Hasselblad True Zoom Review
IMThe cameras in our smartphones are extremely versatile, to the point that many have ditched point and shoot cameras altogether, just because the performance and robust features set in smartphone cameras have exceeded their dedicated counterparts. Ironically, camera makers have been fighting back and have attempted on many occasions to encroach on the smartphone’s territory by coming out with eccentric accessories that try to deliver those DSLR-like qualities to smartphone cameras – like wide angle lens attachments, and even those dedicated lens modules that connect via Wi-Fi Direct. The problem with many of them is that they don’t necessarily attach seamlessly, often requiring unsightly tethers of some sort.
And then came the modular phone, which we’re inclined to say that Lenovo has perfected with its latest line of Moto Z smartphones.
The concept is brilliant with Moto Mods, as these accessories provide expanded functionality to smartphones. In fact, the latest one is a prime of example of how a renowned camera maker is once again fighting back for recognition by fashioning on a feature that’s not widely available to smartphone cameras – the optical zoom, for added range to get closer to shots.
The Hasselblad True Zoom is an attachment that adds a 10x optical zoom range for any of Lenovo’s Moto Z line of smartphones that are Moto Mods compatible, so think the Moto Z, Moto Z Force, and Moto Z Play.
Camera ergonomics in a smartphone
Attaching the Hasselblad True Zoom is a cinch, seeing that all that’s needed is to align the corresponding pins on the Moto Mod to those that are on the phone. Once that’s done, the magnetic connection ensures a tight grip, so that it can’t be easily removed by accident. When it’s attached to a phone, a Moto Z Play Droid in this instance, there’s no hiding the girth that’s tacked onto the phone in the process. It’s a beastly looking thing, making the phone’s overall thickness triple in size!
The beauty in Moto Mods, though, is that they don’t always need to be attached – only when a particular situation arises. Aesthetically, the Hasselblad True Zoom follows the styling of a traditional camera with its rubbery textured grip, Xenon flash, zoom controls, dedicated shutter key, and focus light assist. When it’s attached, it can be mistaken for a camera – not a smartphone with an accessory connected to it. The hefty size makes it impractical to discretely hide away in our pockets, but again we can’t stress enough about how Moto Mods are here for the convenience of the situation.
Our only qualms with the design is that it still lacks some controls and other conveniences we find in traditional cameras – like a tripod mount, a spot for a lanyard or something, and a ring control of sorts for manual focusing. These omissions indicate that the Hasselblad True Zoom isn’t necessarily targeting enthusiasts. Don’t get us wrong, the design is solid and super sturdy, but we would’ve liked to see more from a photo-centric accessory.
The specs are camera-phone caliber
Okay, we know what’s most outstanding about the Hasselblad True Zoom – its 10x optical zoom, which is something that few phones can attest to offer. Beyond that, and as we uncover its specs, it becomes more evident that we’re still dealing with specifications that are camera-phone caliber. Sorry folks, don’t think that it comes with a large sensor to match those found in today’s mirrorless or DSLR cameras.
Specifically, it features a 12MP 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor with 1.55um sized pixels, f/3.5-6.5 aperture lens, OIS for still shots, EIS for video, 2 microphones, Xenon flash, and up to 1080p video recording. The sensor size alone isn’t something worth bragging about, since there are phones out there, like the Panasonic CM1, that have even larger ones. And another glaring thing about the specs is how it tops out at 1080p resolution for video, which is a shame given that 4K is increasingly being adopted into mid-range phones, not just high-end or flagship ones.
Needless to say, the star of the show for the Hasselblad True Zoom is its 10x optical zoom. That’s better than some recent zoom-centric phones like the Asus Zenfone Zoom (3x zoom), so in that respect, there’s a level of versatility in being able to get close to the action – without having to be up close like that, of course.
