Space Invaders: How Video Gamers Are Resisting a Crypto Onslaught

Blockchain technology is considered to allow video gamers to grab back some of the money they spend on games and make for higher-stakes enjoyment. However, cryptocurrency has crashed recently and around 90-95 percent of games had been affected by it. Gaming companies like Ubisoft and Minecraft have either ditched the NFT marketplace or announced to never try blockchai...

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/o3nElPt

BGMI ban: Gaming companies urge Modi for uniform and fair treatment

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) After the government ordered Google and Apple to ban popular battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), some gaming companies have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting for a 'fair treatment' to help foster the gaming ecosystem in the country.

The gaming platforms have urged the government to provide "a uniform and fair treatment of all entities operating in India", according to sources.

"While capital and infrastructure are critical to the survival and development of the industry, the leading global video gaming companies with their experience and next-generation technology are needed for establishing a robust gaming ecosystem in India," read the letter.

"There is a greater need for a clear set of standards and framework to ensure fairness and uniformity to all stakeholders. The industry wishes to pro-actively engage with the government in forming a robust set of video games-centric policies based on global best practices," the letter noted.

TechCrunch was first to report about the letter.

Late last month, the government ordered Google and Apple to block the BGMI gaming app from their respective online stores under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The game developer Krafton had announced recently that BGMI surpassed 100 million registered users in India.

The letter requested Modi's urgent intervention in the matter, seeking his "counsel and guidance on working towards a more comprehensive dialogue and discussion in the future".

The ban on BGMI, which is the Indian version of PUBG, has resulted in a top e-sports event being postponed amid reports claiming a "China connection" behind the ban.

Esports Premier League (ESPL) Season 2 was postponed owing to the ban last week.

The esports event was set to see gamers from across the country with a prize pool of Rs 1 crore.

(Except for the headline, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited)

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in

from Mobile Gaming News https://ift.tt/JFjxmNw

Googles learn-to-read app for kids now available as website

San Francisco, Aug 10 (IANS) Tech giant Google has introduced a new website -- Read Along -- to help kids learn to read independently with the help of an animated reading assistant named "Diya".

Read Along has been an Android app so far, which was first released as Bolo in India in 2019 and released globally as Read Along the following year.

"To make it accessible to more users, we have launched the public beta of the website version," Tasnim Khan Software Engineer, Read Along, said in a blog post.

"The website contains the same magic: Diya's help and hundreds of well-illustrated stories across several languages," Khan added.

With the web version, parents can let their children use Read Along on bigger screens by logging into a browser from smartphones, laptops or PCs at readalong.google.com.

Just like the Android app, all the speech recognition happens in the browser, so children's voice data remains private and we do not send it to any servers.

The company said that as kids read stories aloud, Diya listens and gives both correctional and encouraging feedback to help kids develop their reading skills.

(Except for the headline, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited)

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in

from Mobile Gaming News https://ift.tt/oSe5rvB

Apple MR headset could cost 2K and sell about 15 mn units

Tech giant Apple is planning to ship approximately 1.5 million units of its upcoming augmented reality and virtual reality headset (AR/VR) headset in 2023, which is expected to cost more than $2,000. In a research note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the tech giant plans to announce its long-rumoured mixed-reality headset during an event in January 2023. The company's first AR/VR headset is expected to cost upwards of $2,000, making it a niche product. As a result, Kuo says shipments of the device are unlikely to exceed 1.5 million units in 2023, reports MacRumors. In May, Apple presented its AR/VR headset to Apple board members, indicating that the device is nearing its final stages before launch. Despite having worked on the headset for several years, recent problems during development related to overheating and performance have delayed the launch of the product. The headset is expected to be powered by a chip with on-par performance as the M1 Pro in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. It will feature more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements, two ultra-high-resolution 8K displays and advanced eye-tracking technology. Apple is already reportedly working on the second-generation version of its AR/VR headset. According to Kuo, the new model of the headset will launch in the first half of 2025, alongside a cheaper and more affordable model.

