LG G6 vs. Pixel XL camera comparison: The top choices today

The LG G6 is here to challenge the champ in Android smartphone cameras.

With its dual camera setup and big photography claims, the LG G6 is looking like a very good choice for mobile photographers. It of course doesn’t live in a vacuum, though, and there are fantastic cameras out there, like the Google Pixel XL. After comparing their sizes and specs, the next thing to do with these two phones is to see how their cameras work and what the photos look like side by side.

Both the LG G6 and Pixel XL are doing things a bit differently from the status quo. The LG G6, for its part, is using a 13-megapixel camera sensor with surprisingly small 1.12-micron pixels but a traditional combination of a wide f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization — and then, of course, there’s the wide-angle camera next to it. The Pixel XL eschews image stabilization altogether for a 12MP sensor that has really big 1.55-micron pixels and relies on intense software processing.

To see how the LG G6 and Pixel XL cameras stack up, I took them around for a few days, shooting in full auto mode — including auto HDR — just as most people do, to see how they stack up. Check out the results below.

Performance and interface

LG G6 (left) / Pixel XL (right) — click to view larger

Let’s start with the first thing you see when you launch the camera: the viewfinder interface. The Pixel XL’s camera is a well-known quantity by this point … in part because it’s so simple. Other than a couple toggles and some shooting modes, there isn’t much to do here but press the shutter key or start a video. On the other hand, the LG G6 takes advantage of its 18:9 screen to give you full controls, toggles, and camera roll previews, while preserving a complete 4:3 viewfinder. It still baffles me that there’s no quick toggle for HDR, but the interface gives you tons of options — including a full-fledged manual shooting mode — while also preserving the point-and-shoot simplicity most of us want.

The Pixel XL is all about simplicity, while the G6 gives you tons of shooting options.

Performance-wise, both phones get the job done as you’d expect. Even though I have experienced a couple hiccups on the LG G6, I have to take into consideration that what I’m evaluating here isn’t final software. At the same time, the Pixel XL has thrown me a few camera crashes over the past 4 months of use. But neither phone offers any sort of inconsistency or unpredictability that makes me lose confidence about popping open the camera — with two presses of power (Pixel XL) or volume down (LG G6) — and quickly taking a shot without issue.

This is as good a time as any to mention the LG G6’s secondary wide-angle camera. While it doesn’t fit into this particular comparison directly because the Pixel only has one camera, it’s worth noting the extra utility (and fun!) the super wide lens on the G6 provides. Not only does it give you more options for a wider range of zooming in photos and video, but it also provides you with a super unique look that you just don’t get anywhere else. Now with the same 13MP sensor behind the wide-angle lens as the standard lens, it’s even more valuable.

Camera quality

Well-lit daylight situations are much easier to handle for cameras with small sensors — like those in smartphones — but in 2017 we have high standards for these expensive devices. We still want to see fine detail, punchy colors and good dynamic range.

Low-light shots are considerably tougher to handle with small sensors. This is where the LG G6 runs up against issues with its small pixels, which each take in less light and require more processing — OIS can help, though. The Pixel XL, despite not having OIS, has proven to be exceptional in low light thanks to its HDR+ processing.

See the side-by-side comparisons below to compare how these phones handle each set of situations.

Daylight

LG G6 (left) / Pixel XL (right) — click to view larger

Knowing how consistently great the Pixel XL is in daylight conditions, I was very happy to see the LG G6 go toe-to-toe with Google’s phone. Both phones took crisp, pleasing images time after time and used HDR to tastefully enhance photos that needed it rather than blowing them out with over-the-top colors.

It’s close, but I have to give the nod to the G6 here.

In general, the new LG G6 tended to take brighter images that were slightly more saturated, as well as better white balanced to be true to life. The Pixel XL by comparison takes dimmer images that are truer to the real life scene and in these comparisons took warmer photos overall. Though you can’t notice it at full resolution, when you zoom in on the photos you’ll often find the Pixel XL has captured more fine detail and has sharper edges — but again, it really isn’t perceptible when viewed at normal sizes.

