Qualcomm solidifies its role in medical tech with connected glucose meters

The company has teamed up with Johnson and Johnson’s Diabetes Care Companies to help bring wireless capabilities to an oft-used blood glucose meter.

Qualcomm’s subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Inc., announced that it is taking steps to help solidify its role in medical tech by hooking up with the makers behind connected blood glucose meters.

Qualcomm plans to bring better wireless capabilities to LifeScan’s OneTouch Verio Flex, which already syncs data through Bluetooth. The technology will essentially help streamline the current wireless process so that those who suffer from diabetes don’t have to feel constantly tethered to their personal monitors.

From the official press release:

By using Qualcomm Life’s medical-grade 2net™ solution, physicians will be able to conveniently access all of the patients’ blood glucose data from Lifescan’s OneTouch Verio Flex blood glucose monitoring system with built-in Bluetooth Smart Technology, which wirelessly sends data to the OneTouch Reveal cloud-based application. Prior to leveraging Qualcomm Life’s 2net solution, the data capture process was manual and cumbersome for physicians, requiring multiple cables and software versions. This new connected diabetes care provides streamlined access to a patient’s historical and recent blood glucose levels, empowering physicians and the care team to make more proactive, informed care decisions based on data trends.

Both Qualcomm and Lifescan plan to debut the upgraded glucose monitoring system later this year and expand the program globally in 2018.

South Park is going to destroy your phone later this year

Slipped in among the latest console and PC game news at its E3 press conference, Ubisoft has announced a brand new South Park game for mobile. Phone Destroyer marks the first time the long-standing franchise has been in a mobile game, and will be on Android and iOS later on this year.

South Park: Phone Destroyer brings you iconic South Park characters, action-packed real-time strategy, exploding PvP battles, trademark South Park humor and collectible cards in a perfect mix that’s spicier than Cartman’s chili con carne.
Assemble the ultimate team of cowboys, wizards, cyborgs and more and get ready to crush your opponent!

It looks from the short trailer above to have elements of previous console title, The Stick of Truth, in its PvP battle style, all wrapped up in the 2D colorful world of South Park, its famous characters, and no doubts, a healthy dose of profanity.

No word on if it’ll be free to play or not at this time, but we’ll be following it pretty closely.

How Xbox One backward compatibility works: The Xbox 360 and Xbox games list and more

For a considerable while now, you have been able to play Xbox 360 games on an Xbox One or Xbox One S (reviewed here). Not all of your old library of games are playable, but there are several hundred titles now available. And Xbox is adding to this list regularly as new titles are checked and cleared for release.

Now it has announced that it will be bringing original, classic first-gen Xbox games to the platform too. And the service will be available on the new, 4K-capable Xbox One X after its launch in November.

But do you have to do anything different to get it to work? Exactly how will Xbox 360 and/or Xbox games play on an Xbox One? And can you buy Xbox backward compatible games on an Xbox One? Here’s our handy guide to the feature.

• Xbox One S HDR games list: All the games you can play in HDR

How does Xbox One backward compatibility work?

Microsoft first announced that it would be adding backward compatibility to its current generation console during E3 2015, and the initial wave of 104 games arrived in November that year.

The Xbox One is able to play Xbox 360 games through emulation software that makes the console think it’s a last generation machine for the purposes of playing older games. Compatibility with original Xbox games will soon be added to the emulator too.

When a supported game is started on the machine, the Xbox One opens the emulator and, in all regards, the game works as if it was running on an Xbox 360 or original Xbox console. The opening screen appears first then the game will load.

All other aspects and features that would normally be available on an Xbox 360 or Xbox are available on the Xbox One too, including the hub on the former (which can be opened through a simultaneous press of the menu and view buttons on the Xbox One controller). In addition, all new features of the Xbox One work, including the ability to take screen grabs and record and share video of gameplay.

• Xbox boss Phil Spencer explains why your fave Xbox 360 game is not backward compatible… yet

Does Xbox One backward compatibility cost me anything?

Although Sony opted for a paid route to play PS3 games on a PS4, through the PlayStation Now cloud gaming platform, Microsoft decided to offer its backward compatibility for free as part of the November update at the end of 2015.

If you own a supported game already, you do not have to pay anything to play it on Xbox One.

Obviously, it costs to purchase new Xbox 360 or Xbox games that work on the machine.

Many of the games with backward compatibility are also available as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription. For £7.99 a month, you get access to more than 100 games to download and play on your console, made up of a mix of classic Xbox 360 games and Xbox One titles. Hopefully, original Xbox games will be part of the mix when they launch later this year.

• Xbox Game Pass: Release date, price and all the games you can play

Does Xbox One backward compatibility work with Xbox games I bought through Xbox Live?

