Craigslist, Reddit prep to face legal woes from FOSTA sex-trafficking bill

Although the Personals section on Craigslist appears to be visually intact for now, clicking any associated link will reveal that the section is shut down due the FOSTA bill (HR 1865) just approved by the Senate. The bill holds websites accountable for the actions of its users, forcing sites to censor individuals else face criminal and civil liability. To avoid any legal and/or financial woes, Craigslist is merely shutting down the Personals section rather than dealing with censorship and possibly jeopardizing its other services. 

“Any tool or service can be misused,” Craigslist states. “We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day. To the millions of spouses, partners, and couples who met through Craigslist, we wish you every happiness! 

FOSTA is short for the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, and according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), it silences online speech. The bill attempts to stop sex trafficking, but the language indicates that any unsuspecting website is liable for its users taking advantage of tools that could facilitate sex trafficking even though that’s not the intent of those services. 

Craigslist is a good example. The Personals section served as a platform for meeting others seeking a relationship, and the company made attempts to filter out possible listings for prostitution. But with the new bill in place, censorship clearly isn’t enough — the company could face legal repercussions for the actions of its users. But again, the language used in the bill suggests that even comment systems and forums could push websites into deep trouble. 

“Facing the risk of ruinous litigation, online platforms will have little choice but to become much more restrictive in what sorts of discussion — and what sorts of users — they allow, censoring innocent people in the process,” the EFF states. 

Starting now, websites will be forced to ban sexual content, advertisements for legal escort services, introduce filters to block specific posts, and shut down specific departments altogether. The slightest indication that a comment could describe sex in exchange for money could cause legal troubles even though the author meant otherwise or commented in a jokingly manner.

Craigslist isn’t the only website closing departments. Reddit jumped on the bandwagon as well, closing Escorts, SugarDaddy, Hookers, Male Escorts, and many other boards in response to the new bill. The site also updated its content policy to ban transactions for “certain goods and services.” These include guns, drugs, stolen items, personal information, falsified official documents or currency, and paid services involving sex. 

Currently, the bill isn’t an official law; it’s waiting for President Donald Trump’s signature. Lawmakers believe the bill is a good thing, giving the government power to zero in on websites playing host to sex trafficking. Their intent is noble: Take down the platforms exploiting women and children. But the language is problematic to the point where even the Department of Justice raised constitutional concerns over the bill. 

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A material supreme: How graphene will shape the world of tomorrow

BONNINSTUDIO / Shutterstock

In his book Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond put forth that civilizations which spread out and conquer others do so as a result of geographic advantages. Access to certain plants and minerals, particular climates, even regional wildlife all — according to Diamond’s framework — determine which states thrive and which ones falter. A civilization is strong thanks to the resources it has access to, not the culture or genetic makeup of its people.

While Diamond’s book has been viewed with more skepticism recently (as happens with any work that proposes a universal framework for history), his hypothesis remains interesting. Resources often seem to coincide with historical leaps. Bronze and iron were so crucial to the spread of ancient civilizations that they have entire epochs named after them. With the rise of the American steel industry, railroad tracks spread from Atlantic to Pacific, metal veins that carried the blood of a nation. Silicon semiconductors enabled the growth of computers and the greatest surge in information technology since the printing press. These materials shaped the development of society, and helped determine which countries dominated international relations.

Today, a new material has the potential to alter the future. Dubbed a “supermaterial,” graphene has researchers the world over scrambling to better understand it. The material’s long list of superlative traits make it seem almost magical, but it could have very real and drastic implications for the future of physics and engineering.

What is graphene?

The simplest way to describe graphene is that it is a single, thin layer of graphite — the soft, flaky material used in pencil lead. Graphite is an allotrope of the element carbon, meaning it possesses the same atoms but they’re arranged in a different way, giving the material different properties. For example, both diamond and graphite are forms of carbon, yet they have wildly different natures. Diamonds are incredibly strong, while graphite is brittle. Graphene’s atoms are arranged in a hexagonal arrangement.

Graphene’s atoms are arranged in a honeycomb pattern

Interestingly, when graphene is isolated from graphite it takes on some miraculous properties. It is a mere one atom thick, the first two-dimensional material ever discovered. Despite this, graphene is also one of the strongest materials in the known universe. With a tensile strength of 130 GPa (gigapascals), it is more than 100 times stronger than steel.

