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24
Jan

The Nintendo 3DS is here to stay (for now)


With the Switch fast approaching, you might think Nintendo is ready to give up on the 3DS. Not so. The company has a small, but significant stack of games planned for the handheld in 2017, and it wants you to know about them. In a press release today, the company highlighted Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, which comes out on February 3rd, Mario Sports Superstars — which now has a release date, March 24th — and Pikmin, a side-scroller spin-off featuring Captain Olimar and his color-coded friends. A (rather fantastic) Pikachu-themed new 3DS XL is also coming to America for $199.99 on February 24th, following its release in Japan late last year.

Missing from that roster is Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, an upcoming remake of the Famicom classic Fire Emblem Gaiden. The game is notable because the original was never released outside of Japan. Like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Mother 3, it’s often referred to as a “lost” game in the West. Not for much longer. It’ll be joined by Fire Emblem Warriors, a button mashy hack-and-slash game by Koei Tecmo in the fall.

The Wii U, meanwhile, is close to retirement. Nintendo has confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the last game that it releases for the system. Existing titles will still be sold, and the company will maintain the Wii U’s online services, but that’s about it. The different approaches reflect the install base and interest in both platforms. While the Wii U has struggled to break 15 million sales, the 3DS sits above 60 million — a paltry sum in comparison to the DS, but impressive nonetheless.

Games like Pokemon Sun and Moon have shown there’s still life in the old system. The 3DS is pretty cheap, and the 2DS is even cheaper, making the platform an ideal choice for young children. The future of Nintendo’s business rests with the Switch, but for now it makes some sense to support the ageing 3DS too. Yes, it’s possible the two will cannibalise each other’s sales. But they offer vastly different experiences — the Switch is a far more powerful console, and doubles as a capable home system. It’s clearly aimed at an older demographic (most Switch trailers have focused on twenty and thirty-something hipsters), one with a little more disposable income.

That’s not to say Nintendo doesn’t want kids buying the Switch. Just that for now, the company thinks there’s a market for both. As Reggie Fils-Aime told CNET: “In the end, we want people of all ages engaging with Mario and Zelda and the content that’s available across both platforms.”

Source: Nintendo (Press Release)

24
Jan

How an animated-GIF camera morphed into a nascent chip empire


Not many computers can thank GIFs for their existence. In 2013, Dave Rauchwerk worked on a San Francisco art installation that allowed people to record and project a GIF of themselves onto a building. It was popular and led to Rauchwerk joining with two friends to start a hardware company called Next Thing Co. Their aim? To create a camera that can capture GIFs for $100.

After a long stay in China with the HAX Accelerator, Next Thing Co. launched OTTO, a $250 “hackable GIF camera” in 2014. It was the first product to integrate Raspberry Pi’s Compute Module, and generated a lot of interest. Keen mathematicians may have noted the discrepancy in the intended and actual price — $250 is many more dollars than $100 — and the public did, too.

“We had as many articles written about it as we did products sold,” said Rauchwerk. “That turns out to be a really impressive number of articles and a really unimpressive number of units. About 400.” People wanted it, it seemed, but not for $250. “We always had this dream that distributors and retailers would call us and want it in stores,” he continued. They did call, but when it became clear that OTTO was being sold for cost, interest quickly dried up.

Next Thing Co

Next Thing Co. had a problem, and it wasn’t unique. Any hardware startup will face the same struggle: How do you build a computer with storage, battery power, charging, WiFi, an operating system and web services without spending a fortune? In 2014, there was no clear answer. “It was sort of akin to building a web service in 1996,” Rauchwerk said. “You had to build the web server and the infrastructure before you could even think about building your product.” Modern-day developers have access to a vast library of tools that make building out a web service far easier.

The cost of building a product should be around a third of its retail price. That meant, in order to build the OTTO at $100, the bill of parts and assembly should have been around $33. That left, by Rauchwerk’s estimate, $10 for the computer inside. The Raspberry Pi Compute Stick was, and even in its latest iteration remains, a $30 computer. With no clear option available, Next Thing Co., in startup parlance, “pivoted,” resolving to find a solution to building cheaper computers. “We’d seen those $50 Android tablets that were around a few years ago,” Rauchwerk said, “and we wondered why we couldn’t we take those parts, throw away the bits we don’t need and build a $10 computer?”

