Artists explain how ‘The Witness’ got its special look

As you walk through The Witness, solving puzzles and taking in the island’s natural beauty, you might wonder how it all came together. Did gameplay take precedent, followed by artistic flair? Or were the two developed and balanced simultaneously? To shed a little light, artist Luis Antonio has written a series of blog posts that go into fascinating detail about the game and its development. From specific areas to teaser trailers and posters, it offers a rare look into how Antonia, alongside Eric Anderson and Orsi Spanyol, helped Jonathon Blow develop the look of the game.

A word of warning: Antonia says some of the screenshots and explanations could be considered spoilers for people that haven’t played The Witness yet. “I strongly advise you to the play the game before(hand), since these will inevitably spoil some of the experience.” If you fall into that camp, we recommend reading this particular entry — it’s only about the game’s promotional material and will give you a flavour of what Antonia has put together. Of course, then we suggest you go away, play the game and hurry back. Or just delve in further if you don’t mind a few spoilers. Your call.

Via: Kotaku

Source: The Art of The Witness

Engadget giveaway: Win a Genius Kit and iPad Air 2 courtesy of Osmo!

Kids have been known to hog the iPad, so you may as well load one up with fun and educational games to offset all that Rastamouse binge watching. Osmo is an interactive game system that can challenge and entertain young minds beyond just swiping and tapping. The company’s Genius Kit includes an entire suite of games that teach through storytelling and utilize a special mirror to turn the table into a playing field. Hands-on games like Tangram, Numbers and Words focus on the basics of spacial skills, math and writing, while Newton and Masterpiece provide interactive drawing tools. Osmo has given us an iPad Air 2 and a Genius Kit for one lucky Engadget reader this week, so they can give the gift of fun and learning to the next generation — or, you know, just play with it. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this unique blend of physical and digital fun.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Osmo Genius Kit, one (1) Apple iPad Air 2 (16GB, WiFi, Space Gray- MGL12LL/A) and one (1) Osmo t-shirt.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until Feb. 17th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!

You can now pre-order an Oculus PC bundle for $1,500

I you’ve been holding off ordering an Oculus Rift because you don’t have a PC that’s good enough, you can now buy one of the VR headsets bundled with a PC. From today Best Buy, Amazon and the Microsoft Store are all selling discounted packages that include a Rift and a PC that meets the system’s recommended specifications.

The only manufacturers involved with the VR-ready PC program right now are ASUS and Dell (the latter through both its own brand and its Alienware gaming marque). Prices start at $1499, which will get you an Asus G11 tower with an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970. If you’ve been following Oculus’ launch closely, you’ll recognise those specs as pretty much the bottom line for a PC that supports the headset. All of the bundles include the pack-in games Eve: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale, along with the relevant sensors, cables, and controllers.

Most of the deals will see you saving somewhere between $100 and $200 on retail price. While that seems like a great offer, many gamers will point out that you could save just as much — or get the exact combination of specs you’re looking for — by building your own PC.

If you’ve already ordered an Oculus, you can still get in on the discounted PC fun by heading to your order status page and grabbing a code.

Marshmallow update for Sony Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet, and Z3+ set for March

The official Twitter account for Sony UK has shared a date for when Marshmallow is expected to be released for the Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet and Z3+. Should the information be accurate, owners of the aforementioned mobile devices can look to see Android 6.0 arrive on March 7.

@FalseNugget it’s set to roll out from March 7th for Xperia Z5 series, Z4 Tablet and Z3+ – we will share confirmed timings when its ready

— Sony Xperia GB (@sonyxperiagb) February 15, 2016

It’s worth noting that this comes from the official Sony UK Twitter account and the exact date, as well as international availability, may be subject to change. That said, it’s at least an indication that the company does indeed plan to release the update sooner rather than later. We’ll keep you all posted should we learn more.

Source: Twitter (Xperia UK), Via: Xperia Blog

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Curvaceous Samsung Galaxy S7 breaks cover in another leak

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is just around the corner, set for an unveiling at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event — but in the meantime we’re seeing yet another leak of the phone. This time the phone, in black, was unveiled in the flesh from a retailer in Dubai… and then promptly pulled.

Not only were we able to see what is alleged to be the smartphone itself, but the listing (which is no longer live on the Dubizzle website) also sported a shot of what will come as standard in the packaging alongside the S7. These new photos join the growing collection of leaks and rumors, which include official wallpapers and accessories, renders, color options, as well as Gear VR potentially being included.

As with all such leaks and rumors, we caution you to take it with a healthy dose of salt. We’re less than a week away from the expect unveiling of the Galaxy S7, so keep your browser and feeds tuned to Android Central for the latest from the floor at MWC 2016.

Source: Dubizzle (no longer live); Via: PhoneArena

Samsung Galaxy S7

The Galaxy S7 is expected to be announced at Mobile World Congress in late February 2016.