Graphene’s incredible strength despite being so thin is already enough to make it amazing, however, its unique properties do not end there. It is also flexible, transparent, highly conductive, and seemingly impermeable to most gases and liquids. It almost seems as though there is no area in which graphene does not excel.

The history of graphene: A roll of tape, and a dream

Graphite has been a known quantity long time (humans have been using it since the Neolithic era). Its atomic structure is well documented, and for a long time, scientists pondered whether single layers of graphite could be isolated. Until recently, however, graphene was merely a theory, as scientists were unsure if it would ever be possible to slice graphite down to a single, atom-thin sheet. The first isolated sample of graphene was discovered in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at the University of Manchester. One might expect that they isolated the fabled substance using some massive, expensive piece of machinery, but the tool they used was amusingly simple: a roll of scotch tape.

When using tape to polish a large block of graphite, the researchers noticed exceptionally thin flakes on the tape. Continuing to peel layer and layer from the flakes of graphite, they eventually produced a sample as thin as possible. They had found graphene. The discovery was so bizarre, the scientific world was skeptical at first. The popular journal Nature even rejected their paper on the experiment twice. Eventually, their research was published, and in 2010 Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery.

Potential applications

If graphene had merely one of its many superlative traits, it would be the subject of intense research into potential uses. Begin so remarkable in so many ways, graphene has inspired scientists to think of a wide range of uses for the material, in fields as varied as consumer tech and environmental science.

Flexible electronics

BONNINSTUDIO / Shutterstock

In addition to its powerful electrical properties, graphene is also highly flexible and transparent. This makes it perfect for use in portable electronics. Smart phones and tablets could become much more durable using graphene, and perhaps could even be folded up like paper. Wearable electronic devices have been growing in popularity recently. With graphene, these devices could be made even more useful, designed to fit snugly around limbs and bending to accommodate exercise.

Graphene’s flexibility and microscopic width provide opportunities beyond mere consumer devices. It could also be useful in biomedical research. Small machines and sensors could be made with graphene, capable of moving easily and harmlessly through the human body, analyzing tissue or even delivering drugs to specific areas. Carbon is already a crucial ingredient in the human body; a little graphene added in might not hurt.

Solar cells/photovoltaics

Pedrosala / Shutterstock

Graphene is both highly conductive and transparent. As such, it has great potential as a material in solar cells. Typically, solar cells use silicon, which produces a charge when a photon hits the materials, knocking loose a free electron. Silicon only releases one electron per photon that hits it. Research has indicated that graphene can release multiple electrons for each photon that hits it. As such, graphene could be far better at converting solar energy, with a projected 60 percent efficiency compared to the roughly 25 percent efficiency that current silicon cells are capable of.

Unfortunately, this is all theoretical. Current graphene cells are not yet up to par with silicon cells. Thankfully, research into graphene solar cells is ongoing, and the efficiency of such cells is increasing. Before long, cheaper, more powerful graphene cells could produce a massive surge in renewable energy.

In less grandiose fields, graphene’s photovoltaic properties also mean that it could be used to develop better image sensors for devices such as cameras.

Semiconductors

Torsak Thammachote / Shutterstock

Due to its high conductivity, graphene could be used in semiconductors to greatly increase the speed at which information travels. Recently the Department of Energy conducted tests which demonstrated that semiconductive polymers conduct electricity much faster when placed atop a layer of graphene than a layer of silicon. This holds true even if the polymer is thicker. A polymer 50-nanometers thick, when placed on top of a graphene layer, conducted a charge better than a 10 nm thick layer of the polymer. This flew in the face of previous wisdom which held that the thinner a polymer is, the better it can conduct charge. Yet another example of graphene’s remarkable properties.

The biggest obstacle to graphene’s use in electronics is its lack of a band gap, the gap between valence and conduction bands in a material that, when crossed, allows for a flow of electrical current. The band gap is what allows semiconductive materials such as silicon to function as transistors; they can switch between insulating or conducting an electric current, depending on whether their electrons are pushed across the band gap or not. Because graphene has no band gap, electrical charges simply flow along, as in any metal.

