Watch Ubisoft’s E3 event in under 10 minutes

Ubisoft gave us the rundown on its library of upcoming games yesterday at E3 and there was a lot of news packed into the briefing. If you missed it, don’t worry. We’ve trimmed down the event into a much shorter clip so you can catch up in less than 10 minutes. There’s plenty of Far Cry 5, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Mario + Rabbids and Beyond Good and Evil 2 news to catch up on. Spoiler alert: Skull & Bones makes doing battle on the high seas very fun.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Mario Kart is drifting into a Japanese VR arcade

Few things in life are as uniquely stressful as pulling into first place in Mario Kart, only to hear a Blue Shell hurtling at you from behind. There’s no escape — all you can do is close your eyes and accept your inevitable defeat. That experience is going to get infinitely more dreadful for players who visit the VR Zone in Shinjuku, Japan: Bandai Namco has developed a version of Mario Kart for the HTC Vive, complete with the tiny pseudo-cars for players to plop down into.

At this point we don’t know a whole lot about the game: it appears briefly in the trailer above, where players use wrist-mounted Vive trackers to hurl items at opponents. Meanwhile, an official listing on the VR Zone website says “the course is filled with the well-known Mario Kart traps and tricks,” which is about the least illuminating thing anyone could say about the same. Given how well racing titles like Project Cars fare in virtual reality, though, we’re pretty confident that this version of Mario Kart is going to be a damn good time. And for what it’s worth, Japan Times reporter Kazuaki Nagata seemed to enjoy playing an early version of the game.

While this is the first major Nintendo property to take the leap into VR, it’s not clear to what extent Nintendo actually worked on this. True fans will remember that Bandai Namco developed the Mario Kart Arcade GP series in the mid-2000s; Nintendo mostly handled the publishing. In any case, it’s not hard to look at this as a VR test balloon for one of the world’s most prominent video game companies. Sony has already marked its territory with the launch of PlayStation VR, and Microsoft has dumped considerable time and effort into its alternate reality work… even if it doesn’t seem like the powerful new Xbox One X will support VR soon.

In any case, it was smart of Nintendo to let one of its most social franchises dive into VR first. As we recently learned after a trip to HTC’s Viveland arcade, social VR experiences can be far, far more fun than immersive games where you’re basically left to your own devices.

Source: UploadVR

Watch Sony’s E3 2017 event in under 15 minutes

Between us, I’m nearly heartbroken about Sony not sharing any details about The Last of Us: Part Two at its E3 2017 keynote yesterday. That said, the company did make some interesting reveals at the event, including the PlayStation 4-exclusive Spider-Man game, a new HD remake of the classic title Shadow of the Colossus and the next God of War. You’ll notice that a lot of the games announced last night aren’t slated to launch until 2018, which is kind of unfortunate because I (selfishly) want to play them right now. But that’s life: Sometimes you don’t get what you want. Either way, you can relive all the highlights from Sony’s E3 2017 event in the video below, in case you want to get hyped over the new titles coming “soon” to your PS4.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Google hires designer behind Apple’s mobile chips

Google wasn’t shy about targeting its Pixel phones at iPhone users (it even helped them migrate), and now that similarity could extend to the processors under the hood. Variety has discovered that Google recently hired Manu Gulati, a key chip designer at Apple, to become its lead system-on-chip architect. While Gulati’s LinkedIn profile doesn’t say much about what he’s doing, sources claim that Google hired him with the goal of designing its own CPUs for Pixel phones. It’s looking for more chip experts, too, and has posted job listings or a “mobile SoC CPU architect” and similar roles.

We’ve reached out to Google for comment and will let you know if it can elaborate on the hire.

It’s not completely shocking that Google would go this route: there were rumblings in 2016 about Pixel phones eventually adopting custom processors. The big concern is whether or not it’s practical. Apple, Huawei and Samsung can all justify in-house CPUs because they sell many millions of devices every quarter. Google hasn’t divulged Pixel sales, but it’s safe to say they’re nowhere near as large as more established rivals with wider availability and bigger marketing budgets. If Variety is accurate, Google is betting either on the Pixel line’s continued growth or is willing to take the likely financial hit that comes with making chips in smaller batches.

