OnePlus unveils Nord 2T with Dimensity 1300 and 80W charging
OnePlus announced a new Nord series phone today with the Nord 2T. This is the first phone with MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1300 chipset and also offers a 120Hz display and 80W fast charging.
OnePlus Nord 2T
As a true successor to the OnePlus Nord 2 – Nord 2T brings improvements in three key areas- chipset, selfie camera and charging speeds. Starting with the chipset – Nord 2T is the very first phone with MediaTek’s Dimensity 1300 chipset. The SOC is built on TSMC’s 6nm process with one Arm-Cortex A78 core clocked at 3Ghz, three additional A78s running at 2.6GHz and four power-efficient A55s at 2GHz. The GPU side is covered by the Arm Mali-G77 MC9.
MediaTek 1300 chipset
There’s a 6.43-inch AMOLED upfront with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and features a 32MP selfie cam tucked into the punch hole cutout. The back gets a 50MP Sony IMX 766 main sensor alongside an 8MP ultrawide snapper and a 2MP monochrome sensor. OxygenOS 12.1 and Android 12 cover the software side. The phone packs a 4,500 mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC charging.
OnePlus Nord 2T comes in Jade Fog and Gray Shadow colors. Pricing starts at €399/£369 for the baseline 8GB RAM and 128GB storage trim while the 12/256GB model will sell for €399/£469. Open sales start on May 24 via OnePlus store and partnering retailers. Early orders come with a free pair of OnePlus Buds Z2 wireless earphones.
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt next-gen version launches Q4 2022
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s current-generation version, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, will launch in the last quarter of this year, CD Projekt Red announced on Thursday.
The announcement follows news in April, from CD Projekt executives, that it had taken development of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition back from Saber Interactive, and delayed the game out of its original launch window for the first half of 2022. Saber Interactive had developed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch, which launched in October 2019.
Let’s make this 7th anniversary even better, shall we?
We’re delighted to share that the Next Gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is planned to release in Q4 2022.
In a call with investors on April 13, Michal Nowakowski, CD Projekt’s executive in charge of business development, denied that the update “is in some sort of development hell.”
“There has been much speculation that we will launch next June [2023] or some such,” he stated. “That is completely false
The April delay announcement followed news in March that the next Witcher title was in development, and that it would use Unreal Engine 5 as part of a “multi-year strategic partnership with Epic Games.”
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the most critically-acclaimed game in the 15-year-old franchise’s history. The game’s high visual quality and complex mechanical design have made it one of the most popular PC games today, according to Polygon. The Complete Edition is expected to have all of the expansions and downloadable content that followed The Witcher 3‘s launch in 2015.
AirRes Mask wants to make the Metaverse a bit too realistic
We experience virtual reality through proxy using goggles, controllers and headsets. However, a new mask might give us the opportunity to experience a terrifying Metaverse experience firsthand.
Virtual, augmented reality and Virtual are meant to allow us to go to places we cannot physically access or to experience new things under the laws of Physics. The Metaverse is promising to provide many exciting experiences, including the ability to travel to Mars and not worry about breathing. At the same time, however, some people criticize these experiences as clearly fake and unbelievable because you can only see but not feel or smell the real thing. For better or worse, a team of researchers is trying to at least replicate how you breathe in virtual worlds, but it might make it feel too real to the point that our brains and bodies won’t be able to distinguish what is real and what isn’t.
Designers: Markus Tatzgern, Michael Domhardt, Martin Wolf, Michael Cenger, Gerlinde Emsenhuber, Radomir Dinic, Nathalie Gerner, Arnulf Hartl
Virtual Reality Hardware naturally begins with your eyes and ears. They are the most powerful and easiest senses to manipulate in order to induce a suspension or belief. It doesn’t matter how convincing the illusion may seem, the illusion crumbles when you try to interact and move with virtual reality. This happens by using controllers, while being completely still. Much of the R&D in the technologies that will power the so-called Metaverse revolve around navigation and interaction more believable, like with the use of gloves and walking machines. Very few address the believability of the sense of smell or, at the very least, the act of breathing.
Researchers from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Austria are investigating that are of the virtual experience by creating a mask design to restrict airflow to control breathing resistance and, therefore, the wearer’s breathing capability. It almost looks like a dystopian gas mask, and it almost suggests the device’s serious and critical use. A final product would look more refined, presuming something like this would ever be made commercially in the first place.
The idea is almost simple when you first hear about it, and it’s about making the virtual experience more believable by tricking your body into thinking they’re dealing with real-world situations. Although it might smell different from a fire, the mask will regulate airflow and prevent you from experiencing the same difficulties in your breathing as if you were actually in the fire. The mask might trigger the brain’s fight-or flight response. This could make the experience more real, but not necessarily dangerous. However, it is best to ensure that the wearer can experience this level of stress.
Conversely, the person’s breathing could also be used as an additional way to control their virtual avatar, making their digital counterpart look as exhausted as they are in the real world. It can also open the doors to activities and games that would normally require you to blow air, like blowing out candles or blowing up balloons. The mask can also be used as a control and monitoring device for training simulations for firefighters and emergency personnel.