The company making those parts was AllWinner Technology, and the relationship between Next Thing Co. and the chip company led to C.H.I.P., a $9 computer that raised $2 million on Kickstarter. C.H.I.P. essentially took an old processor, worked out how to make it support mainline Linux (i.e., the latest version) and added it to a PCB with some extras.

Including the Kickstarter orders, Next Thing Co. has sold over 100,000 C.H.I.P. computers. But despite this success, the company still hadn’t reached its goal. People were building prototypes, sure, but when it came to actually turning those early designs into products, there was no path forward. “People started saying, ‘Well, I have a couple of these, but I want 10,000 of them, or even more, I want 50,000 or 100,000 of them and I want to put them in my product,’” Rauchwerk said.

The original C.H.I.P. may have been perfect for tinkering, but it wasn’t ideal for consumer products. And so Next Thing Co. built C.H.I.P. Pro, which solves pretty much all of the issues the original has. It’s 72 percent smaller, it’s optimized for mass production, even supporting robot placement on assembly lines, it’s reliability tested and it’s FCC-certified. C.H.I.P. Pro costs $16 and can be built at that price in quantities from one to a million. Rauchwerk claims there’s no upper limit on the number Next Thing Co. can produce, adding that you can go from prototype to product in 60 days.

Next Thing Co.’s computer offers a mediocre level of power compared to the chips inside a smartphone or tablet, but that’s not really a problem. The chip powering it is called the GR8, a custom system-in-package (SIP) containing a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor with ARM’s NEON architecture extension, 256MB or 512MB of high-speed RAM and a Mali-400 GPU. According to Rauchwerk, it’s “quite a bit faster, in application, on a single-core basis than a Raspberry Pi.” It’s also, depending on the software, able to sip power frugally. Rauchwerk said that people have used C.H.I.P. Pro to build devices that only need charging once a year.

Next Thing Co

In addition to selling the complete package in the form of C.H.I.P. Pro, Next Thing Co. is also offering the GR8 separately. It can be integrated into products that don’t need the extras on the Pro’s circuit board. All you really need to turn the GR8 into a functional computer is storage and power, so if a product calls for a different WiFi module, power supply or more storage than the Pro offers, you can design your own circuit board and add the GR8 chip to it for just $6 per unit. “The really fun thing,” Rauchwerk said, “is that you can start your product on C.H.I.P. Pro and switch to GR8 and not really have to change the software. They run the same chip and they’re software-compatible.”

Both C.H.I.P. Pro and GR8 can be flashed with a user or company’s software inside the factory. “This sounds like a little detail, but in practice, this is one of the most time-consuming parts of building a device,” Rauchwerk said. “If you order 10,000 modules then you’d have to spend 20 minutes putting the software on each one.” This service is available for orders of more than 1,000, putting it within the reach of those considering smaller hardware projects.

Support for mainline Linux was useful for C.H.I.P., but it’s way more important for Pro and GR8. You probably heard about Mirai — a botnet made of over 100,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices that briefly brought the internet to its knees last year. Mirai, and botnets like it, exist because millions of devices are connected to the internet using software with huge flaws. Running mainline Linux doesn’t magically make a device secure, of course, but there are internet-connected cameras, DVRs and other IoT devices that are running versions of Linux that are several years old. This makes them much more vulnerable than an up-to-date device.

Next Thing Co. also has cloud-based tools for security and device management that are in the hands of early partners but aren’t yet publicly available. This suite of software is intended to take make pushing security and feature updates to devices simple for companies. “We want people to focus on building their products, not working on how to keep them secure,” Rauchwerk said. “Leave that up to the experts.”

One thing that sets C.H.I.P. Pro and GR8 apart from other chips on the market is the lack of a nondisclosure agreement. While the Raspberry Pi Foundation is an extremely open organization, the company that supplies its SoCs, Broadcom, is not. There are NDAs in place to prevent Pi from making Broadcom’s system architecture public, making it harder to develop for. In contrast, the GR8 is open-source hardware — you can even look through Next Thing Co.’s GR8 architecture document on Github.

