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Your tiny Xbox 360 gamerpic may finally display properly on modern consoles
After a complaint on Twitter, an Xbox engineer fixed the wonky Xbox 360 gamerpic display on modern consoles.
SpaceX's next Starlink launch will help improve satellite imagery of the Earth
Planet's satellite imaging network is getting clearer and more agile thanks to SpaceX's satellite rideshare program.
Researchers create lung 'blueprint' that could aid organ regeneration
Serious lung disease has a high rate of mortality, and the only curative treatment is a lung transplant. This is a complicated procedure that has other adverse health effects and oftentimes simply doesn't work, so for scientists in this field, organ regeneration -- that is, growing an organ from the body's own tissue -- is the ultimate solution. Now, researchers from Yale say they're on track for this very eventuality.
Stadia vs. xCloud: How these game-streaming services stack up
Cloud gaming has finally arrived in a playable, frustration-free form (mostly, anyway), courtesy of two tech giants with the network infrastructures to actually make streaming happen: Google and Microsoft. However, both companies are diving into this all-digital, subscription-based market from different angles. Stadia officially landed on November 19th, and it's fair to say that Google overpromised and underdelivered on an ambitious launch that costs gamers $130 just to get in the door. Meanwhile, Microsoft is rolling out xCloud for free as a preview, asking for feedback and adding features as it goes. Now that both of these streaming services are playable in the wild, it's time for a good old-fashioned showdown. Considering one service has launched and already disappointed its supporters, and the other is in beta and delivering on its claims, you can probably guess which one comes out looking better here.
LG launches the first IPS gaming displays with 1ms response time
LG has unveiled its latest gaming offering: two new monitors with a blazing one-millisecond response time. The monitors are part of LG's UltraGear family and are the first in the world to offer such a fast IPS display, which helps bring IPS (In-Plane Switching) up to a closer standard with TN (Twisted Nematic) panels.
Samsung sensor paves the way for 64-megapixel smartphone cameras
Samsung has leapt ahead of Sony in the smartphone megapixel wars with the launch of the ISOCELL Bright GW1, the world's' first 64-megapixel sensor for smartphones. The chip, while packing more resolution than Samsung's current 48-megapixel sensor, will use the same .8-micrometer-sized pixels. That means it'll be physically larger and have more light-gathering capability.
Varjo's human-eye resolution VR headset costs a mere $6,000
When it comes to virtual reality, achieving human-eye resolution is arguably the main objective -- you want to see things as they would appear in real life, right? In 2017 Finnish company Varjo said it was working on a headset that delivered exactly that, and despite a few delays in its timescales, it's now launched its VR-1 device which promises the high resolution of more than 60 pixels per degree -- equivalent to human-eye resolution -- for the modest price of $6,000. According to Varjo, the headset's resolution is 20 times higher than other devices on the market, and it comes with advanced eye-tracking capabilities. The company said it plans to introduce a mixed reality component later this year.
Mark Zuckerberg's resolution is to talk about tech's place in society
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sets himself a challenge each year. In the past, he's created an AI assistant for his home and committed to learning Mandarin. This time around, after a torrid year where Facebook faced myriad privacy scandals, he's planning to hold a number of public discussions about how technology plays a role in the future of society.
Fujifilm's X-T3 arrives with faster autofocus and 4K 60 fps video
Fujifilm has unveiled the $1,500 X-T3, the newest and most technologically advanced member of its X-Series APS-C mirrorless cameras. It's a follow up to the company's high-end X-T2, already a very capable and well-reviewed model. The X-T3 has an all-new 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS IV sensor and X-Processor 4, a jump up in resolution and speed from the last model's 24.3-megapixel X-Trans CMOS III. With the new hardware, it has "dramatically improved autofocus," said Fujifilm, along with improved image quality and 4K, 60 fps video capability.
Sony's portable projector tech displays perfect images on curved surfaces
The future of portable projectors just got a whole lot clearer, as Sony launches two bits of tech that will give gives portable projectors both HD capabilities and the ability to provide a distortion-free picture even on curved surfaces. This means you could whip out your device anywhere and enjoy an almost crystal-clear picture, no matter what background you're projecting it onto.
Comcast will limit Xfinity Mobile video streaming resolution
Xfinity Mobile customers will soon see a change to their video streams. In the coming weeks, videos streamed using cellular data will be limited to 480p resolution, a move that other carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint have implemented for certain plans in the past. Videos streamed over WiFi won't be affected by the change and Comcast says that it will offer the option to stream 720p video over cellular data for an added fee later this year. Until that plan becomes available, customers who would like to continue streaming video at 720p will be able to do so for no charge, they'll just have to call the carrier in order to set that up. Additionally, users with an unlimited plan will see their hotspot speeds capped at 600 Kbps.
