Beginning on October 13th, Google Drive is changing its Trash policies. After 30 days, files that you’ve trashed will be automatically deleted. Until now, those files have been stored indefinitely, unless you manually and permanently deleted them from Trash. There’s a good chance you’ll only be impacted by this change if you were using this odd policy to hoard files.
As The Verge notes, other Google products, like Gmail, already delete trashed files after 30 days. So this update will bring some consistency across Google’s products.
So yes, you can technically play next-gen games for $299. Or $399, if you prefer the PS5 ecosystem. But realistically, you can’t. The digital version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, for example, currently demands 185GB on a PS4 or Xbox One. The much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, meanwhile, is expected to be an 80GB download. That’s already more than 250GB. There will be smaller games, of course, and some titles, like Rare’s Sea of Thieves, have been cleverly shrunk post-release.
Sony
Mark Cerny, the lead architect on the PS4, has also suggested that game sizes could get smaller on the PS5. On a traditional HDD, commonly-requested game elements — a car or mailbox that appears on every road, for instance — are duplicated so they can be quickly retrieved and loaded into the game. A faster SSD, meanwhile, shouldn’t require these duplications. In theory, this means the same game could have a smaller file size on the next set of consoles.
That’s a big assumption, though. Developers could also use the extra space to pack even more detail into their titles, negating the efficiencies of the SSD and creating file sizes that are similar to what we have now.
So here’s the big question: how many ‘triple-A’ games can the Xbox Series S actually hold? If file sizes don’t fluctuate, eight or nine seems likely.
The situation won’t be much better on the PS5, either. The 825GB SSD is better than the original PS4, which only shipped with a 500GB HDD. But again, you’re probably looking at 10 or 12 games max on a drive that size.
How many ‘triple-A’ games can the Xbox Series S actually hold?
Both of these predictions are based on the assumption that all of the advertised storage will be available to users. If huge chunks are taken up by the operating system and basic apps, then you can expect to squeeze even fewer games onto each console’s SSD.
Microsoft and Sony are fully aware of this problem. And the solution, just like previous console generations, is expandable storage. Microsoft has teamed up with Seagate on a 1TB expansion card that supports Velocity Architecture, a combination of features that ensure developers get the best performance out of the Xbox Series S and X. For now, it’s the only SSD that will support next-gen games, though you can use a cheaper drive for older titles, as well as stor
DUMAOS has been a mainstay of Netgear routers for a while now, allowing gamers access to Quality of Service (QoS) features like allocating bandwidth by device so that their PC or console can take priority when traffic is heavy or their connection experiences hiccups. DUMAOS 3.0 takes the level of control further by allowing users to not just choose devices, but the type of traffic that’s allowed. Web, messaging and file sharing can be de-prioritized while a player is busy live streaming on Twitch, or a parent can choose to allocate the router’s bandwidth to VoIP and VPN during work hours to prevent freezing and drop-outs because their kids decided to fire up YouTube or Netflix.
Netgear
That’s useful to more than just gamers, but there are also a lot of features specifically aimed at those who compete online. Players can now pull up a “heat map” of the servers from games like Call of Duty, FIFA and Fortnite and see which ones offer the lowest ping rate. DUMAOS can also keep ping rate records over time, letting you view each server’s average and make a list of the best ones. Geofencing, a feature that allows players to only connect to servers nearby, has been improved as well. Previously the system would create a circle around their physical location and only connect within that radius, but now DUMAOS 3.0 lets users draw non-circular boundaries themselves, so they can include servers that offer a faster ping despite being further away. (Servers in less populated areas tend to go under-used and may offer a better connection than one located down the street in a major city.)
Netgear
Other new features are focused more on the user’s connection, with speed, ping and bufferbloat tests being added. The last one, bufferbloat, allows you to test your connection when it’s under stress — uploads and downloads — versus when it’s idle. And parents will appreciate the addition of a timed traffic controller, which lets them block off applications or devices at specific times. So no Netflix during dinner or games after bedtime. You can also block off certain hardware permanently; this comes in handy with commonly-attacked devices like home automation tools, which can be locked down when you don’t need to make changes.
The PS5 may not be out until November but players can get their WiFi 6 connection set up starting now, with the NPG XR1000 hitting store shelves today for a pricey $350. Sure, that’s almost as much as buying a game console, but the peace of mind where you don’t have to worry about lag might be worth it during your next match.
5K video, 20-megapixel photos and a whole lot more.
GoPro’s slogan for the Hero 9 launch is “More everything,” and there really are enough new things here for that to feel fair. GoPro regulars will appreciate the higher resolution, while the new front screen fends off competition from DJI. Managing Editor James Trew says that the introduction of lens mods indicates the Hero 9 could remain versatile long after its launch, and the return of the removable lens cap and bigger battery life squashes two of the main negatives from previous cameras. Continue reading.
Better cooling than last gen, and powerful enough to help pros with 4K video editing.
If you prefer your gaming on a PC, then NVIDIA’s new gaming cards are your way into high frame-rate 4K gaming. Devindra Hardawar spent some time with the RTX 3080 this week to find out how it performs compared to the older 2080Ti and, surprise, it can handle advanced features like ray tracing without needing to compromise on resolution or frame rate. Check out the benchmarks inside for some help deciding on whether it’s worth the $699 price. Continue reading.