VYNL

With C.H.I.P. Pro and GR8, companies and individuals can take a prototype based on C.H.I.P., Raspberry Pi or any microcomputer, and quickly turn out a product that can be sold at scale. Rauchwerk said “thousands of companies” are doing just that, but he can talk about only a couple of products: TRNTBL and Outernet. TRNTBL is a smart turntable that can identify songs and stream vinyl to wireless speakers, using C.H.I.P. Pro as its foundation. Outernet is a kind of wireless library. It downloads data from Khan Academy, Wikipedia and others via satellite link, and creates a WiFi hotspot so people without an internet connection can still access some of the knowledge on the web.

In addition to enabling companies to build products, Next Thing Co. is also building its own. Its first since announcing the C.H.I.P. Pro is a $49 voice assistant for use in a car, called “Dashbot,” which is powered by the GR8. The developer kit for C.H.I.P. Pro comes with a pair of MicroElectrical-Mechanical System (MEMS) microphones on the board to help people prototype voice-based interactions. “We’re seeing people use it with [Amazon] Alexa voice service and different APIs to build AI-connected devices at a price that’s never been seen.” You can think of Dashbot as almost a call-to-arms for companies looking to build low-cost voice assistants.

Next Thing Co. is working with everyone from tinkerers building projects in their garages all the way up to “brands with products you can find at Best Buy,” and hardware will start hitting shelves this year. Becoming a chip giant is a far cry from Next Thing Co.’s original mission to build an animated GIF camera. Rauchwerk said that, if he wanted to, he could now sell the OTTO camera for substantially less than $99.

As if to prove a point, at CES earlier this month the company brought along a functional prototype OTTO with a C.H.I.P. Pro debug board inside. There doesn’t seem to be much of an interest in moving forward with that product anytime soon, but who knows? Maybe the dream of an animated GIF camera isn’t dead yet.

Image credits: Next Thing Co (OTTO camera); Richard Reininger (C.H.I.P. Pro images); VNYL (TRNTBL).

24
Jan

Microsoft launches program to take on Chromebooks in schools


In an effort to stem the academic migration to simpler, cheaper Chromebooks, Microsoft has launched the Intune for Education program. Based on the company’s corporate Intune service, it helps educators manage and set up student Windows 10 PCs and apps. As part of the initiative, the software giant revealed some cheap new laptops starting at $189 from Acer, HP, Lenovo and, for emerging markets, a company called JP.IK.

The timing of the announcement isn’t serendipitous, as Google for Education just unveiled two Chromebook models from Asus and Acer. Microsoft is making no bones about the program’s raison d’etre, saying educators can get “the power, performance and security [of Windows] … at the same price as Chromebooks, with none of the compromises.”

With the program, companies can “put devices in classrooms and not touch them again for the rest of the school year,” Microsoft says. As such, it includes an express setup feature, letting admins apply over 150 settings to hardware, apps, browsers, antivirus programs and more, all assigned to individual students when they log in.

It also includes School Data Sync, letting educators set up groups based on schools, classes or departments without a lot of effort. “For example, if a student is added to a photography class in the school roster, they will automatically be added to the group in Intune for Education and get the relevant apps,” Microsoft wrote.

One of Chromebook’s big advantages is the initial cost of the laptops. So, along with existing low-cost models like the $189 HP Stream 11 Pro G3 for education, Microsoft has unveiled some new models that better compete on price.

That includes the 11.6-inch Acer Travelmate Spin B118 convertible (above), equipped with a stylus and touchscreen, coming in the next quarter for $299. Lenovo, meanwhile, revealed the ThinkPad 11e in a regular or Yoga form factor, with 11 hours of battery life and a stylus, along with the N24, a similar model with 360 degree screen rotation. There’s no pricing or available for that model yet.

