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Infinite Crisis refocuses development on new player experience
The dev team behind DC-Comics-based Infinite Crisis has come to a realization: there are a lot of MOBAs out there. So to set themselves apart from the rest, Creative Director Cardel "Annuvin" Kerr has penned a post on the official forums detailing how the devs will be putting some new content on hold to focus on revamping the new player experience. Luckily for us, the major tasks have been bullet-pointed: We will be holding back new Champions until the September Update -- We're still building Champions behind the scenes, and will resume their normal release schedule starting in September. Balance patches will be released as we iterate on design improvements -- You can expect these updates about once a month. We will continue to focus on the iterative cycle that is the foundation of good balance. Technical patches will be released with balance updates to make the game more stable and less prone to crashes. Crashes lead to more AFKs, and that quite frankly, sucks – so we'll continue to push out fixes. Credit -- err, Bug Stomping -- We will continue to fix bugs that you file, and that we find on our own. Expect an even larger presence on the Forums -- We're working on a lot of stuff, and much of it is based on what we've seen you all doing and saying. As a result, you can expect even more posts from developers asking and answering questions! Be sure to check out the entire post for more details on the team's plans with Infinite Crisis over the next few months.
Daily Roundup: Xperia Z2 Tablet review, Amazon's phone and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nokia's Refocus camera app is now available to all Lumia owners on WP8
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Nokia's "shoot now, focus later" photography app, Refocus, required PureView hardware to run, because until now it's only been available on PureView-branded phones. As it turns out though, the app has just been made compatible with all Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8, including ones with down-to-earth camera modules. It works by means of a "focus sweep" -- you hold your phone steady for a couple of seconds while the camera scans the scene ahead at a range of different focal lengths and then combines these into a single dynamic image (like the one below) that lets anyone adjust the focus and background/foreground blur later, after the file has been saved and shared. If you're reading this on a Lumia, the source link below should take you where you need to go.
Nokia releases its Refocus app for all PureView Lumia smartphones
Unveiled at its Lumia launch event in Abu Dhabi in October, Nokia has finally made Refocus, its Lytro-like variable depth of field app, available to all PureView Lumia devices. The tool makes use of Scalado's imaging technology to change the focus of a photo using "clever algorithms," while also adding deeper color using a feature found in other Nokia apps called "color pop." Nokia's new app integrates with SkyDrive to host your photo, creating a unique page on Nokia's dedicated Refocus website that can be shared via email, SMS or Facebook. If you own a Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928 or Lumia 1020, you'll need the Amber update installed to enjoy the app. Lumia 1520 owners can grab it when the device goes on sale in the coming days.
Nokia's Refocus Lens camera app promises infinite depth of field control
Nokia's just announced a new camera app called Refocus Lens at Nokia World that brings a Lytro-like variable depth of field to Lumia cameras. Likely to be the fruits of that Scalado purchase from a while back, it'll let you change the focus of a snapshot using "clever algorithms" while adding "brilliant splashes of color" to images via a feature called color pop. Nokia also said that images will be 5-megapixels in size and that you'll be able to use the refocusing option while in Facebook. The app will debut on the Finnish company's new flagship Lumia 1520 and trickle down at a later date to older devices like the Lumia 920 and 925. However, Nokia hasn't decided if the app will be available for lower-numbered Lumias like the 520 and 620 -- or any other Windows Phone devices, for that matter. We're still finding out more details from Nokia, so stay tuned! Update: Nokia is now showing a dedicated Refocus site with a sample photo to play with. You can also check out a clickable sample embedded after the break. Update 2: We've now added a video demo of the app, courtesy of Samuli Hänninen, Nokia's VP of of software program management for smart devices. It's surprisingly similar to the DigitalOptics' MEMS camera demo we saw back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but Nokia confirmed that there's no link between that and its own post-capture refocus technology.
New Toshiba camera sensor lets you refocus after the shot, plans 2013 launch in smartphones and tablets
Hoping for some after-the-fact focusing in your next smartphone camera? Well, you'll have to wait around a year, but Toshiba's planning exactly that with a new module that houses an array of 500,000 tiny lenses. Within a 1cm-thick unit, these lenses are layered in front of the camera sensor, which can capture slightly different images from each lens arrangement. Those picture can then be combined in a "complete" picture using Toshiba's own software. Apparently, the camera will also be able to measure the distance between objects in the shot -- similar to how 3D images are captured -- with the user then able to shift focus between close and distant detail, or even create images that are in-focus throughout. Toshiba says the module will also be able to capture video with a similar degree of focus management -- something that Lytro hasn't got around to just yet. The sensor is still a work in progress, but the manufacturer plans to commercialize the module before the end of 2013. Toshiba is looking to ally itself with multiple smartphone (and tablet) makers -- and here's hoping that it finds its way into a device outside of Japan. [Thanks Franck]
Lytro camera review
Lytro camera hands-on (video) Lytro open to partnering with smartphone makers, executive suggests Lytro's light field camera captures 'unprecedented' images, lets you choose focus later Don't let that cute design fool you. Lytro, the world's first commercial light field camera, is the culmination of nearly twenty years of research -- a project that once occupied an entire wall facade, and has since been miniaturized into something that fits in the palm of your hand. An impressive feat, sure, but not as arresting as the end result: the ability to refocus pictures, even after you've taken them. To achieve such magical endeavors the Lytro camera uses heaps of custom software (armed with a custom .lfp file format) coupled with some serious silicon to measure not just color or the intensity of light, but its direction, too. The latter is achieved with an eleven "megaray" sensor, which is bolted to an f/2.0 8x optical zoom lens, all encased within that sleek body. Seeking to save us from unfocused mishaps, the technological tour de force also unlocks some considerable creative potential. So, is the $399 shooter going to revolutionize photography as we know it? Or does the Lytro's first foray into consumer electronics fall prey to the shortcomings of 1.0 product? By now you should know the drill: rendezvous with us past the break to find out.
