color blind
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Oppo's Find X3 phones will support true 10-bit color from camera to display
The upcoming Oppo Find X3 smartphones will support the full DCI-P3 wide color gamut and 10-bit color depth across “capture, storage, and display."
'Apex Legends' has banned 500,000 accounts for cheating
Apex Legends season 1 is now underway, and beyond the updates previously Respawn had revealed would be included in today's patch (including a new character, balance changes and character hitbox fixes), it revealed 499,937 accounts have been banned for cheating so far. You'll have a better way to report cheating and abuse, which you can do from the spectate view after your character dies or from the Squad tab.
Chrome add-on helps you see the web if you're color-blind
The web isn't always a great a place to visit if you're color-blind -- in fact, you may not properly see the Chrome logo above. Thankfully, Google may have a way to fill in some of that missing picture. It recently released a Chrome extension, Color Enhancer, that tweaks the browser's colors to help overcome partial color blindness. All you do is walk through a basic calibration process, and the add-on does the rest. This isn't the most complicated addition in the world, but it could make a big difference if it helps you spot web objects that would otherwise go unnoticed. [Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
Daily iPad App: Color Blindness Test by EnChroma
Color blindness is a common vision problem that affects up to 8 percent of men and 0.5 percent of women in the population. People are usually diagnosed when they visit their optometrist for a routine vision check, but you can screen yourself at home using the new Color Blindness Test from EnChroma. The Color Blindness app steps you through a series of pictures to evaluate the type and severity of your color blindness. It presents you with images of varying colors and asks you to identify the shapes (square, diamond or circle) that you see. In some images, the color differences are great and the shapes are readily visible. In other images, the color differences are subtle and the shapes are difficult to see, especially for those who are color blind. When you have completed the test, the app will tell you whether you have normal or impaired vision. If you are color blind, the app will let you know if you are a deutan or protan and whether it is mild, moderate or severe. Protan and deutan are two types of red-green color blindness. I tested the app with my 11-year-old son who has been diagnosed with severe red-green color blindness and the EnChroma test was spot on. I watched him take the test and he failed to discern several shapes and misidentified many of the squares and diamonds as circles. He was classified as a severe deutan by the EnChroma test, which is the same diagnosis he has received from two different optometrists. The Color Blindness Test is available in the iOS App Store for free. It works on the iPhone, the iPod touch and the iPad. I chose to review the iPad version because the big screen made it easier to take the test. If you download the Color Blindness Test, please remember that the app is meant to be a screening tool and shouldn't be used to diagnosis a vision problem. You should see an optometrist or ophthalmologist for detailed information about any potential color vision deficiency you might have.
Patch 4.3: New color-blind accessibility mode
Forum poster Ardhavara has posted an excellent guide to the color-blind accessibility mode for World of Warcraft, complete with images of the various ways it helps different kinds of color blindness. The console settings for each type are listed, and there's a good explanation in the thread by poster Kaels explaining each type and how these options help to make the game more distinct for each. Not a lot of games, MMO or otherwise, work this hard to make accessibility improvements for conditions like color blindness. It's nice to see WoW implementing something like this. %Gallery-135121% Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Modern Warfare 3 will feature color blind assist option
Good news, eight percent of men and 0.5 percent of women suffering from color blindness: You may not be our first choice when we have to pick out drapes that match the bedspread in the guest room, but you won't have to worry about shooting the wrong dudes in Modern Warfare 3. In a recent blog post, Sledgehammer Games confirmed that its Infinity Ward collaboration would have a mode for those with difficulty discerning between red and green hues. We submit that "shoot everyone who doesn't speak English" continues to be a sound Call of Duty campaign strategy for color-blind participants, but it's nice to see Sledgehammer putting in the effort.
Breakfast Topic: Why can't my night elf have red hair?
We need to get serious for a minute here. I've been quiet about a lot of issues that World of Warcraft and Cataclysm have brought to light over the six-plus months that the expansion has been rolling. I've turned a blind eye to many aspects of the game that have bothered and bugged me, from disconnects to warrior rage issues. With the Firelands and tier 12 armor sets, an issue has surfaced that I can no longer stay silent about and has sent me into a spiral of hate-fueled rants to my guildmates as well as sleepless nights over how I am going to cope with this looming curse. My night elf cannot have red hair. Let me explain why this is such a frigging big deal to me and all night elves across Azeroth. As a protection warrior, I need to not only bring my A-game when fighting the nastiest creatures that Ragnaros and the Firelands can throw at me, I have to look good doing it. As a main tank, my raid team and guild look to me for guidance, safety, and momentum. How, Blizzard, can I effectively be that focal point of magnanimous support and a pillar of raid success when my beautiful new tier armor can never match my hair? How am I supposed to lead gracefully and with assertion when I have to see a pale blue or (god forbid) purple-hued color atop my unhelmeted head?
