Grab an unlocked LG G6 for just $599 right now!

Get the LG G6 for a decent price unlocked, and save some sales tax while you’re at it!

The LG G6 is easily the best phone the company’s ever made, and stands tall next to the Galaxy S8, which has overshadowed its North American launch over the past few weeks.

But the G6 has a lot of things going for it, including a sensibly-placed fingerprint sensor (can’t believe we have to say that), and a dual camera setup that is way more fun than it initially appears.

It’s also got a much lower price, too.

B&H is selling the unlocked LG G6 for $100 off its MSRP, bringing it to $599, considerably lower than the Galaxy S8’s $750. It’s not shipping until mid-May, but it’s compatible with all four major U.S. networks, and should receive updates faster than the carrier models (though that’s not always a guarantee).

See at BH

Perhaps even better is the deal that bundles the same unlocked G6 and the LG Watch Style, which regularly goes for $249 on its own, for $649.99 together.

Both deals don’t charge sales tax outside of New York and New Jersey, keeping the cost even lower!

See at BH

How the Galaxy S8 is holding up after a week [Roundtable]

See what the AC staff thinks after using the Galaxy S8 for a week.

It’s been a week since the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were released. You’ve read the reviews, watched the videos and no doubt had some thoughts of your own by now. Chances are you came away from it all thinking that this is a pretty great phone.

A week later, and everyone has time to settle down and take a breath or two after the madness that is a Samsung Galaxy launch. A week isn’t enough time to know every little thing about a phone, but it’s perfect for extended first impressions. Have a read and see what we think after using the Galaxy S8 for a week.

Daniel Bader

There’s nothing like being genuinely surprised by a phone. I thought I knew what it would be like to use the Galaxy S8 after spending some time with it in New York during the announcement, but actually having it in hand, in pocket and in use is a completely different story.

First, I put a case on it. Yes, I know, hiding the beautiful design, except that it doesn’t, at least not from my perspective. I use a thin, minimal case that only covers the back, but does the job of accentuating the enormous, vivid display. And what a display. This is not a small phone, but I constantly find myself being able to accomplish things in one hand, through a combination of swipe typing and enabling Samsung’s excellent one-handed mode, which is accessible through a simple triple-tap of the home button.

The Galaxy S8 was genuinely surprising in the right ways.

Not only have I found the phone to be free of slowdown after I got over the uselessness of Bixby (and the annoying placement of the Bixby button, which I always mistake for the down volume key) I’ve settled into a great routine with the phone. Battery life has been exemplary for a device with a 3,000mAh battery, and I can only say good things about the camera, even if it isn’t substantially better than last year’s Galaxy S7 edge. Even the placement of the fingerprint sensor, which I considered during my review to be a major point of frustration, has been easily overcome with the use of face unlock and Google’s own Smart Lock.

Finally, I got rid of TouchWIZ Home for Nova Launcher and haven’t looked back. In fact, I think that this has easily become the best Android experience I’ve had since the Pixel, which is a serious compliment if you ask me. The phone has its faults, and more than a few quirks, but let’s not forget that it’s early days, and even the Pixel had its problems at the beginning.

Alex Dobie

After almost two months on the LG G6, stepping up to the Galaxy S8+ has been a pretty major adjustment. Between, its smaller size, more angular corners and thicker frame, the G6 was easy to one-hand. The S8+? Not so much. I’ve manhandled similar Samsung phablets like the Galaxy S6 edge+ in the past, so it’s not a wholly new experience for me, but I am just a little bit paranoid of dropping or damaging it, as is to be expected when you’re just a week or so into a new phone.

I’m a big fan of Samsung’s new software design and its elegant and minimal touches.

Nevertheless, the S8 is the best-looking phone on the market right now by a significant margin. Say what you like about its potential fragility — a trait of many glass-clad smartphones — Samsung has outdone everyone here, emerging as a champion of smartphone design.

I’m a big fan of Samsung’s new software design, which takes everything that was great about the Galaxy S7 on Nougat and adds elegant, minimalist sci-fi touches.

My only real downers right now? The fingerprint sensor is awkward to the point of being borderline unusable on the larger S8+. (I’m using Smart Lock to bypass that whole mess.) Bixby is equally useless, for mostly obvious reasons. And I’m missing faster charging options that are available in some rivals phones from OnePlus and Huawei.

Russell Holly

I’m using the smaller Galaxy S8, after using both for a couple of days. The S8+ is a little too tall for my liking, so I go back to gripping the bottom of the phone with my pinky finger when trying to use it with one hand. I’m currently using the Galaxy S8 without a case, because Samsung’s 2Piece Cover is on backorder. Yes, I ordered one on purpose.