Xbox One backward compatibility works with digital content as well as disc games. In fact, if you enter a supported disc into your Xbox One, the machine will download the game from Xbox Live first – although you will need the disc to be in the machine each time you play.

If you own a digital copy of a supported game it appears in your games list ready for download. Check your Games and Apps hub to see if any are listed among the games yet to be installed.

Can I buy Xbox 360 and Xbox games on my Xbox One?

Since the March 2016 update compatible Xbox 360 games have been listed for purchase on the Xbox One game store. If you are an Xbox Live Gold member, you now also see free Xbox 360 games to download each month alongside Xbox One titles as part of the Games for Gold scheme.

That means you get two free Xbox One games and two free Xbox One games a month.

Prices for the Xbox 360 games on the online store vary, but start at around £3.

Original Xbox games will be added in the coming months. One of those announced is Crimson Skies.

Can I carry on with my previous Xbox 360 game saves on Xbox One?

If you originally set your Xbox 360 to save games to the cloud you will be able to download the save files to the Xbox One version and carry on. The cloud files are permanently associated with your gamertag so the Xbox One should do this automatically.

If you only saved your in-game progress locally, to the hard drive, you will need to restart your Xbox 360 and save them to the cloud instead. If you no longer have your Xbox 360, sadly you won’t be able to access the files.

Considering the first-gen Xbox didn’t save games to the cloud in the same way, it is unlikely you’ll be able to carry on with old save games.

What games are available with Xbox One backward compatibility?

There are now more than 300 Xbox 360 titles available as part of the backward compatibility scheme.

The company’s plan is to eventually support every game it feasibly can bar a few that cannot be made compatible due to requiring additional accessories to run. These include games like the original Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, plus any that worked with the original Kinect. Even if you have the Xbox One Kinect, it will not be compatible with previous Xbox 360 Kinect games.

Xbox games will be added later this year and we’ll update this list when they they are available.

Here’s a full list of the Xbox 360 games that are currently available with backward compatibility for Xbox One (as of 7 June 2017):