UW's Jeffrey Lin awarded Penny Arcade scholarship
Little brightens our day more than hearing about developers working to make games accessible for those of us with color blindness (blast you, Super Puzzle Fighter!). That's why we're so happy to write about this year's Penny Arcade scholarship winner, University of Washington PhD student Jeffrey Lin, who wooed the award committee with his "research into applying vision science to solve practical problems in game design." One such problem? How color-dependent games work with color blind players. Specifically, Lin believes, "Vision scientists have the tools and skills to help developers tackle problems from how to reduce motion sickness some experience in FPS titles to how to make games more accessible for the color blind." Lin predicts that vision scientists will begin to play an important, ongoing role for development teams in the future. And hey, if that means making those tasty, tasty puzzle games of the past comprehensible for the color blind, then we're all for it!
Petition asks for colorblind options in Modern Warfare 2
With plenty of actual controversy surrounding Modern Warfare 2, the issues of colorblind gamers seem a relatively innocent (and common) oversight. An ongoing petition and Facebook group is requesting a patch for the game. According to the petition, those with a particular type of red/green color blindness "cannot tell friend from foe in the online matches, as their names appear in these colors, and the radar uses the colors too." Infinity Ward's community manager has acknowledged that he will bring up the concern to the team. Our very own red/green color blind Ben Gilbert, who doesn't have a particular issue with MW2's spectrum decisions, noted, "I can think of about 20 other games that need a solution for this before MW2. How about every puzzle game ever made that depends on color matching -- I'm looking at you especially, Super Puzzle Fighter, you heart breaker." Considering color blindness is relatively common, especially among males, it's surprising that it isn't tested for more regularly. Any QA folks who can give better insight into whether color blindness is tested for (and how) should feel free to drop a note in the comments. [Via Escapist, Evil Avatar]
Absolutely hideous new Xbox 360 controller spotted online
We're not opposed to colors splashed on our favorite accessories, but a new Xbox 360 controller spotted online at EB Games is making us change your minds. Discovered by Chip Chick, this black and red abomination combines the sleek design of Microsoft's controller with a design only a color-blind person would find appealing. If its lack of style* isn't enough, the controller -- which is bundled with a charger -- will set gamers back $70. We'll stick with our solid colors, thank you very much.*If you happen to enjoy the controller's design, we apologize ... for your lack of taste. Ba-Zing![Via Gizmodo]
Patch 3.1 user interface changes roundup
Lots of the new stuff in today's patch 3.1 update will be in your face -- the class changes won't be missable, and the LFG channel will be full of people trying to head into Ulduar (though who knows how far they'll get). But some of the changes, especially to the user interface, will be a little more hidden -- you'll have to dive into the options to go and find them. Here's a few things we've reported on that you might want to make a note of, if you're interested. Arenas now have an option to show Enemy Unit Frames. These will only appear in the Arenas, but you can enable them in the Interface options. You will now be able to see when the next Wintergrasp battle is from anywhere in the world -- but only by going out to the world map and then zooming back in to the Wintergrasp map. Make sure you hit the map button (usually "M") next time you go into an instance. There are maps in there now. There are new "advanced features" for quest tracking now -- but you've got to go into the Interface Options to enable them. If you're already using Questhelper or a similar addon, these will be familiar to you. The Equipment Manager isn't in the game yet, but the Color Blind mode and new Battleground and LFG options can all be accessed now. Finally, there are a number of new video options available in the Video Options panel, including better shadow and texture details, and even a "Video Mode Ultra" setting. Even Blizzard recommends you run things on the highest setting at your own peril -- lower end computers will have major issues trying to run graphics at the highest setting. It's definitely worth putting "take a tour around the options screens again" on your to-do list for when the patch arrives on the live realms. There are lots of little changes and updates hiding in there that you'll never know about unless you go look for them. Patch 3.1 is live and it takes us into Ulduar, delivers us dual specs, and brings significant changes to all the classes! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1 and the official patch notes!
Sim Daltonism
Red is red, right? Wrong. There are some people out there (this humble blogger amongst them) who are color blind in one degree or another (I have a slight case of red/green colorblindness). This means you can't assume people see colors in the same way you do, which is very important when you're a designer. But what can a designer who sees in full color do in order to make sure their websites are legible to all those colorblind surfers out there? That's where Sim Daltonism comes in. This little donationware app simulates what the area around your mouse looks like to a person with a variety of different types of colorblindness.[via Zeldman]
EIZO's 19-inch FlexScan L797, now with yummy CUD
Eizo just spat-out 19-inches of top-quality CUD for your graphics department to lap up. Designed apparently to assist the color blind, the FlexScan L797 is the first to carry the mark of the CUD, or Color Universal Design, and comes loaded with a "color vision simulation facitlity" to redisplay an on-screen image as a trichromasticly-challenged person would see it. Hell, we're just going off the machine translation here, which also says something about "the potato, by the fact that you improve" so who knows. Nevertheless, the LCD is capable of 1280x1024 (SXGA), a 450:1 contrast ratio, 20-millisecond response cause Jimmy don't game, 170-degree visibility, and 2x DVI inputs. Should drop in Japan for ¥130,000 or about $1,108 starting October 20th.
Plight of the color blind gamer
Joystiq has an interesting post on the unique challenge facing color blind gamers as they strive to conquer Rockstar Presents Table Tennis.