When looking at the output of each phone independently, you’d be happy with the reproduction of scenes from either one. If I had to give one the nod right now, it’d have to be the LG G6 for outright brightness and color reproduction. It’s close, though, as the Pixel XL with its HDR+ processing can handle scenes of mixed light better than any phone I’ve used and offers incredibly consistent performance from photo to photo no matter what.

Low light

LG G6 (left) / Pixel XL (right) — click to view larger

Going into this comparison I was worried that the LG G6’s relatively small 1.12-micron pixels would be a deal-breaker in low light — oh my, was I wrong. Going up against the true champ of low light in the Pixel XL, the LG G6 compared very favorably.

In conditions of consistent dim lighting, strong side lighting, and partial lighting, the LG G6 was as good or better than the Pixel XL with its fine definition and sharp edges. In most instances, the Pixel XL had more blotchy chroma noise and rough edges than the G6, particularly in shots when HDR+ didn’t trigger — the LG G6, for what it’s worth, never chose to use HDR in dark scenes.

I was shocked to see the LG G6 come out so strongly in low light.

The Pixel XL wins out in shots where there is no direct light source — aka a completely dark room or an unlit street — as HDR+ can basically pick out light from seemingly nowhere and make things look good. The LG G6, by comparison, will just reproduce the darkness similarly to what your eyes see. The only downside to the Pixel XL’s approach is that it can sometimes over-brighten dark shots, again creating blotches or soft edges … but the upside is you actually get something rather than just darkness.

Again, I was shocked to see the LG G6 perform as well as it did — in some cases besting the Pixel XL in sharp line definition in these low-light scenes. I think the Pixel XL still takes it when it comes to getting a bright, usable photo in just about every challenging lighting situation, but the LG G6 on average offers just as good of an experience in dimly lit scenes.

Bottom line: The two kings

Well would you look at that, we have two fantastic camera choices here. The LG G6, coming in months after the Pixel XL with what some would consider an inferior overall camera setup, manages to take some fantastic photos that push what the Pixel XL can do and even beat it in some situations.

In daylight, the LG G6 takes bright, well-balanced, and colorful photos that make the Pixel XL’s more true-to-life shots seem a bit dull by comparison — even though the Pixel XL, for its efforts, offers consistency and better sharpness when you inspect closely. At night, the low light champ Pixel XL now has another phone to sit alongside it at the top of the heap — the LG G6 dramatically outperformed my expectations and overall matched the Pixel XL’s performance.

The Pixel XL still takes fantastic photos in just about every situation, and its HDR+ processing (that continues to evolve) is its silver bullet that can, in some scenes, blow your mind with what it captures. The LG G6 on average offers the same image quality, though, along with extensive manual controls for the photography buffs out there and a truly unique wide-angle secondary camera that LG claims nearly half of users prefer.

It’s a photographer’s dream: Pick either one for its minute strength differences, and you’ll be happy.

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• These LG G6 features are exclusive to some countries
• LG forums
• Latest LG G6 news

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

Movado getting into the Android Wear game, bringing along Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss

2017’s Android Wear lineup is getting altogether new faces.

Movado Group, a well-recognized fashion brand in watches, is joining the Android Wear family this month with the launch of a “smartwatch collection” that will be branded as Movado Connect. The watches, which will start with five men’s styles, will hit the market this fall starting at $495.

Unfortunately, Movado is holding off on specific details — and even pictures — of the watch to unveil it all at Baselworld 2017, a trade show for watches and jewelry, on March 23. But what can we expect? Well, probably the same type of internals we’ve seen on the LG Watch Sport — Movado specifically calls out Android Pay, too. This is all about the design (including custom watch faces) and brand name, which Movado can definitely deliver.

Efraim Grinberg, Chairman & CEO, Movado Group, put it succinctly:

The launch of Movado Connect marks another new milestone in Movado’s longstanding history
of creativity and innovation in watch design. We are very proud of our collaboration with Google and for the opportunity to provide our customers with an incredibly designed timepiece, powered by the latest, cutting-edge technology platform.

