Samsung reportedly working on under-display camera for 2020 smartphone
Samsung is reportedly working to launch under-display camera technology next year, to finally create a full-screen smartphone. The feature will be a progression of the punch hole cutouts for the cameras of the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10, but it remains to be seen on which device it will debut.
Apex Legends Season 3’s new weapon is too strong, Charge Rifle nerf in the works
The Charge Rifle, which was added to Apex Legends in Season 3, is apparently too powerful, pushing Respawn to plan a nerf for the Energy-powered sniper rifle. The weapon fires two different lasers that deal massive damage, but Twitch streamer Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek argued that it is very situational.
Pokémon Masters producer apologizes for lack of content, promises improvements
Pokémon Masters producer Yu Sasaki apologized to players for the game's lack of content, as well as for shortcomings on its overall battle difficulty and design. The initial hype for Pokémon Masters quickly died down due to a short main story and overpowered trainers, but improvements are on the way.
Riot Games, Epic Games walk opposite paths after Blizzard’s Hong Kong debacle
League of Legends developer Riot Games and Fortnite developer Epic Games responded differently to Blizzard's Hong Kong controversy. While Riot Games urged pro players to avoid doing what Chung "blitzchung" Ng Wai did, Epic Games said that it will not ban players for expressing their personal views.
Apple reportedly told Apple TV+ showrunners to avoid negative portrayal of China
Apple reportedly told Apple TV+ content creators to avoid negative portrayals of China, as part of the company's efforts to maintain a good relationship with the Asian country. This is just the latest example of tech companies succumbing to the demands of China, a major player in the global economy.
Pokémon Go has been Pokémon No on this Greek island for past 7 months
The Pokémon Go community of Salamina, an island in Greece's Saronic Gulf, has called for help from the global community. No Pokémon has spawned in their area for the past seven months due to an issue in Open Street Maps, an open-source service that is used by the mobile game for mapping data.
Google Stadia shooting for negative latency by predicting players’ moves
Google Stadia is planning to solve the latency problem of cloud gaming by using artificial intelligence to predict players' moves and pre-render the next frames. According to VP of engineering Madj Bakar, negative latency will help Stadia become faster and more responsive than consoles and PCs.
Apple sets very aggressive timeline: Build a 5G modem for iPhones by 2022
Apple has reportedly set a very aggressive timeline to build its own 5G modem, as it plans to have the component ready by 2022. Apple is "really pushing it" with the two-year deadline, which comes after the $1 billion acquisition of Intel's modem business and a multi-year agreement with Qualcomm.
Patent reveals PlayStation VR 2 with built-in cameras, augmented reality mode
Patent filings suggest that the PlayStation VR 2 will look similar to its predecessor, but with a few important upgrades under the hood. The headset is expected to come with built-in cameras and the capability to show the wearer's surroundings for potential augmented reality applications.
Blizzard rolls back penalties against blitzchung, but damage already done
Blizzard, facing immense pressure from various communities, reduced the suspension against Hearthstone player Chung "blitzchung" Ng Wai for expressing his pro-Hong Kong stance. Unfortunately, the damage may have already been done, with several groups reportedly planning to stage protests at BlizzCon.
Overwatch director offers any hero to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster
Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan said in an interview that Nintendo is welcome choose any character from the shooter to add to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Kaplan's first choice is Tracer, who was previously rumored as a DLC fighter, but there are many good choices among the Overwatch heroes.
Mario Kart Tour claims title as Nintendo’s biggest mobile launch in first week
Mario Kart Tour is Nintendo's biggest mobile game launch, with 90 million downloads in its first week after breaking records on its first day. The mobile version of the Mario Kart franchise, however, is in third place in terms of revenue, primarily because of the free two-week trial for its Gold Pass.
Apex Legends may celebrate Halloween with new zombie-infested map
Apex Legends will reportedly celebrate its first Halloween with a zombie-infested, nighttime version of King's Canyon. The new map will start as regular Solo matches, but as players die, they will be reborn as zombies that will try to stop the living players from being rescued by a dropship.