• 3D Ultra Minigolf
• A Kingdom for Keflings
• A World of Keflings
• Aegis Wing
• Age of Booty
• Alan Wake
• Alan Wake’s American Nightmare
• Alaskan Adventures
• Alice: Madness Returns
• Alien Hominid HD
• Altered Beast
• Anomaly Warzone Earth
• Aqua
• Arkanoid Live!
• Army of Two
• Assassin’s Creed
• Assassin’s Creed II
• Assassin’s Creed III
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue
• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Assault Heroes 2
• Asteroids & Deluxe
• Astropop
• Babel Rising
• Band of Bugs
• Banjo Kazooie
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
• Banjo-Tooie
• BattleBlock Theater
• Battlefield 3
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Battlestations: Midway
• Bayonetta
• Beat’n Groovy
• Bejeweled 2
• Bejeweled 3
• Bellator: MMA Onslaught
• Beyond Good & Evil HD
• Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
• Bioshock
• Bioshock 2
• Bioshock Infinite
• Blood Knights
• Blood of the Werewolf
• Bloodforge
• BloodRayne: Betrayal
• Blue Dragon
• Bomberman Battlefest
• Boom Boom Rocket
• Borderlands
• Borderlands 2
• Bound by Flame
• Braid
• Brain Challenge
• Bullet Soul
• Bullet Soul -Infinite Burst-
• Bully Scholarship Edition
• Burnout Paradise
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013
• Cabela’s Hunting Expeditions
• Cabela’s Survival: SoK
• Call of Duty 2
• Call of Duty 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• Call of Duty: World at War
• Call of Juarez Gunslinger
• Capcom Arcade Cabinet
• Carcassonne
• Cars 2: The Video Game
• Castle Crashers
• Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
• CastleStorm
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Catherine
• Centipede & Millipede
• Clannad
• Comic Jumper
• Comix Zone
• Commanders: Attack
• Condemned: Criminal Origins
• Contra
• Counter-Strike: Go
• Crazy Taxi
• Crystal Defenders
• Dark Souls
• Dark Void
• Darksiders
• Darksiders II
• Daytona USA
• De Blob 2
• Dead Rising 2: Case West
• Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
• Dead Space
• Dead Space 2
• Dead Space 3
• Dead Space Ignition
• Deadliest Warrior: Legends
• Deathspank T.O.V.
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut
• Dig Dug
• DiRT 3
• DiRT Showdown
• Discs of Tron
• Domino Master
• Doom
• Doom II
• Doom 3: BFG Edition
• Doritos Crash Course
• Double Dragon: Neon
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Dragon’s Lair
• Duck Tales: Remastered
• Dungeon Siege III
• Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
• E4
• Earthworm Jim HD
• Eat Lead
• EnclevermentExperiment
• Escape Dead Island
• Fable II
• Fable III
• Faery: Legends of Avalon
• Fallout 3
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Far Cry 3
• Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
• Feeding Frenzy
• Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown
• Final Fight: Double Impact
• Flashback
• Flock!
• Forza Horizon
• Foul Play
• Fret Nice
• Frogger
• Frogger 2
• FunTown Mahjong
• Galaga
• Galaga Legions
• Galaga Legions DX
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Gatling Gears
• Gears of War
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime
• Gin Rummy
• Go! Go! Break Steady
• Golden Axe
• Golf: Tee it Up!
• Grand Theft Auto IV + Episodes from Liberty City
• Grid 2
• Gripshift
• Guardian Heroes
• Gunstar Heroes
• Gyromancer
• Half-Minute Hero -Super Mega Neo Climax-
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo Wars
• Hard Corps: Uprising
• Hardwood Backgammon
• Hardwood Hearts
• Hardwood Spades
• Harms Way
• Haunted House
• Heavy Weapon
• Hexic 2
• Hexic HD
• Hitman: Absolution
• Hydro Thunder
• I Am Alive
• Ikaruga
• ilomilo
• Injustice: Gods Among Us
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Interpol
• Iron Brigade
• Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
• Jet Set Radio
• Jetpac Refuelled
• Joe Danger 2: The Movie
• Joe Danger Special Edition
• Joust
• Joy Ride Turbo
• Juju
• Jurassic Park: The Game
• Just Cause 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Kane & Lynch 2
• Killer is Dead
• Lazy Raiders
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Lego Batman
• Lego Indiana Jones
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
• Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• Limbo
• Lode Runner
• Lost Odyssey
• Lumines Live!
• Luxor 2
• Mad Tracks
• Madballs Babo: Invasion
• Magic 2012
• Mars: War Logs
• Mass Effect
• Mass Effect 2
• Mass Effect 3
• Matt Hazard: BBB
• Medal of Honor Airborne
• Meet the Robinsons
• Mega Man 9
• Mega Man 10
• Metal Slug 3
• Metal Slug XX
• Midway Arcade Origins
• Might & Magic Clash of Heroes
• Military Madness
• Mirror’s Edge
• Missile Command
• Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine
• Monday Night Combat
• Monkey Island: Special Edition
• Monkey Island 2: Special Edition
• Monopoly PlusMoon Diver
• Motocross Madness
• Mr Driller Online
• Ms Pac-Man
• Ms. Splosion Man
• Mutant Blobs Attack!!!
• Mutant Storm Empire
• MX vs. ATV Reflex
• N+
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
• NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
• New Rally-X
• Nights into Dreams…
• Nin2-Jump
• Of Orcs and Men
• OFP: Red River
• Omega Five
• Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
• Outland
• Pac-Man
• Pac-Man: Championship Edition
• Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+
• Pac-Man Museum
• Peggle
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Phantasy Star II
• Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds
• Pinball FX
• Planets Under Attack
• Plants vs. Zombies
• Poker Smash
• Portal 2
• Portal: Still Alive
• Prince of Persia
• Pure
• Putty Squad
• Puzzle Quest
• Puzzle Quest 2
• Puzzle Quest Galactrix
• Puzzlegeddon
• Qix++
• R-Type Dimensions
• Rage
• Raskulls
• Rayman 3 HD
• Rayman Legends
• Rayman Origins
• Red Dead Redemption
• Red Faction: Battlegrounds
• RoboBlitz
• Rocket Knight
• Runner2
• Sacred 3
• Sacred Citadel
• Saints Row IV
• Sam & Max Save the World
• Sam & Max Beyond Time & Space
• Samurai Shodown II
• Scarygirl
• Scrap Metal
• Sega Bass Fishing
• Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
• Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe
• Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
• Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
• Shadow Assault/Tenchu
• Shadow Complex
• Shadowrun
• Shadows of the Damned
• Shank 2
• Shinobi
• Shotest Shogi
• Shred Nebula
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
• Silent Hill: Downpour
• Skate 3
• Skydive
• Skullgirls
• Small Arms
• Soltrio Solitaire
• Sonic 4 Episode II
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic CD
• Sonic The Fighters
• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Sonic The Hedgehog 3
• Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I
• Soulcalibur
• Soulcalibur II HD
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Space Ark
• Space Giraffe
• Space Invaders Infinity Gene
• Spelunky
• Splosion Man
• SSX
• Stacking
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
• Steins; Gate Hiroin’s Love of Love
• Steins; Gate Linear Restraint Fenogram
• Steins; Gate (original version)
• Strania
• Street Fighter IV
• Stuntman: Ignition
• Super Meat Boy
• Supreme Commander 2
• Syberia
• Tekken 6
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Texas Hold ‘Em
• The Cave
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
• The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match
• The Maw
• The Orange Box
• The Splatters
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• Ticket to Ride
• TimeShift
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Torchlight
• Tour de France 2009
• Tour de France 2011
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe
• Toy Soldiers
• Toy Soldiers: Cold War
• Trials HD
• Triggerheart Exelica
• Trine 2
• Tron: Evolution
• Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
• Unbound Saga
• Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
• Viva Piñata
• Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise
• Wolfenstein 3D
• Word Puzzle
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• XCOM: Enemy Within
• Zuma
• Zuma’s Revenge

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: What’s the difference?