The custom chip strategy could also make Google’s Android partners nervous. They’ve had to accept Google as a hardware competitor for years, to varying degrees, but they’ve also known that Nexus and Pixel phones were using off-the-shelf chips that reduced their ability to stand out. If Google can give itself a performance advantage through custom processors, that would change the game. The Pixel line would have an edge over the sea of Snapdragon-based phones on the market, and it might fare better against Huawei and Samsung phones. Apple wouldn’t have as much to worry about (it’s the only choice for iOS, after all), but it might sweat a bit if Google can brag about its hardware brawn.

Source: Variety, LinkedIn

E3 hasn’t forgotten about PC gaming

While consoles hog the bulk of the spotlight at E3, PC gaming is still a big part of the convention. Intel held its first-ever E3 event yesterday, where it announced the VR Challenger League, an esports competition dedicated solely to virtual reality games like The Unspoken and Echo Arena. It’s partnering with Oculus and ESL to make that happen, so it actually has a shot at making VR esports a thing.

During E3’s PC Gaming Show yesterday, we saw some long-awaited upgrades for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (vaulting and weather, oh my!), and Microsoft unveiled Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, a completely remastered version of its classic RTS. Additionally, we caught glimpses of Battletech, the new strategy game in the MechWarrior universe; Cliff Bleszinski’s multiplayer shooter LawBreakers; and Total War: Warhammer 2.

As for hardware, Alienware unveiled some speedy gaming monitors as well as several new keyboards and mice. Logitech also announced its PowerPlay and Lightspeed tech, which brings low-latency and wireless charging to cordless gaming mice. And not surprisingly, Logitech also has two new wireless mice compatible with those offerings. Be prepared to shell out at least $200 to jump on the PowerPlay and Lightspeed bandwagon, though.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Tesla Model X earns a perfect NHTSA safety rating

Tesla has yet another achievement to crow about. On Tuesday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its assessment of the company’s Model X SUV and awarded it the agencies highest possible rating: 5 stars across every test category. That makes the Model X the safest SUV on the road today.

US govt testing by @NHTSAgov finds Model X to be the safest SUV in history by significant margin https://t.co/zAdb5FQPEI

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2017

Every Model X variant — the 60D, 75D, 90D, P90D and 100D — all scored perfectly in front impact, side impact, rollover and overall safety. In fact, the NHTSA was unable to even tip one over during its dynamic test and gave the Model X only a 9.30 percent chance of rolling over during an accident.

The company credits its electric drivetrain and power system, as well as the vehicle’s low center of gravity thanks to its battery packs being located under the cabin floor, for its impressive rollover resistance. “Of all the cars NHTSA has ever tested, Model X’s overall probability of injury was second only to Model S,” the company wrote in its press release.

Via: Electrek

Source: Tesla

Sprint tempts Verizon’s customers with a year of ‘free’ data

After ending its “half your bill” promotion earlier this year, Sprint is back with a new strategy to steal customers from its rivals. It’s offering a year of free “unlimited” data, talk and text for those who bring their device over from other carriers, although it is targeting Verizon users in particular with its advertising and phone selection. The offer is available today through the end of June, and, as expected, there is plenty of fine print.

First, you’ll actually have to pay a monthly $1.99 admin fee and $2.99 for a SIM card, as well as taxes on all that, so it’s not completely free. For the most part, you’ll get 4G LTE data, but speeds are capped at 8Mbps for gaming streams, 1.5Mbps for music and videos can transmit at up to 1080p. Your traffic will be deprioritized during congestion, and you’ll get 10GB towards a mobile hotspot. When that allowance is spent, you’ll be dropped to 2G rates on your hotspot, or you can buy additional high-speed data for $15 per 1GB. You’ll also have to sign up for automatic bill payments and use one of the few eligible phones from Apple, Google, Samsung and Motorola.