• Complete Galaxy S7 news
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• The Galaxy S7 could come in three sizes
• The microSD card slot might return in the GS7
• Fewer megapixels in the GS7 camera might be better

Xiaomi’s Mi 4 is on sale on Amazon India for just ₹12,999, Mi 4i for ₹9,999

Xiaomi is kicking off a promotion that sees most of its handsets discounted on Amazon India. The 16GB Mi 4 — which usually retails for ₹14,999 ($220) — is now available for ₹12,999 ($190). The 16GB Mi 4i is also seeing a ₹2,000 price cut, and is now on sale for just ₹9,999 ($145).

The Redmi Note Prime is getting a permanent price cut, and will now be available for ₹7,999 ($115). Xiaomi’s handsets have been exclusive to Flipkart for a nearly a year and a half, with the vendor deciding to sell its wares on its own websites as well as Amazon and Snapdeal late last year. The promotion is likely aimed at letting users know that Xiaomi’s phones are available via Amazon, as the retailer made a video to highlight the sale:

As for the devices themselves, the Mi 4 is getting a bit long in the tooth, with the phone unveiled in July 2014. Xiaomi’s all set to launch the Mi 5 next week at Mobile World Congress, with the handset rumored to offer the Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, and a QHD display. The Mi 4i, meanwhile, offers great value for money, with a 5-inch Full HD screen, Snapdragon 615, 2GB of RAM, 13MP camera and 3120mAh battery for under ₹10,000.

Interested in what Xiaomi has to offer? Head to Amazon from the link below to check out the promotion. There’s a chance to win a ₹10,000 gift card as well.

See at Amazon

iPhone 7 Said to Expand Use of Single-Chip Electromagnetic Shielding

Apple is working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the device’s major chips, helping to maintain the iPhone’s performance as its power and complexity and thus potential for interference increases (via ETNews). The company has used EMI shielding on large portions of the iPhone’s circuit board in the past, and a few individual chips have included their own shielding, but the iPhone 7 will apparently include a broader array of single-chip EMI shields, from radio frequency to wireless LAN and Bluetooth chips.

South Korean manufacturers StatsChipPac and Amkor are both said to be responsible for the production of the EMI shielding process on the iPhone 7 line. The cost of that production is also predicted to increase with the intricacies introduced using the technology.

A production line in Amkor Technology

“As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry.” said a representative of this industry. “As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.”

According to the report, Apple decided to use the EMI shielding technology due to its effectiveness in preventing interference in wireless communication. Individual EMI shields can also allow for “more elaborate” and more densely packed circuit boards allowing for smaller devices or larger batteries. Similar EMI shielding was applied to the S1 chip package used in the Apple Watch last year

In regards to the general manufacturing of the next-generation iPhone, today a report stated that Apple has already lined up its partners for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Foxconn and Wistron are said to be heading up production on the 5.5-inch device, while Foxconn will join Pegatron in fulfilling orders for the 4.7-inch smartphone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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New Lego Star Wars sets in the flesh: Minecraft and Ninjago complete the line-up

Having shown off a range of Lego at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in the last few weeks, the brick brand let us take pics and video of the last entries in the 2016 line-up at the New York Toy Fair.

The biggest question mark still left for Lego this year was its Star Wars sets. Although some had been shown previously, Lego had remained tight lipped about two mysterious sets and the character mini-figures that accompanied them.

READ: These are the Lego sets you’ll want in 2016: Nexo Knights, Angry Birds and more

Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

In New York, Disney announced its new animated TV series, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. This will debut in the summer on Disney XD in the US (no date currently for UK).

Unsurprisingly then, the Star Wars Lego sets accompanying the series complete Lego Star Wars line-up for the year. Set 75145 offers an Eclipse Fighter, a smaller craft and two mini-figures while the 75147 set includes the larger Star Scavenger ship and four mini-figures.

Interestingly, this means we have two Lego Star Wars projects that extend the main fiction. The Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game will include content between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, while the Freemaker Adventures joins things up between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Lego Ninjago

Beyond Star Wars, other sets were more fully shown (and filmable) in New York, including additions to the Lego Ninjago line.

Ninjago will have a strong line-up throughout the year. And while Chima takes a back seat, it goes from strength to strength with more than half an eye on the 2017 Ninjago feature film.

Lego Minecraft

Lego Minecraft returns in 2016 and still struggles to make sense in this context. The iterative nature of a brick toy inspired by a brick-inspired video game means the play value and fun gets a little lost along the way.

This lack of coherence hasn’t stopped it selling well though, and last year it was Lego’s fifth best-selling line. In 2016, we will be getting four more Minecraft sets in March and then The Fortress in September — which includes a headlining Lego Minecraft horse of all things.

Lego Nexo Knights

Nexo Knights offer a more original (and coherent) combination of bricks and screens. In addition to the sets seen previously we got a proper look at the new Ultimate characters in New York – Axl, Lance, General Magmar and Flama. These, together with the large Jestro’s Volcano Base, provide plenty of physical play value backed up by a video game payload when the included shields are scanned into the related tablet app.