Although Microsoft announced its 4K games console during E3 2016 last June, it was Sony that beat it to the punch, releasing its mid-generation upgrade a full year before the Xbox equivalent.

The PS4 Pro has been available since the end of last year and provides 4K gaming – sometimes natively – so it holds the mantel of the most powerful console on the market. Until the Xbox One X is available, that is.

The One X (formerly known as Project Scorpio) will be released on 7 November and, with the benefit of hindsight, is even more powerful and fast that its PlayStation equivalent.

So here’s a rundown of the two might gaming powerhouses to see which would suit you best.

• Xbox One X: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know
• Sony PS4 Pro: Price, specs and everything you need to know
• PS4 Pro review

Microsoft

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: Graphics

The Xbox One X will offer 4K HDR gaming, like the PS4 Pro.

Microsoft official unveiled its machines during its E3 2017 press conference and revealed that the GPU will be capable of natively running games at 4K 60fps. This is something the Pro finds hard to achieve.

The Scorpio system on chip (SoC) has 6 teraflops of computing power just to render 4K graphics – that’s high-end PC graphics card stuff. And it is optimised to ensure they run as smoothly as possible.

The PS4 Pro has 4.20 teraflops of graphics processing power, using an AMD Radeon-based GPU. It looks less powerful on paper, but is capable of rendering games in 4K and with High Dynamic Range (HDR) colour and contrast processing. They just seem to stick to 30fps, however, at least when run in native 2160p.

Both consoles are expected to playback 4K HDR video via streams, although the PS4 Pro does not have a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. The Xbox One X does have a 4K BD deck.

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: CPU and memory

Xbox One X has an octa-core processor, with eight custom x86 cores running at 2.3GHz.

The PS4 Pro also has an octa-core CPU, the x86-64 “Jaguar”, but runs slower at 2.1GHz.

Microsoft

An important differentiator is that the One X also offers 12GB of GDDR5 RAM. The PS4 Pro has 8GB.

In addition, the memory sported by the Xbox One X has a bandwidth of 326GB/s. The Pro, in comparison, is restricted to 218GB/s.

This might not make much difference in general gaming, at least initially. But as developers get more to grips with the extra power, the more they will be able to eek out of it in the future and the better the overall console experience will be.

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: Virtual reality

One of the aimed digs Xbox sent PlayStation’s way during its E3 press event was about virtual reality.

While Sony is already in the VR space with the PSVR headset, Microsoft has repeatedly delighted in revealing that Xbox One X will be capable of running better, higher-res VR devices.

The company explained that Xbox One X will eventually be able to run its own Mixed Reality headsets, made by manufacturers such as Acer and HP. They will be better spec’ed than the PSVR.

The PlayStation VR uses a single 1920 x 1080 OLED panel to serve 960 x 1080 to each eye, while the Mixed Reality headsets could have overall resolutions similar to the Oculus Rift – 2160 x 1200, so 1080 x 1200 for each eye.

It is also possible that major VR headset manufacturers, such as Oculus and HTC, could support the Xbox One X because it essentially runs on Windows 10.

To be honest, from our experiences with all three headsets, that doesn’t matter that much when a game is good enough. It matters more that an experience is smooth than in higher resolutions.

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: Price and release date

This is where Sony wins hands-down. The PS4 Pro is already available.

The Xbox One X, on the other hand, will be available from 7 November.

The PS4 Pro also has the upper hand when it comes to price. It currently costs £349 with rumours of a further price drop on the horizon.

The Xbox One X is a full £100 more expensive, at £449. It is more powerful sure, but you have to pay a premium for the extra oomph.

Microsoft

Xbox One X vs PS4 Pro: Backward compatibility

One of the things current-gen console owners will be most worried about is what the two high-end consoles mean for their existing machines.

Thankfully, both manufacturers have taken strides to ensure that, while their new consoles are better and higher spec’ed, all games released going forward will be compatible with the standard consoles too.

Think of it like a PC. Some people have the ability to play games at 4K, others in Full HD, and others still are capped at lower resolutions depending on their graphics card. They can still all buy the same games though, which scale at a software level to offer the best experience possible per computer.

The PS4 Pro is able to play many archive games in higher resolutions and with HDR, thanks to a swathe of patches either applied now or coming soon.

We’ve had confirmation that the Xbox One X will offer the same. More than 30 existing Xbox One games will come with 4K HDR patches after the new console is available and that list will expand in time.