(Except for the headline, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited)

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in.

from Metaverse News https://ift.tt/gq0G2PN

Unity Announces Deal to Set Up China Joint Venture Amid Expansion Plans

Unity, the game software development platform used in popular games like Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings, and Call of Duty: Mobile, on Tuesday announced a deal to set up a joint venture in China, as it plans to expand in the country. The company's announcement came on the same day AppLovin offered to purchase the game development platform for $17.54 billion (roughly Rs...

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/p3bTuoq

Sony LinkBuds Review: A unique experience

Owning these buds is a unique experience that cannot be matched by the offerings of any other brand. What you earn in terms of style points and unique design and features, you lose out in the form of modern-day essentials like ANC. So, if you are out in the market with a ₹20k budget, and want to try out something new, then go for it. However, if you are looking for anything close to a bang-for-the-buck experience, then stay away from these.

Sony finally took the leap and launched their LinkBuds (WF-L900) in India, pricing them at ₹19,990. This is the latest addition to Sony’s line of premium earbuds, including the Sony WF-1000XM4, which retails at the same price. With their unique design and approach towards giving the users a new audio listening and calling experience, they do stand out. But the question is, are they good enough to stand up to the standards set by others in the market? Well, to find that out, we put the earbuds through their paces in our test, and here’s what we found out.

Sony LinkBuds: Build, Design, and Fit

The Sony Linkbuds have anything but a mainstream design, and wearing them is a statement about your openness to adapting to the latest technology trends. The buds come in a plastic-free package, and their aesthetic parts (case and earbuds shell) are made using recycled plastic material. So, Sony earns the brownie points there.

When it comes to the fit of the earbuds, things start getting tricky. They are small and lightweight. However, given their 8-shaped design language, the fit is either a hit or a miss. Even with their silicon loop, which is meant to hold the buds in place, if your ears are small, then these might not fit you. Some of us at the Digit Test Centre cherished the new design and the lightweight feel of the buds, but people with smaller ears could not get it to stay within their ears. So, you should look out for that. If you have relatively big ears, these slide in like a glove.

In terms of the case, Sony trumps most other TWS makers out there. The case is really small and has great pocketability. The branding is subtle, just like on the buds themselves. The case and the buds lack the sturdiness that someone shelling close to 20k of their hard-earned money would want. The overall feel of the case is flimsy, and with no metal bracket support, you could easily break the lid of the case. And, if you like opening your earbuds case with one hand, good luck. You have to press a button in the front to open the case, which makes opening the case a task that you’d need to pay attention to get it right every time.

Sony LinkBuds: Features

What Sony loses out in terms of the design and build of the case and the fit of the buds, it makes up for it in the features department. These earbuds are a great example of how good engineering can help package well-executed features in a small form factor. Apart from the regular inclusions like in-ear detection and others, the two features that stand out the most are – adaptive volume control and wide area tap.

Let’s start with the wide-area tap. Sony LinkBuds come with a technology that Sony calls the Wide Area Tap. What this does is that it extends the touch-sensitive area from the buds over to the region in front of the ears. So, you can tap on your skin to change tracks. How cool is that!? While this may seem like a gimmicky feature at first glance, the actual performance is way above par. Sony has done a great job of implementing this feature. Even on the buds, the touch response is great.

The second on the list is the adaptive volume control which automatically changes the volume levels depending upon the ambient noise. This feature, just like the wide-area tap, outperformed our expectations. The change in volume when we shifted from one place to the other was smooth and accurate enough to ensure that our music/call was audible at all times.

However, the way that these buds are designed, they miss out on what has become a staple in premium earbuds, active noise cancellation. These earbuds lack ANC and often let too much ambient noise in due to the virtue of their design. The adaptive volume control tries to make up for it, but with little success. We cannot complain much here because when deciding to get your hands on these buds, this is what you signed up for. If you take flights often, then you should look elsewhere or get a dedicated pair of headphones with ANC. During your workouts, though, these would work just fine. They have an IPX4 rating, which is nowhere close to what you get with other products in the price range but have to live with.

In terms of the app, these use the Sony Headphones Connect app, which we discussed in our previous reviews and shared our love for. To sum it up in a single line, it has most of what you could ask for, including custom EQ controls, option to modify the touch controls, etc. Basically, it has all the bases covered.