So far, I’m very happy with the experience. I haven’t felt a compelling need to replace the launcher once I disabled those silly app badge counter things. I wasn’t ever going to use the fingerprint or retina scanners outside of seeing how they work, so the placement next to the camera doesn’t bother much. The display continues to blow me away, and the camera is exactly as good as I expect from a top-tier Samsung phone.

I’m digging the phone and the Gear VR enhancements.

There isn’t much here to surprise or wow me, but that doesn’t make this any less of an exceptional phone. I’m digging the enhancements made to the Gear VR and the new Controller, I forgot how much I enjoyed having wireless charging, and black is the only color I would ever buy this phone in. Which is a shame, because I usually love colorful phones.

My only real complaints with the Galaxy S8 so far are that Bixby isn’t better, that Daydream isn’t supported, and that I can’t just long press or double tap on the pressure sensitive home button to access the camera. Bixby will probably get better quickly, Daydream was never going to, work easily on this phone, and hopefully Samsung considers doing more with the home button soon.

Harish Jonnalagadda

I went with the larger Galaxy S8+ for the extra battery capacity, and the tall display isn’t as unwieldy as I initially thought it would be. The panel itself is stunning, with excellent contrast, brightness, and viewing angles. The battery life is great too — I’m easily getting a full day’s worth of usage with some room to spare.

I love the full-day battery and there’s even room to spare.

That said, the most frustrating part about the phone is the location of the fingerprint sensor. My hand doesn’t reach all the way to where it is located, so I have to adjust my grip during one-handed use to unlock the phone. Thankfully, iris scanning works well enough that I don’t have to rely on the fingerprint scanner as much.

Andrew Martonik

For the most part, a week using the Galaxy S8 has reaffirmed what I first experienced in a brief period using the phone prior to its launch. The hardware is absolutely gorgeous to look at and excellent to hold, and the display is wonderful in every way. I don’t have any issues reaching across the screen, but perhaps that’s because I’ve been training up on tall phones with the LG G6.

Performance has been expectedly great, even when running the GS8 at its full screen resolution, and the battery has made it through the day each day I’ve had it. The camera is also really good, though I’m definitely missing the wide-angle camera on my LG G6.

The Galaxy S8 is a fantastic phone but it’s not perfect.

I have to say the honeymoon period with Samsung’s software has worn off, as it does with each flagship it releases. There’s so much good stuff in here — I’m even using the stock launcher still! — but Samsung still has way too much happening throughout. Too many settings, too much bloatware and far too many duplicate apps and services. It’s still a burden that makes me yearn for my Pixel XL every day.

Then, of course, there’s this unlocking situation. Face unlock has been horrible for me, so I turned it off. Iris scanning is surprisingly fast and reliable (much better than the Note 7), but still struggles in weak lighting. Which leaves me with the fingerprint sensor … I’ve gotten more used to it, but it’s still odd to find blindly and involves plenty of smudges on my camera. This calamitous combination has to be the biggest weakness of the Galaxy S8.

After a week I’m glad that the Galaxy S8 still holds up as a fantastic phone overall, but more time with it has also reinforced that it isn’t perfect — there are still plenty of places Samsung can improve for the next generation.

Ara Wagoner

My Galaxy S8 arrived at noon yesterday, and after 24 hours with the device, I can say that there’s a lot I like, and a few things I still very, very very much despise. I believe the fingerprint sensor has been covered ad nauseum by now, but I’ll say that a case does help you aim for it a little better. There’s still no way to use it effortlessly unless you have a basketballer’s hands or a pianist’s fingers. This phone needs a double-tap to wake that works on the whole screen, not just the home button

I’m surprised how much i like the layout of a tall display.

I was worried using a phone this tall was going to be awkward, but apart from a few letterboxed apps, things have actually been pretty good. I’m actually kind of surprised how much I like laying out home screen themes on a tall display; I’ve got more rows on the home screen to play with and I can fit more widgets on the screen without things feeling cramped. Samsung Themes still make me wanna tear my hair out a little, but the theme store has come a long, long way in the last few years and things are quite usable.

An aspect of this phone I look forward to exploring and savoring in depth is the audio options. You can play audio to two different bluetooth devices at once, which excites a lot of people. You can also choose to play audio on your device instead of a connected Bluetooth device, which is very exciting for me since that functionality was stripped out of Google Play Music months ago.

Your thoughts?

Have you enjoyed time with the Galaxy S8? Or are you this close to pulling the trigger and picking one up? Take a minute and let us know what you’re thinking in the comments below.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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LG Watch Style goes on sale in the Canadian Google Store

Canadians can now buy the less expensive of LG’s and Google’s new Android Wear 2.0 showpieces.