Along with updates for the iPad, Apple TV, Watch.
As promised, Apple just dropped iOS 14. It’s now available on iPhone 6s and above, and it brings a whole bunch of new features. Those include home screen widgets, an App Library, Apple Clips, picture-in-picture mode and pretty significant changes to Siri and Messages. You should be able to update your various iThings directly, while Macs will have to wait a few more weeks before the Big Sur system update arrives. Continue reading.
Ryan also defended the $399 price for the digital edition that’s $100 higher than Microsoft’s $299 Xbox Series S. “We want to future proof them so that they know the console they buy will be relevant in several years time,” he told the WaPo. In response to a question about the Xbox One Series S, he also told Yahoo Japan (translated) that “lowering specs in order to reduce the price of a device doesn’t have a happy history. We’ve had that experience and so have other companies.”
Contrary to an earlier Bloomberg report, Sony said that it won’t have any supply issues when the console goes on sale on November 12th in the US, Japan and other launch regions, and November 19th elsewhere. It didn’t say exactly how many units would be available upon launch, but Ryan said there would be more PS5s than there were PS4s when it launched in 2013. At that time, the company sold 2.1 million PS4s in the first two weeks after launch, and 4.5 million between launch and the end of the year.
Of course, the main reason to buy an Xperia these days is for photography, since this brings much of the tech over from the Xperia 1 II. Packing a triple-lens Zeiss camera that we saw on the previous model, this new phone is able to shoot 120fps slow-motion in HDR, as well as grabbing real-time eye-autofocus. Sony’s pedigree in gaming means that, too, you’ll be able to roast your frenemies in multiplayer.
In the US, the Xperia 5 II will cost you $950 (£799 in the UK), with pre-orders opening on September 29th and shipping expected by December 4th. Plus, if you hand your money over before November 29th, you’ll get a gaming bundle including a headset, spare power bank and a bunch of points for Call of Duty Mobile.
After releasing its Sound Unbound spatial audio for headphones on Xbox One, DTS is doing the same for home theater systems. The company has just released its Sound Unbound DTS:X home theater support on Xbox One to Xbox Insiders, following testing on the Alpha Ring. That means it should eventually come to all Xbox One users, offering surround sound on home theater systems for both gaming and movies. DTS said that compatibility is also planned for the Xbox Series X when it launches.
As you likely know, DTS:X is a rival to Dolby Atmos, offering an object-based approach to surround sound. As such, sounds are related to game elements, so you might hear enemies coming before you see them. Audio is transmitted from an Xbox One Blu-ray player or supported games to any HDMI-compatible AV receiver with built-in DTS:X decoding. DTS also offers a version for headphones called Headphone:X.
Capcom has officially unveiled Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition during Sony’s PlayStation 5 event, where it revealed that the game will launch on the same day the console becomes available. The upgraded version of DMC5, which was originally released in 2019, takes advantage of the upcoming device’s ray tracing capabilities to enable realistic shadows and lighting. You’ll also be given the choice between prioritizing resolution (up to 4K at 30fps) and prioritizing frame rate: the game will come with a 120fps mode, so you can better appreciate its insane weapon combos.
Special Edition also makes Vergil a playable character, granting the request of fans who’ve been asking for the feature since the original DMC5 was announced years ago. But if you’re not getting a PS5 yet and still want to play as Vergil, you’ll be able to get him as a $6 DLC for the original game on older consoles, as well.
iRobot says the i3+ can capture 99 percent of pollen, mold, dust mites and cat and dog allergens. It apparently has 10 times the suction power of the Roomba 600 series and has the capability to figure out where dirt builds up, so it can focus on those areas.
Like its predecessors, the Roomba i7+ and s9+, the i3+ comes with a cleaning dock called the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal where the machine automatically empties the debris it collects and which doubles as a charging station. The Clean Base encloses debris in a bag with four layers of allergen-blocking materials and is big enough to keep months’ worth of dirt and dust. It’s much cheaper than the $1,000 i7+ and the $1,400 s9+, though — that said, you can get the new Roomba without the Clean Base at an even cheaper price.
The Roomba i3+ with a Clean Base will set you back US$599, while the i3 without a Base is priced at US$399. Both models are now available in the US and Canada on iRobot’s website and will be out for sale at various retailers later this month. The Roomba i3+ will also be available in other countries sometime in the first quarter of 2021.
As part of its PlayStation 5 showcase on Wednesday, Sony featured a new campaign trailer from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, talking up its support for ray tracing, 120Hz refresh rate and HDR on the new console. However, before it comes to the PS5, the developers announced a PS4-exclusive multiplayer Alpha test happening this weekend, “complete with multiple modes, maps, and a preview of the Create-a-Class and Scorestreak systems.” If you can’t wait a couple of days, then just read through Jessica Conditt’s experiences in Cold War’s neon-tinged multiplayer setup that posted last week.
According to developer Treyarch Studios players can expect more details tomorrow, which is also when the test program will be available for preloading to help players maximize gaming time instead of downloading and installing. You can start your preloads on September 17th at 11AM ET, before the test is available between Friday afternoon (9/18 1PM ET) and Sunday afternoon (9/20 1PM ET).