Perhaps bigger than this single watch collection — which, of course, we have no photos of yet — is that Movado Group also owns the brands Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss. Android Wear watches from these two brands will also come later in the year to further expand Android Wear’s offerings in the “fashion” realm rather than coming from traditional smartphone companies.

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Press release:

MOVADO PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE TO LAUNCH A NEW SMARTWATCH COLLECTION

NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 8, 2017, MOVADO GROUP, INC. (NYSE:MOV) – Movado announces a partnership with Google to launch Movado Connect, a smartwatch collection powered by Android Wear 2.0, Google’s newly redesigned platform. Movado Connect is one of the first watches designed specifically for Android Wear 2.0 and will launch fall of 2017 introducing five men’s styles with a starting price of $495 available in the US, the Caribbean,Canada and the UK. The collection will be unveiled at Baselworld 2017.

“The launch of Movado Connect marks another new milestone in Movado’s longstanding history of creativity and innovation in watch design,” stated Efraim Grinberg, Chairman & CEO, MovadoGroup. “We are very proud of our collaboration with Google and for the opportunity to provide our customers with an incredibly designed timepiece, powered by the latest, cutting-edge technology platform. Movado Connect, with our proprietary edge-to-edge crystal design, is iconically Movado.”

This collaboration showcases each company’s respective expertise in building brand-relevant hardware and software capabilities in the connected category. Movado Connect features five unique customizable dials designed and inspired by Movado’s iconic museum dial that empower the wearer to tailor their experience through multiple expressions of Movado’s innovative approach to design. Each dial design also includes 3-4 customizable elements including features such as a wide array of complications, backgrounds, and watch hands creating a multitude of possibilities for consumers to create the look they desire. With access to thousands of apps, including Android Pay, these new watches meet the demands of today’s digital age with an updated user interface optimized for round screens, an ‘always-on’ display, improved fitness tracking, iOS and Android compatibility and the powerful Google Assistant for per forming tasks and getting answers, directions, and timely reminders.

“We are thrilled to partner with Movado, a longtime leader and one of the most iconic brands in the watch industry,” said David Singleton, Vice President of Android Engineering at Google.”With our combined expertise in watchmaking, design and software, we are able to create a beautiful yet functional timepiece that helps people live their everyday lives.”

Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, two brands in the Movado Group portfolio, are also partnering with Google. Collections will launch fall of 2017.

China bans new South Korean games over a political crisis

China is rather irate that South Korea is starting to install the US’ THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system to protect against North Korean threats. To that end, it’s punishing the South with retaliatory policies… including one that targets video games. Chinese officials have frozen new licenses for games made in South Korea, preventing any more titles from launching in the country.

That’s not a huge issue in the short term, but it could be damaging in the long run for developers with games that are likely to rake in a lot of cash in China. Netmarble’s Korean blockbuster Lineage 2: Revolution, for example, is being adapted for the Chinese market. If it’s denied, that leaves a lot of money on the table — the title has already made the equivalent of about $100 million since launch.

And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s a resolution in sight. It’s doubtful that South Korea will withdraw THAAD any time soon, and China hasn’t given any indication that it’s going to reconsider the ban. Korean game studios may have to either be content with catering to the home crowd or shift their international plans to other countries.

Via: PocketGamer.biz

Source: Nikkei Asian Review

In the muddle of HDR and Quantum Dots, it’s Samsung’s ‘Invisible Connection’ that’s got our geek juices flowing

We’ve spent the day taking a closer look at the Samsung QLED TV range. Announced at CES 2017 and due to launch sometime in March or April, these TVs look to be a quantum leap in the LED vs OLED war. 

There’s a huge amount of technology being piled into the latest 4K HDR televisions, a complete shift in design language and loads of features to make these new premium TVs even better than Samsung’s 2016 models – which we rated highly. 

Much of what’s happening you won’t see at work and that includes the ‘Invisible Connection’. This was shown off when the TV was announced at the beginning of 2017, but when you’ve got something called the Invisible Connection, it’s not seeing that’s believing and this is why we’re excited.

