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Turns out Even Game Developers Are Concerned About the Live Service Model
Upanishad Sharma
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Even though I was always under the impression that live service games are loved universally by developers, a new survey says otherwise. In a recent survey conducted by Game Developer, over 600 developers were asked about the monetization in video games. Over 70% felt concerned about the sustainability of live service games. Out of the reasons, the primary was the worry that players will lose interest in their product along with competitors taking a bigger piece of the pie. Nonetheless, companies like WB Games have doubled down on their commitment to live service titles as small studios like Fntastic shut down leaving failures in their wake.
The Nothing Ear (a) has gone official for Rs 7,999 in India as the brand's latest TWS ANC earbuds. For that price, you get to see a great battery life, commendable ANC, and a bass-heavy sound signature if you're into it. However, for Rs 3,000 less, the OPPO Enco Air 3 Pro just seems like a more value-for-money offering, with a more balanced audio output. If you ask me, it definitely feels like a better choice over the Ear (a).
Nothing has launched the Ear (a) and Ear TWS earphones. Nothing is marketing the Ear (a) as a budget offering with better sound and ANC than the Ear (2). The Ear (a) also has LDAC support for better sound quality. The Nothing Ear has all the features of the Ear (a) but with better Ceramic drivers, wireless charging, and sound quality.
Nobody is safe from the clutches of AI as Logitech has now launched the new M750 AI Edition along with the Logitech Prompt Builder software. Combining ChatGPT integration with recipes, the builder can be assigned as a shortcut with certain Logitech mouse and comes up in a neat pop-up window. I had lots of fun with the app as it let me rewrite text, send custom e-mails, and even draft witty replies all with the power of ChatGPT! The app is free to use but does require the Logi Options App+.
One Piece is a once-in-a-lifetime pirate journey that everyone in our realm should experience. Many obstacles stand in the way of people enjoying and savoring One Piece, though. As announced recently, the One Piece remake by WIT Studios might change that. There are essential things that the One Piece remake needs to get right to deliver a more tighter and gripping experience to fans.
In this article, I will be discussing Airchat, a new social media platform where you can only create posts, reply to them or private messages through voice notes. I will explain how the app works in detail, along with the process to setup your account, invite others and to follow other accounts on the app.
In the build-up to the launch of Snapdragon X Elite, we take a look at the x86 architecture, and how different is the ARM architecture. Can the Snapdragon X Elite fix poor battery life and thermal performance, mostly seen on Windows laptops? We tackle all these questions and try to understand the future of ARM-based PCs.
List of Trackers Compatible with Android’s New Find My Device Network
Abubakar Mohammed
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If you want to start using the latest Find My Devices, some of the best trackers that work with Android's new Find My Device network are Pebblebee Clip, Card, and Tag, and Chipolo One Point and Card Point. Other supported devices from Eufy and Jio will soon land in the market.
The Android Ecosystem Is Fractured: Here’s Why It Can’t Catch up to Apple
Anshuman Jain
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In this article, I discuss the state of the Android ecosystem in 2024, highlighting the lack of a unified ecosystem. Going over some aspects of why it is that way and what can be done to change or fix it and whether there is a future for a well connected Android space just like Apple's.
Helldivers 2 is quite possibly one of the most fun and friendly games I have ever played. Despite taking place in such a hostile environment coupled with so many chances for friendly fire, the game houses one of the least toxic communities I have ever come across. There are a lot of reasons for that. However, the strongest include Arrowhead Game Studios tapping into the very idea of a common cause and using it perfectly inside a game.
Now that Meta AI is available to use from WhatsApp in India, I gave it a shot and in this read, I will be sharing my first impressions with it. It can provide answers to your questions, has access to the latest information, cites sources for the thing it fetched from the internet and can even generate images. So this is my overview and quick impressions of Meta AI.
OxygenOS 14 brought a lot of features but after recently switching to OnePlus, I've realized that the OS could do great if OnePlus adds a few new features and improves some of the existing ones. Some of them are an improved media player, a Desktop Mode, and a Quick Settings revamp.
I recently purchased OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition and switched from a Pixel 6 which served me for almost three years. Although I despised OnePlus' decision to merge the ColorOS and OxygenOS codebases, buying the OnePlus 12R meant I had to shift from Pixel's clean UI to OxygenOS (ColorOS). After trying it I can say that I don't hate it, rather it feels like a breath of fresh air.
Kanika Gogia
Scheduled for 2025, the iPhone 17 models may bring some mind-blowing features and improvements. Apple is expected to launch the entire iPhone 17 series with a 120Hz ProMotion display and 24MP front-facing camera. The iPhone 17 Pro models might bring an edge-edge screen experience with an under-display Face ID. We might also see an iPhone Ultra model in the iPhone 17 lineup that's expected to arrive in September 2025.
