F1 2016 review: Licence to thrill

Making Formula One games is a famously thankless task, but in recent years, Leamington Spa-based Codemasters has picked up that particular F1 baton and run with it in an increasingly impressive manner.

Once upon a time, thanks to the niceties of satisfying the official licence (such as getting every advertising hoarding spot-on), the annual Formula One game would arrive when the real-life season was all but done and dusted. But Codemasters’ relationship with the powers that be is now good enough to allow F1 2016 to reach the shops at a more propitious time: the end of the mid-season summer break.

F1 2016 review: Career and acclimatisation

Last year’s effort, F1 2015, was Codemasters’ first game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and, while, in technical terms, it was sufficiently impressive to satisfy the hardcore F1 fans, it felt a bit disjointed in pure gaming terms.

So F1 2016 works hard, with a large amount of success, to rectify that. This time around, in Career mode, the pre-season shoot-out has been dispensed with, so you merely choose what team you want to drive for (and can fiddle around to a small extent with how you look in the game).

Cleverly, though, much more emphasis has been placed on the free practice sessions, each of which gives you three mini-games to leaven what would otherwise be the tedium of pounding aimlessly around the track.

The first is a track-acclimatisation test, which gives you four laps to drive through strategically placed markers: you’re penalised for ones you miss, or for driving through them too slowly.

The most fascinating mini-game is a tyre-wear assessment: very topical for those who follow F1 and are appalled by the fragility of Pirelli’s tyres. Again, you’re given four laps, and the battering you put your tyres through is captured at the end of each lap: there’s a meter which goes from purple to green to red (the latter being bad), and in order to remain in the purple, you basically have to drive like the proverbial granny, while maintaining a certain speed-level. But on the other hand, being easy on your tyres can play to your advantage if, say, you want to switch mid-race from a three-stop to a two-stop strategy.

The third mini-game is a qualifying-lap simulation, which puts you on the grippiest tyres; between the three, they give you a great feel for the vagaries of the different tyre compounds, which is a central plank (like it or not) of today’s Formula One.

F1 2016 review: Damage limitation

It’s worth playing those mini-games, as they earn you Resource Points, which can be cashed in to upgrade different areas of your car.

And you earn Resource Points for exceeding expectations in races, too. Codemasters has hit upon what is essentially an XP system that brings tangible benefits and makes F1 2016 feel like a proper game, rather than a mere facsimile of what we watch on our TV screens.

Codemasters / Formula One

There’s also a rivalry system, which pits you against other drivers (initially your team-mate), and at the end of each race weekend, you’re awarded reputation points, weighted according to how many driver aids you use, for example, which essentially give you a head-start when you pluck up the courage to play F1 2016 online (an experience which is every bit as hardcore as you would expect).

The usual plethora of driver aids are available, although there’s one aspect which those whose enthusiasm for Formula One is greater than their natural driving talent might find challenging: damage is turned on by default, and F1 2016’s damage system is rigorous (although you can select a dumbed-down level or turn it off). The tiniest nudge of a barrier or a rival will cripple your car and often result in a puncture, which will in turn leave you short of tyres in the free practice sessions.

F1 2016 review: Career and acclimatisation

You can select various levels of traction control, which is not available to real Formula One drivers these days, and feels a bit of a cheat as it gives you a massive advantage. Turn it off, though, and the car-feel that you get is absolutely sublime. You must be very careful on the throttle, as in the real cars. The difference in grip levels between the tyre compounds is an eye-opener, as is the effect of tyre degradation (you even feel the latter with traction control cranked up).

The AI in F1 2016 is spot-on, too. Computer-controlled drivers are aggressive and always keen to pass, but seem less eager to drive into the back of your car than they did in previous iterations of the game.

Codemasters / Formula One

The realistic feel that F1 2016 delivers is amazing: if you ever wanted to know what nursing a car around a track on disintegrating tyres, while keeping an eye on fuel consumption, feels like for Formula One drivers, this game will let you share their frustration and appreciate the unseen skill that goes into driving a longer-than-average stint. And without sweating quite as much.

F1 2016 isn’t free of flaws, though: the virtual renderings of drivers are pretty dodgy, although at least the game makes a stab at podium celebrations this time around.

And the commentary, as ever, deals in generalisations rather than specifics, and often strays into downright cliché.

Verdict

F1 2016 is a triumph which will thrill console-owning Formula One fans.

It’s the first officially licensed title that feels like a proper game, thanks to that meticulously structured Career mode, and it recreates the feel of participating in Formula One far more rigorously and realistically than any of its predecessors.