The same people that criticize virtual reality for being so obviously fake might also criticize this kind of invention for going overboard and making the experience too realistic. In a way, realism could actually remove some of the appeal of the Metaverse, particularly the ability to experience different places, worlds, and things without having to worry about hyperventilating. There will be certain experiences, such as horror movies or exercises, that can use these breathing controls, but the majority of people will prefer to live without them. Alternatively, such a mask can be more useful for medical applications, helping medical personnel diagnose a patient’s well-being through monitored and regulated breathing.
Genshin Impact’s delayed 2.7 release date and 2.8 update announced
On Thursday, developer Hoyoverse announced the end to the delay of new content in its open-world exploration game Genshin Impact. Maintenance for its next patch, version 2.7, is expected to start on May 31. Afterward, 2.7 will run for six weeks, with version 2.8 scheduled to be released on July 13, Hoyoverse said on the official Genshin Impact Twitter account.
Hoyoverse is hosting a set of streams on Friday going over all the new content coming in 2.7. The program will be streamed on Genshin Impact’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, and viewers stateside will be able to catch a later YouTube stream starting at 8 a.m. EDT/5 a.m. PDT. Players will likely get to see official gameplay for Yelan, the new 5-star Hydro bow user, and Kuki Shinobu, the 4-star Electro character from Inazuma, as well as see previews on any new special events heading to the game.
Hoyoverse announced that it would be delaying the 2.7 update for Genshin Impact in late April. Despite the gap in content, the developers have continued to tease new content coming to the game via its social channels, including a new Anemo character named Shikanoin Heizou.
Apple responds to open letter about improving usage and reputation of Final Cut Pro in filmmaking industry
In April, a large group of Final Cut editors signed their name to an open letter asking Apple to do more to promote the use of Final Cut in the TV and film industry, in addition to closing long-running feature requests.
Today, Apple publicly responded. The letter reads: “the creative community has always been so important to us at Apple,” and the company pledged to address “your important feature requests.” Apple also said that is adding new training products, expanding workshops, and setting up a consultation panel of experts.
For those unfamiliar with the back story, in the early 2000s, Final Cut usage was very dominant in indie and professional moviemaking. Apple rolled out a major rewrite of the app, Final Cut Pro X, in 2011 which was met with much criticism.
The rewrite advanced the state of the art in many ways but also lacked what most considered essential features that made the software “unusable” for professional work. Competing products like Avid and Adobe Premiere capitalized on the fumbles and took a lot of marketshare.
Nevertheless, Apple has committed to Final Cut Pro X and quickly responded to the early criticism with a series of feature updates. Although its reputation in Hollywood remains somewhat depressed, Final Cut Pro has much larger penetration in the independent video creator market (like YouTube).
The April open letter was targeted at the reputation and adoption of Final Cut in Hollywood productions. The letter complained that Apple’s app does not work well with other production workflow tools and that Apple simply has not done enough to correct the industry reputation of Final Cut Pro X, since the biggest feature omissions in the post-X rewrite have been addressed. Many editors who would like to use Final Cut are not allowed to because they cannot get approval from their producers and directors.
While we believe we have plans in place to help address your important feature requests, we also recognize the need to build on those efforts and work alongside you to help support your film and TV projects and keep you posted on important updates. This includes taking the following steps:
Launching new training products and Apple-authorized certifications for pro video starting this month with our partner Future Media Concepts.
Establishing a panel of industry experts for regular consultations, starting this summer
Expanding the content and frequency of Final Cut Pro workshops for major film and television productions.
Today’s response is a positive sign. Setting up a panel of industry experts may help advise the future development of the software, to keep it on pace with customers’ needs. We will have to wait and see what announcements Apple has in store for Final Cut Pro over the course of the year.
Borderlands 3 is the first free PC game of Epic Games Store’s Mega Sale
The Epic Games Store Mega Sale began Thursday. Along with all of the deals and sales, Epic also gives away four games free during the event. The first week’s free game will be Borderlands 3, which players can claim anytime between now and May 26 at 11 a.m. EDT, when the next game in the Epic Games Store Vault will appear.
Players will be able to claim Borderlands 3 on their Epic Games Store account for free for the next week. After it’s been claimed, the game will remain on your Epic Games Store account forever, allowing you download it whenever you want.
Borderlands 3 was first released in 2019 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC (initially exclusively through the Epic Games Store), and Xbox One. Gearbox Software released several content packs, which added new missions and weapons to the game. Epic Games is only offering the base version of Borderlands 3 for free, but all additional content and DLC can be purchased separately.
The Epic Games Store Mega Sale also includes over 1,600 sales and discounts and a 25% off coupon that users can apply to their purchases during the sale.
TSMC Singapore plant could alleviate chip shortage, say Apple chipmaker sources
A new TSMC Singapore plant is being discussed, as a way to help tackle the global chip shortage. The company is said to be in discussion with the government over the potential move.
A Singapore plant would help Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company achieve another key objective, says the report …
Background
TSMC may be best known for making the A-series and M-series chips, which power Apple devices, but the company also produces many less exciting but still critical chips for things like display drivers and power management.