We have pitted the newly launched Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 with 2022's flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The key takeaway from the benchmark comparison is that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 matches the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all key benchmarks while maintaining better efficiency. Expect a lot of sub-Rs. 50,000 phones to feature the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in 2024.
Android Wear or WearOS has been out for a decade now and still no sign of a smartwatch in the budget segment. Keeping it out of reach from most enthusiasts and users who would actually want to buy one. In this read, I discuss why it is high time Google should consider making a budget Android smartwatch.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Benchmark Comparison
Arjun Sha
Sagnik Das Gupta
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We recently got our hands on the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro from China which is powered by Qualcomm's newly launched, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. We tested the SoC on several benchmarking apps and compared the scores with the premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. We have performed various tests including Geekbench, AnTuTu, CPU Throttling, Geekbench GPU, and more.
Booting up the Steam Deck during my vacation, I realized that over the last year, I've played more games on it compared to my gaming PC. There are a lot of reasons for it. These include the Steam Deck's unique form-factor that let me stay on the screen for extended periods and finish my games till their actual end. Furthermore, the Deck's PC architecture opened the door to emulation that helped me enjoy my childhood favorites in 2024. Clearing off dozens of games from my Steam library that would have taken months on my actual PC, I can see why the Steam Deck helped me play more games.
Nothing stepped foot in the consumer tech market with an audio product and has since come a long way. The company has announced that it will go all in into audio this year and will launch two new products — Nothing Ear and Ear (a). The Nothing Ear will be targeted at audiophiles whereas the Nothing Ear (a) will be your pair of daily earbuds.
Movavi Video Editor 2024 Review: A Complete Solution with AI Chops
Partner Content
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Mastering everything from color grading to creating animations and transitions can be hard. If you want to kickstart your YouTube career from the get-go, Movavi Video Editor is a great software. Its AI features, combined with a simple yet actionable user interface, library of different transitions, music, and effects, ensures that you spend less time fiddling with different things and more time editing the videos.
Using Google Gemini, you can summarize YouTube videos instantly and save up time. On Android, head over to the Gemini app -> profile icon -> Extensions -> toggle on YouTube extension -> then paste the YouTube video link in the Gemini text box -> hit send. On iOS, go to the Google app -> switch to Gemini -> follow same steps as Android. You can also visit Gemini on the web using the browser of your choice and summarize YouTube videos quickly.
CMF Buds are the latest budget TWS by the Nothing's sub-brand. They offer a lot of features like 42 dB of ANC, large 12.4mm drivers, an unorthodox design and Ultra Bass 2.0 for those bass heavy tracks. So in this read, I deliver my in depth review of these buds after a week of usage and share my thoughts to help you make the decision of whether you should buy them or not.
Given how big Qualcomm's processor catalog is, it is understandable if the different generations and classes of Snapdragon chipsets confuse you. Well, they have a strategy in place for naming the Snapdragon chipsets the way that they do. The Snapdragon X Gen x series are the regular versions of the processors. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon Xs Gen x chipsets are underclocked to be cheaper, while Snapdragon X+ Gen x chipsets are overclocked to deliver more performance.
The OnePlus Ace 3V recently launched in China and it is highly likely to be rebranded as the OnePlus Nord 4 for global markets. I was fortunate to get my hands on the OnePlus Ace 3V recently, so here are my first impressions of what will be the Nord 4.
Qualcomm has delivered a powerful mid-range chipset in the 7-series segment. In our benchmark tests on the OnePlus Ace 3V, which is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset, the SoC performed consistently on all fronts, be it the CPU, GPU, modem, or memory. It has officially defeated MediaTek's Dimensity 8300 Ultra and stands as the top performer in the mid-range segment. You can read our detailed article to find all benchmarks, including Geekbench, AnTuTu, CPU throttling, 3DMark, and more.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Scratches the RPG Itch I Have Ahead of Elden Ring’s DLC
Sanmay Chakrabarti
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Elden Ring's DLC is still far away from releasing and it is becoming harder to wait. Fortunately, we have Dragon's Dogma 2 to enjoy in the meanwhile as it fills the crater-size RPG hole for me ahead of the DLC. The game comes very close to the Elden Ring experience and even does some things better.
Play Edition devices were Google's attempt at bringing Stock Android to some of the most popular devices that ship with custom UI on top of Android. Google should bring it back to offer Pixel-like Android experience with other devices in partnership with manufacturers in theirupper mid-range an flagship devices.
I played Clove in early access with bunch of other professional players and for a week after launch, and I think they are a meta shifting agent. You get some of Reyna's ability that offers you faster heals while letting you activate it without being in the line of sight. Meddle is also an instant decay that can be very useful in pistol rounds and combining it with AOE damaging abilities can be huge. Smoking after death is why I think Clove can be easily fit in any composition and might make the teams play double controllers in a comp.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has gone official as the brand's latest offering in the Rs 25,000 price category. While it comes with average cameras, it makes up for it with a stellar performance, a clean (but unoptimized) software experience and long lasting battery with 100W fast charging. If you take into consideration all the things that it brings to the table and if you prefer performance over cameras, this is the phone to get in the Rs. 25,000 price segment.
