Game Approvals Said to Be Slowed by China to Enforce Tough New Rules

China is reportedly reviewing new games to ensure they meet stricter criteria for content and protection of children.

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Court acknowledges Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeneys belief in the metaverse

The buzz of Epic Games vs Apple has been going on for a while now, but things are taking an interesting turn as the court acknowledges Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney’s vision for the metaverse too. 

Epic Games coins metaverse as one of the obvious reasons for the lawsuit filed against Apple over its iOS App Store regulations. According to them, when one of those platforms has a bouncer at the entrance requiring a 30% admission fee, it's difficult to create a virtual universe that operates the same across all platforms.

What is a metaverse? And why is it important?

Metaverse is typically used to describe the concept of a future iteration of the internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe, pretty much replicating our world, but with more possibilities. Many present day games offer a glimpse of these possibilities too, and also of what the metaverse might bring.

Although for now, the court addresses it as the "digital virtual world where individuals can create character avatars and play them through interactive programmed and created experiences." But while Sweeney might have made it appear as a socializing environment for gamers, is that really what they might be after?

Sure they wouldn’t want to get their hands dirty into all that if they didn’t smell business. And here’s when things start to make sense. If a company manages to accomplish its dream of building a metaverse, then we are talking about an universe with a gigantic network that lets players play, create, interact, purchase, and sell digital content from any of their devices. And it is sure sustaining for a platform which offers and holds control over all this.

But why Apple?

Apple directly doesn’t hold any interest over Epic Game’s metaverse ambition, so why is Apple’s name dragged into all this? The reason is quite the opposite. While Apple is not a competition for the metaverse dream, it is an obstacle for Epic Game’s business plan. With Apple's current App Store policies demanding 30% take of in-app transactions, the ambition of creating a platform-independent profitable business model from the metaverse remains a dream for Epic. Apple is already on bad terms with Epic games after their Fortnite controversy last year, where the game was even kicked off when Epic tried to set up its own payment system as a workaround for the 30% cut to Apple for the in-app purchases (V-bucks in this case). On top of that Apple also hinders iOS apps from selling other apps, which is why Epic Games Store doesn’t have a mobile version for iOS yet. This would be the same case if Epic Games tried to implement it’s unfolded vision of metaverse on iOS.

Conclusion

Apple’s dominant restrictions over its app market remains a hurdle for developers and companies alike to step into the game and offer a fair experience to the iOS userbase. As an outcome Apple must start enabling iOS applications to market their own payment systems within two months now. Following this, Epic Games might also be allowed to reintegrate their payment processing system into the app again or just include a purchase link in the Fortnite iOS app for directly buying V-Bucks without the cost increment cause of Apple’s restriction. Who knows if they even manage to overturn Apple’s policies over games and apps too? But that would be another story; as for now, the court has taken a liking to Tim Sweeney’s dream of the metaverse.

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Following outrage from fans, RuneScape developer revokes decision to discontinue HD mod project

Jagex, the developer of Runescape, reversed the decision the very next day after being highly condemned for shutting down the Runelite HD mod project.

Runelite HD

While the devs have finally answered to the criticism from the fans regarding their decision of shutting down the Runelite HD mod project, for the time being they are in talks to make the Runelite HD version available as a "bridge" to its own HD project. Jagex has also announced that it will cooperate with 117scape, the producer of Runelite HD, and Adam1210, the creator of the original Runelite, to keep Runelite HD available until the business creates its own official Runescape HD version.

Runelite HD was initially designed as an HD version of Runelite, an open-source third-party client for Old School browser-based MMO Runescape from 2007. Runelite was released in 2016, with 2007 Runescape's graphics. Runelite HD aimed to maintain the classic visual style while improving shadows, increasing draw distance, and introducing better textures, among other modifications. 

The backlash and it’s outcome

Jagex sent 117scape a message earlier this week, asking them to halt development on Runelite HD, just one day before it was set to launch. Jagex informed 117scape and fans that it was "looking into" developing its own HD version of Old School Runescape because it didn't want unauthorised HD versions to be "at odds with our own plans" and only wanted official HD versions to be "the only ones accessible" to the players.

While 117scape then stated that they offered to commit to Jagex and only provided Runelite HD until Jagex released their own HD version of Old School Runescape and gave Jagex a collaborative contribution on the project to establish their visual style, but said the proposal was rejected at the time. But thanks to strong fan opposition to Jagex from social media including ‘sit-in’ protests by many players, Jagex had reached back out to them to discuss Runelite HD.

117Scape said mentioned on his Twitter handle : https://twitter.com/117scape/status/1435656042000551941

Following the response of the fans, Jagex also remarked on the unacceptable ways adopted by unsatisfied players to express their opinions, “harassing” its employees on social media. 

He also mentioned in his blog post, "We hear your feedback loud and clear and we've been discussing that feedback all day and, while discussions continue, we absolutely intend to act on it". Jagex also pointed out,"We perfectly understand that you all have a voice in Old School, and that voice, at times, can be one of frustration regarding the decisions we make. Be assured that we always welcome your feedback, whether good or bad. We don't always get it right, we are only human, and now we are rectifying our approach".

