Blog

Stranger Things’ Demogorgon will be a playable killer in ‘Dead by Daylight’

[ad_1]

You can take control of the Demogorgon and hunt down survivors. Alternatively, you can play as Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington — a wise choice, since including the young teen stars of Stranger Things as possible murder victims might have been a little much. They’ll be available in September as part of the Stranger Things DLC Chapter, alongside a new map: the underground complex below the Hawkins National Laboratory.

Of course, Dead by Daylight isn’t the Netflix franchise’s only foray into games. Stranger Things 3: The Game, a tie-in for the third season, arrived in July, while Fortnite had a Stranger Things tie-in. A mobile RPG is also on the way next year.

[ad_2]

Source link

US gives Huawei another 90 days to serve existing customers

[ad_1]

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the extension, today, but it was rumored over the weekend. It’s the second reprieve the US has granted Huawei since blacklisting the company. Ross said the decision was made to minimize disruptions to US customers, many of which are in rural areas. “We’re giving them a little more time to wean themselves off,” Ross reportedly told Fox Business Network.

According to Reuters, Ross also announced that the US is adding 46 Huawei affiliates to the economic blacklist. The total number of Huawei entities that are restricted is now more than 100.

This is just the latest in the on-going saga between Huawei and the Trump administration. Huawei has repeatedly denied the US government’s accusations, and earlier this summer, President Trump said he would lift some of the restrictions. It’s hard to say what will happen after November 19th, but until then, Huawei customers in the US should be able to continue using their devices.

[ad_2]

Source link

Google stops sending Android cell signal data over privacy concerns

[ad_1]

Mobile Network Insights had only launched in March 2017, but was apparently valuable to providers. Although they do have other ways of gauging network quality, Google’s feature was helpful precisely because of the sheer number of Android phones in the field. A telecom could get real-world usage stats from the phone’s software.

A Google spokeswoman confirmed the end to Insights in a statement to Reuters, but would only say that it was due to “product priorities.” The shutdown didn’t include a reason, according to the insiders. Facebook continues to run a similar service, Actionable Insights, that also includes anonymous demographics. The social network suggested it intended to keep the program running, explaining in a statement that it “carefully designed” Actionable Insights to safeguard privacy.

While Google clearly took precautions as well, it’s not shocking that the company would cut off data sharing like this. The firm is already facing intense scrutiny over its practices, including alleged GDPR violations and antitrust investigations. It might not have wanted to take even the slightest chance of coming under fire for its data gathering practices lest it face another backlash.

[ad_2]

Source link

The beauty of a ray-traced ‘Minecraft’

[ad_1]

Some things are already clear.
24 hours with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

Late last week, Chris Velazco picked up a shiny new Galaxy Note 10+ (in that trippy Aura Glow finish, no less). It was too early for a full review, but after 24 hours of fiddling with it, there are a few features and flourishes that are worth digging into right now. He dives into the S Pen and that new display.

Other new ray-traced titles include ‘Dying Light 2’ and ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.’
NVIDIA ray-tracing on ‘Minecraft’ looks surprisingly cool

Minecraft’s blocky world is a surreal place to bring realism. However, NVIDIA and Microsoft have announced that they’ve done exactly that, bringing RTX ray-tracing powers to the world-building game. “In normal Minecraft, a block of gold just appears yellow,” said Minecraft’s Saxs Persson, “but with ray tracing turned on, you really get to see the specular highlight, you get to see the reflection, you can even see a mob reflected in it.” I love me some specular highlights.

Microsoft developer Mojang and NVIDIA added a type of ray tracing called path tracing to the Windows 10 version of the game. That realistically simulates a variety of lighting conditions, including direct light sources (like the sun or glowing lava), hard and soft shadows, diffuse global illumination, reflections, refraction and atmospheric scattering.

