alleging that a 5G iPad might be launched before it. The confusion in launch timelines can only be cleared by an official company statement regarding the matter. Unfortunately, it is still too early for a response to be given out if the device is under early stages of development.

A foldable smartphone is a hybrid between a tablet and handset, but a foldable tablet will be a tablet and laptop hybrid. Hence, the upcoming device might be a bendable MacBook sized Apple product built for versatility. According to the report, Apple is already seeking suppliers for critical components for the foldable iPad. Rather than simply being a bending MacBook screen, Apple might just include a secondary display for dual screen functionality similar to the rumoured Surface Pro; or include the 2 in 1 hybrid feature that is employed by certain OEMs.

A foldable 5G iPad would allow users to have a lot more mobility with capable hardware at any given moment. It would enable more productivity with the inclusion of the new faster bandwidth on the go. Apple has yet to make any announcement regarding this information so loyal fans of the brand should not start making victory laps already. The new design could be a much needed fresh breath of air to revitalize the product.

Also Read: AMD Reduces Radeon RX 5700 Prices To Beat NVIDIA RTX Super

Analysts have also claimed that the first 5G iPad will not be seen until the year 2021. It is not to say that Apple would not include new designs for its upcoming iPad Pro in 2020. The company might be making a bold new step if they do decide to go through with the unique design formula. More information is expected to be available in the arriving weeks with updates following soon.

July 6, 2019
AMD Reduces Radeon RX 5700 Prices To Beat NVIDIA RTX Super

AMD had announced its latest offerings of graphics card in Computex 2019 in May. The Radeon RX 5700 series was set to take on NVIDIA’s RTX series graphics card by undercutting it in terms of price. However, NVIDIA had just unveiled its own trump card, with the RTX SUPER series which was teased after AMD’s Computex keynote. The latest RTX SUPER cards feature a noticeable bump in performance at a reasonable price tag; so why would gamers go with team red (AMD) cards if they can get a cheaper similarly performing team green (NVIDIA).

Now, AMD is countering the latest NVIDIA cards by slashing its price down for the Radeon RX 5700 series before its launch.

The Competitor

AMD had originally announced its new 7nm NAVI GPUs, the Radeon RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT at a price of $379 (approx. Rs.26,000) and $449 (approx. Rs.31,000) respectively. They were priced in a manner to undercut the RTX 20 series graphics card, mainly the RTX 2060 and RTX 2070. The cards would’ve been a worthy competitor at that price with the performance offered. At launch, the RTX 2060 cost $349 (approx. Rs.23,889) while the RTX 2070 cost $599 (approx. Rs.41,000). The latest RTX 2060 SUPER carries the same price tag as the RX 5700 XT and should deliver performance slightly below it, while the RTX 2070 SUPER is priced at Rs,43,600 for India.

New Price & Availability

The Radeon RX 5700 series from AMD will launch on 7th July carrying a price tag of $349 (approx. Rs.23,889) for the RX 5700; while the higher end will be sold for $399 (approx. Rs.27,331). NVIDIA had seemingly cut off the AMD’s cards before they had even launched, but team red had been prepared. The decision arrives directly after the launch of the RTX SUPER series graphics cards. The price drop might have already been planned by AMD.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi A3 With Triple Cameras Certified On FCC And IMDA

One of AMD’s top officials went on Twitter to post the term ‘Jebaited’. It is a word associated with the gaming community. It is basically used when one either outmanoeuvre or outsmart the enemies. The tweet clearly states AMD’s intention of upping its long-running competition with team green. The prices drops are a big deal as gamers finally have a myriad of viable choices at reasonable prices after the boosted prices of yesteryears. Users can look forward to the upcoming Radeon RX 5700 series as a worthy competitor to the RTX SUPER series.

July 6, 2019
Xiaomi Mi A3 With Triple Cameras Certified On FCC And IMDA

Earlier this month, Xiaomi launched the Mi CC9 lineup of smartphones in China. The newly launched devices are packed with up to date features and are priced aggresively. The key highlighting features of the smartphones in this lineup include an under display fingerprint sensor and an AMOLED display.

Following the launch of the devices, rumours started surfacing they will launch as the Mi A3 in the global market. The rumours are now gaining traction with the addition of an FCC certification being received by M1906F9SH model from Xiaomi. It has even appeared on the Singaporean IMDA, with the same model number. The handset is turning out to be the upcoming Android One Mi A3.

Design

The upcoming smartphone carries the same model number as the Mi CC9e albeit with a different last letter which is a C in the Mi CC9e. The FCC Certification carried a number of details regarding the upcoming Mi A3’s design and dimensions. According to the schematics, the back panel features both the Android One and Xiaomi logo at the bottom of the device. The device has also reportedly been seen at the EEC in Russia. The large cutout at the rear suggests a possible inclusion of a triple camera set up.

Specification

Finer details are unclear right now, so it’s unknown if Mi A3 would sport Mi CC series specifications on the inside. The Mi CC9e ran on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC which is not a large improvement over the Mi A2. This could mean that a Mi A3 Lite might also be in development. It is going to sport a 48MP AI assisted primary camera on the rear, which is similar to the CC9e. The markings at the back also highlight a hybrid dual SIM card slot.

Xiaomi Mi A2

The Chinese CC9e featured a 6.01-inch HD+ water drop notch display with a triple camera set up. It housed a 48MP Sony sensor, alongside an 8MP wide-angle lens and a 2MP depth sensor. The device featured a 3.5mm headphone jack which will be a welcomed return to the Mi A3. The aforementioned specs could probably make an appearance on the Mi A3 due to the similar price segments.

Also Read: NVIDIA Collaborates With PUBG, Offers Exclusive Limited Edition Skins

Xiaomi’s Mi A2 was officially launched in July which implies an imminent release of the Mi A3. Its predecessor received a warm welcome in India, so the Mi A3 is likely to be sold for a similar sub 20k price range. More information regarding the smartphone is expected to arrive within the next couple of days, stay tuned for updates.

July 5, 2019