The new Invisible Connection comes with Samsung’s QLED TVs and connects the display to the off-board One Connect box which is the brains of the TV.

• What is QLED? Samsung’s new TV tech explained

For those who haven’t been following the story of Samsung’s TVs over the past few years, rather than house all the connections on the rear of the TV like most other manufacturers, there’s a separate connection box called One Connect. This houses the tuners, USB, HDMI, optical – basically everything you’d expect to plug into your TV.

The advantage it offers is that you can wall-mount your TV and change the devices connected to it without having to scrabble around the back. That means thinner TVs, tidier installation and easy device switching for geeks like us who are always testing different devices. Additionally, you don’t need five cables running to your TV, as you can hide the One Connect box out of sight. 

Previously, this One Connect box was connected to the TV via a single cable, about the thickness of a typical HDMI cable. It was rather elegant a solution for 2016, but in 2017, it has been replaced with this optical cable that’s practically invisible. 

That means you only need this tiny cable running to your TV, and from across the room, you’ll barely spot it snaking up the wall to your mounted TV. Before you ask, no, it’s not stupidly short either. We suspect the standard 5 metre cable will be long enough for most installations. 

Of course, you’ll need the power cable running to your TV too, but you got your electrician to wire up a socket before you wall-mounted it, right?

• Samsung QLED TV preview: Is this Samsung’s best ever television range?

Nest said to be working on home security and a low-cost thermostat

Notice how Nest hasn’t had any truly new products lately? If you believe insider accounts, it’s no coincidence — management troubles, and the struggle to develop a home security system, left it with little to show. However, it now looks like it’s back on track… and then some. A Bloomberg source claims that Nest has multiple new products in the works, headlined by a reborn security system. The “end-to-end” design would include a central hub with a keypad, alarm sensors and a quick control fob. That doesn’t sound too unusual, but it’d pair with a mobile app that lets you greenlight access for specific people, such as a friend checking in on your pets. The security setup is reportedly due to ship this year.

The other hardware would be more iterative, but you might not necessarily mind. The star would be a sub-$200 take on the Learning Thermostat that would use lower-end materials (no metal ring here) and other cost-cutting measures. It could launch by 2018, the tipster says. There’s also a second-generation Nest Cam, tentatively targeted for a fall release, that may learn to identify specific people. And there’s even talk of Nest getting into the smart doorbell game. Much like Ring and similar products, you’d use a built-in camera in the doorbell to talk with would-be visitors even when you’re far from home. The company is only “exploring” development, Bloomberg says, but the doorbell could be ready as soon as 2018.

The products don’t sound revolutionary at first blush, but that may not necessarily be the point. Now that Nest is operating under the Alphabet banner, it’s under greater pressure to improve its bottom line — and that means releasing new products. An expanded lineup would also help Nest create a full ecosystem of home automation hardware, rather than focusing on just three areas like it has for the past few years.

Source: Bloomberg

Bentley unveils its first all-electric grand tourer

If you ever wanted a sign that the world is moving toward a greener future, you could find a big one at the Geneva Motor Show. Bentley, a company that makes enormous gas-guzzling vehicles for the one percent, surprised attendees with its first all-electric convertible, the EXP 12 Speed 6E Concept. Bentley has flirted with plug-in hybrids before, with one expected to launch in 2018, but this is the first “pure” vehicle it has made.

The 6e looks like pretty much like a Bentley, affirming a promise that company chairman Wolfgang Dürheimer told Bloomberg. The executive explained his desire to make an EV that doesn’t “necessarily need to look like a refrigerator,” adding that the cars can be “sexy” and “emotional.” The company has also said that it is “committed” to producing an all-electric car in the future, and will listen to feedback about the 6e’s design.

Bentley wants to use this one-off car as a showcase for its technology chops, including an inductive-charging plate for wire-free re-juicing. But for those times when you’re not on a golf course sponsored by Qualcomm, there’s also a regular power plug hidden away. The company also built the central console out of a curved piece of glass, backed with an OLED touchscreen display that controls navigation, entertainment and climate controls.