Samsung adds FreeSync to its latest TVs for smoother gaming
If you have a 2018 Samsung QLED TV or the NU8000 LED TV, your gaming endeavors should look cleaner after a recent firmware update. Samsung confirmed to Engadget that the update applies to the Q6FN, Q7FN, Q8FN and Q9FN QLED models, as well as the NU8000. Those TVs now use AMD's FreeSync tool, which syncs refresh and frame rates to reduce screen tearing and stuttering -- similar to NVIDIA's G-Sync tech.
SteamVR’s auto resolution knows what your GPU can handle
Valve updated SteamVR today with a new feature that automatically adjusts your headset's resolution up to what your GPU can optimally render. This should function like autofocus, taking the decision-making out of the user's hands and reassuring developers that their content is being enjoyed at the best resolution. But it could also make VR more accessible, since it also auto-selects settings on lower-performing GPUs, letting experiences run more smoothly on more affordable machines.
Facebook Messenger will now send your photos in 4K
Facebook Messenger has recently gotten some pretty nifty additions, like the ability to share Apple Music and Spotify tunes, send cash to friends and new video chat filters. Now the company is improving another visual feature: photos. Now you can send and receive photos via the messaging service at 4K resolution at the same speed as your regular photos, according to Facebook.
Xbox One will soon capture your epic plays in full HD
Along with its other upgrades, the souped-up Xbox One X will come with 4K recording from the get go. Meanwhile, owners of Microsoft's standard console are still dealing with 720p resolution at 30 FPS. Not to mention the added insult of seeing their beloved gaming machine get discontinued. That's enough to make even the most loyal of gamers feel left out. But, there is some good news. The standard Xbox One's Game DVR is getting a bump in resolution to 1080p. Plus, you'll be able to save your recordings directly to an external hard drive. That way, you can save precious storage on your console (which is especially useful if you have the 500GB version). For now, the upgrade is limited to Alpha Insiders. Everyone else can expect to get a taste later this year.
MIT’s new AI can keep streaming video from buffering
Buffering and pixelation are the scourge of streaming video. It ruins the experience for viewers, robs advertisers of revenue as said viewers tune out, and causes technical headaches for streaming services which have to engineer solutions. But a new neural network AI from MIT CSAIL may be just what the internet needs for velvety smooth streaming services.
US House votes to let ISPs sell your browser history
With a slim majority of 215 to 205, the US House of Representatives just passed a resolution rolling back FCC privacy regulations. Approved last year, the rules required that ISPs get your explicit permission before selling "sensitive data" like your browsing history. The resolution already passed the Senate last week, and now will go before the President, who has said he plans to sign it.
Dell's 8K monitor is available for $5,000
Dell introduced its 31.5-inch 8K monitor at CES, which the company claims is the world's first consumer screen to meet such a ridiculous resolution. While it took a backseat to the artist-aimed Canvas at the tech show, the Ultrasharp 32 is finally available on Dell's online store for initial shipping in mid-April. Assuming you've got a spare $5,000 to spend.
How 'Halo 5: Guardians' hits 60 fps and stays there
The developers at 343 Industries won't sacrifice Halo 5's aim for a buttery smooth 60 frames per second by adding local co-op (for now), and it turns out that the team isn't married to 1080p resolution if it means a lower frame rate, either. The game's creative lead Josh Holmes writes on Xbox Wire that maintaining that benchmark is the result of tech that allows the game to adjust the resolution on the fly. "This enables us to deploy resources where they have the most impact across a diverse series of experiences throughout the game while delivering the most visually stunning Halo game ever," he says. From the sounds of it, that means when there's less stuff onscreen it'll be in higher detail.
All but one of Sony's arguments against Killzone lawsuit dismissed
A federal judge has ruled that a class action lawsuit concerning the resolution of Killzone: Shadow Fall may proceed once the lead plaintiff files an amended complaint, according to a release from the US District Court. Lead Plaintiff Douglas Ladore's initial complaint, as reported in August by Courthouse News, alleges that Sony's claim of "razor-sharp 1080p native resolution" is false advertising, as Ladore claims Shadow Fall's multiplayer becomes "blurry to the point of distraction." Shadow Fall developer Guerrilla Games released a statement addressing the game's resolution, explaining that a technique called "temporal reprojection" is used in multiplayer, which "combines pixels and motion vectros from multiple lower-resoultion frames to reconstruct a full 1080p image." The statement added, "If native means that every part of the pipeline is 1080p then this technique is not native." In the recent ruling, US District Judge Edward Chen dismissed all but one of Sony's arguments - Chen agreed Ladore's negligent misrepresentation claim cannot stand in its current state, as Ladore did not present a non-economic loss (such as personal injury or property damage) suffered in relation to his purchase of Shadow Fall. However, Chen granted Ladore 30 days to file an amended complaint, in case he can "sufficiently allege that he or other putative class members suffered such non-economic damages." [Image: Sony]
