All posts tagged: games

Mike Verdu of Netflix Games leads new generative AI initiative

Mike Verdu of Netflix Games leads new generative AI initiative

Mike Verdu, who had largely spearheaded Netflix’s foray into gaming in recent years as VP of Netflix Games, announced on LinkedIn a new role within Netflix Games leading the company’s effort to capitalize on generative AI. The role, Vice President of GenAI for Games, focuses on using generative AI for the next step in creating games with big teams. “GenAI is that next challenge. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an opportunity in this industry since the 90s, when we saw a new game launch every few months that redefined what was possible,” Verdu writes in his LinkedIn post. “It was an incredible time to be making games as talented creators showed all of us what the future looked like. Guess what? We’re back to those days of seemingly unlimited potential and the rapid pace of innovation, which resulted in mind-blowing surprises for players every few months.” It is worth noting that the announcement of this role comes shortly after Netflix shut down its only triple-A studio before it announced or released any …

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney’s path to the open metaverse is via enlightened self-interest

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney’s path to the open metaverse is via enlightened self-interest

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney still believes that the path to the open metaverse will yield bring together the entertainment, games and technology industries together in a bright future. But to get there, Sweeney believes the monopolistic platform owners need to embrace enlightened self-interest. He spoke about these topics with me in a recorded video fireside chat that we aired today at the sold-out GamesBeat Next 2024 event in San Francisco. Sweeney has pressured the major platforms like mobile leaders Google and Apple to give more favorable terms to game developers, as he doesn’t believe the game industry can invest in the metaverse or its future so long as those companies are taking 30% of every mobile game transaction. Sweeney is just one of a number of speakers talking about the metaverse, the future of games, and new technologies at our event. But he’s the only one engaged in litigation challenging the tech and game platforms …

10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

Don’t doomscroll more depressing news, use that phone to lift your mood instead. The best mobile games will bring a little joy to your day, whether you’re killing time on the commute or chilling on the couch. And these games are all addictive slices of gaming pleasure that we have been gorging on for years. As smartphone screens and processing power have grown, the lines between mobile gaming and just gaming have blurred, and you can find tons of great mobile games that have been ported or adapted from other systems (Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Roblox, Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto, and the list goes on). But all of these titles are best enjoyed on other platforms. Our picks here are games that work especially well on your phone. Snag one of the best mobile controllers to level up your smartphone gaming. You may also be interested in subscription services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade. You can even play some Android games on your PC now. Power up with unlimited access to …

If your child is watching TV and playing online games, you should do it with them – here’s why

If your child is watching TV and playing online games, you should do it with them – here’s why

Young children spend a lot of time using screens: watching television, playing on touchscreen apps, or facetiming with grandparents. In fact, research on global screen time guidelines has found that around 75% of children aged up to two years use some form of digital media daily, and 64% of children aged two to five years use it for more than an hour a day. Digital media is part of children’s lives and is set to stay that way. This means it is crucial to understand how to use this technology so children can benefit from it, and how to maximise its educational potential. A key way to do this is for parents and other adults to use digital media together with children. This is known as co-use, and can range from parents actively discussing the media content with their children to simply watching a show together. Our recent research with colleagues has investigated how adults using digital media with children aged up to six affects children’s ability to learn from digital media. We carried out …

The Download: Safer space travel, and generative AI in video games

The Download: Safer space travel, and generative AI in video games

Long-distance space travel can wreak havoc on human health. There’s radiation and microgravity to contend with, as well as the psychological toll of isolation and confinement. Research on identical twin astronauts has also revealed a slew of genetic changes that happen when a person spends a year in space. That’s why some bioethicists are exploring the idea of radical treatments for future astronauts. Once we’ve figured out all the health impacts of space travel, they argue, we should edit the genomes of astronauts ahead of launch to offer them the best protection. Some have even suggested this might result in the creation of an all-new species: Homo spatialis.  If this is starting to sound a bit like sci-fi, that’s because it mostly is, for now. But there are biotechnologies we can use to help space travelers now, too. —Jessica Hamzelou This story is from The Checkup, our weekly health and biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. MIT Technology Review Narrated: How generative AI could reinvent what it means to …