It’s not the larger of the two new Android Wear 2.0 watches from LG, but the Watch Style — thin, sans heart rate monitor and extra side buttons — is now available for $319 on the Canadian Google Store.

It took its sweet time getting here but you can now pick up the LG Watch Style in silver or titanium for $319 CAD. The rose gold option is, unfortunately, an extra $40, bringing the total to a less-palatable $359.

This is not a cheap watch, but it’s also the thinnest and lightest Android Wear smartwatch you can buy right now. And for Canadians tired of waiting for their aging timepieces, like the Moto 360 (2015), to get updated to Android Wear 2.0, this could be a great alternative. It’s also Mothers’ Day soon, just saying.

See at Google Store

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!

I sat in on a virtual support group for sexual assault survivors

Thanks to its ability to give you a first-person point of view, virtual reality has quickly become a vehicle for empathetic storytelling. Testimony, a VR project that premiered at Tribeca 2017, does so by putting you in a virtual support group, showing the effectiveness of simply watching people tell their stories themselves, especially when the subject is as personal and disturbing as sexual assault.

With a Gear VR headset and headphones, I sat and listened to a series of accounts from sexual assault survivors, who would start talking when I looked at them. Their stories were cut into sections and chronologically arranged, and each person stopped talking when I looked away. In the virtual environment, you’ll see the survivors’ heads laid out on a web-like map. Each individual’s account consists of four or five sections that are tied to each other with a thin line, so you know where they begin and end. You can start at any part of each individual’s timeline.

Testimony isn’t a VR “experience.” It’s not designed to transport you to the scene of a crime or force you to watch, horrified, as someone is attacked. Instead, it lets sexual assault survivors tell their stories in their own words, which is far more powerful than a reenactment. The accounts are straightforward, and don’t go into explicit detail. When your brain is forced to fill in the gaps left by the unspoken words, the sense of empathy is stronger than if you had simply watched the episode unfold.

Then, there is the sheer power of witnessing a survivor struggle with their emotions while recounting the traumatizing incident. I know some survivors of sexual assault — they are all strong and inspirational people. But, even the most resilient of them have, in my experience, shied away from detailing what happened to them. It is rare to hear a survivor’s story told so vulnerably, and for anyone dealing with similar pain, Testimony provides a support group-like environment where they can find strength and solace in the privacy of their home.

Testimony’s greatest strength lies in its focus on each individual’s journey after their assaults. When I heard that it took a year for one survivor to hear back from the police about her gang rape, and that all the officer had to say at that time was that they would “give the ringleader a call” a year later, I was outraged. And this theme of being failed by the legal system runs through all the accounts. As I jumped from person to person, the sense of injustice at how they were let down by law enforcement is pervasive.

To be fair, Testimony doesn’t offer a chance for police officials to weigh in, and as such it has inherent bias. As a journalist, my instinct is to ask where the comment from a representative for the legal system is, so we can hear both sides of the story. But that would ultimately distract from what is essentially an incredibly personal encounter with these survivors.

Testimony presents a diverse collection of accounts from men and women that are impossible to ignore. Its focus on the individual survivors, delivered in a stark, relatively distraction-free environment, puts the spotlight on an issue that sorely needs it. Project creator Zohar Kfir, herself a survivor of sexual assault, plans to launch a web platform in June to allow others to come forward and share their stories. She told Engadget that access to VR is still very limited, and that expanding the project through the Internet can help them reach more people. Her team is also working with anti-sexual assault organization RAINN to bring Testimony to more survivors. Ultimately though, the goal is to draw attention to the failings of the legal system and try to ensure nobody else suffers the indignity of being ignored.

As the project gains momentum, the combined voices of sexual assault survivors who feel let down by the legal system may eventually grow loud enough that authorities will be forced to listen.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: What’s the difference?

Seemingly coming from nowhere, the Nintendo 2DS XL took everyone by surprise when it was announced. It was widely thought that Nintendo’s attention would be solely  on the Switch for the time being, with the existing handhelds more than capable of holding their own.

However, the Japanese gaming giant decided to shake things up, with a new version of its very popular portable console coming to stores on 28 July. And by all accounts it looks to be the model that gamers, hardcore and casual, would most like.

We put all the current versions of the Nintendo handheld system head-to-head to see which would suit you best.

• Nintendo 2DS review
• New Nintendo 3DS XL review

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Design

Since the original Nintendo DS, the company has essentially kept with a clamshell design – meaning it folds to protect the two screens at the top and bottom.