Finally, there’s the Turn T201 from JP.IK, a company that’s primarily an educational distributor. The oddball device (below) is a 360-degree convertible PC with an active stylus pen, but it’s also equipped with a rectractable handle so students are less likely to drop it. Aimed at ages 12-18, it comes with a basic microscope and a thermal probe for science experiments. There’s no word on price or availability yet, but Microsoft described it as an “emerging market” product, so it should be relatively cheap.

Microsoft’s Intune for Education service is $30 per device, exactly what Google charges for its own cloud-based educational services. In its post earlier today, Google touted lower ownership costs and said its system requires less time and labor to deploy and support. With the new program, Microsoft appears to have at least pulled closer in those areas.

Schools will have to consider factors other than cost, like whether students should learn Microsoft Office 365, rather than Google’s suite, including Docs and Sheets. In terms of training for future careers, corporations tend to prefer Microsoft, while startups (and young workers in general) would lean toward Google, according to a recent IT survey.

Another Google intangible is simplicity. Because they run in a the Chrome OS ecosystem, with limited apps, Chromebooks are harder for students to break than Windows PCs. They’re also easier to use, arguably, since most programs have common user interfaces and features. All that certainly gives educators more to think about, but more choice is always better, right?

Source: Microsoft

24
Jan

Gamevice Reveals New and Improved Gaming Controllers for iPhone 7, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini


Accessory maker Gamevice today debuted a collection of new mobile gaming controllers for the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Pro 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch, iPad Air, and iPad mini, which all come with updated thumbsticks, improved buttons, a lighter build, and a Lightning connector for simple connection to each iOS device. The original version of the controller launched for the iPhone 6s in 2015.

The iPhone 7 Plus Gamevice controller
Gamevice’s controllers work by placing an iPhone or iPad into the space between each side of the controller, and connecting the smartphone or tablet to the accessory with the iPhone’s Lightning port. The controller itself also has a Lightning port on the outside, so users can keep their iOS device charged while playing. When not connected to power, the controller is powered directly from the battery of the iPhone or iPad.

Like traditional gaming controllers, Gamevice includes two thumbsticks, a directional pad, shoulder buttons, four ABYX face buttons, and a menu button. The thumbsticks on Gamevice’s controllers are horizontally aligned, similar to those on the PlayStation DualShock controllers. In addition to these features, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus versions of the controller have a headphone jack.

gamevice-2The iPad Pro 12.9-inch Gamevice controller
The full list of updates includes:

  • It’s lighter. The iPhone now powers Gamevice, meaning that it doesn’t need its own battery. What’s more, it draws no more power than headphones do.
  • It’s got Lightning. Out goes USB port, in comes a Lightning port – meaning that you can charge your iPhone and your Gamevice at the same time.
  • It’s ‘thumbier’. The thumb sticks have been upgraded to be more ergonomic and comfortable, giving improved control.
  • Full support for iPhone 7. Gamevice for iPhone now supports every iPhone since iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Its patented design turns your iPhone into a mobile video game console.

Within its own app on the iOS App Store, called Gamevice Live [Direct Link], the company has curated a collection of apps that support its controllers, now reaching over 900 games. Titles include Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Assassin’s Creed: Identity, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Bully: Anniversary Edition, and more.

The iPad Pro and iPad Air Gamevice controllers are available today on Apple.com, and the iPhone 7 and iPad mini versions will launch on January 31. All models cost $99.95.

gamevice-3The iPad mini Gamevice controller
Some users have noted on Twitter that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Gamevice controllers have already begun appearing in some Apple retail stores ahead of their January 31 launch date.

Related Roundups: iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, iPhone 7
Tag: Gamevice
Buyer’s Guide: 9.7″ iPad Pro (Caution), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution)
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24
Jan

The Pokémon Company Releases New ‘Pokémon Duel’ Strategy Game for iOS


The Pokémon Company today launched its newest game designed for iOS devices, debuting Pokémon Duel. Pokémon Duel is a strategy board game where the goal is to collect a range of different Amiibo-style Pokémon figures, each of which has unique abilities.

Six Pokémon figures are used to build a deck, and with a deck, players can compete with other gamers around the world in ranked League Matches.

According to the app’s description, the object of each game is to be the first player to get a figure to the other player’s goal, carefully choosing a route and using strategy to outmaneuver an opponent.

