Apple has released its developer betas for iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4. The beta gives us a better look at the features that the next update will bring, specifically how the iPhone and Apple Watch will interact with each other. This includes the ability to unlock an iPhone with the Apple Watch while wearing a face mask.
According to 9to5 Mac, the iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 is currently only available to developers. The publication speculates that the public beta will kick off from next week onwards. The general version of the OS should start rolling out to the masses sometime in the next few months.
How it works
It was also noted that the iPhone will only unlock if certain criteria are met. The phone will first detect if the user is wearing a mask. It will then check if the Apple Watch is nearby and if it is worn on the user’s wrist. Once both these are confirmed, it will then check if the Apple Watch is unlocked and has a passcode enabled. One when it confirms that everything is in order will it unlock the iPhone. Users will also get a haptic feedback notification from the Apple Watch to let them know that the phone has been unlocked. Users will also be able to ‘Lock iPhone’ directly via that notification.
This new feature will appeal to iPhone users who are tired of being unable to use FaceID due to mandatory use of masks in public spaces. However, it should be noted that not only will users need to own an Apple Watch to make use of the feature, but they will also need to have ‘wrist detection’ enabled on the wearable. Otherwise, they will have no other option but to stick with passcodes to unlock their iPhone.
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Google Stadia was the latest entry in the gaming business with a key difference - no hardware required. All you needed was an internet connection, and you would be able to play games on any screen. During the unveiling of the technology, Google showed off the seamless ability to switch between screens and continue your game because everything you needed was happening in the cloud. Google also announced its initiative for first-party games and sadly, the service has announced that it is shutting down first-party development for the platform. Google Stadia is not available in India.
In a blog post, Phil Harrison, Vice President and GM, Google Stadia said, "Given our focus on building on the proven technology of Stadia as well as deepening our business partnerships, we’ve decided that we will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team SG&E, beyond any near-term planned games." Put simply, this means, there will be no exclusives from Google on their cloud streaming platform.
What happens to your Google Stadia games?
Don't worry, Stadia isn't going anywhere just yet. You will still be able to play your games on Google's cloud gaming platform. Any short-term project will also see the light of day. However, it looks like Google probably didn't realize the time, money and talent it takes to make a system selling AAA game. One look at the success of PlayStation's Exclusive lineup should be enough to tell you the prowess of first-party games.
What is the future of Stadia?
According to Phil Harrison, "You can continue playing all your games on Stadia and Stadia Pro, and we’ll continue to bring new titles from third parties to the platform. We’re committed to the future of cloud gaming, and will continue to do our part to drive this industry forward". He also says, "We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools. We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry".
So, it looks like Google is looking at becoming more of a cloud gaming technology solution partner for game developers and publishers. How will this translate for consumers looking forward to cloud gaming remains to be seen?
What does the future of cloud gaming look like?
While there are a number of services from NVIDIA, and many more third-party providers, the one service provider that seems to be biding its time to get things right is Microsoft. Microsoft has shown off xCloud for some time and the service is expected to launch in India in partnership with Jio. Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that we can expect the xCloud app to hit smart TVs as well in 2021. This will make cloud gaming accessible to more players.
What does this mean for gamers in India?
The point of entry to play AAA games in India is relatively high as you need to invest in a gaming PC or a gaming console. However, almost every household has a smartphone, making mobile gaming immensely popular in India. With a service like xCloud coming to India in combination with Game Pass, one can expect gamers to get a taste of AAA games on their smartphone. While internet connectivity remains to be the biggest hurdle, Microsoft and Jio's partnership could make the point of entry for cloud gaming more accessible. Could we see a cloud gaming pack from ISP's and cellular providers once 5G enters India? Only time can answer this question.
Till then, if you are a gamer, know that the PS5 just launched in India and you can check out our review here. You can also check out our comparisons with between the PS5 and Xbox Series X here.
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Garena Free Fire’s next big update, the OB26 update, looks all set to be available from February 4. The same was confirmed via an in-game event that will reward players for updating the game and logging in. The event starts from February 2, which pretty much confirms that the update should start rolling out from the same day.
Event rewards with the OB26 update
Players can simply log in after installing the O26 update to receive two Diamond Royale Vouchers and two Weapon Royale Vouchers. Do note that in order to get the reward players will have to install and log in before February 9, 4:00 AM. Considering the fact that the new update will be a requirement to play the game, almost all regular players should be able to get this reward.
New character
Garena has also confirmed that they will be adding a new character to the game. The company has collaborated with Son Tung M-TP to create Skyler. Son Tung M-TP is a popular music artist in Vietnam. Skylar’s abilities are not yet known, but reports suggest that he will have a special ability to destroy Gloo Walls. This would make Skylar a good choice for aggressive playstyles.