However, it did deviate from that formula with the Nintendo 2DS. This version of the handheld was designed for younger children primarily and as such is cased in a solid body rather than a foldable shell. The two screens are present but the device feels more solid – presumably to protect it more from drops and scrapes.

All four of the consoles – the 2DS, new 3DS, new 3DS XL and new 2DS XL – come with a stylus and the ability to add storage through a microSD card. This enables users to download games from the Nintendo eShop and store them directly on the machine.

A microSD card is included with each of the devices, with the 2DS and 3DS coming with a 2GB card, the 2DS XL and 3DS XL with a 4GB card.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Screens

All of the handhelds come with two screens: a top, non-touch display and a lower touchscreen. The top screen is always larger, but varies in size depending on the model.

The top screens on the 2DS and 3DS measure 3.53-inches, while the 2DS XL and 3DS XL both feature larger 4.88-inch displays. The resolution for the top screens on all devices is 400 x 240.

The 3DS and 3DS XL have stereoscopic, glasses-free 3D screens while the 2DS and 2DS XL are in 2D – the clues are in their names. That’s the biggest difference between them.

The resolution of the lower touchscreens on all of the models is the same: 320 x 240. The XL models have 4.18-inch lower displays, the 2DS and 3DS gave 3.53-inch displays.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Hardware

The 2DS XL, most recent 3DS and 3DS XL models all feature the same internal tech. They run on an 804MHz quad-core + 134MHz single-core processing chipset, with 268MHz of graphics processing.

The 2DS has a 268MHz dual-core + 134MHz single-core processor – the same as the original 3DS and 3DS XL variants before Nintendo updated them.

The 2DS XL, 3DS and 3DS XL also have 256MB of storage built-in, while the 2DS has 128MB. All machines, as explained above, are capable of expansion through microSD.

All of the models have 0.3-megapixel cameras front and rear, with dual-lens 3D cameras on the back, even on the 2DS versions.

The 2DS is the only one of the four that doesn’t come with Amiibo support built into the device. The rest work with Amiibos by tapping the connected toys to the lower screen.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Games

All of the models are compatible with all 3DS and DS games available in stores and the online Nintendo eShop. They will also all play the Virtual Console retro game releases from Nintendo.

They each have the same style cartridge slot.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Availability

The 3DS has been around since 2011 and the original 3DS XL since 2012. However, they were both effectively replaced (you can still buy the latter from some retailers) by what Nintendo calls the new 3DS and new 3DS XL two years ago. They are the models we’ve been focusing on in this comparison.

The 2DS was released in 2013.

All of the versions are readily available from numerous online and high street shops.

The 2DS XL will be released on 28 July 2017.

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Price

Almost all of the consoles come with a game included, with the exception of the 2DS XL. Some stores might include it in a bundle from launch day, but the initial indications are that you’ll need to buy a game separately.

Here are suggested prices and links where you can buy each of the consoles:

• Nintendo 2DS (with New Super Mario Bros 2), £74.99 from Amazon.co.uk, (with no game) $116.17 from Amazon.com
• New Nintendo 3DS (with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer), £159.99 from Nintendo.co.uk
• New Nintendo 3DS XL, £169 from Amazon.co.uk, $243.99 from Amazon.com
• New Nintendo 2DS XL, $149.99 in the US, UK price yet to be revealed

Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: Conclusion

The 2DS XL is a compelling option. Even though we don’t yet know the UK price point, it will clearly be cheaper than the currently available 3DS XL yet offers exactly the same experience save for the one feature many turn off anyway: 3D.

It also looks cool, in its black with turquoise trim or white with orange trim colour schemes. Younger children are still better off with the 2DS, thanks to its more robust build quality, but the 2DS XL breaths new life into the handheld family that we didn’t see coming.

Vizio’s new M-series 4K TVs are its real 2017 highlight

Last year, Vizio wowed us with its P-series 4K TVs, which delivered premium picture quality at a price much lower than other companies. But Vizio’s mid-range M-series sets also gained a reputation for being more affordable while still looking pretty good. This year, things are a bit different. Surprisingly, the 2017 P-series TVs are exactly the same as last year’s model. But the newer M-series “XLED” sets received some useful upgrades that will make them even more compelling to shoppers looking for a good deal.

The 2017 M-series TVs, which start at $800 for the 50-inch model and go up to $3,000 for the 75-inch, still pack in 32 local dimming zones. That helps them deliver even backlighting and solid black levels. But this time around, they also have a wider color gamut and a higher peak brightness, reaching up to 600 nits. Both are features that previously required upgrading to the P-series line. The higher peak brightness means that light sources in some scenes pop a bit more, and the increased color range make images a bit more dynamic. Altogether, they make the M-series far better suited for showing off HDR (high-dynamic range) content, like the BBC’s luscious Planet Earth 2 4K Blu-ray. That’s ultimately a good thing, as HDR is a much more obvious visual upgrade than 4K alone.