New research conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology may have changed this, however. The researchers claim to have produced graphene samples with a band gap of 0.5 electronvolts, which they say should be enough for graphene to function as a semiconductor. If true, this could lead to graphene supplanting silicon as the semiconductor of choice, enabling much faster electronics to be made.

Water filtration

A_Lesik / Shutterstock

Graphene’s tight atomic bonds make it impermeable for nearly all gasses and liquids. Curiously, water molecules are an exception. Because water can evaporate through graphene while most other gasses and liquids cannot, graphene could be an exceptional tool for filtration. Researchers at the University of Manchester tested graphene’s permeability with alcohol, and were able to distill very strong samples of spirits, as only the water in the samples was able to pass through the graphene.

Of course, graphene’s use as a filter has potential beyond distilling stronger spirits. Graphene could also be immensely helpful in purifying water of toxins. In a study published by The Royal Society of Chemistry, researchers showed that oxidized graphene could even pull in radioactive materials such as uranium and plutonium present in water, leaving the liquid free of contaminants. The implications of this study are massive. Some of the biggest environmental hazards in history, including nuclear waste and chemical runoff, could be cleansed from water sources thanks to graphene.

As overpopulation continues to be one of the world’s most pressing environmental concerns, maintaining clean water supplies will only become more important. Indeed, water scarcity afflicts more than a billion people worldwide, a number that will only continue to rise given current trends. Graphene filters have immense potential to improve water purification, increasing the amount of fresh water available. In fact, Lockheed Martin recently developed a graphene filter called “Perforene,” which the company claims couls revolutionize the desalination process.

Current desalination plants use a method called reverse osmosis to filter salt out of seawater. Reverse osmosis uses pressure to move water through a membrane. In order to produce large amounts of drinkable water, the pressure involved requires enormous amounts of energy. A Lockheed Martin engineer claims their Perforene filters could reduce the energy requirements a hundred times less than that of other filters.

Superconductivity

Not long after scientists at Cambridge demonstrated that graphene can act as a superconductor (a material with no electrical resistance) when paired with praseodymium cerium copper oxide, researchers at MIT recently discovered another astounding property: It can apparently function as a superconductor alone, in the right configuration. The researchers stacked two slices of graphene, but offset them by an angle of 1.1 degrees. According to a report published in Nature, “Physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge and his team weren’t looking for superconductivity when they set up their experiment. Instead, they were exploring how the orientation dubbed the magic angle might affect graphene.”

What they discovered is that, when they ran electricity through the off-kilter graphene stack, it functioned as a superconductor. This simple process of applying electricity makes graphene easier to study than a similar class of superconductors, cuprates, although those materials display superconductivity at much higher temperatures. Most materials that display superconductivity only do so near a temperature of absolute zero. Some so-called “high temperature superconductors” can display superconductivity at temperatures around 133 Kelvin (-140 Celsius), which is relatively high; hydrogen sulfide, under enough pressure, displays the property at a miraculous -70 degrees Celsius!

The graphene arrangement had to be cooled to 1.7 degrees above absolute zero, however the researchers consider its behavior similar to that of cuprates, and so they hope that it will be a much easier material for studying unconventional superconductivity, which is still an area of great disagreement among physicists. Because superconductivity typically only happens at such low temperatures, superconductors are only used in costly machinery like MRI machines, but scientists hope to one day find a superconductor that works at room temperature, which would bring down costs by removing the need for cooling units.

The future of graphene research

Given graphene’s seemingly endless list of strengths, one would expect to see it everywhere. Why, then, has graphene not been widely adopted? As with most things, it comes down to money. Graphene is still extremely expensive to produce in large quantities, limiting its use in any product that would demand mass production. Moreover, when large sheets of graphene are produced, there is increased risk of tiny fissures and other flaws appearing in the material. No matter how incredible a scientific discovery may be, economics will always decide success.

Production issues aside, graphene research is by no means slowing down. Research laboratories the world over — including the University of Manchester, where graphene was first discovered — are continually filing patents for new methods of creating and using graphene. The European Union in 2013 approved funding for a flagship program that will fund graphene research for use in electronics. Perhaps more importantly, many major tech companies in Asia are conducting research on Graphene, including mobile giant Samsung. As the EU tries to steady its footing in the face of explosive economic growth in Asia, graphene could be an important battlefield in international politics in the coming years. Again, empires often rise and fall based on their control of resources.