The shooting experience
Activating the Hasselblad True Zoom is done by pressing on the dedicated button on its chassis, wherein it proceeds to launch the camera app. Our anticipation about using the Moto Mod is somewhat dashed when we realize that there’s not a whole lot to the camera app that we don’t already have in most phones. Yes, you can snap standard photos, adjust some controls using the manual setting, and even compose a panoramic, but we were expecting more. Instead, it’s lacking on some much-needed “fun” modes.
For photos, it’s nice to see that the OIS kicks in when the shutter key is pressed halfway, ensuring that the scene is as steady as possible to snap the shot. OIS really shows its worth the most when the zoom is at its maximum, mainly because even the slightest of movement can cause other cameras to become jittery. With this, however, there’s no concern because the OIS helps to compensate things for a steadier shot.
When it comes to videos, the EIS system in place desperately tries to adjust for the shake and jitter, but we find its approach to be delayed. You can easily see how it’s slower to react to the movements of us panning while walking with some of the footage. Now, this can possibly be attributed to the phone we’re using, a Moto Z Play Droid, since it doesn’t have what many would agree to be the most cutting-edge processor, but we’d be curious to see how it works with the Moto Z or Moto Z Force. That, of course, will depend on whether or not the processing is done by the phone, or locally by the Hasselblad True Zoom.
Zooming, that’s the one most defining perk of the Hasselblad True Zoom. This is useful if you’re trying to capture something in the distance, but not so much if you’re trying for a macro shot. The closest that the Hasselblad True Zoom can focus properely is about 1 meter in our experience, anythig less than that it won’t do.
How about the quality?
As we’ve mentioned already, there’s a 12MP camera in the Hasselblad True Zoom – while the Moto Z Play Droid we’re using it with has a 16MP one. Honestly, when it comes to standard shots when the zoom isn’t required, we find the quality of the Moto Z Play Droid’s camera to be superior. You can see for yourself in many instances how there’s more detail in its shots, while the Hasselblad True Zoom has a tendancy to be softer with washed out colors.
This is concerning right from the get-go, given that you’d expect better results from a photo-centric accessory like this. But then again, we’re not too shocked by this revelation because the specs of the Hasselblad True Zoom are very much on par to what we get in smartphone cameras. Obviously, its distinct advantage is its 10x optical zoom, which by itself is the only meaningful difference.
10x optical zoom with a hefty price
At the end of the day, we can say that the Hasselblad True Zoom is there for the convenience of zooming. Beyond that, however, we really can’t recommend it to replace the cameras in the Moto Z line – just because for standard shots, you get superior ones from the phones. And on top of that, it’s mind-boggling for us to believe that the Hasselblad True Zoom tops out at 1080p video recording.
Given the steep cost of the accessory, $250 if you’re buying through Verizon or a crazier $300 from Motorola directly, it faces an uphill battle in validating a purchase for it. Again, its only meaningful advantage is its 10x optical zoom, which few phones offer. The expense is really steep, making it hard for the average Joe to even fathom buying just to achieve such a lengthy zoom, but even worse is that it lacks the necessary tools and enhancements that could potentially entice enthusiasts to buy at that price.
Galaxy Note 7 benchmarks and the nerds who love to hate them
Does the Note 7 have a performance problem?
Despite going through a massive recall at the moment, the Galaxy Note 7 is still one of the top phones on the market. And there’s something deep in the heart of every smartphone nerd that twinkles every time they own a phone that someone with any measure of authority calls “the best” and defends that statement in a way they agree with.
Note 7 fans had that feeling taken away from them recently by the smart folks at XDA-Developers. Through a combination of “real world” tests, benchmarks, and system monitoring tools the XDA writers told a tale of stuttering performance that seemed to demonstrate this shiny new phone was, in some ways, not deserving the space at the top of the heap so many tech reviewers has placed it.
It’s a fun read, especially if you only kind of understand what you’re reading. Before you consider flinging your Note 7 back into the store it came from with that homemade catapult, there’s a few things you should know about benchmarks and “real world” tests.