Sony LinkBuds: Performance

The Sony LinkBuds live up to the expectations that we had set, especially considering the price and the fact that they are made by Sony, who know their way around in making good personal audio products. The soundstage is wide, and instrument separation is great on this pair. The cherry on top is Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), which fills in all gaps in the earbuds' sound quality.

Uncompensated frequency response graph of Sony LinkBuds (Orange)

Every track that we played on these buds sounded like what one would expect when spending so much money on a pair of TWS earbuds. However, the bass response was not that great. The bass sounded muddy and brought down the listening experience in tracks that are laden with bass instruments. The mids and the highs were as we expected them to be. Due to their design, the earbuds could not fit in the coupler of our testing rig, which meant that the bass response was not recorded well in our tests, and the other frequencies too weren’t represented with the accuracy that we’d like.

Now, coming to the microphone performance. The Sony LinkBuds are being marketed by Sony to be targeted toward providing the users with a great calling experience in which microphone performance matters. And again, Sony lives up to the standards that they have set for themselves. The audio coming from the microphones is crisp and could be heard with ease by the person at the other end, during our testing.

Sony LinkBuds: Battery Life

The LinkBuds lasted long during our tests. It took us close to five and half hours at 50 per cent volume to drain the battery of the buds. The case promises to give the buds another 12 hours of juice, which pegs the total battery life at about 17.5 hours in total. So you should get through a couple of days of usage with these. There is no ANC on these buds, which also helps them inch closer to the battery life advertised by Sony. The company is also claiming that with just 10 minutes of charge, you can get a listening time of 90 minutes.

Sony LinkBuds: Verdict

The Sony LinkBuds are unique, which means a lot of things. Firstly, there is no product that you can pit them against. Owning these buds is a unique experience that cannot be matched by the offerings of any other brand. What you earn in terms of style points and unique design and features, you lose out in the form of modern-day essentials like ANC. So, if you are out in the market with a ₹20k budget, and want to try out something new, then go for it. However, if you are looking for anything close to a bang-for-the-buck experience, then stay away from these.

from Audio Video Reviews https://ift.tt/zr0VkHX

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Go for it with caution

Priced at ₹2,799, the OnePlus Nord Buds are a good recommendation for anyone looking to buy a reliable pair of TWS earphones in the sub 3k price range. The sound quality is decent, and the best available for bass heads, and the battery performance is enough to get you through long calls.

OnePlus has launched the OnePlus Nord Buds, making it the company’s first budget true wireless earphones. The company has been trying to make inroads in the budget segment in the Indian consumer technology space, trying to ride on its insanely high price-to-performance ratio provider reputation. However, their ratios have gotten worse, and it is evident here. There has been a lot of competition in the budget TWS market, with players like Realme and Oppo bringing their A-game to the table with every launch. So, to test where the OnePlus Nord Buds stand, we put these TWS earphones through their paces in our testing process. And the results were interesting, to say the least. Here’s what we found out.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Build, Design, and Fit

The OnePlus Nord Buds hold their ground when it comes to build quality. The outer case, which is made of glossy plastic, despite being prone to picking up scratches over time, does give the product a premium feel. OnePlus’ attention to detail with the seams and the overall fit of the buds themselves make the purchase feel worth it, at the first glance. Fingerprints were not a noticeable issue in our white review unit. The inlaid OnePlus logo rounds up the case design perfectly, stopping it from being a plain white box that this case is.

Talking about the boxy design of the case, it is not particularly easy to fit in the pocket. Despite having a narrow body, the height of the case makes it difficult to carry around in the pocket without drawing attention. The design can be a bit polarising, some of us in the test centre liked its unique look, while others didn’t fancy it too much.

The earbuds themselves are light and feature boxy stem that tends not to protrude out. The weight of the earbuds also makes wearing them for a longer period easy. Two silver concave touch-sensitive buttons add a tasteful bling to the rather mute buds’ design. We have nothing from OnePlus to pit these against, but in comparison to others at this price, the experience of wearing them even during long writing or exercise sessions is easy on the ears. The three different-sized ear tips included in the box let the user customise the fit of the buds to a certain extent.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Features

At the price at which the OnePlus Nord Buds slot in, one should not hold high expectations. Even the devices that are marketed to be feature-rich, lack proper implementation of the features, making the entire user experience lackluster. However, OnePlus with these earphones lives up to the quintessential OnePlus philosophy of the yesteryears. Doing less but doing it well.

