#Opinion - Page 4
199 Stories
Open-world games have been in the industry for over three decades now with the concept evolving ever since. From the modern open-world of GTA 3 to the current waves of Cyberpunk 2077, or The Witcher 3, it has been going through huge upgrades ever since beginning. Let us dive deep into the evolution of open-world games from the last 20 years and talk about what can come in future.
Meta released its Llama 3 models recently so we have taken the liberty to compare the 70B model with the flagship GPT-4 model. Surprisingly, Llama 3 performs as good as the GPT-4 model despite being a smaller model. In advanced reasoning tests, it demonstrates intelligence and does better than GPT-4 in following user instructions.
What Does Google’s AI-Hardware Merger Mean for Your Next Android Phone?
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google has decided to merge AI and Hardware teams, and for those wondering, here's what this decision could mean for Android. This could mean users will get faster updates, better ecosystem features on Pixel, better AI features, and improvements to existing AI features.
After Years of Ban, Retro Games Are Now Playable on iPhones; Here’s How
Anmol Sachdeva
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After receiving flak from EU, Apple has finally allowed game emulators on iPhones and it means you can now play retro games like Super Mario Bros. and Castlevania on your iPhone without jailbreaking it. Riley Testut's Delta Emulator is now available on the App Store and it supports all the popular game systems along with save state functionality.
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.
GTA 6 is coming in 2025 and it will not be available for PC. Fearing I would miss out, I decided to get a PS5. While I first thought about the PS5 Pro, my thoughts immediately changed knowing about its speculated specifications. Now that industry experts are also saying it will run GTA 6 just as the standard edition, I think PS5 at a discounted price will be more value for money.
This Essential New Chrome Feature Will Shield Your Account From Hijacking
Arjun Sha
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Cookie theft aka session hijacking has become a security menace where attackers gain access to users' online accounts without requiring a password or 2FA authentication. To put a stop, Google has developed Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) for Chrome that bind the authentication session to the device. It means attackers can't use the stolen cookie to access accounts on another device. You can enable DBSC on Chrome right away.
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.
Upanishad Sharma
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.
Both Minecraft modes are good in their own way, but there are some reasons that make multiplayer generally better than single player. First, it instantly makes the game progression easier. Furthermore, some in-game items and blocks have a proper use in multiplayer, like a trapped chest. Other players will constantly keep you motivated to finish your projects and you can create a world and a whole community together. Finally, thanks to lots of active available servers out there, you will always have some new things to try with your friends.
Aparna Ukil
Ninja Kamui is an original anime that features an incredible story telling and animation but still it isn't able to gain enough fan following. Well, in this post, we discuss what this anime has to offer and why it has remained under rated.
As I continue playing Tekken 8 ranked matches and getting stressed about the overall game, I installed a mod called Tranquility. It hides the player sided ranks for yourself and your opponent. And, doing that has once again make me enjoy Tekken 8 ranked. There are a lot of reasons for that but the primary one for me is that it helps me enjoy ranked engagements without the added worries of competition.
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.
Minecraft Is Hard to Beat Without Guides, but Do You Really Need To?
Radojka Travar
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Minecraft is a sandbox game, with an official ending that occurs when the player kills the Ender Dragon. However, there are no in-game quests that lead you to this conclusion. Moreover, while the in-game advancements are very helpful, they still lack important details that new players need to beat the game. The lore elements are not obviously connected either. Despite these elements, beating Minecraft without research or guides is possible. However, depending on how motivated you are, it might take a little or a long time. But, beating the game is nowhere near important as just enjoying the experience.
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.
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.
The sense of freedom and immersion a good open world game provides cannot be compared to many other games. Sadly, most recent open world games lack the features I love most about the genre. The 7 game mechanics I want in every open world game are Territory Wars, Randomly Created Dungeons, Roaming Optional World Bosses, Visual Indicators for Important Locations, Multiple Quest Outcomes, the Ability To Kill/Fight NPCs, and good Traversal Skills.
If you haven been meaning to try to get a taste of One Piece or have had it on your watchlist for a while, there must be one reason behind this which is "it will take me too long time to complete". However, today, I've come up with five compelling reasons why you should start watching One Piece in 2024 such as the beginning of the final saga, mysteries starting to get unraveled and many more.
