PUBG and Other Mobile Games ‘Violent, Explicit, Addictive’: Prakash Javadekar

Many mobile games are "violent, explicit, and addictive," and PUBG was just one example, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said Sunday, announcing a government plan to set up a centre of excellence in gaming and other related areas to promote Indian cultural ethos.

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Instagrams New Live Room feature will let you set up live broadcast with up to four people

The lack of in-person connection due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed social media platforms to see significant growth through 2020. Notably, the live audio platform Clubhouse has seen rapid adoption in recent times, following which both Twitter and Facebook are building a rival. It looks like Instagram also wants to do something for its users, which is why they announced a new feature today called 'Live Rooms'.

'Live Rooms', according to Instagram, is a much-requested feature, and it will allow up to four people to broadcast live together at the same time. This is quite a departure from Instagram's live feature that only allowed users to live stream with one other person. Instagram hopes this will open up more creative opportunities in terms of live broadcast formats.

Being able to go live with more people will potentially attract more viewers. We can already see this feature being widely used by people across the globe to start a talk show or a podcast, among many other creative collaborations. Instagram noted that it'll also allow fans to buy badges to support the hosts, thereby helping them to make more money. It appears that some other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers will also be integrated into Live Rooms.

How to start an Instagram Live Room

In order to start a Live Room, you will have to swipe left and select the live camera option. You will then have to add a title to the room and tap the Room icon to add guests. This will populate a list of people who have already requested to go live with you, and you will simply be able to search for other guests to add.

For safety reasons, Instagram will not let any person that's been blocked by any of the Live Room participants join the livestream. Also, any guests who have previously had their live access revoked for violating Instagram's Community Guidelines won't be able to join any Live Rooms.

Instagram's Live Room seems like a direct competition to Clubhouse, however, Live Room requires people to be on-camera. But Instagram Live Room is widely available to all the across globe on both Android and iOS, which makes it instantly more accessible than Clubhouse which is currently available only on iOS, that too on an invite-only basis.

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OnePlus 9 series pre-order details leak ahead of launch

OnePlus 9 series is one of the much-anticipated flagship smartphones and a new leak reveals the pre-order details of the OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and likely the OnePlus 9 Lite/ OnePlus 9R. There have been rumours that the company could launch the OnePlus 9 series by mid-March alongside its first smartwatch dubbed OnePlus Watch. OnePlus could reveal the launch date of the OnePlus 9 series on March 8, as teased by CEO Pete Lau.

According to a new leak by popular tipster Evan Blass, the OnePlus 9 series could be up for pre-order starting March 23 with “early buyers” set to receive OnePlus Buds Z TWS earphones on pre-booking either of the phones. The buyers of the standard OnePlus 9 will be eligible to receive a pair of OnePlus Buds Z while the OnePlus 9 Pro owners could get the OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition bundled with their purchase.

The tipster further notes that if the OnePlus 9R and OnePlus Watch are indeed debuting as rumoured, neither of the two devices “are eligible for pre-order gifts.” OnePlus is also rumoured to collaborate with Swedish camera-maker Hasselblad for the cameras on the OnePlus 9 Pro, and it is likely we will hear more about it on March 8.

OnePlus 9 series leaked specifications

The OnePlus 9 could feature a 6.55-inch Full HD + display as per the leaks, while the OnePlus 9 Pro is said to feature a slightly larger 6.7-inch QHD + screen. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will likely opt for a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera and support a 120Hz refresh rate. As for the OnePlus 9R, it is rumoured to feature a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. 

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor while the OnePlus 9R is rumoured to launch with Snapdragon 690 processor under the hood.

OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to feature a quad-camera setup on the back headlined by a 48MP primary camera, a 50MP secondary camera, an 8MP camera and a 2MP camera with OIS support. The OnePlus 9 will likely have triple cameras on the back while the OnePlus 9R could have a 64MP primary camera followed by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are also likely to be equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging out-of-the-box which debuted with the OnePlus 8T in October. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 9R is expected to have a slightly larger 5,000mAh battery with fast-charging support out-of-the-box.