It is these so-called legacy chips that have been in especially short supply, and on which Apple relies as much as any other tech company. Indeed, it is mostly these shortages that led to the iPhone maker seeing greatly reduced revenue lately. CEO Tim Cook revealed that supply constraints cost Apple $6B in two quarters, and warned that the hit could be as high as $8B this quarter.
A recent report says that there have been shortages across seven chip categories, and that four of them will continue to be affected throughout 2022.
Potential TSMC Singapore plant
The WSJ reports that a TSMC Singapore plant would be geared to the older processes used to make these types of legacy chips.
For the Singapore project, TSMC is studying the feasibility of production lines that would make seven- to 28-nanometer chips, a person familiar with the plans said. These chips are based on older production technologies and are widely used in cars, smartphones and other devices.
TSMC is ramping up investment in these chips, which have caused some of the worst supply-chain bottlenecks, including for Apple Inc.
The report says that a final decision hasn’t yet been made, as ‘negotiations’ are still underway – code for the chipmaker seeking government incentives in order to build the plant.
Would meet a second objective
In addition to increasing manufacturing capacity for legacy chips, a Singapore base would help TSMC reduce its concentration of production in its home country. The pandemic has starkly demonstrated the risks involved in too much manufacturing capacity in a single country, and Taiwan is potentially at risk from a newly emboldened China.
This is likely the reason for TSMC to look toward Singapore rather than China.
TSMC has so far managed to work around lockdowns, but has still been caught up in the catch-22 of chips for chipmaking machines being one of the items in short supply.
Is in addition to Arizona plans
Another element of TSMC’s global diversification process is plans to build as many as six plants in the USA. The company first announced these plans a year ago, later saying that mass production was likely to begin in 2024.
However, it was reported earlier this year that the company had hit a number of snags, which may delay the planned start date.
A report indicates that the company is three to six months behind schedule. Nikkei Asia suggests that the company is having trouble building its plant. Labor shortage, COVID-19 infections in the US, and different types of licenses needed for construction are some of the factors making TSMC fall behind schedule.
God of War Ragnarok dev shares new accessibility options for PS5 game
God of War Ragnarok developer Santa Monica Studio on Thursday shared an update on the sequel, in which it detailed new and returning accessibility options coming to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game.
On Sony’s PlayStation Blog, Santa Monica Studio lead UX designer Mila Pavlin said that God of War Ragnarok will build upon features from the 2018 God of War soft reboot and its Windows PC port, which was released earlier this year. That includes features like auto sprinting, a persistent reticle (in three different sizes and seven different colors, no less), and toggle settings for aiming and blocking.
There are new accessibility options coming to Ragnarok as well, including updates to subtitles and captions (players can choose a variety of text sizes and colors, thankfully), a direction indicator for critical gameplay sounds, navigation and traversal assistance, audio cues for certain game prompts, and improvements to high-contrast color modes.
Pavlin said the studio has also rebuilt its controller remapping system. “There will be a wide range of preset layouts, as well as custom controller remapping support,” Pavlin wrote. “Individual buttons can be swapped and, for select complex actions, you can choose alternate configurations from a preset list. We offer multiple ways for you to customize your experience for certain actions that require more than one button, including Touch Pad Shortcuts for things like Spartan Rage, Navigation Assist, and Quick Turn.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studio did not offer any kind of update on God of War Ragnarok’s release date, which is currently slated for sometime in 2022. Kratos and Atreus’ next adventure is said to be the finale in the series’ Norse saga.
After leaking in a series of production unit images and a Blutooth SIG listing, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy M13 5G’s official support page is now live on Samsung’s Ireland website and was also briefly up on the UK page.
Galaxy M13 5G support page
The listing does not reveal any new info about the device though it confirms its SM-M135F/DSN model number. Given the new listings going live, we can expect the phone to go official soon.
Samsung Galaxy M13 5G back panel
We don’t have much hardware info for the M13 5G at this point. The Bluetooth SIG certification revealed the phone supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and the leaked images did show a dual-camera setup on the back. We’ll have to wait for more info to emerge in the meantime so we can update you accordingly.
Genshin Impact’s 2. 7 and 2. 8 updates have release dates following delay
On Thursday, developer Hoyoverse announced the end to the delay of new content in its open-world exploration game Genshin Impact. Maintenance for its next patch, version 2. 7, is expected to start on May 31. Afterwards, 2. 7 will run for six weeks with version 2. 8 scheduled to release on July 13, the official Genshin Impact Twitter said.
Hoyoverse is hosting a set of streams on Friday going over all the new content coming in 2.7. The program will be streamed on Genshin Impact‘s official Twitch and YouTube channels, and viewers stateside will be able to catch a later YouTube stream starting at 8:00 a.m. ET/5:00 a.m. PST. Players will likely get to see official gameplay for Yelan, the new 5-star Hydro bow user, and Kuki Shinobu, the 4-star Electro character from Inazuma, as well as see previews on any new special events heading to the game.
Hoyoverse announced that it would be delaying the 2. 7 update in late April. The developers continue to tease content via social media, despite the lack of content.