Conclusion

To be honest, at this stage it is impossible to judge which of the two consoles will be “the most powerful ever” thanks to only one of them being available to us to test properly.

The Xbox One X spec list certainly suggests the new console will be, but we’ve not played with one for an extended period yet. The signs are certainly there, though.

The PS4 Pro is certainly the most powerful console currently available.

One thing’s for sure; it’s an exciting time to be a gamer.

Living with Blue Apron: Why it makes meals easy

Home cooking, you can’t beat it. Better than the vagaries of sitting down in a restaurant only to find your favourite dish has been shuffled off the menu. Better than takeaway with its seemingly inevitable wait for tepid food.

Even the process of cooking is part of the family experience, building anticipation and appetite.

But…

Just what did you do with the recipe? How many ounces of chicken was it? Can you bluff your way – and will it be edible?

Or how about that other scenario – the recipe is there and easy to follow. But you don’t have quite the right ingredients, not exactly. Or maybe you do, but as you look at the stuff you bought in the supermarket, something tells you the quality of the produce isn’t quite what you want it to be.

That’s where Blue Apron comes in.

Blue Apron delivers the ingredients for dinner – all you need for either two or four meals – so you can rustle them up into the perfect meal for you, your partner and your family.

Suddenly, thanks to the precise recipes and exact measurements of every ingredient you’re supplied with, you can feel confident you have just what you need. No more pesky missing bits, however minor, everything in just the right amounts, carefully and freshly prepared.

If you’ve ever thrown food away – and who hasn’t, it’s thought around half of the food in America goes to waste – the advantage of carefully measured ingredients is obvious. And because Blue Apron works on a subscription model, it’s able to predict the food it orders, allowing it to work with farmers to plan the crops, so they grow only what’s needed with nothing wasted at the end.

Blue Apron has partnered with more than 150 farms so that quality is kept relentlessly high. The supply chain is circumvented so that the ingredients go direct from the farmer via Blue Apron to you – there are no wholesalers, grocery warehouses and grocery stores to slow things down or mean the fruit and vegetables arrive a few days old. The Blue Apron way, everything’s super-fresh.

More than that, Blue Apron ensures that its meat and fish is high quality – the meat has no added hormones and no sub-therapeutic antibiotics. The fish and seafood are sustainable, as recommended by Seafood Watch.

It also means that even if some of the ingredients are hard to come across, you don’t have to worry, that’s Blue Apron’s problem.

As well as the ingredients being fresh and carefully selected, the recipes are designed to be straightforward but also to stretch you, helping you learn inventive new dishes made with seasonal ingredients.

There are plenty of culinary tips and tricks to learn from the blueapron.com website, too, from how to peel garlic to how to blanch vegetables.

The meals on offer are pretty tempting. One day you’ll be tucking in to roasted beef and farro salad, with sweet peppers, summer squash and olives. The next there’s tomato-saffron risotto with sautéed summer squash and baby greens salad. Licking your lips yet?

There are two-person plans with three recipes a week, and family (four-person) plans with either two or four recipes a week, delivered to your door once a week. But you can skip a week at any time and stop the subscription whenever you like – so what have you got to lose?

Each serving costs from $8.74 to $9.99 and delivery is free, and what’s more, Blue Apron are offering $30 off on your first order. 

Did Atari make a new console? Watch its ‘Ataribox’ teaser here

Atari is teasing a new product called the Ataribox.

The rumour mill is of course speculating that the Ataribox is Atari’s new gaming console, but the company hasn’t confirmed anything as of yet, and it’s being extremely vague. The retro gaming company posted a video of what appears to be console-like device with a wood-grain surface and slatted black plastic top. The video is titled “First look: A brand new Atari product. Years in the making.”

A very simple website for the Ataribox is also now live, but it merely shows the short teaser video and absolutely nothing else. We’ve contacted Atari for more information. Some reports have claimed an announcement isn’t planned yet, so we may not see Ataribox appear at E3 2017 this week, strangely. Stay tuned to Pocket-lint’s E3 guide to see if Atari officially announces the Ataribox.

• Atari ET excavation finds 30-year old game
• Xbox documentary series to unearth Atari’s E.T. urban legend in 2014
• The PS4 we all really want: A homage to the Atari VCS

Keep in mind Atari has mainly stuck to republishing classic titles, licensing out its name, and developing random, one-off, Atari-branded products. If it is indeed working on a full-fledged gaming console, it would be quite a thrilling surprise. However, it could just be partnering with a manufacturer, which may be licensing the Atari name for a console – maybe even a mini console like the NES Mini.

But, again, nothing is confirmed. We’ll keep you posted either way.

Best Xbox One games to look forward to in 2017-2018: Crackdown 3, Forza Motorsport 7, Sea of Thieves, Ori 2 and more

The big news from E3 2017 was that the extra-powerful Xbox One X console – formerly Project Scorpio – will launch worldwide on November 7 2017. That means true 4K HDR gaming is imminent.

