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Alex Garland on 'Devs,' free will and quantum computing
An interview with "Devs" creator Alex Garland, and how the FX/Hulu show explores the nature of free will with quantum computing.
What's on TV this week: 'Devs' season finale, 'The Last Dance'
The FX / Hulu series Devs is wrapping up its first season this week, and so far so good — we’ll see if it can stick the landing.
Engadget Podcast: Quibi and a chat with 'Devs' creator Alex Garland
In this podcast episode, Devindra and TechCrunch's Anthony Ha discuss the launch of the mobile video startup Quibi. And we get to chat with Alex Garland, the creator of the trippy FX show Devs.
FX is now exclusively streaming its shows on Hulu
Starting today, FX content is streaming on Hulu. More than 40 of FX Networks' series, including Nip/Tuck, Justified, Damages, Rescue Me and Thief and Terriers, are available on the platform, and new original content is scheduled to arrive soon.
Alex Garland’s new show wants you to be scared of tech again
Back in the '90s, when the internet first entered our collective consciousness, Hollywood responded by releasing a slate of techno thrillers that warned of all the horrible things computers could do to us. Perhaps our existence could be erased like Sandra Bullock's in The Net, or maybe our entire species would be enslaved like in The Matrix. Now, the media is seemingly dominated by the brilliant-but-inept tech bros of shows like Silicon Valley, or friendly hackers like Abby on NCIS. Ex Machina and Annihilation director Alex Garland's new show Devs argues that maybe we had it right the first time: We should be afraid. We should be very afraid.
Take a first look at Alex Garland's tech-focused 'Devs' Hulu series
Following the Disney-Fox merger, content from the formerly-Fox channel FX is making its way onto Hulu. Not only will Hulu be hosting older FX shows, but it will also be the streaming home for upcoming 2020 shows including Devs from Alex Garland, writer and director of genre hits Ex Machina and Annihilation.
Alex Garland's 'Devs' explores free will in the age of predictive computing
Alex Garland deconstructed the Turing test with Ex Machina and tormented our psyches with a horrifying alien invasion in Annihilation. Now he's tackling free will vs. a deterministic universe in Devs. And instead of trying to cram all that philosophy into a two-hour film (that might not even see theatrical release), Devs was crafted specifically for TV as an eight-episode, big budget miniseries on FX, where every installment was written and directed by Garland. It's not strictly science fiction either: He calls it a "science-based thriller."
We're live from GDC 2018!
Another day, another tech conference. Now that SXSW is behind us, it's time for GDC 2018. We've arrived in San Francisco to cover the latest edition of the Game Developers Conference, where you can expect to see plenty of new indie titles, AR and VR projects and even films about the gaming industry. Oh, and Fortnite -- you know, we're definitely going to hear from Epic Games about its smash hit. Amazon and Facebook, meanwhile, have already made announcements of their own, and this week we'll speak to execs from both companies about their overall gaming strategies. To make sure you don't miss any news that comes out of GDC, bookmark this page here.
Samsung: Please, somebody, make mobile apps for Tizen
Samsung is eager to get developers to build applications for its Tizen smartphones. In an effort to drive up interest, the company has created the Tizen Mobile App Incentive Program, which will offer $9 million in cash prizes from February through October of 2017. According to Samsung, devs with apps that end up in the top 100 chart can earn $10,000 per app -- definitely not a bad way to lure people in. Those who want to participate in the program can register starting in "early" January.
The Daily Grind: What advice would you give as a gamer to a developer?
Communication between developers and gamers isn't always as simple as a one-on-one chat. The devs have an enormous microphone that gamers can't help but hear, but they also have everything they say scrutinized and analyzed past the point of helpfulness. Gamers, on the other hand, can only shout into the wind and hope that their voice rises above the rest of the mob to be heard by a studio team. But let's pretend that today, all of the MMO devs in the world are in an audience and you are up on stage with the mic. What advice would you give them? What would you want devs to know if they were really listening to you? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Should there be a statute of limitations on dev statements?
Like elephants, gamers have wrinkled, grey hides and freely poop all over the savannah. Oh! And like elephants, gamers never forget. They especially never forget anything a developer has said in the past if it ended up being contradicted by the studio or a prelude to a momentous mistake. I've been guilty of slingshotting these statements back to the point of origin from time to time, and judging by our comments section, there are quite a few of you who get a special thrill out of being able to bludgeon devs with their own words. But lately I've been wondering if there should be a point where we, y'know, just let these quotes go. Time moves on, situations change, and devs are as fallible as the rest of us. Should there be a statute of limitations on dev statements, and if so, how long should that be? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
You can now relive the Google I/O 2014 opening keynote
Did you nod off a few times during the last half-hour of Google's opening keynote of I/O 2014 earlier today? No worries! The full video has been archived for your post-event viewing pleasure on YouTube. Hop down past the break to take a good, long look at the nearly three-hour event spanning Android "L," Auto, Wear and more.
