‘Destiny’ will add a hovercraft racing competition next week
If you’re searching for a new way to play Destiny, Bungie and Activision have PlayStation owners covered. Starting on December 8th, Destiny: The Taken King owners can participate in the Sparrow Racing League. It’s a competitive race on the game’s Sparrow hovercrafts against friends or strangers alike, and from the quick video we just saw at the PlayStation Experience event in San Francisco, it should be a good time. If you’re a fan of F–Zero, Wipeout 2048 or any of the other many similar games out there, the Sparrow Racing League will likely scratch that same itch.
‘Gears of War’ studio is making a MOBA for PS4 and PC
Epic Games, the studio best known for the Gears of War franchise, is building Paragon, a new multiplayer shooter for the PlayStation 4 and PC. It’s a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), meaning its gameplay is reminiscent of titles like League of Legends, Smite or Dota — two teams of five players fighting for control of a single map. Paragon includes a card-collecting aspect, too, because if you’re going to make a game that appeals to a large online audience (Hearthstone, anyone?), it might as well have all the bells and whistles. Paragon enters open beta on PS4 and PC in summer 2016, followed by a paid “early access” launch in early spring. Epic announced Paragon during today’s PlayStation Experience keynote address.
‘Final Fantasy VII’ is out today on PlayStation 4
The original Final Fantasy VII is available today on PlayStation 4, Sony announced during its PlayStation Experience keynote. This isn’t the remake that Sony teased at E3 earlier this year, but it should tide fans over until that massive project launches.
Radioactive shooter ‘Nuclear Throne’ hits PS4, Vita today
Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail dropped a huge surprise during the PlayStation Experience keynote in San Fransisco on Saturday: Nuclear Throne is available now on PlayStation 4 and Vita, while the Steam version officially hits version 1.0. Nuclear Throne is an addictive, pixelated action game that’s amassed a cult following of more than 100,000 players since its launch on Steam Early Access in 2013 — and this community is about to grow (or mutate).
Here’s where to watch Sony’s PlayStation Experience keynote
Sony’s big PlayStation Experience event kicks off in San Francisco in less than an hour — but if you’re not in attendance, it’ll still be easy to follow along. The whole event will be streamed on the PlayStation website or over on the PlayStation Twitch channel (you can find the video stream below!). We’re not sure what exactly Sony will be announcing just yet, but we’re expecting to hear a lot about PlayStation VR and hopefully some new games — it’s a two-hour keynote, so it seems safe to say Sony has a few big announcements up its sleeve. We’ll also be reporting straight from the keynote and the show floor all day long, so stay tuned for all the news from PlayStation Experience today.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Sony buys out Toshiba’s imaging sensor business at a heavy cost
In desperate need of a turnaround, Sony just purchased Toshiba’s entire imaging sensor business.
Sony made a big move today costing the company 19 billion yen or approximately $155 million USD. This is right on par with recent reports that said Sony had built-up a brand new division called the Sony Semiconductor Corporation. Instead of facing Toshiba as a rival, Sony decided to buy out the company’s whole imaging sensor business. Sony wants to be the primary supplier for camera image sensors, which has become a big market for smartphones. Sony’s sensors are already included on a variety of smartphones from tech giants like Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi. The image sensors are also used in many DSLR cameras from Nikon.
Toshiba is reportedly thinking about merging with Fujitsu and/or Vaio in the future. The company is also considering selling a share of its memory chip business. Do you think this is the right move?
Source: Sony
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Eight classic PS2 games launch on PlayStation 4 tomorrow
A few weeks ago Sony acknowledged its plan to get PS2 games running on the PlayStation 4 and today it announced which ones are first. According to exec Shuhei Yoshida, the company will celebrate its “PS2 heritage” by launching eight games for purchase in North America and Europe tomorrow: Dark Cloud, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rogue Galaxy, The Mark of Kri, Twisted Metal: Black, and War of the Monsters. It’s similar to the backwards compatibility that the Xbox One just added for Xbox 360 games, but there is one big difference: like on PlayStation Now, you’ll need to pay for these games again. Most of them will cost $15 in the US while a few cost $10, but you can see the prices (and a trailer) after the break.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Camera Shootout (Round 2): LG V10 vs Sony RX100
Last time we did a camera showdown, we took the Galaxy S6 and pitted its well-received shooter against a renowned dedicated camera – the Sony RX100 (Mark II). The overall comparison showed a very interesting result – smartphone cameras aren’t as far off from real cameras as one might suspect.