Also Read: OnePlus 9 series launch in India: Everything we know so far

 

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Apple iPhone 13 Pro display details leak, tipped to feature 120Hz display with smaller notch

Apple launched its iPhone 12 line-up of phones towards the end of last year. The company launched as many as four new phones -- the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max. But even as these phones still remain popular, reports have started to emerge about its successor, the iPhone 13 line-up. Reports say this series will be officially launched around September this year, with the iPhone 13 Pro from line-up tipped for some pretty exciting stuff. 

Apple iPhone 13 rumoured to come with 120Hz display

In the latest report, the iPhone 13 Pro's screen details have been revealed. As per the latest information, the iPhone 13 Pro will come with a 120Hz refresh rate LTPO OLED display which will feature the same display size as the existing models. However, the report does add that the notch on top of the screen will be smaller. Apart from this, the display is also tipped to house an in-display fingerprint scanner. This will be found across iPhone 13 models and not just the Pro models. There is also said to be support for Wi-Fi 6E. However, a recent report claims that the prototype of the upcoming phones doesn’t include an in-display sensor.

There is also an interesting rumour about Apple launching a 1TB storage variant of the iPhone 13 Pro this year. This will be twice the storage capacity when compared to the highest capacity model in the current iPhone 12 line-up. If this does indeed happen, the company could also increase the storage capacity in the base model, which is currently at 128GB. 

Apart from this, the iPhone 13 series is also set to get some impressive cameras, with the Pro models tipped to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera lens with a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture and autofocus, compared to ƒ/2.4 on iPhone 12 models. Although, the phones are expected to be heavier than the iPhone 12 series because of the use of a bigger battery. 

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OnePlus 9 series launch date could be revealed on March 8

OnePlus could reveal the launch date of the much-anticipated OnePlus 9 series on March 8. This would coincide with previous rumours about a mid-March launch. OnePlus 9, OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9R have been rumoured to launch this year in the company’s flagship lineup. All three phones have been leaked in the past few months giving us a glimpse as to what to expect from the OnePlus 9 series.

Earlier today, the official website of OnePlus had a ribbon message running across that read “Something new is on the horizon.” The text was accompanied by a picture of the Earth and visitors asked to “stay tuned” until March 8. Later in the day, Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus tweeted the same image with a link to the same “moonshot” page on its website. The most obvious hint here is that OnePlus in all likelihood will reveal the launch date of the OnePlus 9 series, something that has been rumoured for a long time.

Stay tuned for March 8.https://t.co/mprr4v8UbS pic.twitter.com/CQSop6Fg85

— Pete Lau (@PeteLau) March 1, 2021

Interestingly, the image of Earth used by OnePlus on its website happens to be the same as on Hasselblad’s website. The Swedish camera-maker has a long history of working with NASA and its photography division. Neil Armstrong was carrying a Hasselblad camera when he made that one giant leap for mankind.

 pic.twitter.com/A9VEPtyArS

— Ben Geskin  (@BenGeskin) March 1, 2021

OnePlus and Hasselblad are rumoured to collaborate on developing the camera system of the OnePlus 9 Pro. The announcement on March 8 could very well make things official for both companies. Previous leaks have shown-off the OnePlus 9 Pro with the camera module having the Hasselblad branding in a quad-camera array.

OnePlus 9 series leaked specifications

The OnePlus 9 could feature a 6.55-inch Full HD + display as per the leaks, while the OnePlus 9 Pro is said to feature a slightly larger 6.7-inch QHD + screen. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will likely opt for a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera and support a 120Hz refresh rate. As for the OnePlus 9R, it is rumoured to feature a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor while the OnePlus 9R is rumoured to launch with Snapdragon 690 processor under the hood. 

