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Post-apocalyptic city builder Frostpunk 2 arrives on July 25
11 Bit Studios has announced at the Xbox Partners Showcase that Frostpunk 2 will be available for Windows PCs and on the PC Game Pass service starting on July 25.
Google's latest Pixel 8 Pro leak shows temperature sensor, colors and more
With yet another self-own, Google's upcoming Pixel 8 Pro has been revealed again, joining a special pantheon of leaked phones that includes, well, most other Pixel models.
Build your own quantum computer with Google's latest 'simulator'
World Quantum Day was apparently yesterday, and Google feted the occasion with the launch of The Qubit Game.
SpaceX Crew Dragon simulator shows what it's like to dock with the ISS
SpaceX has introduced a Crew Dragon simulator that shows what it's like to manually dock the capsule with the International Space Station.
Try to court Colonel Sanders in KFC's dating sim
KFC does weird stuff all the time -- from a line of KFC-flavored nail polish to a chicken wing box that doubles as a drone. But it's really outdone itself this time. Today, a listing for a KFC dating game, I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, appeared on Steam. Created with the help of Psyop, the game is a work in progress, but KFC promises it will be "the most delicious dating simulator ever."
AI can simulate quantum systems without massive computing power
It's difficult to simulate quantum physics, as the computing demand grows exponentially the more complex the quantum system gets -- even a supercomputer might not be enough. AI might come to the rescue, though. Researchers have developed a computational method that uses neural networks to simulate quantum systems of "considerable" size, no matter what the geometry. To put it relatively simply, the team combines familiar methods of studying quantum systems (such as Monte Carlo random sampling) with a neural network that can simultaneously represent many quantum states.
Microsoft’s new ‘Flight Simulator’ looks like a wild 4K ride
Microsoft showed off the next version of its Flight Simulator game at E3 2019, and it looks incredible. The company began the video teaser showing off a scene from the skies that it says was captured in real-time 4K. As you might expect, the new Flight Simulator's city views are powered by satellite data, as well as artificial intelligence from Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing service. It's not just the views of the mountains, skyscrapers or oceans that look amazing, though -- the planes and helicopters do, too.
Particle learning system could help robots make sushi
There have been many attempts at teaching robots how to grab delicate objects, but they tend to rely on rough approximations that quickly fall apart in real life. MIT researchers may have a better solution: teach robots to predict how even the squishiest items will react to their touch. They've developed a "learning-based" particle simulation system that helps robots refine their approach. The new model captures how small pieces of a given material (the "particles" in question) react to touch, and learns from that information when the physics of a given interaction aren't clear. It's akin to how humans intuitively understand grip -- we already have ideas based on our personal understanding of physics.
Toyota will be first to use NVIDIA's self-driving simulator
NVIDIA has announced that its autonomous vehicle simulation platform Drive Constellation is now available and that Toyota will be the first customer. The cloud based platform, first announced by CEO Jensen Huang last year, will let self-driving car developers run tests on virtual, rather than real roads. Simulated vehicles can operate in situations ranging from routine to dangerous, "with greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety than what is possible to achieve in the real world," NVIDIA said.
'High Maintenance' meets 'Civilization' in 'Weedcraft Inc'
When I was a kid smoking weed in high school, I was convinced that marijuana would never be legal. The idea that it's legal now, I'm in my late 40s, it's shocking to me." Scott Alexander speaks in rapid-fire paragraphs brimming with information about modern marijuana laws, politics and culture. He's the lead writer on Weedcraft Inc, the first original video game developed and published by popular indie label Devolver Digital. Weedcraft Inc is a tycoon or world-building game, similar to Civilization or Tropico, but players start out as low-grade weed dealers and build their empires from there. It's in beta now, and the full game is due to drop some time in April.
'Dream Daddy' comic revisits the world of the popular dating sim
Fans of Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator now have a whole new way to experience the Dream Daddy universe as Oni Press is publishing a series of comic books based on the sim. From developer Game Grumps, Dream Daddy has players assume the role of a single dad who has moved to the town of Maple Bay with his daughter. He then meets and romances a number of other single dads in the town. The comic series will consist of five issues, each of which will focus on different Maple Bay dads, and the first issue is already available.