Given that the game is free of the politics and vested interests that currently mar the sport (Bernie Ecclestone is nowhere to be seen in the game), you could even argue that F1 2016 better than the real thing.

The best ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ toy gets even better

Sphero’s BB-8 quickly became the most sought-after Star Wars toy when it was revealed last year. Now, the company is introducing a “Battle-worn” edition of the droid at IFA 2016, featuring a murky appearance that makes it further resemble the character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But that’s not it. Along with this new rolling ball, Sphero introduced the final version of its Force Band, which lets you control BB-8 by simply waving your hand. The wearable device is also compatible with two other members of Sphero’s robot family, the SPRK+ and Ollie.

In the case of the Battle-worn BB-8, it’s even more adorable than the original. That’s namely because it looks like it’s been through some rough times, as the character actually does in the film. Meanwhile, the Force Band has its own app, where you can get an interactive training demo and play different game modes. One of these games, for example, lets you use the Force Band to collect Holocrons, a set of digital cards with images and information about different Star Wars characters. The Force Band can make sounds too, like that of the Millennium Falcon or Han Solo’s DL-44 blaster pistol.

Right now, Sphero doesn’t have any plans to sell the Battle-worn BB-8 on its own, so your only option is to get a special edition bundle with the Force Band for $199. That said, if you already own the original BB-8 (or the other Sphero robots we mentioned), you can get the wearable for $79. Everything will be available on September 30th; pre-orders are already open on the company’s site.

We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.

A tiny space pebble just put a huge dent in an ESA satellite

The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1A satellite has new 40cm dent on one of its solar wings — and it was caused by a tiny millimetre-size piece of space debris. The impact was discovered with the Sentinal-1A reported a slight power reduction last month. Onboard cameras quickly found the micrometeoroid impact, pictured above. Don’t worry, the ESA says the satellite is fine, but the impact serves as a reminder: at orbital velocity, tiny objects can cause major damage.

This is a problem for the Breakthrough Starshot project, which aims to launch a laser powered nanocraft that travels at 1/5th the speed of light. That project hopes to reach the next solar system over in about 20 years. “Erosion of solid surfaces will be a severe problem at these speeds,” says Ian Crawford of Birkbeck, University of London. “It’s possible that the wafersats won’t even be able to complete the journey.”

For engineers, this isn’t news — NASA and other space agencies have been combating space derbies for decades — but it does mean that teams need to think of new ways to protect fast moving crafts. The faster a craft goes, the more dangerous tiny objects can be. At the speed Breakthrough Starshot is designed to reach, even microscopic space dust could be dangerous.

Source: New Scientist, ESA

Apple and Others File Support for Microsoft in Fight for Government Data Access Disclosures

Apple and other companies today filed friend-of-the-court briefs to support Microsoft in its legal fight with the U.S. Department of Justice. Microsoft’s lawsuit is aimed at striking down a law that prevents companies from telling customers about government data requests, reports Reuters.

Apple joined a wide array of companies to support Microsoft, including Fox News, The Washington Post, BP, Delta Airlines, Google, Snapchat, Amazon, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla and more.

Microsoft filed its lawsuit against the Justice Department in April, saying that the government is using the authority of the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act to prevent companies from informing customers when they hand over private data stored in the cloud. Microsoft argues that the government is violating the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees the right for people and businesses to know if the government is searching or seizing their property, and the company’s First Amendment right to free speech, which it would use to inform customers.

The Department of Justice, which filed a motion to dismiss the suit in July, argues that the public has a “compelling interest in keeping criminal investigations confidential” and that Microsoft has no standing to bring on the case. It also contends that there are procedural safeguards to protect constitutional rights.

Apple has also been embroiled in a legal fight with the DoJ, asserting that the FBI’s use of the All Writs Act to force Apple to unlock the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farouk is both unprecedented and dangerous. Microsoft was one of the many companies filing amicus briefs in support of Apple.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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This mummy’s skull was recreated via 3D printer

Using a mummified head found in the collections of the University of Melbourne, scientists were able to reconstruct the skull of a deceased 25-year-old woman from via 3D printer.

The head and face, which were brought back to life with forensic science and 3D printing, were determined to have belonged to a woman. The specimen’s been named Meritamun, and the woman likely wasn’t older than 25 years old when she passed away. The fact that she was mummified meant she was someone of high enough stature to warrant such treatment after death.

A museum curator originally happened upon the head while performing an audit and sent it in for a CT scan, and that’s where the magic began. Varsha Pilbrow, biological anthropologist at the University of Melbourne, states that the skull looks “well” on the inside and is “actually quite intact.”