But it wasn’t just hardware that Microsoft was showing off at its E3 conference. It was games too. Plenty of exclusives, others which will run better on the One X than any other platform. Exciting times.

We’ve included release dates where possible and a trailer for each of the best upcoming Xbox One games. We’ll also update this round-up throughout E3 2017 and the rest of the year, so there’ll always be something to come back for.

Crackdown 3

• Release date: November 7 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Microsoft Studios

First revealed at E3 2015, it’s been a fairly long wait for this Microsoft exclusive. But we can see why: the game is due to launch alongside the Xbox One X console, with full 4K graphics at 60fps, so there’s surely been tuning going on to get that right. Plus actor Terry Crews plays the lead. Yep, Terry Crews – he’s both hilarious and brilliant in that casting, as you can see from the trailer above.

Forza Motorsport 7

• Release date: October 3 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Turn 10

Forza is one of the Xbox’s mainstays. So it was no surprise to see Motorsport 7 announced for 2017. Interestingly it’ll arrive more than a month before the Xbox One X, but will support the fullest graphical fidelity to make that on- and off-road racing look all the more elegant.

Sea of Thieves

• Release date: 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Rare
• Read more: Sea of Thieves preview: Turning you into a software pirate

With more than a little pepper of Britishness – the trailer was voiced by Simon Pegg doing his try-hard Scottish accent – Sea of Thieves, a treasure hunting pirate game, produced by Rare, is one of those slightly out-there online games that’s probably going to divide opinion. We played it in 2016 and loved it, however, because its co-op multiplayer brings a fresh approach to the usual hack and slash.

Ori and The Will of the Wisps

• Release date:
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Microsoft Studios

The visual style of the original Ori was simply gorgeous, a trait which is carried forward into the sequel, The Will of the Wisps. Also: that owl, it makes us want to cry.

Metro: Exodus

Release date: 2018Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PCPublisher: Deep Silver

The follow-up to Metro: Last Light proves that we can’t keep our gaming hands off the post-apocalyptic future. First shown at the E3 2017 Xbox pre-show conference, Metro: Exodus looks stunning – while ensuring its fair share of frightening scares too.

Anthem

Release date: 2018Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PCPublisher: EA / BioWare

Perhaps the first “wow” game to be unveiled at E3 2017, the new IP from BioWare mixes robots and monsters together in a third-person mission-based adventure which looks like a mixing pot of Fallout 4, Titanfall 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect. And we mean that in a good way. Just watch the trailer and try to keep your jaw closed.

State Of Decay 2

• Release date: 2018
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Undead Labs

State of Decay has its work cut out more than ever, especially in the face of Sony’s zombie onsluaght in its exclusive Days Gone and The Last of Us 2. But if you like open-world and the undead then it still looks like a top drawer title.

Cuphead

• Release date: September 29 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: Yes (also on Windows)
• Publisher: Studio MDHR

Years in the making, Cuphead, the side-scrolling platformer, finally has a release date. Hurrah.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

• Release date: October 27 2017
• PS4 Exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Bethesda

We loved the original Wolfenstein reboot when it landed in 2014. Three years on, it’s time for round two in The New Colossus. Bethesda introduced the game at E3 2017 at its pre-show press conference (in quirky style, with a live action video that looked like something between Lassie and Terminator), showing the Nazi future and the American resistance.

Destiny 2

The follow-up to Activision’s massive multiplayer online first-person shooter is sure to be a big hit with its hardcore fans. And there’s not long to wait, either, with the game arriving this September.

• Release date: September 8 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Activision
• Read more: Destiny 2 release date, screens, formats and everything you need to know

Star Wars: Battlefront 2

• Release date: November 17 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PC
• Publisher: EA / DICE

The first game we played at E3 2017 was at EA’s pre-show showcase, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 looks set to please fans of the original game – while grabbing yet more thanks to a brand new solo campaign mode. The game is even said to have a storyline that “helps bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Fore Awakens”. Interesting stuff.

Strange Brigade

• Release date: TBC
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PC
• Publisher: Rebellion

With its lick of British charm, Strange Brigade introduces an “exotic safari” of forgotten lands in a way that only publisher Rebellion could deliver. It’s tongue-in-cheek 1930s-style trailer shifts direction not long in, introducing a rosta of enemy types – from the undead to armoured minotaurs – which look like they’ll ensure it’s no picnic.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins

• Release date: October 27 2018
• Exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Ubisoft

After a year off the boil, the Assassin’s Creed series is back in business for 2017. And this time it’s set in ancient Egypt.