Despite its current limitations, researchers are trying out all sorts of uses for graphene, from lightbulbs to body armor.

Revolutions don’t happen overnight. Silicon was discovered in the mid 19th century, but it took nearly a century before silicon semiconductors paved the way for the rise of computers. Might graphene, with its almost mythical qualities, be the resource that drives the next era of human history?

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Apple’s newly proposed emojis are more inclusive for those with disabilities

Tech companies are trying to make emojis a little more inclusive. It took way too long for them to adopt emojis with different skin tones, and emojis that are more gender-inclusive. Now, it’s taking steps to make emojis a little more inclusive of those with disabilities.

The new emojis include service dogs, people with canes, hearing aids, wheelchairs, and more, as first reported by BuzzFeed News. It’s important to note that the new emojis won’t show up in your iPhone just yet — instead, they have simply been proposed by Apple to the Unicode Consortium, the group that governs emojis. According to Apple, the emojis were developed in partnership with the American Council of the Blind, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

“This new set of emoji that we are proposing aims to provide a wider array of options to represent basic categories for people with disabilities,” Apple said in its proposal. “This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but to provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within the emoji universe.” You can see the newly proposed emojis for yourself below.

New emojis are proposed to the Unicode Consortium pretty regularly, and they’re not always accepted. It’s hard to see why Apple’s newly proposed emoji wouldn’t be accepted, but they still have to be reviewed by the Unicode Technical Committee. Once they’re reviewed (and approved), it’s up to phone manufacturers like Apple and Google to come up with their own designs for their particular platform — part of the reason why emojis look different depending on whether you use an iPhone or an Android phone.

One-hundred and fifty-seven new emojis are actually set to make their way to phones sometime in August, including emojis of people with red hair, more skin tone options, female superheroes, and pirate flags. In recent years, there has been a much bigger push to introduce more inclusive emojis, which has led to a range of new offerings. Hopefully, tech companies will continue to develop inclusive emojis that represent different people from all walks of life.

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Get a better night’s sleep knowing you saved $300 on these memory foam mattresses

This won’t last long.

We’ve seen these mattresses drop in price before as part of a one-day sale at Amazon, but they never hit this low. Right now you can pick one up for as little as $209.99 when you clip the $300 off coupon that is on the page. The options in this sale include:

• Twin Size 10-inch Memory Foam Mattress – $209.99 (Was $509.99)
• Twin XL Size 10-inch Memory Foam Mattress – $214.99 (Was $514.99)
• Full Size 10-inch Memory Foam Mattress – $314.99 (Was $614.99)
• Queen Size 10-inch Memory Foam Mattress – $389.99 (Was $689.99)
• California King Size 10-inch Memory Foam Mattress – $509.99 (Was $809.99)

These mattresses are constructed with a 3-inch top layer of gel memory foam and seven inches of base foam. They are shipped to your home vacuum-packed in a box, and you can try it for 120 nights to make sure you like it. If you do like it, eLuxurySupply also makes bed frames for every size mattress.

Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get huge discounts on Sony’s Bluetooth in-ear headphones, the Logitech G703 gaming mouse, the August smart lock, and more! Don’t pass these up.

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Best T-Mobile Deals of March 2018

If you’re currently subscribed to T-Mobile or looking to switch to the Un-carrier, these are the deals to watch out for.

T-Mobile’s been disrupting the wireless industry in the United States for years now, and a result of this has been big savings for the Un-carrier’s subscribers. T-Mobile often runs all sorts of deals and promotions at any given time, and these are the absolute best ones that you should keep your eye on.

Take 50% off the Samsung Galaxy S9

You’ve probably heard about the Samsung Galaxy S9 by now, and if so, you’re likely aware of its high price. The Galaxy S9 costs $720 on T-Mobile, but thanks to a promotion the Un-Carrier’s running, you can get it for up to 50% off.

To take advantage of this deal, all you’ll need to do is trade-in your current phone. T-Mobile has a list of qualifying devices that it accepts, and in order to get the full 50% off ($360 in credits), you’ll need to trade-in a Galaxy S8, LG V30, Galaxy S7, or a number of other phones. If you have an older phone like the Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 5, or LG G6, you can still get $200 back.