Well, now it’s time we take the RX100 up against another contender. LG has been right on Samsung’s tail since the debut of its new 16MP f/1.8 camera on the G4 this year. The sensor is essentially a Sony IMX234 module, modified with LG’s own lens, laser auto-focus, and white balance sensor. And of course, it made sense to carry the stellar camera over to the V10.
So now it’s time to see if LG’s work paid off and and can hold a candle to a dedicated camera. The Sony RX100 has gained a large fan base for the superb image quality from a compact body. In my opinion, the RX100 is the highest reasonable level to compare to a smartphone camera, because past this point you’re in DSLR territory.
We’ll have three categories in this comparison: Backyard, Indoors, and Town. I’ve dropped the RX100’s capture down to 16:9 and 17MP (close enough to the V10’s 16MP resolution), and I used Auto Mode on both cameras. Also, I’ve implemented a side-by-side image preview this time, for easier comparing. The LG V10 images will be on the left and Sony RX100 on the right (you can pop up the full images via the links below each image pair). Let’s begin!
Backyard
I have a forest in my backyard, so this gives me lots of opportunity for foliage shots. I picked the most interesting ones out of my set to show you guys.
I caught this forest shot early in the morning and wanted to see how well both cameras responded to the sun’s light. I felt like the V10 did an overall better job – the RX100’s image looks slightly faded due to the light (and a blueish tint). The V10’s colors are deeper.
My dogs were nice enough to help with the shootout. Here, I prefer the RX100’s image. If you zoom in on Ian’s fur, detail was captured better on the RX100. The V10’s image came out slightly brighter and less contrasted.
I loved this shot, for both the artistry and the complexity that the sun adds. There was a pretty drastic difference between the cameras. One important note is that the RX100 focused on the pot while the V10 appeared to focus on the concrete ledge (not sure on why LG’s camera wouldn’t focus on the object directly in front). You can also see the sun’s rays cut into the V10’s image more. But that slight blueish tint makes a return on the RX100 image (I like the contrast in the V10 image better).
The detail in both of these images are the same as far as I’m concerned, but overall coloring is definitely different. I would say that the coloring on the RX100 was most true to the actual of that scene.
This was another early morning shot – a cold, frosty morning actually. Again, these images are very close in detail to me. The big different I see is that the RX100 is more aggressive with depth of field (de-focusing of the surrounding), which makes for a more dramatic image.
I noticed a good opportunity to catch differing detail as the sun melted the frost that morning. Both cameras reproduced the moisture detail on the lounge chair fantastically. What’s interesting is that the RX100 captured a vertical rainbow effect. If you look at the de-focused area on the back, the contrast and colors of the RX100 is much better.
I did a close-up on a leaf that had frost on it. I prefer the RX100’s shot here. If you zoom in, the frost detail is definitely resolved better. Also, the color on the rock is more accurate.
Stepping away from the close-ups, this patio shot shows the sunlight dominating the V10’s image a bit too much. It looks slightly hazy and not as contrasted as the RX100 image.
I got the cameras to focus at about the same spot in this image. You can see again that the overall coloring is slightly different. A common occurrence I’m seeing is that the V10’s camera prefers to produce a brighter image at the cost of some color accuracy. We’ll see if that behavior continues in the next set.
Indoors
Indoor shots tell a lot about a camera’s abilities – lighting is different at every angle. Let’s check out how the V10 fares in varying conditions.
Got my wife some Fall flowers for our anniversary and saw a picture opportunity. Going along with my previous observation, the V10’s image is brighter. It may come down to preference, but I just like the RX100’s image better. The extra brightness makes the V10’s image bland in comparison.
I brought in my little orange Android to help out. The color on the RX100 image is so much better to me (the V10’s image looks pale in comparison). But the Android’s detail on the V10 image is clearer (maybe because the RX100 focused on the table).
Mmmm, ham and cheese croissant. The detail on both images are great, but I like the contrast and color accuracy on the RX100 image better.
Here, I tried to focus both cameras on Intel logo on my XPS 13 (the device I’m a slave to when pumping out these posts). Something I really notice is the dominant yellowness of the V10’s image (probably due to both the table’s color and lighting). The RX100 wasn’t deterred by the surroundings.
Now for some shadows! I caught this drama happening on my dining room floor. The floor color with the V10 is pale, while the RX100’s image was truer to real life.
This is my other dog. His name is Beau and he’s a Great Pyrenees. Fortunately, he was nice enough to pose for me (this time). We again get a brighter image with the V10, somewhat countering the shadowing in the scene. If you zoom in on his face, the RX100 image is more detailed.
Interestingly, the results are reversed in this comparison. The RX100’s image now has a yellow-ish tint. To me, the V10 wins here.