Far Cry 5

• Release date: February 27 2018
• Exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Ubisoft

After the more stripped back sticks ‘n’ stones Far Cry: Primal, the forthcoming outing in the series, Far Cry 5, looks to be a far more current political missile. Set in a fictional United States, the story follows a preacher whose rise to prominence is more gang-like in style than religious. Throw in the usual array of hunting, shooting, flying and general disarray and it looks to be a return form for the series.

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

Release date: August 31 2017Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PCPublisher: Square Enix

One of our favourite choice-based games of recent year’s, which went under the radar of too many players, Before The Storm is effectively Life Is Strange 2. Judging by the trailer it’s going to delve into life’s big questions, with its share of quirks. Here’s hoping it matches up to the mastery of the original.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

• Release date: October 17 2017
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4 and PC
• Read more: South Park: The Fractured But Whole preview
• You can pre-order South Park: The Fractured But Whole here

If you’re a South Park fan then you’ll love The Fractured But Whole, which looks almost exactly like a live episode of the animated adult comedy show. If you’re a turn-based role-playing game fan then you’ll love the game too, if you can get beyond its childish fart jokes and humour. Love both? Then you’re in for a treat.

Red Dead Redemption 2

• Release date: 2018
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Rockstar/Take-Two
• You can pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 here

We already had an inkling Red Dead Redemption 2 was on the cards before the official reveal at the end of 2016. A slew of rumours about the game circulated in summer 2015 – specifically around E3 time. A map was leaked on NeoGaf, alleged to be a design guide. And Take-Two previously said that Red Dead Redemption was as important a franchise as GTA. Considering there have only been two games in the series so far, which originally came out in 2004 and 2010 respectively, we’re certainly due another one.

The Evil Within 2

Like having the bejeezus scared out of you? Say hello to TEW2, the follow-up horror that will almost certainly make your skin crawl. And with Resident Evil 7 now played to death by most horror fans, the Friday 13th release date in October makes for perfect timing.

• Release date: October 13 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also on PS4
• Publisher: Bethesda

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite

• Release date: 2017
• Xbox One exclusive: No, also for Xbox One and PC
• Publisher: Capcom

The crossover beat-em-up is back, with Capcom characters – such as the Street Fighter gang and Mega Man – taking on superheroes from the Marvel Universe. Not much else is know for now, but you can expect a mighty of cast of fighters to control.

Apple HomeKit spec change likely to see river of new products flood the market

Apple has quietly opened up its HomeKit specification, allowing third-party manufacturers, like Philips and Honeywell, to connect to the Apple smart home offering through software authentication rather than needing a dedicated hardware chip.

The news is likely to usher in a wave of new devices, as well as, mean an array of older devices can now be controlled by Siri.

Until now, manufacturers of devices like smart lights or intelligent thermostats have not only had to ensure a dedicated chip be included, but also that the devices be part of Apple’s MFi program.

• What you need to get started with HomeKit
• Apple HomeKit and Home app: What are they and how do they work?

That’s been not only costly but time consuming. It also forced some, like Philips, to have to offer new hardware to work with older devices, which in turn, many believe has been damaging to adoption of the Apple technology in the home.

Going forward, though, that’s all about to change.

“Any registered Apple developer can now access the HomeKit specification. They can build their own or tinker with devices like Rasberry Pi. They have access to the full spec. Or maybe create a prototype, for example, to launch a Kickstarter project,” Apple explains. “We want to encourage creativity. A large part of our developer community was locked off having access to the spec since they weren’t part of the MFi program. If they want to move ahead and bring a product to market and commercialize it, they will still need to sign up for MFI license, go through certification, satisfy all of the HomeKit requirements as part of that process, and get the Works with Apple HomeKit badge.”

Manufacturers will still be able to offer hardware authentication if they want, but they will now also be able to do it via software authorisation through iCloud.

Apple says that the new software authorisation does not change the secure pairing or encryption piece of the HomeKit spec and that it will be the same regardless if they go with hardware or software authorisation.

It’s clear that the company is hoping the move will quickly expand the ecosystem of accessories available and be welcomed by manufacturers keen to take advantage of Apple’s huge user base.

At WWDC 2017 in June, Apple, in response to Amazon and its smart “Echo” speaker, launched the HomePod, a Siri-powered speaker that can control HomeKit-enabled devices around your home.

The new speaker will go on sale in the UK and US in December and will cost $349 in the US and around £349 in the UK.

• Apple HomePod preview: Say hello to Apple’s smart Siri speaker

The Xbox One X will be great … next year

Who wants to buy the Xbox One X, most powerful console ever made? Microsoft will have no problem persuading hardcore gamers to shell out another $500 on November 7th. But, as we’ve argued, it’s a tough sell for most shoppers. There simply isn’t a compelling reason for existing Xbox One owners, or anyone who doesn’t have a 4K TV, to take the plunge. And even if you’re 4K-ready, there’s still a clear lack of Xbox One X ready titles on the horizon. Fast forward to 2018’s holiday season, though, and things should look a bit different.