There is no ANC, the range is decent, and there is no wireless charging. These are the features that one shouldn’t expect in this price range too. When we got to our testing though, all the remaining scoring slots took no time to be populated with what we can call decent numbers.

They come with an IP55 rating, which makes them fit to be worn during workout sessions. The controls are intuitive and responsive. The concave shape of the touch-sensitive area on the buds makes it very easy to locate the touch points. Controls can be modified to trigger various actions in the settings menu in select devices, while other users will have to download the HeyMelody app. This itself isn’t densely packed with features but has the essentials like custom and preset EQ settings and touch control modification menu. The battery level indicator in the app is a nice addition as it lets users gauge how much longer they can jam to their favourite tracks, before the juice runs out on these earphones.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Performance

In the earlier section, we were talking about jamming to the tunes on the OnePlus Nord Buds. So, let's tell you what we found when we tested the audio performance of these earphones. On the spec sheet, things look impressive. They come equipped with 12.4 mm Titanium drivers that support Dolby Atmos. But the actual performance was underwhelming.

Uncompensated frequency response graph of OnePlus Nord Buds (Light Pink) vs Neutral (Dark Green)

We had set out with high expectations when we decided to play Hotel California on these earphones. It was not long before though that we were brought back to the reality that these are a budget pair of earphones. The sound that we got was laden with bass, with the highs and the mids missing the punch that one would expect a driver of the size that is there in this pair should have.

Uncompensated frequency response graph of OnePlus Nord Buds (Light Pink) vs Realme Buds Air 3 (Orange)

As we played different tracks one thing was apparent that these are meant for the bassheads. For anyone apart from this section that would love the OnePlus Nord Buds, the listening experience would be pretty underwhelming. They came out behind their direct competition on the market, the Realme Buds 3 in our testing process.

Tracks like Uptown Funk sounded fine, but as we moved to the tracks with higher instrument density and a wide soundstage, things got worse. For the price, it is acceptable. These are in no way the next Airpods killer, but OnePlus is also not the company that it used to be, making flagship killers in every segment that they explored. Noise isolation with a sung fitting tip was also decent.

Moving on to the performance of the microphone. This is where OnePlus Nord Buds redeemed themselves. The sound, although muddy at times was clear and even in the most challenging situations, the buds held their ground well. Ambient sounds were suppressed well during calls. Again, not to forget, this is when compared to other similarly priced devices. So, tune your expectations accordingly.

OnePlus markets support for Dolby Atmos with the Nord Buds. However, it is limited to certain high-end devices, and could not be found working with the Nord CE2 that we used during our testing. So, make sure to check the list of supported devices before making your purchase decision.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Battery Life

The OnePlus Nord Buds played music for six and a half hours straight during our testing, with the volume set to around 50 per cent. The case promises to provide another four full charges to the earbuds, which would push the overall battery life to around 30 hours. This is standard in TWS earphones these days, and the lack of ANC and transparency modes helps the OnePlus Nord Buds match the numbers mentioned on the spec sheets. With the additional Flash Charge capability baked in, as advertised you can get 5 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charging.

OnePlus Nord Buds Review: Verdict

Priced at ₹2,799, the OnePlus Nord Buds are a good recommendation for anyone looking to buy a reliable pair of TWS earphones in the sub 3k price range. The sound quality is decent, and the best available for bass heads, and the battery performance is enough to get you through long calls. In terms of features, they are less but well done. Touch controls are intuitive and accurate, and the buds are IP55 rated, meaning that sweaty workout sessions shouldn’t affect these lightweight earbuds. While these earbuds are perfect for a basshead, you should look elsewhere if you are looking for a well-balanced sound.

If we were to sum up the verdict in a single sentence here, it would be – budget package, that punches well within its weight.

from Audio Video Reviews https://ift.tt/z06plAC