Benchmark apps are pointless
If you use a benchmark app to tell you how great or terrible your phone performs, you’re not getting anything anywhere near a complete picture. Benchmark apps used to be great for troubleshooting, existing so you could see if there had been some kind of performance loss over time or damage to your equipment. Today, many manufacturers implement special code that forces that hardware to perform above the typical thresholds when a benchmark app is being used, which irreparably alters the results. You’re measuring a version of the hardware your phone otherwise never lets you have access to, so you gain nothing but an attempt at the highest score when you run benchmark apps today.
If you see a Note 7 performing anywhere near as smoothly as a Nexus 6P, consider how many more things that Note 7 is doing.
Those performance altering software changes lead to a much bigger issue. When you are comparing a Galaxy Note 7 to a Moto Z Droid Edition and a Nexus 6P, you’re comparing three different experiences that will never be doing the same thing at the same time. Samsung and Lenovo both have background tasks that can’t be replicated on the Nexus 6P. Features that can’t be disabled to get a 1:1 compare of the software performance. If you see a Note 7 performing anywhere near as smoothly as a Nexus 6P, consider how many more things that Note 7 is doing. Better yet, take a look at the immeasurably more thorough Anandtech review of the Note 7 performance as it compares to all other high performing phones, and see how it regularly outpaces the Nexus 6P.
There’s value in testing for things like dropped frames, and reporting on those dropped frames in context is an important thing to do when your goal is to educate and inform potential buyers. It’s hard to say that’s what happened with the presentation from XDA, given the lack of context or proper comparison. Does the Note 7 drop more or less frames than the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge? Could this be an issue exclusive to the Snapdragon variant of this model? Is this happening because Samsung’s new Grace UI was rushed out and could be fixed in a future update? None of these questions are answered, because the goal wasn’t to inform.
Cherry picking in the “real world”
Not long after XDA published their findings, a post from The Verge’s Vlad Savov attempted to apply some reality to the initial Internet explosion. In this Vladitorial, it was pointed out that some of the findings on XDA weren’t really findings. Specifically, claiming that a 200ms difference in launching apps was an example of “embarrassing performance” is silly and not representative of how people actually use smartphones. XDA fired back with more data, trying to fortify their position. The counter argument, that a 200ms delay would add up over time to a phone in such a way that a Note 7 user would grab a Nexus 6P and be amazed at how much faster it “feels” is enforced by GIFs demonstrating those performance differences.
What’s fascinating about this demonstration is the cherry picking. Samsung’s software is far from perfect; in fact, after uninstalling 13 apps from my shiny new Verizon Note 7 and finding eight more that I can’t disable I kind of want to smash mine with a hammer right now. Sitting that phone next to my freshly Nougat-filled Nexus 6P, there are absolutely aspects of this Note 7 that are demonstrably faster. The camera, for example, routinely launches a full second faster. It wouldn’t be difficult to cherry pick half a dozen examples, GIF them up, and write something that looks like evidence of how superior the Note 7 is to the Nexus 6P.
The thing is, that’s not how real world testing works. The point of real world testing, as the name suggests, is to offer performance examples of how the whole phone functions as though an “average” user is going to use the phone. Using that data to compare one experience to another is tricky, instead of offering a 1:1 compare of software as it functions you’re offering a 1:1 compare of the experience, what using the phones feels like. Showing how a share menu loads, especially when those phones are clearly not set up the same way with the same apps, doesn’t really fit that description. Unless, of course, you’re pushing a different narrative.
Better tools and actual analysis
The real flaw in all of this is a mistaken assumption that Samsung’s Note 7 and Google’s Nexus 6P are built for the same purpose. Plain and simple, they aren’t. Google’s Nexus experience has evolved from clean Developer Kit to a demonstration of the Android Open Source Project with a handful of extras. Samsung’s phones haven’t started with AOSP in a long time, and there’s no reason for the company to consider another path right now.
Samsung phones are Android-based, not Android.