Lytro video camera 'a possibility', would need more processing muscle
While we impatiently await a Lytro to call our own -- or at least rigorously review -- it looks like the light field technology could be used for video. Ren Ng, CEO of Lytro and the man behind the camera's focus-dodging optical wizardry, mentioned that the main barrier between the curious camera lens and video recording is the amount of processing power required to manipulate all that fully-lit input. He also mentioned that Lytro is continuing to develop the wireless connectivity within the device, something that wasn't fully baked during our hands-on. If it's a processing power issue, those incoming quad-core smartphones might be able to help squeeze some video out of that f/2.0 lens...
Lytro camera hands-on (video)
You knew Lytro was up to something, but with its infinite focus light-field powered camera out of the bag, how does it actually stack up in real life? In a word: novel -- you certainly won't be tossing your regular camera for this shooter, at least not in its current incarnation. Still the concept of shoot now, ask focus questions later is revolutionary, so hop on past the break for our initial impressions. %Gallery-137034%
Lytro introduces world's first light field camera: f/2 lens, $399, ships early 2012
Ready for the world's first consumer light field camera -- you know, the spiffy kind that can infinitely focus? After demoing the tech earlier this year, Lytro's unveiled the world's first shipping product -- a little something it calls the Lytro camera. Within the anodized aluminum frame, the consumer-friendly camera totes an f/2, 8x zoom lens which utilizes an 11-mega-ray light-field to power all that infinite focus magic. It's instant-on and the rubber back-end wields only two physical buttons: one for shutter and the other for power. The company's added the ability to change the focus on-camera, a task accomplished via its touchscreen glass display. It'll ship in two versions: the $399 8GB flavor can hold 350 pictures, and comes in graphite or blue, followed by a $499 16GB model, which sports an electric-red finish and stores up to 750 images. Pre-orders go live at Lytro's website today, and will ship in early 2012 on a first-come first-serve basis. Our hands-on impressions are here, with PR and sample images after the break.%Gallery-137041%%Gallery-137039%%Gallery-137017%
CCP layoffs affect 20% of worldwide staff, company focusing on EVE
Reporting on game industry layoffs is never fun, so we're a bit sobered this morning as we bring you news of CCP's downsizing. The development firm behind EVE Online, DUST 514, and the World of Darkness MMO has just issued a press release stating that it will be trimming approximately 20% of its staff worldwide. According to CCP Manifest, most of the layoffs will occur in the company's Atlanta, Georgia offices, with select positions at the Reykjavik, Iceland camp also affected. Manifest says that EVE expansions, DUST, and WoD have stretched CCP's resources too thin, and the company will now "sharpen our focus." In the short term, this means more attention for EVE Online and DUST 514, while World of Darkness will "continue development with a significantly reduced team." Finally, the press release attempts to head off the doomsayers by pointing out the fact that EVE's subscriber numbers are higher than they were this time last year. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!]
CCP to EVE players: We've heard you, unprecedented development refocusing in the works
Significant change is afoot in EVE Online, and no, we're not just talking about the latest clothing item on the Noble Exchange or additional captain's quarters built on top of Incarna's foundation. A brief blog post on the official website indicates that CCP has taken the firestorm of criticism from long-time players over the last several months to heart. While it's not quite a mea culpa, CCP Zulu does say that the company has been engaging in an "extensive and intense introspection and revitalization. The result of this is a refocusing and reprioritization on a scale unheard of within our company." How extensive (and how intense)? That remains to be seen, of course, but the post points to the recent ship-spinning update and also goes a step further. "We are listening to you, we have heard you, and plans are already in motion," Zulu writes.
Adobe shows off plenoptic lenses that let you refocus an image after it's taken (video)
Yes, you read that correctly. The fevered dreams of crime scene investigators up and down the country are being brought to reality by Adobe, with just a single extra lens and some crafty software knowhow. Basically, a plenoptic lens is composed of a litany of tiny "sub-lenses," which allow those precious photons you're capturing to be recorded from multiple perspectives. The result is that you get a bunch more data in your image and an "infinite" depth of field, meaning you can toggle at what distance you want your image to be focused after the act of taking it. These plenoptic lenses are inserted between your shooter's usual lens and its sensor, though commercialization is sadly said to still be a fair distance away. Never fear, you can get hold of a video demo much sooner than that -- you know where it's at.