Passengers, meanwhile, get their own display that enables them to send and receive email, browse social media or watch online videos. But beyond that, actual details about the vehicle are scarce, including the size of the battery and what its proposed range would be*. Bentley wants its electric vehicles to travel the same distance as its gas-powered grand tourers, getting you from London to Paris, Milan or Monaco on a single charge. How feasible that is will be another story.

Bloomberg’s interview with Dürheimer also explains that, should the 6e ever go into production, it’ll come to China first. That country is becoming increasingly environmentally-aware and affluent, and so it’s likely bougie millennials will want to buy that ride. Although, of course, buying a lavishly-appointed grand tourer might not be the thing for a generation of people who have been raised on the promise of a self-driving car.

*Although, as Joe Winn points out on Twitter, that concept image of the cabin reads 256 miles on a full charge.

Source: Bentley

Many of us bought the Nintendo Switch last week

We were lucky enough to get an early look at the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But now that the console and its killer launch game are finally available to all (if you can find them, at least), we’ve asked several of our editors about their thoughts on the system. Despite the Switch’s limited launch-title selection, most of them came away impressed.

Aaron Souppouris, Senior Editor

I’ve had the Switch for just under two weeks. I was always going to like it, but recently, I’ve grown to love it.

I traveled away from my home in London to New York a couple of days ago, and the Switch has made a great travel buddy. Typically, I take a 3DS or a Vita (or both) to pass the time on the eight-hour flight and scratch my gaming itch after late nights writing in hotels. This time, though, I essentially have a home console always within arm’s reach.

I played Zelda pretty much solidly on the flight over, and the plane’s USB port kept me reasonably charged. Since then, I’ve raced in Fast RMX when I’ve had a spare 10 minutes and also played a fair amount of the new Shovel Knight DLC. Gaming is such a huge part of my life, and the Switch has kept me connected to it more than any portable console before it.

Moving forward, I can see myself using my Switch to play cross-platform indies a lot. Why would I buy Celeste on my PC or PlayStation 4 when I can grab it on Switch and play it anywhere? The same goes for pretty much every cross-platform game that comes to Nintendo’s console. That flexibility — even to play in bed rather than on my couch — is a huge plus. Sure, the Switch is never going to replace either a PC or a PS4 for me, but it’s definitely going to fill the gaps in between better than my Vita ever has.

Sean Buckley, Associate Editor

I bought the Nintendo Switch thinking I’d use it mostly as a home console. I imagined dropping it in the TV dock on the first day and taking it out only rarely to play in bed or at my desk. My weekend had other plans, taking me out of the house to pitch in at a part-time job and visit my in-laws for a surprise dinner. I took my Switch with me everywhere. It was fantastic.

Playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during the slow moments of my day and lying on the floor of my wife’s childhood home at night was the perfect respite from my unexpectedly busy weekend. I knew the Nintendo Switch was designed to be a hybrid portable game console, but I honestly didn’t expect it to work so well. The Switch pops in and out of sleep mode almost instantly, making it ideal for quick pick-up-and-play sessions. There’s no load time for the game you were playing back at home or impatient wait for the console to boot up. The screen felt a little small if set anywhere further than a couple feet away, but whenever I wanted it, Hyrule was there.

You can blame my trepidation about the Switch’s performance on its spiritual predecessor. No, not the Wii U (though it has its own imperfections) but the NVIDIA Shield tablet. Like the Switch, it’s a NVIDIA-powered gaming tablet that’s designed to hook up to your TV for full-screen gaming. Unlike Nintendo’s kit, its TV experience is cumbersome, forcing the user to dip into menus and choose the right setting before settling back on the couch. The Nintendo Switch, on the other hand, just worked. It completely fills Nintendo’s promise, offering the same experience I have on my TV at home anywhere I can carry the console’s tablet.

I’ll still probably use the Switch primarily as a traditional home console. The way I play video games has just changed — but unlike my 3DS, which I almost never play at home, the Nintendo Switch is the console I play at home. That’s far more enticing than I thought it would be.