Samsung phones are Android-based, not Android. As a result, Samsung phones are optimized in whatever way they deem most important. Right now those optimizations are for delivering unique Samsung features, like Samsung’s camera, Samsung Pay and the unique S Pen functions. Android, by which I mean the OS, doesn’t place priority on those things. In recent releases there’s been a focus on things like battery consumption when you aren’t using the phone, security at all times, and a consistent 60FPS user interface. It’s difficult to argue that any of these things aren’t important, but neither Samsung’s Android nor Google’s Android places a priority on all of these things.
Really, what this comes down to is what you as the user place priority. If you want the most secure phone with a slick, unburdened interface, you probably want the thing Google and HTC are going to be announcing soon. If you care about a great camera and software built to offer you a ton of feature you may or may not use, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 is tough to beat right now. Trying to claim the Note 7 is somehow underperforming because it doesn’t behave like a phone it wasn’t built to behave like is ridiculous, no matter how you tightly you try to wrap that narrative in benchmarks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Rugged phone ratings: Everything you need to know
Ever wonder exactly what the IP rating on your phone means? This reference has your answers.
IP ratings are a way to describe the ingress protection of your phone. IP itself stands for International Protection Marking, but you might see it called ingress protection because it fits and describes exactly what it is. Phones like the Galaxy Note 7 are rated with an IP specification (IP68) to tell you how resistant to dust and water they are.
IP ratings are broken into two numbers. The first number is the level of protection against solid objects — things like fingers, tools, wires, and dust. The second number is the liquid protection rating and is tested using water (no water specifications for things like salinity or TDS are referenced) and not other liquids unless specifically mentioned.
Because there are so many different combinations in use, a set of charts will help explain it all.
Solid particle protection
| IP number | How effective is it? |
| 0 | Not protected at all against any size particle. |
| 1 | Particles larger than 50 mm can not enter in enough quantity to affect the normal operation. |
| 2 | Particles larger than 12.5 mmThis is the minimum rating to protect against putting your finger(s) into a thing. |
| 3 | Particles larger than 2.5 mm can not enter in enough quantity to affect the normal operation. |
| 4 | Particles larger than 1 mm can not enter in enough quantity to affect the normal operation. |
| 5 | Dust ProtectedDust must not enter in enough quantity to affect the normal operation. |
| 6 | Dust TightDust can’t enter, even in a vacuum. |
The type of dust used for the last two tests could matter and no specifications or particle sizes are given like they are in the first five tests. If you’re working with something like a dry stone saw that creates really fine particles, you might want to assume you’re not protected. For everyday use, though, dust is dust.
Liquid ingress protection
| IP number | How effective is it? |
| 0 | Not protected at all. |
| 1 | Protected against dripping water. |
| 2 | Protected against dripping water when tilted up to a 15-degree angle from its normal position. |
| 3 | Protected against spraying water when tilted up to a 60-degree angle from its normal position. |
| 4 | Protected against splashing water at any angle. |
| 5 | Protected against water sprayed from a 6.3 mm nozzle at 12.5 Liters/minute and 30 kPa (pressure) from three meters away for three minutes. |
| 6 | Protected against water sprayed from a 12.5 mm nozzle at 100 Liters/minute and 100 kPa (pressure) from three meters away for three minutes. |
| 6K | Protected against water sprayed from a 6.3 mm nozzle at 75 Liters/minute and 1,000 kPa (pressure) from three meters away for three minutes. |
| 7 | Protected against immersion in water up to one meter at normal pressure for 30 minutes. |
| 8 | Protected against immersion in water one meter or deeper at specifications detailed by the manufacturer. |
| 9K | Protection against water sprayed from high-flow and high-pressure jets at high-temperatureWater volume of 14 to 16 Liters/minuteWater pressure of 80 to 100 barWater temperature of 80-degrees Celsius Distance of 0.10 to 0.15 meters |
Ratings of 5, 6, 6K and 9K are pretty extreme protection and something we’ll never see on a phone or watch or tablet. I’m pretty sure 6K testing would damage your skin, and 80-degree Celsius liquids are a bit above the comfort level of most of us. For phones and other electronics, the 7 and 8 ratings are more important.