The rules are simple! The object is to be the first player to get one of your figures to your opponent’s goal. How will you get to the goal? You’ll need to carefully choose your route! In duels, you and your opponent take turns moving your figures. Set up a strategic formation and attack your opponent, or simply block their path–it’s all about tactics! Plan your strategy and defeat your opponents in this game of cat and mouse!

Pokémon Duel is compatible with iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 or higher. The game is free to play, but includes gems that can be purchased in-app to speed up and enhance gameplay.

pokemondual
Pokémon Duel was previously available to iOS users in Japan, but is today expanding to the United States and other countries around the world.

Pokémon Duel can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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24
Jan

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 10.3 With ‘Find My AirPods’ to Developers


Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3 update to developers, marking the third major update to the iOS 10 operating system that was released in September. The first iOS 10.3 beta comes more than a month after the release of iOS 10.2.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 10.3 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.

As a 10.x update, iOS 10.3 likely brings bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features to iOS 10. While we won’t know what’s in the update until developers begin discovering changes, it is rumored to include a new “Theatre” mode with a “popcorn-shaped” icon in the Control Center.

What the rumored Theatre mode does is unclear, but should it be included in iOS 10.3, we’ll find out its purpose soon enough. We’ll update this post with new features that are found in the update.

Update: Apple has shared release details with several sites, outlining features that are included in the update. While the main feature is a new “Find My AirPods” option, there are also several smaller updates.

What’s new in iOS 10.3:

– There’s a new “Find My AirPods” tool to help users locate lost AirPods.
– SiriKit can be used to pay bills, check on the status of payments, and schedule future rides.
– The weather icon in the Maps app includes 3D Touch to show hourly forecasts.
– CarPlay includes new shortcuts for launching recently used apps.
– CarPlay’s Maps now features EV charging station locations.
– HomeKit supports programmable light switches.
– Conversation View in the Mail app features navigation improvements.
– When installing iOS 10.3, it will update the file system to Apple File System (APFS), so it’s important to make a backup before updating.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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24
Jan

Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 10.2 to Developers


Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one month after releasing tvOS 10.1, the first major update to the tvOS 10 operating system. tvOS 10.2 comes a day after Apple released tvOS 10.1.1.

Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the tvOS 10.2 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software from a registered developer account via iTunes or Apple Configurator.

Given the tricky installation requirements, tvOS betas are limited to developers and will not be provided to the public.

We don’t yet know what’s included in tvOS 10.2, but as a 10.x update, it could potentially include new features and design changes above and beyond the standard bug fixes and performance improvements. We’ll update this post should any new features be discovered in the tvOS 10.2 update.

What’s New in tvOS 10.2:

According to Apple’s release notes, there’s an accelerated scrolling option that allows users to scroll through content much more quickly, as described below:

Scroll views with a lot of content now have a behavior that allows users to scroll through them much more quickly. Several large swipes of the Siri remote will automatically switch into this mode. Additionally, users can swipe on the far right side of the remote to navigate specific indexes. If you see any unexpected behavior in your applications from this feature, please file a bug.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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24
Jan

Apple Seeds First macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Beta With New Night Shift Mode to Developers


Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update to developers, more than one month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.2 and four months since the debut of the new macOS Sierra operating system. macOS Sierra 10.12.4 one day after Apple released macOS Sierra 10.12.3.

The first macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store. A public beta will likely be available for public beta testers later this week.

We don’t yet know exactly what features, bug fixes, or changes will be introduced in the macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta, but because it accompanies iOS 10.3, it could be a more significant update that focuses on changes beyond bug fixes. According to Apple, the update includes a new Night Shift mode that automatically shifts the display color to the warmer end of the spectrum after night, offering Mac users an alternative to F.lux. Night Shift has been available on iOS devices since iOS 9.3.

macOS Sierra 10.12.4 also includes Shanghainese dictation support for converting text to speech, and Siri will soon gain the ability to display cricket scores.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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24
Jan

You can grab HP’s Chromebook for just $149 right now!