Kris Naudus, Senior Editor, Database

After three days with the Switch, I have so many questions. Why can I only put the dock on the right side of my TV? Is Nintendo trying to instill some fūsui into my living room? How the hell did my friend manage to put the Switch into the dock backward and crooked? How many five-year-olds will do the same thing? Why are the wrist-strap attachments so hard to put on? How long will it be before I lose this kickstand? Why are the game cases so damn big? Could these game cards taste any worse? Why did I put that in my mouth? Am I milking this cow right? Why won’t this baby shut up? And finally, am I the only person who didn’t buy Zelda?

Stefanie Fogel, Contributing Editor

I spent all weekend playing on the Switch in both handheld and TV configurations. I love handhelds. I was an early adopter of the PS Vita, and if I had to save one gaming console from a fire I’d probably pick my 3DS. So I absolutely love the idea of a home console that also works as a fully functional handheld, but I’m withholding final judgement on the Switch.

The Switch in its tablet form feels comfy enough, as does the Joy Con grip. It’s great that it powers on so quickly, and I like the minimalist UI. The battery life isn’t great, however, and the lack of wireless headset support is disappointing. But the biggest reason that I’m currently in wait-and-see mode is the library. It’s anemic right now, and a lot of the announced games don’t have solid release dates. I have faith the situation will improve though. After the mild disaster that was the Wii U, Nintendo needs the Switch to succeed.

Timothy J. Seppala, Associate Editor

My biggest takeaway after a few days with the Switch is its social implications. No, not sharing screenshots to Facebook or Twitter but carrying the device with me wherever I go. The fact that I can take my shiny new Nintendo console anywhere and, within seconds of pulling it out of my bag, show it to my friends and parents has been a cool experience. I don’t have to invite them over to my apartment or have a TV handy; I just press the power button and a no-compromises console game jumps to life in front of them.

I waited in line at Meijer with a few friends last Thursday night, got my console (neon, thank you very much) at midnight and picked up Zelda. We formed a Facebook group chat and have been trading tips and tricks since. But what surprised me most was how that Messenger chat translated to the real world. On Sunday, we went to a cafe to play Breath of the Wild together. It was an extension of something my friends had done with Elder Scrolls games prior: getting together in one room with everyone playing a massively single-player game on their own console, trading strategies and secrets they’d discovered.

Except this time no one was lugging around bulky CRT TVs, LCD computer monitors and boxy consoles that were meant to be set up once and never moved. No, we had three Switches sitting on a wobbly pair of tables, headphones half on, trading “holy shit, look at this cool thing I just found!” moments as people filtered in and out of the coffee shop. It didn’t feel like we were spoiling anything for one another; instead, it drove us to seek out the neat thing the others had discovered. At that moment I realized I was not only a fan of the new Zelda but also the Switch itself.

But even as big as Breath of the Wild is, the Switch won’t stay afloat without a steady stream of new games. Mario Odyssey is due out later this year, sure, but what’s the future look like beyond that? For me and countless others, that’s a question Nintendo needs to address. Thankfully, E3 is coming up, so we only have a few months left to guess. Until then, I have plenty of Sheikah Shrines to discover with my friends.

Mat Smith, Senior Editor

The Switch didn’t launch with many games — but that’s OK. Nintendo’s last console, the Wii U, came with a hefty 32 (mostly forgettable) launch games, ranging from New Super Mario Brothers U to Just Dance 4. In comparison, the Switch has just 16. But! It has The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. It sounds like shallow video game hyperbole, but (at just 14 hours in) I’m calling it a masterpiece. Nintendo made an open-world game that doesn’t swallow you up in side quests and collectible time sinks. Sure, there are plenty of shrines, puzzles and trinkets to find, but I didn’t feel obliged to do so — and I didn’t.

My journey in the game takes on a more organic shape. I run toward a shrine and a village girl chastises me, dragging me back to the entrance and forcing me to walk in a laborious spiral to the entrance. The nomadic traders offer me discounts in rainy weather. If I see something weird, I play around with it and I’m more often than not rewarded with items for my efforts. There’s so much character built into everything, and the learning curve is just challenging enough that I don’t even mind that this is the only game I can play on it.