On top of the Minecraft update, NVIDIA also announced ray-tracing for new games including RPG Dying Light 2, Metro Exodus – The Two Colonels DLC and SYNCED: Off Planet. It’s also bringing the feature to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, Watch Dogs: Legion and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

If you bought an old model, you might be stuck with it.
Nintendo says there is no Switch exchange program

You might not want to buy a first-generation Switch with the assumption Nintendo will replace it with a new model. A Nintendo spokesperson has denied that swaps are available, telling The Verge that “we do not have a Nintendo Switch exchange program.” It’s not clear why customer service representatives are saying otherwise.

Twitter ads are being used as political weapons.
Twitter is displaying China-made ads attacking Hong Kong protesters

Twitter is finding itself at the heart of a heated political battle. Pinboard and other users have observed Twitter running ads from China’s state-backed media outlet Xinhua attacking the Hong Kong protesters opposed to both a (since-suspended) extradition bill and broader dissatisfaction with the government. The ads try to portray the protests as “escalating violence” and calls for “order to be restored.” Other ads have highlighted alleged supporters of the Chinese “motherland” and have pointed out Hong Kong’s economic troubles from earlier in the year.

Including its Sonos Move name.
Sonos’ portable smart speaker leaks in greater detail

There might not be much of a surprise left by the time Sonos unveils its first portable speaker. Leaked pictures show off how the hybrid smart speaker will work — including what it’s called. Known as the Sonos Move, it won’t be just a slightly squashed Sonos One with a battery. There looks to be a recessed grip to help you tote the speaker from place to place, and you’ll also find a toggle for switching between Bluetooth (portable) and WiFi (home) connections.

The leak also offers a first peek at the Move’s docking station and reveals just how you’ll charge after your audio adventures are over. In addition to the USB-C connection for on-the-go power, there will be dedicated contacts to hook into the charging station itself. You’ll just have to click the Move into place to recover.

But wait, there’s more…

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.



[ad_2]

Source link

HyperX just made its Cloud Alpha gaming headset even better

[ad_1]

Announced at Gamescom in Cologne, the new Cloud Alpha S introduces features like bass adjustment sliders and virtual surround sound. There’s a new slider added to the left ear cup so you can fine-tune the bass response on the fly. Plus there’s 7.1 surround sound which has been custom tuned to be more immersive.

We love the original Cloud Alpha for its comfort, affordable price and incredible sound. The new Cloud Alpha S keeps the dual chamber design from previous models which creates a more dynamic sound which can produce rich bass and hit highs without distortion. It also has the same memory foam ear cushions and solid frame which made the headset robust enough to take a beating.

The new model “gives gamers precise sound and intuitive control features to enjoy fully immersive soundscapes,” according to a HyperX representative.

The previous model was a bargain at under $100. The updated headset will cost a little more, but for the extra features it comes with, it might be worth shelling out for. The Cloud Alpha S goes on sale in September for $129.99.

[ad_2]

Source link

Spotify’s Premium Family plans get an explicit content filter

[ad_1]

Other new features include “Family Mix,” giving you access to personalized playlists for the whole family. It’s updated regularly and allows granular control over who can contribute to each session so you don’t get too much Frozen or Baby Shark. There’s also a Family Hub, making it easier to add and remove users, adjust parental controls and keep your account info up to date.

Otherwise, you’ll still get six individual accounts for $15 per month, as before. Spotify requires that all members reside in the same household, even though tons of people share the feature among friends to save a few bucks. The company recently concluded verification tests to check that Family plans weren’t being abused, but has yet to say whether those will roll out more widely.

[ad_2]

Source link

NVIDIA ray-tracing on ‘Minecraft’ looks surprisingly cool

[ad_1]

Microsoft developer Mojang and NVIDIA added a type of ray tracing called “path tracing” to the Windows 10 version of the game. That realistically simulates a variety of lighting conditions, including direct light sources like the sun or glowing lava, hard and soft shadows, diffuse global illumination, reflections, refraction and atmospheric scattering.