MSI Claw 8 Ai+ handheld games console hands on

MSI Claw 8 Ai+ handheld games console hands on

The MSI Claw 8 Ai+ is set to transform the handheld gaming industry with its innovative hardware and innovative design. Scheduled for release in January 2025, this highly anticipated device promises to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience that caters to the needs and preferences of modern gamers. Luckily ETA Prime has been able to get his hands on the powerful handheld games console to provide us with more insight before its official launch. TD;LR Key Takeaways : MSI Claw 8 Ai+ set for release in January 2025. 80 watt-hour battery for extended playtime. 8-inch, 1200p display with 120Hz variable refresh rate (VRR). Powered by Intel Core Ultra 200 CPU and Intel Arc Graphics 140v with 8 Xe2 cores. Up to 16% better gaming performance compared to AMD HX 370. Lightweight design with front-facing stereo speakers and Hall-based sticks and triggers. Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and 2280 M.2 SSD for easy storage upgrades. Early version of Center M software for customization and design tweaks. Community feedback incorporated into the final design. Combines powerful battery, high-refresh-rate display, …

Some Classic Fallout Games Are Free on the Epic Games Store Right Now

Some Classic Fallout Games Are Free on the Epic Games Store Right Now

You have probably played through at least one of the later Fallout games, but have you ever played the original? Or the two games that come next in the series? Well, now you can, for free, thanks to the Epic Games Store. But only if you’re quick. The Fallout Classic Collection Is Free (If You’re Quick) From August 29 to September 5, Fallout Classic Collection is available to download from the Epic Games Store for free. Fallout Classic Collection comprises the original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel. Once you claim the free download, the games will be permanently added to your library. It will then be on you to find the time to actually play the darn things as well as the countless other games you no doubt already own. As you can see from the tweet above, alongside Fallout Classic Collection, Epic is also giving Wild Card Football away for free (until September 5). However, while that game has some decent reviews (alongside some terrible ones), it hasn’t got the …

Paralympic Games: Three French athletes on their arduous journey to gold

Paralympic Games: Three French athletes on their arduous journey to gold

The Paralympics kick off this Wednesday in Paris and to mark the opening of the Games, our reporters went to meet the French athletes who have brought home gold medals from previous editions of the event. They tell us about the challenges they faced, the obstacles they overcame and their hopes for the 2024 Paralympics. FRANCE 24’s David Gilberg and Aurore Dupuis report. Source link

Fortnite back on mobile phones after Epic Games’ row with Google and Apple | Science & Tech News

Fortnite back on mobile phones after Epic Games’ row with Google and Apple | Science & Tech News

Fortnite is back on mobile phones for the first time in four years, after bitter legal rows got the game taken off both Android and Apple app stores.  Now, developer Epic Games has launched its own app store, making it one of the first third-party stores available on iOS – although UK iPhone users will have to wait until next year to play. Android users can get flossing straight away, but they’ll need to download the new Epic Games Store, which also contains Fall Guys and Rocket League. The store’s launch marks the latest chapter in a long-running battle royale between Epic and the tech giants. Epic claimed, in a number of court cases, that both Google and Apple operated anti-competitively. Fortnite was taken off both stores in 2020 when Epic stopped paying commission for its downloads. It lost a court case against Apple where it argued third-party app stores should be allowed on iPhones and other devices. In March, however, a new EU law came into force which meant that Apple had to allow …

Ping-pong the latest vehicle for China’s continuing face-off with Taiwan | Paris Olympic Games 2024

Ping-pong the latest vehicle for China’s continuing face-off with Taiwan | Paris Olympic Games 2024

“No politics at the Olympics! Bye! Thank you!” To be fair to the group of Chinese fans outside the table tennis arena at Porte de Versailles, this is undoubtedly the most sensible answer to any question about the tectonic ripples, the ping‑ping diplomacy angle of a meeting across the pink and black Olympic table of China and the entity called Chinese Taipei, also known, outside of Olympic unreality, as Taiwan. These are not matters to be taken lightly. In May this year the Chinese government announced it would consider applying the death penalty to those promoting the cause of Taiwanese separatism, a complex proposition given Taiwan is, on the face of it, already separate; but just another note in the drip-drip of manoeuvres and pre-invasion chat being enacted across the Straits. So yes, probably best to keep shtum on all that for now. The Olympic Games do insist on throwing up these moments. Session two, Sunday afternoon, South Paris Arena, third quarter‑final of the mixed doubles. China, the draw decided, would play its most coveted neighbour. This is an occasion that should be …