You might be better off waiting for the next Mario game (or that Mario Kart 8 remake), but Zelda is such an incredible launch title — heck, it’s such an incredible game — that I don’t regret buying an entire console for it. Nintendo is off to a great start — now it has to follow through soon with some more games.

Nick Summers, Associate Editor

Nick’s Switch pre-order didn’t show up, and he is sad.

Nintendo sorta cares about getting Netflix on the Switch

Nintendo will bring streaming video services to the Switch, but don’t hold your breath, because it’ll probably take a while. That’s the main takeaway from a Washington Post interview with the company’s Reggie Fils-Aime that was published earlier today. When asked why Nintendo didn’t have the major names in video on its latest console, the executive said that they would come, “in time.”

Nintendo is currently talking to the usual suspects like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, and it’s inevitable that those apps wind up on the Switch. Then again, Fils-Aime’s approach is typical of Nintendo’s overall approach, since access to those services aren’t “differentiators.” After all, you can access Netflix on pretty much every device in your home and/or pocket, it’s not as if you’re really missing out if it’s not on the Switch.

Fils-Aime also defended the Switch’s launch titles, which basically amounted to, uh, Zelda, saying that the list of games currently in development will motivate people to buy the console. In addition, he says that the Switch will be a welcoming home for games from independent studios. It’s these ties that, the executive claims “will help make Nintendo Switch into a long-term success.”

Via: Verge

Source: Washington Post

PS4 gets Boost Mode, external drive support on March 9th

After more than a little teasing, Sony’s PS4 version 4.50 update is almost here. The sweeping upgrade is now slated to arrive on March 9th, and is now confirmed to include that rumored Boost Mode for PS4 Pro owners. Enable it on the higher-end PlayStation and “select legacy titles” should run faster (or more consistently fast) without needing a Pro-specific patch. They may even load sooner, Sony says. The boost isn’t certain to work with every unoptimized game, but it should do more to justify the Pro if you have an extensive game collection.

Of course, there are still plenty of updates for all PS4 systems. For most, the big practical improvement is long-awaited external hard drive support for games. You can now install titles to USB hard drives as large as 8TB, sparing you from having to perform surgery on your system (or buy a new console) when the included storage no longer passes muster. Given the frequently massive size of PS4 games, this could mean the difference between having to cherry pick the titles you keep loaded versus installing them all.

Other upgrades? You can now use in-game screenshots for custom wallpaper, much like your Xbox One-owning friends. There’s voice chat in Remote Play to let friends know when you’re late for a gaming session. And if you have a PlayStation VR headset, you’re in for a treat: you can watch 3D Blu-ray movies, and 2D imagery (including in Cinematic Mode) should display at higher resolutions and frame rates. All told, version 4.50 is addressing a laundry list of wishes that could have a tangible impact on your day-to-day use.

Source: PlayStation Blog

IBM built an atomic hard drive

While the rush to keep pace with Moore’s Law is getting rather “chaotic”, researchers at IBM announced on Wednesday that they have drastically reduced the space required to store a bit of information down to that of a single atom.

This tiny advancement in storage technology, is a big deal. Given that modern hard drives need about 100,000 atoms to store a single bit, this development could shrink the size of future storage mediums by an order of magnitude. IBM figures that it can store the entire iTunes catalog (all 35 million tracks) onto a disk the size of a credit card by using this technique.

A single atom of holmium credit: IBM Research – Almaden

The system uses atoms of holmium seated atop a magnesium oxide surface, which keeps the atom’s magnetic poles stable — even in the presence of other magnets. The orientation of these poles determines whether the atom constitutes a 1 or a 0. To write to this storage system, a microscopic needle induces a current to flip the atom’s orientation. Reading the information, conversely, is simply a matter of measuring the magnetic current passing through each atom, which varies depending on which pole is facing up.

But don’t expect this technology to show up in the next iPhone, mind you. It currently requires a liquid nitrogen-cooled tunnelling electron microscope operating in a vacuum to work. The study was published today in the journal Nature.