Tea time! Again, the V10’s image is brighter (and a bit paler) in comparison. But both are good.
For this last one, I wanted to address the low-light struggle of the cameras. The V10 did a fantastic job pulling light in, look at how comparable these images are. May I remind you that the RX100 has a 1-inch sensor. But with that said, the Androids on the V10 image are slightly grainier. Still, I’m impressed.
Town
For variability of outdoor images, I went out to my local town and got a few good shots.
I like how the V10 handled this scene. The RX100 blew out the lighting on the top left area, resulting in an overall paler image.
These two images are very close. I prefer the V10 here, again. The lighting on the RX100’s image is ever so slightly overdone from the top.
It’s Christmas time, so why not compare a tree? To me, the RX100 wins here. The V10’s reproduction isn’t as clear and slightly yellowy.
These images are super close in quality. I would say that the V10’s image is slightly paler but negligible.
Same deal here as far as I’m concerned. To my eyes, the V10’s image is still slightly paler. I can see it being up to preference.
I have a hard time choosing which image I like more here, I see elements in both that are good. The lighting of the RX100 image looks overshot on the top left, but it looks more crisp than the V10 image.
These are close in detail, but to my eyes the colors of the building and cars look richer on the RX100’s image.
This pair is once again difficult to choose from. I would give a slight edge to the RX100 because I see it as more colorful.
The sunlight (and HDR processing) largely determines the reaction in this last image. It’s hard to choose one, but I side with the V10’s image. To my eyes, the sunlight causes a slight haze on the RX100’s capture.
Final Thoughts
This was a very interesting battle. I would call the RX100 the winner, but there were times when the V10’s camera stepped forward. The repeated offenses I noticed was that the tone of the V10’s images could sometimes be thrown off into a slight yellowish tint and paler colors in some instances. But the capture of detail was consistently fantastic. And LG’s f/1.8 aperture is no joke, this thing can catch a great amount of light.
One last note. After having done the same comparison with top-end smartphone cameras from both Samsung and LG, you may be wondering which fared better against the RX100? I would say that Samsung’s camera did. I felt like that battle was closer. But nonetheless, smartphone cameras are amazing these days.
Despite my commentary, you of course be the judge. What did you think about this camera shootout? We want to know, so sound off below!
The post Camera Shootout (Round 2): LG V10 vs Sony RX100 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Android phones and tablets on sale at Expansys this weekend (December 5)
Save big on LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, and HTC
Shopping around for a smartphone this holiday season? Have you ever considered picking up something that’s unlocked right out of the box? Yes, this freedom means you can take your phone to other carriers without having to give up your favorite device. Unlocked phones are a big deal and they’re only going to get bigger over time.
We’ve looked through Expansys to put together a number of deals that you ought to check out. Some of what you’ll find is pretty significant stuff; most of these prices are for a limited time only. Nevertheless, we figured you’d be interested in learning about the discounts. In addition to phones, you’ll find some tablet sales, too.
- Motorola Moto X Style (32GB) Black – $429.99 (Save $70)
- Motorola Moto X Style (32GB) White – $429.99 (Save $70)
- LG Nexus 5 (32GB) White – $199.99 (Save $150)
- LG Nexus 5 (32GB) w/ Refurb LG Tone+ Bluetooth headphones) – $219.99 (Save $160)
- Samsung Galaxy S6 (32GB) Black – $469.99 (Save $50)
- HTC Nexus 9 LTE (32GB) Black – $349.99 (Save $50)
- Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (16GB) Black – $319.99 (Save $70)
- Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (16GB) White – $319.99 (Save $70)
The post Android phones and tablets on sale at Expansys this weekend (December 5) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony scoops up Toshiba’s image sensor business for $155 Million
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Sony has announced its purchase of Toshiba’s image sensor business for $155 million. A merger was rumored to occur earlier this year in October, but today, Sony has confirmed the purchase. The transfer of Toshiba’s fabrication plant, equipment, and employees to Sony will be complete by March 31st of next year.
Sony has had a hard time selling many devices of its own, but the image sensor business has been a profitable one for Sony. The best smartphone cameras are ones engineered by Sony. The top-tier of smartphone cameras feature Sony-engineered image sensors, including devices like the Nexus 6P and Galaxy Note 5.
Sony’s image sensor business is the biggest reason the company has a strong footing in the smartphone market, despite its own devices not selling well and the added technology and resources from Toshiba should only make Sony’s lead in the smartphone image sensor market stronger.
The post Sony scoops up Toshiba’s image sensor business for $155 Million appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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