In addition, the IP Code has letter designations for additional protection. Like any K rating, you’ll never see these on a cell phone.
Additional protection designation
| Letter code | What it means |
| f | Oil resistant |
| H | High voltage protection |
| M | Motion during any testing |
| S | No motion during any testing |
| W | Weather resistant |
Note that these additional ratings aren’t mandatory. Their absence doesn’t mean your phone (or any other IP rated product) will not survive exposure. It just says that nobody is certifying it.
Most importantly, having an IP rating doesn’t mean you can do anything you like with your phone. Phones aren’t tested individually and they are mass produced. Your phone might fail if you take it into the pool, even if rated for water resistance. Having the IP rating does mean that the people who made it should be willing to stand behind it for any warranty issues.
We wouldn’t use an IP certification as the only reason to buy a phone, but having it certainly can be an added bonus!
ICYMI: Sorting crops with artificial intelligence
Today on In Case You Missed It: Google’s Tensor Flow machine learning technology helped create a device to sort through massive amounts of cucumbers at a farm in Japan, sorting the vegetables by quality grade so that humans don’t have to do it manually. Meanwhile, an Australian scientist created an ink that changes colors when exposed to sunlight, which could theoretically help people from getting a sunburn.
We also touched on the new internet-connected pet toy from Acer and rounded up the biggest headlines of the week for you in TL;DR. Be sure to check out IBM Watson’s movie trailer and read about SpaceX’s rocket explosion. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Samsung’s biggest challenge at IFA is keeping up appearances
Samsung has a huge presence at IFA. Its booth takes up an entire floor in City Cube, the newest and shiniest exhibition hall at the Messe Berlin. The company’s show area is so big, it’s in its own separate building. Samsung also held not one but two press conferences here in Berlin; one just for the Gear S3 and another that centered around the company’s home appliances and television displays. In both, Samsung was like a proud parent showing off the many accomplishments of its progeny, touting the many advances it’s made in the consumer electronic space.
This is all pretty standard for a trade show, but all the pomp and ceremony is running parallel to one of the most high profile product failings in recent history. The Galaxy Note 7, one of the flagship phones it’s proudly showing off at the show is being recalled globally due to exploding batteries. Many wondered how Samsung might react to the situation, with some suggesting the attention might be diverted somehow, or that the Note 7 might mysteriously vanish from view. Instead, the company’s sticking to its guns, and putting on a brave face here in Berlin — not easy when the world’s tech media are in full attendance.
As devastating as the news must’ve been to Samsung’s corporate HQ, if you hadn’t read the news, you’d be none the wiser if you were casually visiting Samsung’s IFA booth. The company has a dedicated area on the floor just for the Note 7, with several assistants on hand to show off the phone’s various features and to tout its prowess. Instead of hiding the phone away, or over managing things (as can sometimes be the case), there were dozens of them out in the open, ready and available for curious onlookers to play around with. Some wondered whether proud Samsung might err on the side of caution, but to its credit, it’s playing it cool.
The Galaxy Note 7 recall is one of the largest in recent memory, with over a million phones that would need to be replaced. Not just that, but the timing of the recall couldn’t be worse. The device was still being rolled out globally, and Apple’s iPhone 7 event is just a few days away. The implications for the company are massive; it would cost it hundreds of millions of dollars just on the recall and refunding process alone, even without factoring in logistics and inventory fallout. Other companies have had to deal with recalls and product defects before — Apple’s iPhone 4 Antennagate and Fitbit’s Force skin irritation issue come to mind — but few have been on such a massive, public scale.
I talked to a helper at the Samsung booth, and asked if she faced any questions about the Note 7’s recall. She said that she did get a few queries, but she simply responded with a statement that the company was working on the issue. She also said that new, updated Note 7s would be on their way to store shelves eventually, which matches Samsung’s own claim that it’ll start making exchanges in the next couple of weeks.