Still, despite its great condition and the fact that the skull was easily replicated via the results of the CT, its actual origins remain unknown. There’s some speculation, however, over what kind of diseases she could have had as well as dental issues.

It’s not explicitly clear how she could have died, but Pilbrow and the rest of the researchers involved in the project may well figure out a glut of additional details about the woman’s death as time goes on.

Via: CBS News

The Lenovo Yoga Book is too cool for a keyboard

Every once in a while, a piece of technology comes along that looks more at home on the set of a sci-fi film than on a store shelf in 2016. The Lenovo Yoga Book is one such device.

It’s more than lightweight and super-thin; it ditches the conventional keyboard for a flat black slab, with touch-sensitive keys that illuminate only when the “Halo Keyboard” is enabled. Toggle it off and you activate a Wacom digitizer with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, converting the keyboard into a drawing tablet for the included stylus. And odds are you can do those doodles in your preferred artistry app, because the Yoga Book runs either Android or Windows depending on which model you get.

I’ve been waiting literally six months to show you this sucker, so tune in for my early impressions on the highs and the lows of the Lenovo Yoga Book – and stay tuned for MrMobile’s full review, coming later this year!

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Fossil Q Marshal and Wander preview: Doing Android Wear right

Ever since Fossil outlined its ambitious plan to introduce smartwatches and smart analogue watches across its family of brands, we’ve been itching to see the Q Wander and Marshal watches in full working order. 

Having previously cast our eyes over Fossil’s analogue devices, and brought you our favourable first impressions, it’s now the turn of the Marshal and Wander devices. Sitting in Fossil’s Q family, they share a platform with the original device, the Founder. 

As far as Android Wear goes, which is the software platform of choice, these are very much the same AW experience you’ll find elsewhere – on the new Asus ZenWatch 3, for example, or the premium Tag Heuer Connected.

Pocket-lint

We mention those devices, because they sit are opposite ends of the scale. Asus is gunning for the affordable end of the market with a price of €229; Tag Heuer sits in the real luxury end at £1100, both offer a software experience that’s very similar.

The difference between these devices in part comes down to materials, but mostly comes down to design. Not the big design elements, like the bezel or the thickness of the watch, but the subtle differences, like the back and the lugs, how the strap fits, how it sits on your wrist. 

This is where Fossil really swings in. Fossil makes a huge number of fashion watches and fashion watches are something that people choose to wear. They are popular because they are nice. We’ve looked at the Michael Kors range separately, but that’s a perfect example of the power moves that Fossil is making in smartwatches. It’s about desirability.

Pocket-lint

Pick up the Fossil Q Marshal and that’s what you’re struck by: it’s a desirable watch, a watch that feels nice to wear, because it has been designed by a company that’s making and selling a lot of watches. 

That potentially makes watches like the Q Wander much more important to Android Wear than might at first be apparent. For those outside of the world of technology, i.e., your average person, the appeal of the Fossil brand, and the surety of the design, could put Android Wear on the map in a way that some of the technology companies didn’t quite manage to do.

The technology of the Q Wander and Marshal is simple enough. Announcing a partnership with Qualcomm, this latest generation of devices runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset. That’s a chipset that’s been designed specifically for smartwatches, whereas many previous devices were running on hardware originally designed for smartphones.

Pocket-lint

There are some shortcomings: Fossil has a flat tyre design on its display, like Motorola’s devices, meaning that a small section at the bottom of the watch is black. That’s partly why you’ll see a lot of black watch faces, because it hides that bar at the bottom. 

The bar is used to house things like light sensors, to change the brightness of the device. We didn’t have the time to really get to grips with the quality of the display in our initial hands-on session, nor with the performance of this watch overall, although the Wear 2100 chipset should mean longer battery life than some other devices.

Charging comes from a magnetic inductive charger that attaches to the rear, discarding the cradle-style charger of the previous generation.

In terms of functionality, the offering here is very much the same as other Android Wear devices. Compatible with Android and iOS devices, you’ll get notifications, voice controls and lots of compatible apps to keep you informed, entertained or just heading in the right direction.

• Android Wear review: The smartwatch platform?

Overall, it looks like a strong step in the right direction. With Fossil pushing out a number of smartwatches, in a number of designs, at an attractive price, we can’t help feeling that this is doing Android Wear the right way. It’s a desirable approach and as we said with the Michael Kors watches, it’s about fashion first and the technology second. 

The Fossil G Wander and Fossil Q Marshal will be available now and cost from £279.