You can only get a new handset after the first four months, although you can leave at any time during the year. When the 12 months is up, you can continue with Sprint for $40 a month, or go with any other carrier you wish. It sure seems like a pretty good deal for those who are sick of paying sky-high bills and can live with throttled speeds.

But for Sprint, this promotion also serves as an experiment. Senior vice president of communications David Covar told Engadget that the company is “looking at how can we target customers in an all-digital type of way.” So you won’t be able to get this deal if you walk into a physical Sprint outlet, and you won’t see ads for the promotion on TV or billboards. Instead, you’ll learn about and sign up for the deal online, and convert your number to Sprint through its website.

This keeps marketing costs minimal, so offering such a deal isn’t too expensive for the carrier. But the company also isn’t anticipating immediate returns. Covar said Sprint is expecting “low surface revenue” — meaning it’s not hoping to make a lot of money from this offer. However, the goal is that after the 12 months, customers will like the experience and see “no reason to switch back to another carrier,” said Covar.

This isn’t the only trick up Sprint’s sleeve, either. Covar said the company plans to iterate on this deal in the future. For now, it remains to be seen if subscribers who are used to fast connections will be tempted to switch to a plan with so many limits to save money.

Via: PhoneScoop

Source: Sprint

Google highlights what it thinks an app should be

Many mobile app stores have an editor’s choice section that spotlights the latest and greatest titles. However, Google wants to go one step further. It’s launching an Android Excellence section in the Play Store that highlights the apps that offer “incredible user experiences,” adopt Google’s “best practices” and are fine-tuned to run well on phones around the world. To put it another way, these are the apps that Google wants to see — you should have a good experience, of course, but they’ll also show the way for budding developers.

The initial app mix includes more than a few familiar names. Evernote, Pocket and Runtastic are among Google’s favorite general apps, while it’s fond of games like Hitman Go, Pac-Man 256 and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. And you can expect to see those apps hanging around for a while. Where editor’s choice sections can change frequently, Google plans to update Android Excellence once a quarter. If an app makes it to Android Excellence, you’ll know it was a carefully considered choice.

Source: Android Developers Blog

Apple issues billion-dollar ‘green’ bond to support clean projects

Just because Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement doesn’t mean the American people are going to go along with him. Cities, states and private companies from around the nation have already pledged to abide by the rules set forth in that accord, even if the federal government won’t. And, on Tuesday, Apple put its money where its resistance is by issuing a billion dollar bond for financing clean energy and other green projects.

This move comes a year after the company issued a similar $1.5 billion bond after the Paris climate agreement was ratified in 2015. “Leadership from the business community is essential to address the threat of climate change and protect our shared planet, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, told Reuters.

That money will go towards efforts to improve the energy efficiency of Apple’s own facilities, as well as throughout its supply chain, by financing renewable energy, procuring more recycled and renewable source materials so as to reduce its need to mine for them. For example, one of the 16 projects that Apple financed with its original bond last year was Liam, the robotic iPhone disassembler.

Netflix, HBO and 28 other companies form anti-piracy alliance

Today, 30 content creators and entertainment companies announced that they have teamed up to fight piracy. The coalition, called ACE — Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment — includes the likes of Amazon, HBO, Netflix and Twentieth Century Fox.

The goal, according to ACE’s press release, is to build on ongoing efforts to curtail piracy and in that regard, the group will utilize its members’ expertise as well as the that of the Motion Picture Association of America. ACE will conduct research and work with law enforcement as part of its anti-piracy efforts.

The group said that as digital entertainment continues to grow, so does the threat of piracy, adding that last year, streaming piracy sites raked in a whopping 21.4 billion visits. And there has been some high profile pirating of late. In April, a hacker stole the latest season of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, held it for ransom and released most of the episodes when they didn’t get what they wanted. Last month, Disney was the target of a similar attack. Though, if you want to make money from a stolen feature film, you should probably pick something better than the fifth installment of the increasingly lame Pirates of the Caribbean series.

What kind of impact ACE will actually have on piracy will remain to be seen and the group has been pretty vague about its strategies. But with so many big names jumping into the alliance, it’s at least pretty clear that they’re taking it seriously.

Via: The Verge

Source: ACE