Vizio brought all of its new sets to NYC for a brief demo, and the M-series was clearly the most intriguing option. When compared to Samsung’s Q7 QLED TV, one of its flagship models for this year, black levels on the 65-inch Vizio set were significantly better. You can thank the local dimming backlight for that. Samsung’s TV, on the other hand, features an edge-lit backlight that disrupts black levels with light gray streaks. It was particularly apparent in a clip from Batman vs. Superman, where very bright on-screen elements caused the backlight to wash out everything around them. Beyond the black levels, colors and brightness on Vizio’s set looked about as good as the Q7. That’s impressive, given that the M-series 65-inch model goes for $1,500, while the Samsung set costs $4,000.

If you’re looking for the best balance of value and picture quality, the M-series’ upgrades make the line significantly more compelling. It’s also an even better option if you’re in the market for an extra large TV. The 70-inch M-series will run you $2,000, while the 75-inch model goes for $3,000. The P-series, in comparison, costs $2,000 for the 65-inch and $3,500 for the 75-inch set. Technophiles will likely be fine shelling out the extra cash for the better picture quality of the P-series, but I also wouldn’t blame you for bumping up your screen size while saving a bit.

Vizio’s budget E-series line also received an upgrade this year with the addition of HDR 10 support. It has fewer local dimming backlight zones than the M and P series, but it still looked a lot better than a comparable entry-level TV from Samsung. In a clip from The Revenant, the E-series’ overall picture depth and black levels looked significantly better than the Samsung set. And at $899 for the 65-inch model, it remains an incredible bargain.

While Vizio is trying hard to push its “XLED” branding this year, it’s pretty meaningless. Basically, it’s just a way to describe all of its TV technology from 2016 that’s been upgraded with software updates. That’s a good thing if you bought a P-series set in 2016, since it means your TV got better over time. But it’s a bit confusing to general consumers, who might think “XLED” means a significant upgrade over last year’s technology. While Samsung has its own “QLED” branding, that at least describes some changes to its backlight and Quantum Dot tech. Both companies are chasing the hype behind OLED TVs, but their branding just feels clunky and confusing.

In some ways, Vizio’s new TV lineup is a step back. The P- and M-series sets used to come with a free Android tablet, which you’d use instead of a traditional remote. But, unfortunately, the company is no longer bundling them with the TV this year. Reps tell us that most customers were using their own phones to control their TV. Other customers, they noted, also wanted a more familiar remote experience.

Instead of the tiny barebones clicker from last year, the new TVs will come with a more complex remote that does everything you’d expect. The company will also release a software update this summer that will let you access streaming content directly from the TV, instead of being forced to do it from another device. That feels like a philosophical reversal for Vizio, but it will likely make the TVs easier to use for some consumers.

The upcoming built-in apps look similar to what you see on other TVs, but they’re actually casting content directly to the Vizio sets. It’s tough to wrap your head around, but basically it means the Vizio TVs are both the casting source and the casting receiver. You’ll still be able to control things from your phone, if you want, but you can also use the remote to browse content from Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services just like a regular smart TV.

When I asked about Amazon Video support, Vizio strongly hinted that we’ll be hearing more about that later this year. Given that NVIDIA managed to bring an Amazon app to its Android-powered Shield TV, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vizio finally convinced Amazon to support Google Cast.

When it comes to new audio gear, Vizio’s $199 Crave Go speaker sounds good, and it sports a solid metal case. But, unfortunately, it’s not waterproof and dust proof like Logitech’s latest UE Bluetooth speakers, which have been my go-to portable choice for years. Vizio’s $250 soundbar system, which includes Google Cast support and wireless surround sound capabilities, also impressed me. It’s clear you’re listening to small speakers, but it’s a serious upgrade over your TV’s built in sound. The system’s small footprint and wireless capability also make it a good choice if you’re in a small apartment, or you don’t want the clutter of a bigger surround sound setup.

Overall, it looks like Vizio has a strong year ahead. And despite LeEco’s acquisition offer falling apart, Vizio isn’t slowing down on the innovation front either. Sure, I’d like to see some P-series upgrades too, but the lack of updates is also a reminder of just how good that line was last year. It’d be nice to see some price drops eventually, though, especially since the company isn’t packing in Android slates anymore.