But here at IFA at least, everything is business as usual. Samsung’s booth was buzzing with a seemingly neverending stream of crowds. The mood was upbeat and positive, and no phones exploded. Though Samsung would likely need a long time to recuperate from such a loss — not to mention mend its reputation going forward — it appears that, if IFA is any indication, the company will very likely weather this storm.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
iPhone 7 to Include Five Colors, IPX7 Water Resistance, Dual 12MP Cameras on Plus Model
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a very solid track record when it comes to Apple product rumors, has released his most detailed research report yet ahead of Wednesday’s iPhone 7 launch. The report recaps a number of claims previously shared by Kuo and others while also introducing several new tidbits about the device.
Kuo notes that there are many upgrades and other changes with the iPhone 7, but because the overall design is similar to the iPhone 6s, “general users may not feel the differences significantly.” Details on the iPhone 7 include:
– New A10 chip from TSMC that could top out at 2.4-2.45 GHz, although Apple may clock it a bit lower due to heat and power consumption concerns.
– Storage capacities of 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 7 Plus will include 3 GB of DRAM to support the dual-lens camera, while the iPhone 7 will continue to include 2 GB.
– Five color options including the usual silver, gold, and rose gold, along with a “dark black” replacing the usual Space Gray. A new fifth color Kuo describes as glossy “piano black” will also be offered. A photo of SIM trays in those five colors surfaced earlier this week.
We expect the iPhone 7 to come in piano black, dark black, rose gold, gold and silver. Only the piano black model will have a glossy finish. Given high production barriers, large-storage models may have first priority in adopting piano black casing in the initial stage.
– Improved IPX7 water resistance matching that of the original Apple Watch and making the device suitable for splashes, showering, and even brief dips in water up to one meter deep.
– No headphone jack, with Apple providing both Lightning EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5 mm jack adapter in the box. Removal of the headphone jack will allow for an upgraded speaker and a new sensor for improved Force Touch.
– Earpiece receiver to become a speaker with the addition of a new audio amplifier. Rather than putting a second speaker at the bottom in place of the headphone jack, Apple is said to be upgrading the earpiece receiver at the top of the device to become a full speaker. The change would provide enough separation to allow for stereo sound when the device is held in landscape orientation.
– Pressure-sensitive click-less home button to benefit water resistance. New haptics to mimic a clicking sensation when the button is pressed will be included.
– Wide color displays in the same sizes and resolutions as the current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The wide color technology adopted from the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will offer better color quality.
– Dual-lens rear camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, which will increase Apple’s costs by about $40 and could make the iPhone 7 Plus more expensive than the iPhone 6s Plus. Both lenses will be 12-megapixel, but one will be a wide-angle camera with larger pixel sizes, a 6P lens, and optical image stabilization, while the second will be a telephoto lens with smaller pixel sizes and a 5P lens.
– Upgraded rear camera flash with four LEDs (two cool and two warm) and a new ambient light sensor for better image quality.
– Possible upgraded proximity sensor shifting from LED to laser for faster response and greater recognition distance, as well as potential gesture recognition.
– FeliCa NFC support in models sold in Japan, as had been previously rumored for either the iPhone 7 or the 2017 iPhone.
Overall, Kuo believes iPhone 7 shipments will be below that of the iPhone 6s through the end of the year, coming in at 60-65 million compared to 82 million last year. Kuo reports that Apple’s water resistance requirements resulted in low assembly yields that pushed back the start of mass production until the second half of August.
Make sure to check out our “What to Expect” post for a recap on other announcements expected at Wednesday’s event and stay tuned to MacRumors for other last-minute news and rumors. On the event day, we’ll have full live coverage here on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account, starting at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
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F1 2016 review: Licence to thrill
Making Formula One games is a famously thankless task, but in recent years, Leamington Spa-based Codemasters has picked up that particular F1 baton and run with it in an increasingly impressive manner.