No matter if you trade-in a phone for $360 or $200, it’ll be paid back to you over the course of 24 months as a bill credit.

See at T-Mobile

Buy one LG phone, get another for free

For folks that prefer LG over Samsung, T-Mobile hasn’t forgotten about you. In fact, customers that reside in camp LG can save even more.

When buying an LG G6 or V30 from T-Mobile, you can get another one for free. There’s no trade-in required and you don’t have to activate a new line of service. You’ll need to buy both phones on monthly installment plans, but similar to the deal above, your second V30/G6 will technically be made free with 24 monthly bill credits.

See at T-Mobile

Save $150 on the Galaxy S8

Although the Galaxy S9 is the hottest Samsung phone around, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only one you should consider buying. 2017’s Galaxy S8 is still one heck of a phone, and now that the S9 is here, you can get it for way less than this time last year.

T-Mobile used to sell the Galaxy S8 for $750, but thanks to a new $150 discount, it can be yours for just $600.

That’s still a good chunk of change, but when you consider that you’re getting 98% of what the S9 offers but for $120 less, it starts to become a really compelling deal.

See at T-Mobile

Buy a new JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker for just $119

It’s always a good idea to make sure you’ve got a Bluetooth speaker at hand, and with summer quickly approaching, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got something trusty for listening to your favorite songs while hanging out at the beach or having a cookout with friends.

JBL’s one of the biggest names in the Bluetooth speaker game, and T-Mobile’s currently offering $30 off the JBL Charge 3. This brings the Charge 3’s price down to just $119 instead of the regular $149, and you don’t even have to be a T-Mobile customer to take advantage of this. Simply add the speaker to your cart, use promo code CHARGE30, and you’re good to go.

See at T-Mobile

More than $200 off Nest Secure and Nest Cam Indoor

In November, T-Mobile announced that it would be partnering with Nest as the exclusive cellular backup provider for its Nest Secure service. As part of this partnership, T-Mobile customers can purchase the Nest Secure home security system and Nest Cam Indoor security camera for just $480 – a package that would normally set you back $698.

You will need to subscribe to the T-Mobile Nest plan in order to take advantage of this, but after a $5/month credit on your bill, you can get it for just $10/month. With the Nest plan, you get access to both Nest Aware and T-Mobile’s cellular backup service.

See at T-Mobile

Updated 3/23/18 – Added all-new deals for March!

In theory, this new Atari console is going to be awesome

As nostalgia runs rampant through our consumer culture in 2018, the stewards of the Atari brand have come to GDC to show off early prototypes of a new system that looks and feels a whole lot like something you’d see on Radio Shack shelves 30 years ago. It’s called the Atari VCS, and if it delivers on even some of the promises being made about its capabilities this thing could be very, very cool.

VCS stands for Video Computer System, and when I asked why that name was chosen over more iconic options like Jaguar or 2600, the response was simply “we called it a Video Computer System because that’s what it is.” Rather than compare this system to game consoles like the Xbox or even the NVIDIA Shield TV, Atari wanted to make it clear this gadget is built to offer more. It’s a Linux-based platform with access to an Atari-made content store, and of course access to heaps of classic Atari games. The goal is to make this box a streaming platform, gaming platform, browsing platform, and so on. It’s a stylized 4K-capable computer you connect to your TV, hence the name.

Of course, the real draw here, for now, is how cool it looks. If you’re a fan of Atari’s design language from the days of old, you’re in for a real treat here. The top of the console is flat black lines against the wood grain of the front panel, and lots of ports in the back for accessories and more. It’s a simple, classic look complete with a glowing Atari logo on the front that is all but guaranteed to get people to ask questions when they see it in your entertainment center.

The unit we saw wasn’t actually functional, but Atari reps made it clear there would be a fan inside to help keep the internal hardware cool. Expect some of the lines up top to be vents, but don’t be overly concerned about noise. At least, in theory.

Coupled with this pretty box was a pair of controllers themed to match the console. The first is something everyone will recognize right away, the classic Atari joystick. It’s got some great weight to it and the joystick motion is perfect even in this early model. But the thing that really struck me was the lighting effects around the base of the joystick. These amber lights are visually pleasant and lit up to match all of the areas around the direction you tilted this joystick. We don’t know how long the battery is expected to last, but we do know it’s a wireless controller and currently charges via USB-C, making it remarkably future-forward for such a classic-looking controller.