Radojka Travar
Minecraft has been around for a long time and it's still going strong. The main reason I believe why Minecraft is still so popular in 2024 is because it receives consistent updates that improve it. Furthermore, there is a little bit of everything for everyone. Thanks to the world seeds, Minecraft is infinitely replayable. Building greatly encourages creativity and children can learn a lot from playing Minecraft. The community-made resources have also shaped Minecraft into what it is today and the competitiveness is what keeps many players interested in playing.
OnePlus has launched its mid-range Nord CE 4 smartphone so we benchmarked the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset to evaluate the performance of CPU, GPU, 5G modem, etc. Its CPU performed fairly well and in the CPU Throttling test, it sustained a high workload without dropping performance. In the 3DMark GPU test as well, the Adreno 720 GPU offered exceptional stability. You can go through our article to find more benchmark numbers of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.
Mercedes EQE: Cue the Royal Fanfare
Akshay Gangwar
Solo Leveling Season 1 Review: Sets the Stage for Jinwoo’s Shadowy Ascent
Ajith Kumar
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Solo Leveling Season 1 is a marvelous adaptation that pushes the boundaries of the source material to unreal levels. Right from the well-paced adaptation of the manhwa and the new anime-only scenes that add depth to the fight scenes to the voice acting and sound design, Solo Leveling ticks all the right boxes with its debut season. Time to Arise, and wait for the shadow army now!
Dragonsplague in Dragon’s Dogma 2 Made Me Care More About My Pawns
Sampad Banerjee
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While Dragonsplague in Dragon's Dogma 2 can be a ruthless system that many might find unfair. However, before I knew it I had started to run scared about my own favorite getting the illness. Capcom has managed to brilliantly add a system that while so devastating instills a sense of companionship in what are supposed to be just NPCs.
Big Tech Is Using ‘Powered by AI’ as a Marketing Gimmick, and It Needs to Stop
Anshuman Jain
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There is a new trend used by Big Tech to plaster the term "AI-powered" in their marketing for features that are iterative improvements of features we have seen before. This tactic is being used quite freely by manufacturers to highlight of their new smartphones, catch attention and sell more phones. I took a deep dive into this matter and here are my thoughts on it.
Kuro Games have announced the official release date of Wuthering Waves alongside the player feedback from CBT2 in their latest livestream. Wuthering Waves is officially set to release on May 22, 2024, on PC, Android and iOS. The game is already available for pre-registration on Android and iOS. PC players can also Wishlist the game on Epic Games Store.
Capture Button Will Be the 8th Way to Access Camera on iPhones and It’s Really Unnecessary
Anmol Sachdeva
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As per credible reports, Apple will add a Capture Button across all iPhone 16 models. It will be a mechanical button that will allow users to access the camera app and control various functions like zooming in and out by swiping on it, starting a video recording with the hard press and more. And it will be the 8th way to access the Camera app on iPhones, which doesn't really sit well with me.
Warzone Mobile Is an Unoptimized Mess at Release, But Is It Doomed?
Anshuman Jain
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Warzone Mobile's global release has been met with immense negative response as the game suffers a plethora of graphical issues, optimization problems, bugs, high ping and crashes. In this article, I share my first thoughts on COD Warzone Mobile and address all the issues that I faced with it.
Exclusivity has been in the video games industry for a long time now. However, ending this term in video games can solve a lot of problems for developers and gamers alike. Non-exclusivity can create more opportunities and increase the player base. It will also help diversify and generate more revenue from the games. Increasing cross-platform gaming can help more in creating better communities. If the studios work hand in hand, the games can be better and gamers will have a better product to consume.
Exclusive Riot Dev Interview: “Clove Is for You If You Feel like You’re a Brave Player”
Ishan Adhikary
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Valorant's 25th Agent Clove is globally available to play for everyone. Before the gameplay and hands-on experience, I had the honor to interview Dan Hardison, the Agent Gameplay Designer at Riot Games. We talked about Clove's design, gameplay approach, and playstyle. Here is how the interview went.
Apple has announced that WWDC 2024 event will be held from June 10-14 this year. The tech titan is expected to announce new versions of the custom operating systems including iOS 18, macOS 15, visionOS 2.0 watchOS 11, iPadOS 18, and tvOS 18. Apple is likely to announce aa host of new AI features, especially for Siri and Messages.
Valorant released its 25th agent in Clove. The newest controller agent comes with the power of immortality in their kits. While Meddle helps you apply decay on enemies, Pick-Me-Up lets you heal instantly after a kill or damage dealt on enemies. Clove further utilizes their power of death to cast smoke clouds before and after death. The ultimate of Clove allows you to self-revive for a temporary period and getting a kill or assist during this time lets you live, again.