Once upon a time, thanks to the niceties of satisfying the official licence (such as getting every advertising hoarding spot-on), the annual Formula One game would arrive when the real-life season was all but done and dusted. But Codemasters’ relationship with the powers that be is now good enough to allow F1 2016 to reach the shops at a more propitious time: the end of the mid-season summer break.
F1 2016 review: Career and acclimatisation
Last year’s effort, F1 2015, was Codemasters’ first game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and, while, in technical terms, it was sufficiently impressive to satisfy the hardcore F1 fans, it felt a bit disjointed in pure gaming terms.
So F1 2016 works hard, with a large amount of success, to rectify that. This time around, in Career mode, the pre-season shoot-out has been dispensed with, so you merely choose what team you want to drive for (and can fiddle around to a small extent with how you look in the game).
Cleverly, though, much more emphasis has been placed on the free practice sessions, each of which gives you three mini-games to leaven what would otherwise be the tedium of pounding aimlessly around the track.
The first is a track-acclimatisation test, which gives you four laps to drive through strategically placed markers: you’re penalised for ones you miss, or for driving through them too slowly.
The most fascinating mini-game is a tyre-wear assessment: very topical for those who follow F1 and are appalled by the fragility of Pirelli’s tyres. Again, you’re given four laps, and the battering you put your tyres through is captured at the end of each lap: there’s a meter which goes from purple to green to red (the latter being bad), and in order to remain in the purple, you basically have to drive like the proverbial granny, while maintaining a certain speed-level. But on the other hand, being easy on your tyres can play to your advantage if, say, you want to switch mid-race from a three-stop to a two-stop strategy.
The third mini-game is a qualifying-lap simulation, which puts you on the grippiest tyres; between the three, they give you a great feel for the vagaries of the different tyre compounds, which is a central plank (like it or not) of today’s Formula One.
F1 2016 review: Damage limitation
It’s worth playing those mini-games, as they earn you Resource Points, which can be cashed in to upgrade different areas of your car.
And you earn Resource Points for exceeding expectations in races, too. Codemasters has hit upon what is essentially an XP system that brings tangible benefits and makes F1 2016 feel like a proper game, rather than a mere facsimile of what we watch on our TV screens.
Codemasters / Formula One
There’s also a rivalry system, which pits you against other drivers (initially your team-mate), and at the end of each race weekend, you’re awarded reputation points, weighted according to how many driver aids you use, for example, which essentially give you a head-start when you pluck up the courage to play F1 2016 online (an experience which is every bit as hardcore as you would expect).
The usual plethora of driver aids are available, although there’s one aspect which those whose enthusiasm for Formula One is greater than their natural driving talent might find challenging: damage is turned on by default, and F1 2016’s damage system is rigorous (although you can select a dumbed-down level or turn it off). The tiniest nudge of a barrier or a rival will cripple your car and often result in a puncture, which will in turn leave you short of tyres in the free practice sessions.
F1 2016 review: Career and acclimatisation
You can select various levels of traction control, which is not available to real Formula One drivers these days, and feels a bit of a cheat as it gives you a massive advantage. Turn it off, though, and the car-feel that you get is absolutely sublime. You must be very careful on the throttle, as in the real cars. The difference in grip levels between the tyre compounds is an eye-opener, as is the effect of tyre degradation (you even feel the latter with traction control cranked up).
The AI in F1 2016 is spot-on, too. Computer-controlled drivers are aggressive and always keen to pass, but seem less eager to drive into the back of your car than they did in previous iterations of the game.
Codemasters / Formula One
The realistic feel that F1 2016 delivers is amazing: if you ever wanted to know what nursing a car around a track on disintegrating tyres, while keeping an eye on fuel consumption, feels like for Formula One drivers, this game will let you share their frustration and appreciate the unseen skill that goes into driving a longer-than-average stint. And without sweating quite as much.