Xbox chief envisions a Netflix model for narrative games

Microsoft has just tipped its hand for what the company will show off at E3 in June. In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Xbox chief Phil Spencer laid out his plans for the future of Xbox software. Since (mostly) fixing a majority of the problems the Xbox One hardware and system software has suffered through since 2013 with the Xbox One S and the Creator’s Update for Xbox firmware, Spencer is focusing on the other problem Microsoft faces: its dearth of unique and compelling reasons to buy into the improved Xbox platform.

Spencer told The Guardian that his company has crowed about the consumer-facing side of what its online infrastructure offers (Xbox Live’s new features like clans), but now we’re going to start hearing about what that back-end can do for developers. Which, in turn, trickles back down to consumers. Part of that is opening up its Azure cloud servers to smaller developers as a means of helping them build a service-based game that’d otherwise be impossible due to the monumental costs of setting up infrastructure. Basically, Microsoft wants to do smaller scale versions of what it did for developer Respawn Entertainment’s debut title, the multiplayer-only Xbox-and-PC game Titanfall.

He specifically cites Electronic Arts’ FIFA Ultimate Team as being a model for success in terms of service-based games. That might not be the best example, though. A card-trading game within FIFA proper, for quite awhile Ultimate Team was rife with folks exploiting the game, farming coins needed to buy high-skilled footballers.

But Spencer does realize that not every type of game will work as a service; locking areas of games behind microtransactions or paywalls isn’t a good fit for, say, huge single-player action-adventure games.

Regarding those, his comments were frank:

“The audience for those big story-driven games… I won’t say isn’t as large, but they’re not as consistent. You’ll have things like Zelda or Horizon Zero Dawn that’ll come out, and they’ll do really well, but they don’t have the same impact they used to have, because the big service-based games are capturing such a large amount of the audience.

“Sony’s first-party studios do a lot of these games, and they’re good at them, but outside of that, it’s difficult — they’re becoming more rare; it’s a difficult business decision for those teams, you’re fighting into more headwind.” Internally, Microsoft had Quantum Break last year, a big-budget narrative-driven game with no online multiplayer and zero post-launch add-ons. It was a unicorn for Microsoft if there ever was one.

“We’ve got to understand that if we enjoy those games, the business opportunity has to be there for them,” he said.

Quantum Break from developer Remedy Entertainment.

Looking at Microsoft’s usual software suspects, everything has multiplayer of some sort. The company’s predictable-to-a-fault release cadence of Forza, Gears of War and Halo all feature robust multiplayer components that last long beyond the dozen hours it takes to get through the latter pair’s story modes. Forza is basically an always-online racing game, regardless of which subtitle the annual release has. You race against opponents whose AI is based on the behavior of real players, and leaderboards keep you constantly in the loop of where your hot lap time sits in relation to friends.

The upcoming Sea of Thieves is a cartoony take on a pirate’s life, and you’re playing the open-world role-playing game with people around the globe. That’s the type of future that Spencer is hinting at.

How will it apply to the traditional single-player games that are a “difficult” business decision? He’s floated the idea of subscription-based games along the lines of what developer Telltale does with its Game of Thrones, Minecraft and The Walking Dead franchises: narrative-based games that release episodically versus giving players everything at once.

“I’ve looked at things like Netflix and HBO, where great content has been created because there’s this subscription model. Shannon Loftis and I are thinking a lot about, well, could we put story-based games into the Xbox Game Pass business model because you have a subscription going?” Game Pass is still in its infancy, but the pitch is that for $10 a month you’ll get access to over 100 games from the Xbox 360 and Xbox One back catalog. It’s supposed to launch sometime this year.

“The storytelling ability in TV today is really high, and I think that’s because of the business model. I hope as an industry we can think about the same,” he said. “[Subscription services] might spur new story-based games coming to market because there’s a new business model to help support their monetization.”

This sounds incredibly pie-in-the sky. Especially coming from a company whose interest in creating unique narrative experiences has waned in recent years. It’s an accusation Spencer has heard plenty of times. “I want to say to people: that same level of commitment you felt from myself and from the team as we’ve evolved platform over the last three years — as we’ve evolved service over the last three years, as we’ve evolved and innovated hardware over the last three years — is going on with our first party [development studios].”

Spencer has said that paying for third-party exclusives (like it did with Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015) isn’t a smart long-term business move, and he isn’t wrong about the work Microsoft has done improving the Xbox, so maybe there’s reason to believe him. The Xbox One of today looks and feels nothing like the console that launched in 2013, both in terms of hardware and the system software running on it — in a very good way.