Lego City

Finally, the Lego City sets were rounded off with a full 2016 line. This ranges from spring’s Fire and Vehicle sets to summer’s Volcano Explorers and Autumn Airport and Town products. Of particular interest in the Town category is the Fun in the Park set that includes a wheelchair mini-figure for the first time in Lego’s history.

Having the whole of 2016’s Lego line-up in view is a little overwhelming — there’s just so much of it. Beyond this however, it seems that this is a year of consolidation rather than innovation for Lego. Quality remains as high as ever but the lion share of shelf space is given to extending existing ideas rather than creating new ones.

Apple Surpassed 10% Share of Notebook Market in 2015 Amid Industry Decline

The latest data from research firm TrendForce shows that MacBook sales continue to gain momentum in an otherwise declining notebook market. Apple passed Asus and Acer to become the fourth-largest notebook maker in 2015, reaching 10.34 percent market share compared to 9.3 percent market share in 2014. Overall notebook shipments in 2015 were 164.4 million, down 6.3 percent from 175.5 million in 2014.

HP and Lenovo continued to lead the notebook industry in 2015 with around 20% market share each, but Apple is now within striking distance of Dell for third place. The comparison is unbalanced, however, as Apple only sells three different MacBook models, with the cheapest being the entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air for $899, while most PC makers have a wide selection of models and price points.

“HP and Lenovo will still be rivaling for the top spot in the notebook market during 2016,” said TrendForce notebook analyst Anita Wang. “HP has a good chance of holding the most market share this year and maintaining its leadership position because of the relatively stronger U.S. market. Dell will likely retain third place in the notebook shipment ranking for this year. As for ASUS, Apple and Acer, their struggle for the fourth, fifth and sixth positions in the 2016 ranking will be fierce since they have similar market shares of just around 10%.”

These numbers mirror overall PC market data shared by Gartner last month. Apple made it back into Gartner’s list of top 5 worldwide PC vendors in the fourth quarter of 2015, although the company remains behind Asus with a lower 7.5% market share when factoring in desktop and other non-notebook PC sales. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.7 million units in Q4 2015, an 8.3 percent decline.

Apple is expected to introduce new Skylake-based Mac notebooks featuring Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C later this year. Intel has announced Skylake chips appropriate for the 13″ MacBook Pro, 15″ MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and 12″ MacBook over the past year.

Opportunities for major product introductions could come at WWDC, likely scheduled for mid-June, although smaller updates could come at any time via press release. New Macs could also debut at Apple’s rumored March 15 media event if there is enough stage time alongside the iPhone 5se, iPad Air 3, and Apple Watch updates.

Tag: TrendForce
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Surpassed 10% Share of Notebook Market in 2015 Amid Industry Decline

The latest data from research firm TrendForce shows that MacBook sales continue to gain momentum in an otherwise declining notebook market. Apple passed Asus and Acer to become the fourth-largest notebook maker in 2015, reaching 10.34 percent market share compared to 9.3 percent market share in 2014. Overall notebook shipments in 2015 were 164.4 million, down 6.3 percent from 175.5 million in 2014.

HP and Lenovo continued to lead the notebook industry in 2015 with around 20% market share each, but Apple is now within striking distance of Dell for third place. The comparison is unbalanced, however, as Apple only sells three different MacBook models, with the cheapest being the entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air for $899, while most PC makers have a wide selection of models and price points.

“HP and Lenovo will still be rivaling for the top spot in the notebook market during 2016,” said TrendForce notebook analyst Anita Wang. “HP has a good chance of holding the most market share this year and maintaining its leadership position because of the relatively stronger U.S. market. Dell will likely retain third place in the notebook shipment ranking for this year. As for ASUS, Apple and Acer, their struggle for the fourth, fifth and sixth positions in the 2016 ranking will be fierce since they have similar market shares of just around 10%.”

These numbers mirror overall PC market data shared by Gartner last month. Apple made it back into Gartner’s list of top 5 worldwide PC vendors in the fourth quarter of 2015, although the company remains behind Asus with a lower 7.5% market share when factoring in desktop and other non-notebook PC sales. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.7 million units in Q4 2015, an 8.3 percent decline.

Apple is expected to introduce new Skylake-based Mac notebooks featuring Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C later this year. Intel has announced Skylake chips appropriate for the 13″ MacBook Pro, 15″ MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and 12″ MacBook over the past year.

Opportunities for major product introductions could come at WWDC, likely scheduled for mid-June, although smaller updates could come at any time via press release. New Macs could also debut at Apple’s rumored March 15 media event if there is enough stage time alongside the iPhone 5se, iPad Air 3, and Apple Watch updates.

Tag: TrendForce
Discuss this article in our forums