Interview with Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, on rearranged priorities due to the COVID-19 crisis, competition, his evolving strategy around M&A, and more — More than a year after he joined Google Cloud, the CEO has made little headway against AWS and Microsoft.
If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then Sony has some big plans for the sequel to one of its most successful new IPs, Horizon Zero Dawn (read our review here). Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games is the studio behind the franchise and before Horizon they were known for the FPS Killzone franchise. To begin with, it is suggested that the Horizon franchise will be a trilogy. According to VGC, “a multi-part script was written – but the plan was only officially agreed after the original game’s strong debut on PlayStation 4”.
According to the source, the original plan was to release Horizon 2 on the PS4, but it looks like the focus has shifted to the PS5. Considering the hardware leap on the PS5, it makes sense. However, Sony will potentially ignore the 100 million plus PS4 owners in doing so. Microsoft, on the other hand, has committed to bringing all exclusives for 1 year after the launch of the Series X to the Xbox One family of consoles. This could potentially hold those games back from exploiting the Series X hardware, but it will cater to an existing install base ensuring the game sells a larger number of units. Then again, a “killer app” is the reason people invest in hardware, and this move could tempt a lot of PS4 gamers to upgrade to the PS5.
Since a game takes 4-6 years to make on average, it looks like we will see Horizon Zero Dawn 2 somewhere in 2021 or 2022. Sony expected to sell fewer PS5 in the fiscal year ending March 2021 because of the increased price of the console. It has been speculated that the PS5 could cost as much as $550 (Rs 42,000 approx. directly converted) which could put some people off from buying it during the 2020 launch.
Coming back to the topic at hand, the source goes on to say, “Horizon Zero Dawn 2 is said to be ‘gigantic’ in scope with a larger game world and more freedom to explore it than in its predecessor. People with knowledge of the game also indicated the inclusion of a co-op feature, although it’s not clear if this is delivered via the main story or a separate mode.”
Co-op has been something that was rumoured to be a part of the first game but was scrapped. Concept art did show multiple characters taking on mechanical robots in the world. It isn't clear how this feature will be implemented since Horizon is a story focused single-player experience.
Guerrilla Games has posted a number of job openings that mention an open-world game, hinting that they are working on a sequel to Horizon. If you are a PC gamer, then know that Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to the PC and is listed on Steam. You can read more about it here.
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If you are a OnePlus 6 or OnePlus 6T owner, then there is good news for you. The smartphone will start receiving the OxygenOS 10.3.3 OTA update. The OxygenOS 10.3.3 OTA update will have a staged rollout. The OTA will be received by a limited number of users first and will have a broader rollout in a few days after OnePlus makes sure there are no critical bugs. There is no point trying to use a VPN to download the update as OnePlus says that using VPN to download this build might not work as the rollout is not based on regions and is randomly pushed out to a limited number of devices.
OnePlus 6 and 6T OxygenOS 10.3.3 detailsComing to the details about the update, the OnePlus forums says that the update brings with it stability fixes namely, fixing the issue with a black screen randomly appearing while playing games which can be a bummer for those that are ready with their trigger fingers during a PUBG Mobile match. It also updates the Android security patch to 2020.04. The update also improved system stability and fixed general bugs. It also brings VoWifi support for Reliance Jio in India along with cloud sync support which is an India specific feature. You can check out the details of the update below.
System
Fixed the issue with a black screen randomly appearing while playing games Updated GMS package to 2020.02 Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.04 Improved system stability and fixed general bugsNetwork updates
Integrated VoLTE & VoWifi support for Telenor - Denmark Integrated VoWifi support for RJIO - IndiaCloud Sync updates [India only]
Updated the CloudService to Version 2.0Source
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If you are looking to get your hands on the new OnePlus 8 Pro and its wireless charger, then there is good news for you. Just like the OnePlus 8 family of devices, it looks like the wireless charger will be priced cheaper in India than its international pricing. If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 wireless charger could cost Rs 3,990 in India.
OnePlus Warp Charge 30 wireless charger specifications and featuresThis is the first time OnePlus has gone wireless when it comes to charging. The company had maintained that they will not use the technology till it’s fast enough to match speeds offered through the thick, red USB cable that has become sort of a signature. The company seems to have cracked it. The Warp Charge 30 wireless charger can deliver 30W of power and can top up the OnePlus 8 Pro from 1-50% in just 30 minutes.
As revealed in the blog post, the Warp Charge 30 Wireless charger relies on an industry-first isolated charge pump with Warp Wireless direct charging architecture. OnePlus claims this ensures a charge efficiency of 97 percent and minimizes the energy converted into heat. The charger comes with “full-fledged fan systems” to aid in the cooling. The wireless charging is modulated using a customized chip in the charger that controls the current and voltage to maximize efficiency. The charger is also Qi-compatible and comes in the pad and stand versions.
OnePlus Warp Charge 30 wireless charger priceAs mentioned above, it looks like the charger will be priced cheaper in India than its international counterparts, as per tipster Ishan Agarwal. The wireless charger will be priced at Rs 3,990 in India as compared to the $70 price tag in the US which translates to Rs 5,340 approx. directly converted.
If you are looking to get your hands on the OnePlus 8 or the OnePlus 8 Pro you can check out the information of the smartphones in detail here. You can also check out our comparison of the OnePlus 8 vs its competitors and the OnePlus 8 Pro vs its competitors to make an informed buying decision
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While others like Disney and WarnerMedia change schedules to try to salvage part of the year, Netflix says it has enough content to not move its 2020 slate — The streamer's 2020 slate won't move around, exec says — The most pressing issue entertainment companies around the world …
A look at the challenges workers of Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Facebook, and Google encounter working from home and how the companies are responding — Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Uber set new policies for employees working from home as tech culture clashes with family life.
As we head towards the end of the lockdown in India, it looks like companies aren’t slowing down when it comes to releasing new products. Up next on the video calling bandwagon is Facebook. The social media giant has just released a video calling app that will include up to 50 people at a time with no known time limits. Known as Messenger Rooms, this looks to be an alternative to apps like Zoom and Google Meet. Zoom has seen its fair share of controversy and Google Meet is basically a refurbished Hangouts app.
Messenger Rooms gives Facebook members the option to create public or private video chatrooms that can hold up to 50 people for an unlimited amount of time. Their closest rival, Zoom, calls can hold up to 100 participants for 40 minutes. You can even join a Messenger Room if you don’t have a Facebook account. This is a very rare move for the company. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a live stream regarding apps like Zoom, “A lot of the time that I’ve spent on this over the last few weeks as we’ve been building this out and getting ready to ship has been on privacy, security, integrity reviews, and how do we make sure that a lot of the use cases that have been problematic around Zoom are not going to be things that are replicated here.”
Facebook is also adding a live streaming feature on Facebook and on Instagram. Called Live With That, users can invite other people to stream with them. They also recently jumped into the world of gaming with Facebook Gaming. You can check that out here.
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Interview with IBM's Executive VP John Kelly III on the company's plans to build ethical AI systems during and after the COVID-19 pandemic — IBM's Executive Vice President John Kelly III tells Protocol how the company has ramped up its efforts to build ethical AI systems and tracking tools in the wake of a pandemic.
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat : Belgium-based Vertical Compute, a memory chip firm spun out of European VC firm Imec.xpand, raised a €20M ...