Bungie gives away free Powerful Engram with Destiny 2: Shadowkeep launch
Bungie is giving away a free Powerful Engram to all Destiny 2 players in celebration of the launch of the Shadowkeep expansion. Taking advantage of the offer is easy through the Bungie Reward program, but players are recommended to hold off on claiming the Powerful Engram until they will be able to maximize it.
The best way to counter drones is apparently to smash them with other drones
California-based startup Anduril Industries has unleashed the Anvil, an anti-drone drone that answers hostile UAVs by smashing into them. One of the co-founders of the startup is Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR and the designer of the Oculus Rift, but his new work involves real-life threats.
PlayStation 4 cross-play exits beta stage, finally available for developers
Sony has officially ended the beta stage of PlayStation 4 cross-play, which means that it is now widely available to developers who want to add it to their games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare may be the first major title to take advantage of the long-awaited feature, and it will surely not be the last.
Fallout 76 public test server to arrive in 2020, over a year after game’s launch
Bethesda is looking to roll out a public test server for Fallout 76 next year, which would be a welcome addition to the online RPG due to its history of bugs and glitches. The developer did not provide a specific date for the new feature, which will arrive more than a year after the game's launch.
Studio head says PlayStation 5 will let developers focus on making games fun
Chameleon Games studio head Omar Sawi expressed his enthusiasm over the PlayStation 5's move from a hard-disk drive to a solid-state drive in an interview with Gaming Bolt. He said that developers will be able to focus on making games fun, further driving up hype for the next-generation console.
Fortnite players spot exploding mechs: Is this goodbye to the B.R.U.T.E.?
The B.R.U.T.E., the controversial mechs of Fortnite, are suddenly exploding upon landing, which suggests that they are on their way out. The end of the battle royale shooter's Season X is coming soon, and it appears that whatever happens to usher in Season 11, the B.R.U.T.E. will be among the casualties.
P.T. hacker uncovers Lisa’s gruesome fate in hidden scene
YouTuber Lance McDonald continues to unearth horrifying secrets in P.T., the playable teaser for the canceled Silent Hills. A few weeks after discovering that the game's ghost Lisa is following the players the whole time, McDonald found a hidden scene that may be revealing her gruesome fate.
God of War, Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs join PlayStation Hits roster
God of War, one of the best PlayStation 4 exclusives, will be a steal for $20 as part of the PlayStation Hits collection. Far Cry 4, Watch Dogs, and four more games will be added to the collection in October, joining the likes of The Last of Us Remastered and Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition.
Will Apple remove the notch on the iPhone 12?
A rumor claims that Apple may ditch the notch in the iPhone 12, which will end all debate on the controversial display feature. The tweet and render follow similar predictions by analysts on the removal of the notch, which was popularized by the iPhone X, but the rumor already has a formidable opponent.
Apex Legends Season 3: Meltdown has a new World’s Edge map with a moving train
The third season of Apex Legends will take players to World's Edge, a map with fire and ice elements, as well as a moving train. In addition to the new map, Meltdown will include new hero Crypto, a new Battle Pass with more skins and rewards to unlock, and a new weapon named the Charge Rifle.
Mario Kart Tour drifts into record-breaking launch day for Nintendo
Mario Kart Tour sent blue shells into the competition, setting a new launch day record for downloads of a mobile game. It only ranked third among Nintendo mobile titles for first-day revenue though, which may be attributed to the two-week free trial of the racing app's Gold Pass subscription.
Nintendo Switch Lite teardown reveals same analog sticks as drift-prone Joy-Cons
A Nintendo Switch Lite teardown by YouTube channel Spawn Wave revealed that the console's analog sticks are similar to the Joy-Cons of the original Nintendo Switch. This means that the new portable console will still be prone to drifting issues, dashing hopes that Nintendo has fixed the problem.