The other controller is a great deal more modern and familiar. It looks and feels almost exactly like an Xbox controller, connecting via Bluetooth so it can be used with more than just the Atari VCS. The colors are themed to match the traditional joystick model, which if nothing else means you could buy this separate from the VCS and have a slick-looking Atari controller for just about everything.

There’s a lot of things we don’t know about this console yet. Atari is promising more information alongside pre-orders later this year, so if nothing else this is something worth keeping an eye on. And, as long as Atari is selling these controllers separately like they say, I may buy that joystick just because it’s so badass.

Participate in the Android Central VR forums and you could win a PlayStation VR Skyrim Bundle!

Do you love virtual reality? Or maybe you’re really curious and want to dive in but just haven’t been able to swing buying the gear? Let us help!

We’ve expanded our VR coverage on Android Central, iMore, and Windows Central and to kick things off we’re holding not one, but THREE separate giveaways where you can win some pretty amazing prizes. Entering is super easy, so let’s get right to it!

THE PRIZE: One winner will receive a PlayStation VR Skyrim Bundle!

TO ENTER

• First, leave a comment on this post in the Android Central VR forums as your official entry into the giveaway.
• From there, head into our new VR forums here at Android Central and join in the conversation. Ask questions, offer help and advice, share interesting things… just be an active part of the community! Each constructive comment you leave and thread you start will be another entry into the giveaway. However, DO NOT spam the forums with nonsense, as you will be eliminated from the giveaway and likely earn a time out from posting.
• We’ll keep this open until April 10th and announce the winner here shortly after. Winner will be chosen in a random drawing, so you’ll definitely want to be sure you’re actively participating as much as you can from now until the very end. Please note, the giveaway is open internationally, but any customs fees or taxes incurred are the responsibility of the winner.
• Good luck, and have fun!

More chances to win:

• Participate in the Windows Central VR forums and you could win an Oculus Rift Bundle!
• Participate in the iMore VR forums and you could win an HTC Vive!

Planet Gemini PDA Review: A tiny computer with big ideas

Normally when I review a product, the question I’m trying to answer is whether it’s worth the asking price. But the Planet Gemini PDA was crowdfunded, willed into existence by almost 6,000 people pooling over $2 million on Indiegogo so that Planet Computers could build a modern version of the classic Psion PDA.

Not ringing a bell? That’s okay; the Psion only achieved wide popularity in Europe, and that was a long time ago. (In fact the only time I ever saw one was on film; it’s the remote detonator the bad guys were brandishing in 1996’s Executive Decision.) Still, the Psion captured many hearts by virtue of its legendary QWERTY keyboard – a keyboard faithfully reproduced by the folks at Planet and mated with an Android smartphone/tablet to become the Planet Gemini PDA.

Is it a smartphone? A tiny computer? A revived personal organizer? Bits of all three, really … and I’d be doubtful for its prospects out in the “real world” but for the little detail of its fully-funded status. So now that Planet Gemini devices are rolling off the assembly line and into eager buyers’ hands, let’s take a look at how it performs out in the real world! Join me for the Planet Gemini review above, then stay tuned for Android Central’s own Jerry Hildenbrand’s thoughts on one of 2018’s most interesting gadgets!

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A ‘Warhammer’ AR fantasy card game is coming to PC this year

Gamers may know Games Workshop’s popular tabletop game Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (the fantasy counterpart to Warhammer 40,000) is getting its own card game for PC later this year — and it’ll benefit from augmented reality. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Champions, as it’s called, includes physical cards, a digital game and an augmented reality engine to animate the former.

But we can look at a different title that Age of Sigmar Champions’ developer PlayFusion made previously. The studio successfully Kickstarted and made Lightseekers, a video game that used a proprietary AR app to bring action figures and trading cards into digital gameplay. If that system’s ability to bring on-screen life to static cards is any indication, Age of Sigmar Champions will likely have a robust integration between physical and digital media. If you’re interested, sign up for the game’s mailing list here.

Via: PCGamer

Source: Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Champions