It’s true of any new console release. Give it a year, and most of the initial launch problems will be ironed out. That’s particularly the case with the Xbox One X, an incredibly powerful machine that’s more prepared for the future than it is for today. Just like with the PlayStation 4 Pro, it’s a bit of an aspirational product — a sign that you’re a real-life 4K Gamer. But at the end of the day, bragging rights aren’t nearly as fulfilling as having a mature system with a rich library of games you’d actually want to play.

During its E3 press conference today, Microsoft showed off several Xbox One X enhanced titles that will take advantage of the system’s hardware. Forza Motorsport 7 and the long-awaited Crackdown 3 will both be ready for the console’s launch on November 7th. But we’ll have to wait much longer for even more impressive titles, like Metro: Exodus and Assassin’s Creed: Origins. And even though they all look like solid games, they’re not exactly “system sellers,” the sort of high-profile titles that’ll persuade someone to pick up a new console.

Confusing matters even more is that none of those games are completely exclusive to the Xbox One X. They’ll all work on earlier Xbox One consoles, albeit with significantly worse graphics. So when faced with the choice of spending $250 on the Xbox One S and $500 on the One X, many buyers could just choose to save some money. While this cross-compatibility is admittedly a pro-consumer move, it also means there are fewer compelling reasons to invest in the new console.

Come next year, we’ll undoubtedly see many more titles that take advantage of the Xbox One X. And within a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft started excluding older Xbox titles from particularly demanding games. That’ll undoubtedly be controversial (I can almost hear the cries of gamers across the land already), but it’s also necessary for the Xbox ecosystem to evolve. That’s something that would happen naturally in the past as we moved to entirely new consoles, but Microsoft will have to force it because it’s sticking with the Xbox One platform for now.

It’s also worth waiting on the Xbox One X if you have any VR ambitions. Microsoft said last year that the system was built with VR in mind, and it has all of the hardware it needs to power virtual-reality headsets. But the company was strangely quiet about VR at E3 this year. That’s not a great sign, since Sony managed to deliver PlayStation VR last fall on the original PS4, a far slower platform. It’s a question of when, not if, Microsoft will bring VR to the Xbox One X, but it might be smart to hold off for bundled deals when it actually appears.

Microsoft

Then there’s the price. At $500, the Xbox One X shares the same launch price as the original Xbox One, as well as the cheapest PlayStation 3 launch model. Both of those consoles struggled with sales against their competitors, and most pointed to the high cost as a big reason why. While the price might seem justified given the amount of hardware crammed into the One X, it instantly makes the console less compelling compared to the $400 PlayStation 4 Pro. Again, that’s something that could end up changing next year. A $400 One X will make much more sense for most consumers.

Microsoft is well aware that plenty of gamers still haven’t upgraded to 4K TVs, so it’s also trying to sell the Xbox One X as an upgrade to 1080p TV owners. The company claims games will still look better than older Xbox One systems because the One X will use supersampling — rendering games at higher resolutions before bringing them back down to 1080p. While that’s a nice plus (and something the PS4 Pro does, too), it’s not the most compelling upgrade point for a $500 system. It doesn’t even make sense for 1080p TV owners to invest in the Xbox One X early, because the system might be cheaper by the time they go 4K.

So yes, the Xbox One X is a massive technical accomplishment. It does things no other home console does. But, ultimately, it’s something most people would be better off waiting on.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Zelle takes on Venmo from within your bank’s app

From Venmo and PayPal to Facebook Messenger, Google Wallet and even iMessage, there are plenty of ways to send money to your friends online. But these all require your contacts to have accounts set up to receive funds, which often causes friction when you’re using different services or they don’t want to download new apps. A new tool called Zelle should solve that problem. It works with more than 30 major US banks to allow interbank transfer from within each company’s app, so you or your friends don’t have to set up new profiles or crowd up your already-cluttered phones with more downloads.

Zelle will be available in the apps of US financial institutions starting this week and over the next 12 months. The list of participating banks so far is impressively comprehensive, including bigger companies like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Citi, TD Bank as well as regional brands like Bank of Hawaii, First Tennessee Bank, Frederick County Bank and Bank of the West. For the full list, check out Zelle’s website here. If your bank hasn’t signed on yet, you can still use Zelle by signing up with digital payments network clearXchange. Once you have the service, you can pay your contacts using either their email address or phone number.

Since existing options within bank apps only let you send money to people who have accounts with them, Zelle could make future transfers much easier. If you and your friends already have Venmo or Wallet set up, this may seem like yet another redundant option. But for those who have yet to hop aboard the digital payments bandwagon, this is a more-convenient way to send funds online and avoid sharing your banking information with a third-party service. Now if only international transfers could be as easy.

Source: Zelle