Best Buy is currently offering the HP Chromebook for just $149, a savings of $50 from its regular price. Equipped with an 11.6-inch display, this Chromebook has 4GB of RAM and 16GB of internal flash storage, all while weighing in at just 2.5 pounds. Running Google’s Chrome OS, you’ll have built-in cloud support for accessing your documents wherever you are, as well as automatic downloads and security updates to keep your work on schedule.

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This deal is only good for today, January 24, so be sure to act quickly if you are interested. If you’ve been thinking about checking out a Chromebook but didn’t want to spend a ton to do so, this is the deal for you.

See at Best Buy

24
Jan

Best games according to the AC Community


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We want to know what games you’re playing!

Let’s face it, with hundreds of thousands of games in the Google Play Store, it can be tough to give every worthwhile game the attention and praise it deserves. We try to shine a light on what we consider to be the best games available for Android, and we’re always excited to read the comments and see which games we may have overlooked.

In an effort to strengthen that two-way street of mutual respect, we’re hoping to go one step further and extend an opportunity to you, our valued readers, to share your opinions on the best games to play, right on the AC front page.

We’ve started a thread in the AC Forums as a place to share your opinions on games you think more people should be playing.

To kick things off, we’ve looked through some of the comments left on our gaming articles and pulled together three RPGs that were great recommendations, each offering a distinct gaming experience

Submit your gaming reviews and opinions here!

Star Wars: KOTOR

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR for short) was recommended by user Beigealini. SW:KOTOR was first released on the original Xbox back in 2003 and was universally acclaimed by critics and gamers alike. It’s one of those games that was incredibly influential in its time and laid the groundwork for other acclaimed RPGs to come, including the Mass Effect trilogy.

As the story progresses, you build up your character depending on their character class and, later on, choose a Jedi subclass. New skills and Force powers are unlocked as you level up, and you must choose your actions and words carefully as they will either lead you towards the light or dark side of the Force.

Given the resurgence in popularity surrounding Star Wars, it’s definitely worth revisiting this classic again — whether you played it back in the day or will be coming in with fresh eyes. You get the full game here with no compromises, as found in other mobile games, and the graphics don’t look as old and outdated as they are when scaled down to a 5-inch screen.

Download: Star Wars: KOTOR ($9.99)

Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius

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Fans of Final Fantasy and/or Brave Frontier should absolutely check out Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius if you haven’t already. As recommended by user Zardos, this free-to-play RPG was published by SquareEnix itself and features that classic 16-bit RPG look that fans will love, with gorgeous pixel art setting the mood and controls optimized to play on mobile.

This is a full-fledged RPG with all the bells and whistles fans have come to expect from the genre. You play as Rain, a brave knight who must stand up to the wicked power of the Visions in order to bring peace back to the land.

Uh, just a word of warning: Brave Exvius is undergoing a global event wherein you can unlock and use a character based on popstar Ariana Grande. It’s… bizarre to say the least, but does goes to show that the game is still receiving regular attention from the developers.

Download: Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius (Free w/ IAPs)

Arcane Quest 3

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Arcane Quest 3 tackles the more traditional dungeon-exploring themes found in classic RPGs, but gameplay-wise, it blends role-playing, action, and strategy elements into a solid experience, as recommended by user ZoneofJhay.

As he implied in his original comment, this one isn’t for ‘casual gamers’. You control a character from adventurers representing 10 unique classes, as you work your way through dungeons, vanquishing hordes of orcs, undead, evil sorcerers, and a lot more. There’s a huge amount of upgrading available, with over 150 different types of equipment available to be discovered and used by your characters, as well as powerful spells to help you on your journey.

Beyond that, there’s also an online multiplayer element that allows you to connect and play with friends. There’s also a free level editor included, which pretty much guarantees an endless amount of replayability. If you’re serious about classic RPG gaming, Arcane Quest 3 delivers the goods.

Download: Arcane Quest 3 (Free w/ IAPs)

Let us know what you’re playing!

We would love to see this as a regularly occurring column but that will only happen with your help! Check out the forum post and start discussing your favorite games, or you can email me directly with your questions or reviews at marc@androidcentral.com.

Submit your gaming reviews and opinions here!

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