Skylar will also be one of the few in-game characters that are modelled after real-world celebrities. Other examples include Jai, who is based on Bollywood actor, Hritik Roshan. One of the most recent examples is Chrono, who is based on professional footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. You can learn more about Chrono here.
Garena has announced that it will be hosting the Free Fire South Asia Showdown: Battle of the Stars event. This will take place on February 6 and will feature notable Free Fire streamers from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The tournament is touted as Free Fire’s first-ever esports tournament for the South Asia region. This event will be live-streamed on Free Fire’s official social media channels as well as Garena’s BOOYAH! Platform. The tournament will feature 12 teams, with three teams from each of the four regions. These teams will compete for a total prize pool of 1 million in-game diamonds.
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Poco M3 has officially launched in India with a large capacity battery, triple cameras on the back and a striking new design. The Poco M3 made its global debut back in November 2020 as the successor to the Poco M2 series. Both the Poco M2 Pro and M2 were launched in India in July and September respectively.
The Poco M3 has an extended camera module with a textured back panel which looks eye-catching. This is something we have also seen OnePlus try out with the OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk 2077 edition. The Poco M3 is offered in three colours: Power black, Cool Blue and Poco Yellow. Let’s take a look at the pricing, specifications and availability of the Poco M3 in India.
Poco M3 price and availability
Poco M3 is priced starting at Rs 10,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage and Rs 11,999 for the 128GB storage option. It will be available to purchase from Flipkart from February 9.
Poco M3 specifications
The Poco M3 has a plastic build and textured back panel that the company says won't attract fingerprints and smudges along with an extended camera module. The phone measures 9.6 millimetres at its thickest point and weighs 198 grams. It is being offered in Cool Blue, Poco Yellow and Power Black colours to choose from.
It features a 6.53-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution display with a waterdrop notch cutout for the selfie camera. This gives the screen a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and is further topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3.
The Poco M3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 610 GPU. This is paired with 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and upto 128GB storage variants. Additionally, there is an option of expanding the storage further by using a microSD card of upto 512GB. It runs on MIUI 12 based on Android 10 with the Poco Launcher.
The Poco M3 has a triple camera setup on the back that consists of a primary 48MP camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera housed within the notch cutout. The rear camera can record videos in 1080p at 30FPS. The phone has stereo speakers and a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
It is fitted with a 6,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. Poco claims that the M3 is capable of lasting 40 hours on calling or 196 hours of music playback or 17 hours of video viewing.
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PlayStation 5 review: Sony’s next-gen console is eye-catching and lays the groundwork for an exciting (albeit expensive) future, but the DualSense controller might be the highlight right now. At the same time, it lacks next-gen exclusives, and has limited backward compatibility.
God of War released back in 2018 for the PS4 and is considered to be one of the best games on Sony's console. The game offers two modes for players on the PS4 - one that favours performance and one that favours resolution. The performance mode struggled to hit 60fps on the PS4 Pro while the resolution mode gave gamers a checkerboard 4K resolution with a locked 60fps.
God of War (2018) gets a PS5 patch
Today, developer Santa Monica Studio has announced that God of War (2018) will run at a checkerboard 4K resolution with 60FPS. The patch will release for the PS5 on February 2, the same day as the PS5 launch in India. The icing on the cake is that if you are a PlayStation Plus member, you will get God of War as a part of your subscription on the PS5, thanks to PlayStation Collection.
The God of War (2018) Enhanced Performance Experience for the PS5 is coming tomorrow! Syncs to 60 FPS 4K Checkerboard Resolution 2160p Free Update for PS5 Users Check out our blog for more info https://t.co/CXTyfHFyvN pic.twitter.com/psSLo63ReF
— Santa Monica Studio Is Hiring (@SonySantaMonica) February 1, 2021
Prior to the patch, gamers who had the disc of God of War could play the game at 4K 60FPS on the PS5. This would only happen if you didn't install any patch. Digital owners of the game were limited to 1080p 60 FPS.
God of War (2018) joins a list of PS4 games that have received a patch to run at a higher resolution and framerate on the PS5. Some other games include Days Gone and Ghost of Tsushima (review) both of which now run at 60FPS at a higher resolution.
Sony has teased a sequel to God of War which is expected to launch in 2021. There is no release window or trailer for the game. All we have is a logo for the upcoming sequel.
The PS5 launches in India today, and you can check out our review of the console here. If you are wondering whether to get the PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can check out our comparison of the 2 consoles here. If you were fortunate enough to secure a PS5 pre-order then you can check out how to transfer data from your PS4 to PS5 here. You can also check out the PlayStation Plus games of February 2021 here.
Source
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Alphabet's Google said it would stop internal development of games for Stadia, making the cloud-based game-streaming service entirely dependent on titles from other game developers and publishers.