HTC allows devs to tap into the power of the One's Duo Camera
The HTC One (M8) brought with it a load of new camera features, including its unique Duo Camera setup on its back side. Now, the handset maker is opening up the code that powers the pair in a SDK preview for third-party devs. This means that apps can be designed specifically for the M8's cameras with DualLens and DimensionPlus APIs baked right in. In other words, developers will get their hands on that bokeh-style refocusing and multi-angled shot selection in addition to depth maps from the pair of cameras. Of course, only time will tell how eager app makers are to latch on to HTC's smartphone snapshooting tricks, but at least now they'll have the necessary tools to do so.
How much transparency do you want?
It's come up time and again, and it's always an issue that's fascinated me -- how much information on how World of Warcraft is designed do we actually want? Some of us would be bored to tears by a technical discussion of the whys and wherefores of a design decision, while others would be absolutely fascinated by it. I'm sure no one's forgotten about the era of the 'Ghostcrawler experiment' and the sharp rise of communication from the game's developers. Today we have quite a bit of communication from people like Brian Holinka, Chadd Nervig, Ion Hazzikostas, Owen Landgren and others. I've always felt that it was a very good thing overall for the game to have that channel, with the devs taking time to explain design changes and what they mean. The question becomes, how useful is it to you, and how effective is it in getting players to understand the why behind changes? Frankly, I think we all know that for every player who reads and absorbs dev interaction in the spirit in which it is meant, there's another who uses it simply as an excuse to blame said person for ruining the game. This goes back to before the time when devs were the ones delivering the news, mind you. I remember the days of Tseric, and the way the forums made him the villain in their self-generated narrative.
Apple clamps down on high-score cheaters with Game Center update
Believe it or not, there are some people in this world who think that faking a high score to be top dog on the global Game Center leaderboard is both big and clever. Of course, most of us know better, so it's with a great deal of relief that Apple's latest developer-facing update is looking to deal with the problem. The company is letting app developers manage the top 100 tables for their games themselves, so if they spot a faker, they can delete it without having to refer the problem to Apple. Now we'll all just have to knuckle down and earn those bragging rights the old-fashioned way.
IGDA considering support groups for harassed developers
The International Game Developers Association is considering providing support groups for developers concerning the harassment they receive from their fans, Polygon's report on harassment in the industry revealed this week. IGDA Executive Director Kate Edwards said the harassment is "getting to a point where we're thinking, 'Yeah, it's becoming something we're going to need to talk about. It might be time to consider doing a more explicit support group or mechanism to help people who are dealing with this sort of thing." Edwards suggested the potential impact of the harassment could silence and hinder "content creators in ways that protect the interests of certain fan groups, which again is no justification for the kinds of abusive behavior and language seen online today."
The Daily Grind: How transparent should developers be?
Sometimes I feel for developers, as they must walk a line between being too chatty and not chatty enough with fans. On one hand, players tend to take what developers say as sacred gospel that can and should be thrown back in the devs' faces if the game takes a different path, so some measure of restraint in sharing future goals is probably necessary. On the other hand, developers who are too secretive and distant from the community end up creating an atmosphere of distrust and aloofness. So where's that balance? How transparent and open should developers be? Maybe you love devs to talk about every little aspect of the game's inner workings, lofty plans, and tricky choices. Maybe you're more willing to cut those devs some slack if things don't pan out. Or maybe you think a dev shouldn't say anything until he or she is 100% confident that what is said will pan out. You make the call today. If you were in charge of a studio, where would you set the line? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Google Maps Engine API helps enterprise users create custom maps
In order to equip enterprise devs with the proper tools to create custom Maps, Google announced the Maps Engine API. The kit allows users to leverage the outfit's cloud muscle to layer appropriate info on a Google Map and publish the results for either internal or widespread use. Direct access to Maps Engine is provided through the API and web, Android, iOS and server-to-server platforms are all in play. A few companies have already put the goods to use -- FedEx is leveraging it to search its locations for the closest shipping option.
Unity makes mobile tools free for small devs
Unity has announced that it's making its mobile game development tools free to use for most independent and small studios. Unity has always been a popular engine both for mobile game development and for cross-platform game creation, but up until now, you had to pay about $800 to actually publish Unity-created apps on the iOS or Android stores. Those basic add-ons have now been made free, so anyone can now download Unity, and then use it to publish an app for iOS or Android without paying a fee for the engine. Unity still has pro versions available for sale to both iOS and Android developers, and anyone making over $100,000 per year with their releases is required by Unity to go ahead and purchase a pro license. So there are still some limits on exactly how this all works, and if your iPhone app does hit it big, Unity still would like its due. But starting off for free should open the door for even more indie devs to get in and try Unity, and make for even more and better games on the App Store.
Google now lets all Play developers respond to user reviews
It looks like you'll soon be seeing more comments from app makers on Google Play. According to a post on the Android Developers Blog today, all developers can now reply to user reviews via the Google Play Developer Console, with responses showing up publicly below the user's original comment. The feature had previously been in trial mode, and devs have reportedly enjoyed a stronger relationship with their users -- not to mention a surefire system for discovering bugs and other app glitches. Hit up the source link for more info.