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Apple iPhone 13 series, iPad 2021, iPad mini 2021 India pricing and availability detailed

Apple iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max along with iPad (9th gen) and iPad Mini 2021 has officially launched in India. Apple held a launch event earlier this week where it unveiled the new iPhones and iPads for 2021. This also happens to be the first time when Apple revealed the India pricing of these products for India on launch day.

So if you’re looking to buy either the new iPhones 13 series or the iPads, we have detailed the pricing, pre-orders and availability details for you here.

Apple iPhone 13 series: Pricing and pre-order details

The iPhone 13 series starts at Rs 69,900 in India. This year, Apple is offering 128GB as the storage for the base variant and for the first time the Pro models are being offered with upto 1TB storage.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini: Rs 69,900 (128GB) | Rs 79,900 (256GB) | Rs 99,900 (512GB)

Apple iPhone 13: Rs 79,900 (128GB) | Rs 89,900 (256GB) | Rs 1,09,900 (512GB)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Rs 1,19,900 (128GB) | Rs 1,29,900 (256GB) | Rs 1,49,900 (512GB) | Rs 1,69,900 (1TB)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: Rs 1,29,900 (128GB) | Rs 1,39,900 (256GB) | Rs 1,59,900 (512GB) | Rs 1,79,900 (1TB)

The pre-orders for the iPhone 13 series will start from September 17 across Amazon India, Flipkart, Apple India Store and offline retailers. The iPhone 13 series will go on sale starting September 24 in India.

Apple iPad (9th gen), iPad Mini 2021: Pricing and availability

The iPad (9th gen) starts at Rs 30,900 in India while the starting price of the iPad mini is Rs 46,900. Both the new iPads are up for pre-orders on Apple India online store and will go on sale across Amazon India, Apple India store, Flipkart and offline stores.

Apple iPad (9th gen) WiFi: Rs 30,900 (64GB) | Rs 44,900 (256GB) Apple iPad (9th gen) WiFi + Cellular: Rs 42,900 (64GB) | Rs 56,900 (256GB)

Apple iPad Mini 2021 WiFi: Rs 49,900 (64GB) | Rs 60,900 (256GB) Apple iPad Mini 2021 WiFi + Cellular: Rs 60,900 (64GB) | Rs 74,900 (256GB)

Also Read: Apple Watch Series 7 with larger display, 33% faster-charging speeds launched: All you need to know

 

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PUBG: New State Receives More Than 40 Million Pre-Registrations on Android and iOS

PUBG: New State has received more than 40 million pre-registrations on Android and iOS devices. The battle royale game has recently finished its second alpha testing and its release date will be announced in October. The game is slated to release later this year.

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Battlegrounds Mobile India Details Measures Against Illegal Activities; Bans Over 140,000 Accounts in a Week

Battlegrounds Mobile India has announced some strict countermeasures for illegal programs and activities running in the game. Krafton has also announced that players can conduct routine repairs to remove any wanted data or programs that may lead to their accounts getting banned. The developer has also banned close to 140,000 accounts in the week beginning September 3.

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Apple Watch Series 7 with larger display, 33 faster-charging speeds launched: All you need to know

Apple Watch Series 7 was launched alongside the new iPads and iPhone 13 series in India and is the successor to the Series 6. The new Apple Watch Series 7 brings an all-new display to the popular smartwatch with a refined design and maintains its 18-hour battery life. Apple says that the Series 7 is more durable and has a crack-resistant front display. It is also IP6X certified which makes it dust resistant and has WR50 water resistance.

“Apple Watch Series 7 delivers significant improvements — from our largest and most advanced display, to enhanced durability and faster charging — making the world’s best smartwatch better than ever before. Powered by watchOS 8, Apple Watch brings useful new capabilities to help customers stay connected, track activity and workouts, and better understand their overall health and wellness,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.

Also Read: Apple iPhone 13 series with new cameras and A15 Bionic chip launched

Apple Watch Series 7 price and availability

Apple has not revealed the exact price of the Watch Series 7. It is expected to reveal the price closer to the availability which is set for “later this year”. It is likely to replace the Series 6 so interested buyers can expect the same price point.

Apple Watch Series 7 features

The new Apple Watch Series 7 has five new aluminium cases in multiple new colours. There’s midnight, starlight, green, blue and (PRODUCT) Red colours to choose from and also new styles in Apple Watch Nike and Apple Watch Hermes editions. The Series 7 will be available in 41mm and 45mm sizes.

Display comparison: Series 3 vs Series 6 vs Series 7

The Series 7 has a 20% larger display with just 1.7mm thin bezels, which is almost 40% smaller than on the Apple Watch Series 6. The Series 7 supports an always-on retina display and is upto 70% percent brighter than the previous generation.

It also runs on watchOS 8 which has been revamped to complement the larger display. It has bigger menu titles and buttons which makes interactions with it much simpler.

The Series 7 continues to offer industry-leading health and wellness features like SpO2 blood-oxygen saturation monitor and heart rate sensor with ECG. It also gets new updates and improvements for cycling, workout and fall detection features.

The Apple Watch Series 7 offers an 18-hour battery life on a single charge and 33% faster-charging speeds than the previous generation.

Read more: Apple iPad Mini with a bigger display and better design launched alongside iPad 9th gen

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