HoYoverse Has Outclassed Itself in Storytelling with HSR 2.1 Trailblazing Missions
Sanmay Chakrabarti
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HoYoverse outclassed itself by providing one of the most well-thought of and visually stimulating story telling in the Honkai Star Rail 2.1 trailblazing missions. The 2.1 missions was a complete roller costar, featuring Aventurine's back story, Acheron's real identity, Firefly's identity, Aventurine's masterplan, Constance and Boothill's cameo, and Gallagher appearing as the villain, all done with perfect pacing and timing.
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.
Tron Ares Will Be a Soft Reboot of Tron Franchise Rather than a Sequel?
Shashank Shakya
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With the announcement of Tron: Ares, there are speculations that this movie is going to be a direct sequel of Tron: Legacy. However, there are certain aspects of the movie that make it seem like it is going to be a soft reboot of the Tron franchise. The costume design where the data disk is triangular, the concept of an AI program travelling to the human world, the absence of previously seen characters only make this assumption even stronger.
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.
After a solid debut free trial run on Steam, the scarily fun Content Warning has a price. In terms of just the fun and horror element balance it is totally worth it. On top of that, the constant communication with players, new content, and mod availability makes this a fun experience. Content Warning is available on Steam for $7.99.
While ChatGPT offers the option to disable model training on your content inside ChatGPT's settings page, it also disables Chat History. This discourages users from disabling model training. That said, OpenAI has a separate privacy portal page where you can request the company to not train its model on your data while keeping the Chat History functionality intact. OpenAI doesn't promote this privacy portal page inside ChatGPT's interface. In fact, a passing mention is found on its FAQ page.
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.
5 Features That Can Bring Genshin Impact on Par with Honkai Star Rail
Sanmay Chakrabarti
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Genshin Impact has been recently adding a lot of good QoL features, which the players have been asking for ages. However, there are still a lot of features the Genshin Impact players want in the game and haven't been implemented yet. The 5 five features I would want for the Genshin devs to add to the game are: More End Game Content, A Real Artifact Loadout, Store Residual Energy, Ability to Craft or Farm Exact Artifacts, and Archived Events.
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.
This Co-Op Horror Game Lets You Go Viral on SpookTube or Die Trying
Ishan Adhikary
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Content Warning is a co-op horror game that seems like a combination of Lethal Company and Phasmophobia. The game revolves around players going to the Old World and capturing footage. Once recording is done, uploading it to Spooktube to get views, going viral, and making money is the ultimate goal. Meanwhile, the monsters in Old World will welcome players with open arms. I had a blast being scared out of my wits in this game and I share just why.
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 direction in which the recent Pixel 8a leaks and the upcoming Pixel 9 series leaks point toward Google eventually discontinuing the A series of devices. This is because both the price and specification gap between the regular and A series Pixels is diminishing, and Google wouldn't want one's sales devour others' sales. Besides, the firm is also upping the number of models, which might bring the price of the vanilla model down, thereby leading to the discontinuation of A series.
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.
Mercedes EQE: Cue the Royal Fanfare
Akshay Gangwar
Ditching My Apple Watch: A 2-Year Journey from Impulse Buy to Revelation
Kanika Gogia
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I've been using an Apple Watch Series 7 for more than two years now. After all the good and bad experiences, I'm finally ditching my Apple Watch, and I don't have any regrets. If you're planning to buy an Apple Watch, you must understand your requirements and then figure out if you really need it. After all, smartwatches aren't made for everyone.
From McLaren to Avengers, Cyberpunk, Pacman, Star Wars, and Genshin Impact, the result of OnePlus collaborations are eye-catching designs catering to their respective fanbases. Their recent collaboration for a Keqing-themed OnePlus 12R piqued my interest and as someone who loves Genshin Impact, I knew from the get-go that I had to buy it. My interest didn't just stem from the collaboration but also from how good the OnePlus 12R is if we consider the specs.
Stellar Blade Demo First Impressions: An Amazing Action Experience Awaits
Ajith Kumar
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Stellar Blade's demo has finally dropped on the PS Store. As an ARPG fan lying in wait for the game, I rushed to play it. Well, after spending a little less than two hours completing it, I have some positive thoughts. Besides loving the amazing combat, the impressive character design and the world, I'm confident that the game just might become the best action game of 2024.
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.
Why Google Keep’s ‘Help Me Create’ Is the Best Feature for Procrastinators
Abubakar Mohammed
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Google is rolling out a new generative AI feature, this time inside the Google Keep app. The feature called "Help me create a list" takes input and can generate a list. It makes it easier to add things to your list on the get-go and skip the research part. The feature appears as you tap the "+" icon in Google Keep to create a new Note. The "Help me create a list" button in gradient appears on the bottom-right corner.
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.
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.