OnePlus 9 Pro is expected to feature a quad-camera setup on the back headlined by a 48MP primary camera, a 50MP secondary camera, an 8MP camera and a 2MP camera with OIS support. The OnePlus 9 will likely have triple cameras on the back while the OnePlus 9R could have a 64MP primary camera followed by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro are also likely to be equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging out-of-the-box which debuted with the OnePlus 8T in October. The OnePlus 9R is expected to have a slightly larger 5,000mAh battery with fast-charging support out-of-the-box.

 

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Indian govt announces Centre of Excellence in gaming in collaboration with IIT Bombay

The Indian government is in the advanced stages of establishing a Centre of Excellence in gaming in the country. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has announced that it is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay to create a Centre for Excellence in gaming and “other related areas”.

During the virtual exhibition and prize announcement for “Khel Khel Mein” which is a pan-Maharashtra toy and game design competition, Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information and Broadcasting said that IIT will start courses related to VFX, Gaming and Animation from later this year when the session commences. “So, we are at an advanced stage of preparation but let us see when the new session begins in 2021 because from that time onwards it will come into effect,” he added.

Happy to announce that @MIB_India in collaboration with @iitbombay has decided to form a Gaming center wherein courses related VFX, Gaming and Animation will be taught.@PIBMumbai @PIB_India @DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/l5ChhE59Fn

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) February 28, 2021

“The games played on mobile many times are violent, explicit and more importantly creates very different feeling in mind, creates complex of superiority and get addicted to it. So, PUBG is just one example of it. But by criticizing those games we won’t get the answer and therefore we have to create our own games and application for the world so that the world adopts it because it has basic human values,” he said.

With the new Centre for Excellence in gaming, the government wants to boost the development of new games in India that “promote Indian cultural ethos”. The government is in advanced stages which is why there are no further details available about this initiative yet. Having said that, we believe that the government will make things official soon, likely before the new sessions at IIT Bombay begins which is usually in the second half of the year.

The Indian governments new Centre for Excellence in gaming could benefit the game developments happening in India. It remains to be seen which courses are eventually introduced at the IITs and whether the government plans to extend them further to other universities. 

In 2020, Raji: An Ancient Epic by India’s Nodding Heads Games was nominated in the best debut category at The Game Awards which was a first for any Indian game. It was also awarded the Best Debut Indie Game at our SKOAR! Game Awards last year. You can read more about the game here.

 

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OnePlus Nord starts getting Android 11-based OxygenOS update: Here are all the new features

After months of wait, OnePlus Nord is finally getting the Android 11-based OxygenOS update. The company had earlier rolled out the OxygenOS Open Beta update which brought Android 11 to a select group of users. However, two months from the release of the test software OnePlus is now extending the stable build of the operating system to a wider group of users.

The update not only brings up the phone to the latest security patch but also adds a number of new features to the phone. Apart from these, the update also brings with itself new visual elements like the UI and new features like the music player notification -- something that's been made part of the quick toggles. Additionally, OnePlus has also added the Always On Display (AOD) feature to make use of the AMOLED display panel on the OnePlus Nord. The Canvas AOD feature which lets users set a black-and-white version of a picture as their AOD background has also been included. 

Here's the complete changelog of all the new features coming to the OnePlus Nord.

System

Update to Android 11 version The brand new UI design brings you a more comfortable experience with various optimizations of details Optimized the stability of some third-party apps and improved experience

Ambient Display

Newly added Insight clock style, a joint creation with Parsons School of Design. It will change according to the phone usage data (Go to: Settings – Customization – Clock on ambient display) Newly added the Canvas always-on display, which can extract the subject's outline from any photo and display it on your lock screen (Go to: Settings – Customization – Wallpaper – Canvas – Choose photo preview and it can be generated automatically)

Dark Mode

Added the shortcut key for Dark Mode, pull down the quick setting to enable. Now supporting automatically turn on feature & customize time range. (Go to: Settings – Display – Dark Mode – Turn on automatically – Automatically enable from sunset to sunrise / Custom time range)

Shelf

Brand new shelf UI Newly added a weather widget with smarter animation effect

Gallery

Newly added the Story feature, which can automatically create the weekly stories by using your local photos and videos Optimized the loading speed to improve the image preview experience

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