But Microsoft’s grand ambitions have failed before. Coming off the staggering success of the Xbox 360, Redmond’s cocksure original mission for the Xbox One was to take over your living room and control your entire TV experience. That never happened. The do-all Kinect sensor is effectively dead. The buzzards have long since left Xbox Entertainment Studios’ carcass behind, too. Now, Microsoft is just happy if you buy an Xbox and a few games. And it hopes that maybe you’ll pony up for an unproven service in addition to your subscription to Xbox Live for online multiplayer.

So, going into E3 this June, Microsoft has a few things to prove: The value of its high-powered Project Scorpio console, that it can make subscription-based games and that these aren’t just the same platitudes we’ve heard from the company before.

Source: The Guardian

Apple and Qualcomm’s license dispute is getting nasty

Qualcomm’s ongoing legal dispute with Apple today took a new turn after the chipmaker accused its device-making partner of further withholding patent royalties. According to a statement, Apple recently stopped paying licensing revenue to manufacturers of the iPhone because it believes it’s been overpaying for important 3G and 4G patents.

The legal battle started back in January when Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion for “abusing its clout” in the industry. Because the semiconductor giant enjoys a monopoly over important modem chips that connect devices to cellular or WiFi networks, it’s required to licence them under “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” terms. Apple argues it hasn’t done that, going as far as to claim that Qualcomm charges five times more than all of its other licensors combined.

Qualcomm hasn’t taken the issue lightly. Earlier this month, it responded to Apple’s lawsuits with one of its own, accusing the iPhone-maker of underutilizing its modem chips in the iPhone 7 and misrepresenting the performance disparity between Qualcomm basebands and those of its rivals.

Now, Apple is holding back money it owes to manufacturers of the iPhone. Qualcomm, for the most part, directly licenses its patents with partners, but Apple does things a little differently and pays partners like Foxconn that have their own agreements. It now expects to get no royalties during its current quarter.

“Apple is improperly interfering with Qualcomm’s long-standing agreements with Qualcomm’s licensees,” said Don Rosenberg, EVP and general counsel of Qualcomm. “These license agreements remain valid and enforceable. While Apple has acknowledged that payment is owed for the use of Qualcomm’s valuable intellectual property, it nevertheless continues to interfere with our contracts. Apple has now unilaterally declared the contract terms unacceptable; the same terms that have applied to iPhones and cellular-enabled iPads for a decade.”

The move has forced Qualcomm to amend financial estimates it published only last week. The company now sees third quarter revenue reaching between $4.8 billion and $5.6 billion, instead of $5.3 billion to $6.1 billion.

Source: Qualcomm (PDF)

The best 360-degree camera

By Jeff Carlson

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

A 360-degree camera is great if you want to capture the full view of the summit on Half Dome or take in all of the surrounding architecture in the Piazza San Marco in Venice and share that experience on Facebook or YouTube so friends can pan around a scene and fully be there in the moment. After researching 360-degree cameras for 30 hours and testing four top contenders, we think the Ricoh Theta S is the best affordable, user-friendly entry point into this rapidly developing new category of photography.

Who should buy this

The appeal of 360-degree cameras is the ability for the viewer to see (and often hear) not just what’s in front of you, but the entire visual sphere of that location. 360-degree images and videos enable the viewer to look around independently, whether that’s by dragging within the picture window in an app or on a computer screen, or by moving their body while holding a phone or tablet that can register its place in 3D space. When you wear an inexpensive pair of Google Cardboard goggles or more advanced VR gear, the experience you record becomes fairly immersive.

Ways to use 360-degree cameras are still evolving, but there are some scenarios that lend themselves to this kind of shooting. 360-degree cameras can function as an action camera, a POV camera, or a mounted camera. For more on these shooting styles, see our full guide.

How we picked and tested

The Ricoh, Nikon, 360Fly, and Samsung cameras. Photo: Jeff Carlson

We started by reading reviews and combing through specifications for nearly 30 cameras that offer 360-degree recording capabilities. Based on a reader survey of how much you’d be willing to pay for a 360-degree camera, we then limited our scope to models priced under $600. Working on the assumption that more megapixels would be beneficial, especially when shooting video, we looked closely at 4K-capable models. But because only a small number of them currently exist, we brought in a Ricoh Theta S for testing to see how its HD video differed from 4K footage in real-world usage. We dismissed solutions like the GoPro Omni that require strapping together two or more cameras using novel brackets or cages for 360-degree coverage due to complexity. Ultimately, we were able to limit our contenders to just a handful of models: the Ricoh Theta S, 360fly 4K, Samsung Gear 360, Insta360 Nano, and Nikon’s KeyMission 360. For more details on what we dismissed and why, please see the full guide’s competition section.