F1 2016 isn’t free of flaws, though: the virtual renderings of drivers are pretty dodgy, although at least the game makes a stab at podium celebrations this time around.
And the commentary, as ever, deals in generalisations rather than specifics, and often strays into downright cliché.
Verdict
F1 2016 is a triumph which will thrill console-owning Formula One fans.
It’s the first officially licensed title that feels like a proper game, thanks to that meticulously structured Career mode, and it recreates the feel of participating in Formula One far more rigorously and realistically than any of its predecessors.
Given that the game is free of the politics and vested interests that currently mar the sport (Bernie Ecclestone is nowhere to be seen in the game), you could even argue that F1 2016 better than the real thing.
The best ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ toy gets even better
Sphero’s BB-8 quickly became the most sought-after Star Wars toy when it was revealed last year. Now, the company is introducing a “Battle-worn” edition of the droid at IFA 2016, featuring a murky appearance that makes it further resemble the character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But that’s not it. Along with this new rolling ball, Sphero introduced the final version of its Force Band, which lets you control BB-8 by simply waving your hand. The wearable device is also compatible with two other members of Sphero’s robot family, the SPRK+ and Ollie.
In the case of the Battle-worn BB-8, it’s even more adorable than the original. That’s namely because it looks like it’s been through some rough times, as the character actually does in the film. Meanwhile, the Force Band has its own app, where you can get an interactive training demo and play different game modes. One of these games, for example, lets you use the Force Band to collect Holocrons, a set of digital cards with images and information about different Star Wars characters. The Force Band can make sounds too, like that of the Millennium Falcon or Han Solo’s DL-44 blaster pistol.
Right now, Sphero doesn’t have any plans to sell the Battle-worn BB-8 on its own, so your only option is to get a special edition bundle with the Force Band for $199. That said, if you already own the original BB-8 (or the other Sphero robots we mentioned), you can get the wearable for $79. Everything will be available on September 30th; pre-orders are already open on the company’s site.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
A tiny space pebble just put a huge dent in an ESA satellite
The European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-1A satellite has new 40cm dent on one of its solar wings — and it was caused by a tiny millimetre-size piece of space debris. The impact was discovered with the Sentinal-1A reported a slight power reduction last month. Onboard cameras quickly found the micrometeoroid impact, pictured above. Don’t worry, the ESA says the satellite is fine, but the impact serves as a reminder: at orbital velocity, tiny objects can cause major damage.
This is a problem for the Breakthrough Starshot project, which aims to launch a laser powered nanocraft that travels at 1/5th the speed of light. That project hopes to reach the next solar system over in about 20 years. “Erosion of solid surfaces will be a severe problem at these speeds,” says Ian Crawford of Birkbeck, University of London. “It’s possible that the wafersats won’t even be able to complete the journey.”
For engineers, this isn’t news — NASA and other space agencies have been combating space derbies for decades — but it does mean that teams need to think of new ways to protect fast moving crafts. The faster a craft goes, the more dangerous tiny objects can be. At the speed Breakthrough Starshot is designed to reach, even microscopic space dust could be dangerous.
Source: New Scientist, ESA
‘Firewatch’ comes to Xbox One on September 21st with bonus modes
Campo Santo’s wilderness mystery Firewatch became an instant indie classic when it was released back in February, but only on PC and PS4. The San Francisco-based studio is fixing that gap in its game’s playerbase with an Xbox One launch on September 21st and throwing in a few extras to boot.
For their wait, Xbox devotees will get a complete Audio Tour included with the game, which the studio describes as a Director Commentary-cum-Game Dev Workshop-cum scavenger hunt. Sometime down the line they will also get a free-range mode for gamers to explore the full wilderness without any pesky story getting in the way, which the developers say hides a few secrets. While both of those bonuses will eventually be available on all platforms, they’ll be released for players on the Microsoft console first.
Via: Xbox Wire
Source: Campo Santo blog