Minecraft ray-tracing NVIDIA

The final result is more dramatic than with other ray-traced games (see the frame above and more screenshots here) probably because Minecraft is so inherently unrealistic to begin with. In order to run the new update in real time, however, you’ll need to have a Windows 10 PC equipped with one of NVIDIA’s RTX GPUs. Since Mojang recently canceled its Super Duper Graphics Pack for Minecraft on the Xbox One X, that appears to be the only way you’re going to get better graphics on the game for now.

It needs to be said that this isn’t exactly an original idea from NVIDIA and Microsoft. Earlier this year, Digital Foundry showed off a mod called “Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders” from Minecraft creator Sonic Ether. His shader is also a path tracer, and delivers many of the same features as the new official update.

On top of the Minecraft update, NVIDIA also announced ray-tracing for new games including RPG Dying Light 2, Metro Exodus – The Two Colonels DLC and SYNCED: Off Planet. It’s also bringing the feature to existing games Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, Watch Dogs: Legion and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. It appears to improve those games to varying degrees, but not nearly as much as Minecraft, judging by screenshots available in its news release.

[ad_2]

Source link

MIT experts find a way to reduce video stream buffering on busy WiFi

[ad_1]

Now a team from MIT have come up with a tool to help multiple people share a limited WiFi connection. The group from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed the Minerva system which analyzes videos before playing them to check how much they would be impacted by being played at a lower quality.

Traditional protocols for WiFi sharing simply split the available bandwidth by the number of users. So if you’re trying to watch an HD sports match on your TV and one of your kids is trying to watch a cartoon on their smartphone, you’ll each be allocated half the available bandwidth. That’s fine for your kid but terrible for you, as fast-moving videos like sports events suffer more from low bandwidth than other types of videos like cartoons.

Minerva can analyze both videos in an offline phase to see which would benefit from being allocated more bandwidth and which could be served using lower bandwidth without the quality suffering. The protocol then assigns bandwidth based on the needs of the different users, and will adjust itself over time in response to the video content being played.

In real-world tests, Minerva was able to reduce rebuffering time almost by half, and in one third of cases was able to offer improvements to video playback quality that were the equivalent of going from 720p to 1080p. And the system doesn’t only work within households. The same principle could be used to share internet connections across entire regions, making it ideal for companies like Netflix and Hulu which have to serve video to large numbers of users.

The system can be introduced by video providers without needing to change any hardware, making it essentially a “drop-in replacement for the standard TCP/IP protocol” according to the team.

[ad_2]

Source link

NASA selects proposals for smallsats built to study deep space

[ad_1]

The two proposals are being funded in $400,000, nine-month concept studies. Whichever proposal wins the day will launch as one of the payloads aboard the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) in October 2024. That might not sound like a lot of money even at such an early stage, but that’s part of the point — NASA sees this as a chance to show that you can develop valuable space technology at a “reasonable price.”

The winning project could be a vital part of NASA’s long-term plans. With plans for an enduring human presence on the Moon and an eventual crewed journey to Mars, anticipating space weather could prove essential — travelers don’t need solar flares and other deep space conditions placing entire missions in jeopardy. This could also improve humanity’s overall understanding of the Solar System, including how the Sun affects the Earth.

[ad_2]

Source link

Twitter is displaying China-made ads attacking Hong Kong protesters

[ad_1]

We’ve asked Twitter for comment. However, Xinhua‘s campaign appears to target at least some people in Hong Kong proper.

This kind of behavior isn’t shocking. The Chinese government has been clamping down on critics who voice dissent on Twitter, even though the service is blocked beyond Hong Kong. The country has been determined to control the political conversation on social networks whether or not most Chinese can see them. In that regard, this is just an extension of its current tactics.

It does put Twitter in an awkward position, though. While the social site is no stranger to attempts at political manipulation, it’s now faced with China using ads as propaganda weapons to silence political opposition. If it keeps the ads running, it risks alienating Hong Kong and free speech advocates. At the same time, blocking ads from a major government-supported publication could provoke a harsh response with difficult-to-predict consequences.



[ad_2]

Source link