Microsoft offers developers a preview of its quantum computing kit
Developers hoping to get on the quantum computer train early can now get started with Microsoft's Quantum Development Kit, a free preview version of which was released today. The kit, which was first announced at Microsoft's Ignite conference in September, includes the Q# programming language, a quantum computing simulator that can simulate 30 logical qubits of power and a companion collection of documentation, libraries and sample programs that will help developers get a better foothold on the complex science behind quantum computing.
Your gaming skills could earn you a Drone Racing League contract
So you want to be a professional drone racer? Then you should probably download Drone Racing League Simulator from Steam. To coincide with the game's official launch, watchmaker Swatch has announced it's sponsoring tryouts for the 2018 season, where top prize is a spot in the 2018 DRL Allianz World Championship Season and a $75,000 contract. We've seen this type of thing with Gran Turismo before but it'll never not feel kind of Last Starfighter-y.
'Project Cars 2' takes simulated driving to a whole new level
With the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo getting their share of stage time at the big E3 events, it can be easy to overlook some of the other options. Bandai Namco and Slightly Mad Studios' Project Cars is one of those, and the second installment of the franchise is set to arrive September 22nd. The duo is showing off the hyper-realistic racing sim here at E3, and it didn't take long to get wrapped up in the tracks of Project Cars 2.
Super realistic racing returns with 'Project Cars 2' in September
Barely a month after the release of the racing game Project Cars back in May 2015, the creators announced they'd already set up a crowdfunding page for a sequel. It seems they were right to be so audacious. Two years after the first game came out, Slightly Mad Studios has released a sizzle reel of footage from the upcoming title as well as a release date: Project Cars 2 is out on September 22nd for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Self-driving cars make me nauseous
One of the major benefits of our self-driving future is how much more gosh-darn productive we're all going to be. Instead of wasting brain power driving our cars to work, we'll sit back and let the ride do it for us. Suddenly, that time can be harnessed for our leisure or, more likely, to cram even more work into our days. But what will happen to all the people like me, who get sick at the thought of sitting in a car?
Civic-planning sim 'Cities: Skylines' is coming to Xbox One
The civic-planning simulator Cities: Skylines is making the jump to consoles soon, long after Microsoft teased a port back in August 2015. At an undisclosed date this Spring, Xbox One owners will get their own edition of the game, which comes bundled with the After Dark DLC. Delightful as the title is, how gameplay will make the transition from mouse to console controller is anyone's guess.
ICYMI: Microsoft's drone simulator and Dubai's hover taxis
Today on In Case You Missed It: Why get stuck in traffic when you can simply fly over it? At least, that's Dubai's plan. The UAE's largest city announced its intent to unleash swarms of EHang 184 "Personal Flying Vehicles" -- the same ones that wowed crowds at last year's CES show -- to ferry citizens around town starting as early as this July. We also take a look at Microsoft's new open-source UAV simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform. With it, drone designers will be able to program and test their flying creations for autonomous operation without having to worry about their precious prototypes crashing and burning. Or getting attacked by wildlife. Or being shot out of the sky by trigger-happy property owners. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Microsoft drone simulator helps you prevent real-world crashes
It's relatively easy to develop a drone that can fly on its own, but it's another matter developing one that can navigate the many obstacles of real life. That's where Microsoft thinks it can help. It just published an open source simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform, that helps designers test and train autonomous machines in realistic conditions without wrecking expensive prototypes. The tool has vehicles move through randomized environments filled with the minutiae you see on a typical street, such as power lines and trees -- if your drone can't dodge a tree branch, you'll find out quickly. You can see what the vehicle would see (including simulated sensor data), and the software ties into both existing robotic hardware platforms and machine learning systems to speed up development.
Researchers figure out trick to a fruit fly's acrobatic flight
If you've ever tried to swat a fruit fly out of the air, you know how crafty the little buggers can be at avoiding your swings. Turns out that not only are they incredibly agile, they're super efficient as well, using only 12 muscles (each controlled by a single neuron) to propel itself through the air. And, thanks to the efforts of a team at CalTech, we know why these flies are so nimble. It's all in the muscles.