We took the cameras on vacation to Vancouver and Disneyland, and we also used them on everyday excursions in and around Seattle. In addition to testing ease of use and image quality, viewing results on computers, mobile devices, and cardboard VR viewers, we looked at the post-capture process: editing using dedicated apps and sharing to social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and other outlets that support 360-degree viewing.

Breaking out of that pipeline, however, introduces complications. Editing an image in an external application like Photoshop or cutting together multiple video clips into one movie can remove the metadata that identifies the media as 360 so it displays as a flat image rather than a sphere, necessitating an extra step to reintroduce it. And you can’t assume that every outlet knows what to do with the end result. Facebook displays the images correctly, for example, but as of this writing, Facebook-owned Instagram does not.

Our pick

The Ricoh Theta S (tripod not included). Photo: Jeff Carlson

We think the Ricoh Theta S is the best all-around choice for a 360-degree camera. Its two lenses capture a true 360-degree sphere of view with good color fidelity, sharp image quality in still photos, and pleasing video quality (even though it’s limited to 1080p resolution). The camera is comfortable in the hand and easy to use on its own, but it can also be controlled from a smartphone app. Editing and sharing clips and photos is an easy-to-understand process, something we couldn’t say for some of its rivals. The Theta S was the camera we reached for first when going out to shoot footage.

The Theta S uses two 12-megapixel sensors paired with ultrawide 240-degree lenses in order to create 360-degree footage along both horizontal and vertical axes. It grabs nearly all of that imagery—hiding only the camera itself—and splices the captures from each lens into one seamless 14-megapixel image or 1080p video. The result is technically still a flat image, but when viewed in the Theta S app, or in some outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr, the effect can feel like you’re standing where the photographer stood. Why look out over just one vista when you can see every view from the top of a mountain?

A 4K upgrade

The 360fly 4K’s faceted design makes it stand out (tripod not included). Photo: Jeff Carlson

To avoid the need for stitching multiple images together, the makers of the 360fly 4K went with a different approach. The camera has just one lens, capturing a 240-degree vertical view and a 360-degree horizontal view. Because it captures that view in 4K resolution, it offers sharper footage with greater detail than our top pick. The images are still treated as full 360-degree scenes, and because it uses just the one lens, there’s no stitching where two images are joined together—but there’s a blind spot under the camera, replaced by a black or faux-reflected area. The practical effect, when viewing the footage, is feeling as if you’re being prevented from looking down (or up, depending on the camera’s orientation).

For Samsung owners

Photo: Jeff Carlson

The Samsung Gear 360 excels in all the areas we determined were important for 360-degree cameras. It has good image fidelity and shoots video at 4K. Its physical design is compact and feels good in hand (with its included mini tripod that doubles as a handle), with the best external controls of any of the cameras we tested. And working with the images after you’ve shot them in the Samsung Gear app is easy and straightforward. But it’s fully compatible with only a limited range of Samsung phones, which prevents us from making it a top pick. Samsung recently announced a second-generation Gear 360 that the company says will be compatible with a wider range of devices.

Like the Theta S, the Gear 360 captures a full 360-degree sphere around the camera using two lenses, and it does so at 4K resolution (up to 3840×1920 pixels). Still photos are shot at 7776×3888 pixels when both images are combined; you can also choose to shoot using just one lens. Image quality is very good, although the lens distortion appears exaggerated when viewing it within the Gear 360 app; it looks fine when shared to Facebook or YouTube, however.

Samsung has announced, but has yet to make available, the 2017 model of the Gear 360. The new version has a redesigned form factor, shoots 4K video, offers live streaming ability, and should work better with iOS devices. We’re looking forward to testing it when we can.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from The Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Uber puts you in control of your user data

Uber is making removing the hurdles to deleting your account entirely. Like so many other services, simply uninstalling the app from your phone doesn’t wipe your data on the company’s servers. Not any more, according to The Verge. Rather than having to contact Uber support to eliminate your personal information, a forthcoming update adds the feature to the app itself. From the privacy settings you’ll apparently be able to start a 30-day countdown, and after the clock hits zero your customer data will go the way of the dodo.

This isn’t a response to the #deleteUber social media campaign, the company stressed, telling The Verge that the feature has been in the the works for “more than a year.”

Beyond that, the update will give you a little more control over how your location is used within the app. A new feature will let you drop a pin to show your friends where you are and it sounds like you’ll be able to disable GPS services entirely for more privacy.

You’ll have to enter an address for pickups by hand, versus the app automatically pinpointing where you are, however. You know, in case you think that sharing an intersection versus your home’s or destination’s address is a bit too open to Big Brother. Is it enough to get you to come back to the ride-hailing service? Let us know in the comments.

Via: The Verge

Source: Uber