Tech

Nintendo and PlayStation will not attend E3 2023

Published

2 months ago

January 30, 2023

Harry Miller

Nintendo [3,362 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/”>Nintendo and PlayStation [6,843 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/playstation/”>PlayStation will not have a presence at this year’s revamped E3 show, according to an IGN report and VGC sources.

E3 2023 will officially run from Tuesday, June 13, until Friday, June 16, according to organiser ReedPop, which has taken over the running of the flagship industry event from the Entertainment Software Association [90 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/entertainment-software-association/”>Entertainment Software Association.

According to VGC’s publishing sources with knowledge of Nintendo’s plans, the company has decided to skip E3 2023 – the event’s first physical show in four years – because it feels it has fewer major releases than usual ready to show and which would justify significant event space.

Nintendo has traditionally been one of E3’s biggest supporters and was present on the show floor at the last physical event in 2019, when PlayStation and Xbox [6,335 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/”>Xbox were not.

Sony Interactive Entertainment [2,796 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/sony/”>Sony Interactive Entertainment’s absence this year is less surprising since it skipped the last E3 show in 2019 entirely, and announced it wasn’t planning to attend the 2020 event either, before it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft) [2,425 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/microsoft/”>Microsoft will have some form of presence in Los Angeles this year with an already-announced summer showcase. However, according to IGN, the Xbox firm will not have a show floor presence at the Los Angeles Convention Center itself.

VGC’s own sources claimed discussions were ongoing with Microsoft, however, and that it could yet have a business and media presence similar to last year’s Gamescom [195 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/events/gamescom/”>Gamescom, if not a traditional booth.

Microsoft traditionally holds its E3 live event away from the LACC, and in 2019 it didn’t have its booth there either, instead opting for the neighbouring Microsoft theatre. So unlike Sony and Nintendo, there should still be plenty of Xbox news around the event.

Microsoft’s plans are understood to be complicated by the backdrop of recent significant job cuts across the company, in addition to cuts to its marketing budgets which would traditionally cover shows like E3.

Losing all three platform holders would represent a blow to the revamped E3, but sources suggested there should still be a significant presence from major game companies at the event.

New E3 organiser ReedPop told VGC that it had received “a tremendous amount of interest” from many of “the biggest companies in the industry” and that it was confident the line-up would be worth the trip.

“Since ReedPop took on the contract to run E3 six months ago, we’ve worked diligently with ESA members, using their feedback to create a new type of E3 that supports their goals and needs,” a spokesperson said.

“This process takes time and we are working to balance getting it right, and being inclusive, with getting it done quickly. E3 is a deeply significant event for the game industry and being entrusted with an important cultural touchstone is not a responsibility ReedPop takes lightly.

“We continue to work tirelessly to create a show that brings together the global gaming industry. We believe we’ve created a new format for the event that serves the needs of both the industry and its fans, and are committed to building and growing it in the coming years.

“We have received a tremendous amount of interest from many of the biggest companies in the industry, and when we are ready to announce the exhibitors we are confident it will be a lineup that will make the trip to Los Angeles well worth it for the industry and consumers alike.”

When the games industry’s other flagship expo, Gamescom, returned from its pandemic hiatus last August, over 500 companies attended, including 2K Games [383 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/take-two-interactive/2k-games/”>2K, Bandai Namco Entertainment [669 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/bandai-namco-entertainment/”>Bandai Namco, Sega [583 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/sega/”>Sega, Ubisoft [837 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/ubisoft/”>Ubisoft, Warner Games and Plaion.

VGC has requested comments from Nintendo, Sony and Xbox, and will update this article upon their response.

Details of E3’s revamped 2023 format, which will see separate business and consumer events split between four days in June, were revealed late last year.

Sources: Nintendo and PlayStation will not attend E3 2023

Under the revamped format, the first two days of E3 2023 (June 13-14) will be reserved exclusively for business. The third day (June 15) will welcome both business and consumer visitors, while the final day (June 16) will be dedicated to consumers.

As well as running high-profile events in the US and Europe, ReedPop is the owner of Gamer Network, which runs websites such as Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, VG247 and Rock Paper Shotgun, and is the network partner of VGC.

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Tech

Redmi Note 12 Turbo teaser images reveal even more specs

Published

5 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

We already know that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is on its way with an expected announcement time of 7 PM on March 28. We also already know quite a bit about the phone thanks to Weibo leaks and a visit to AnTuTu. A new set of teaser images has now surfaced online alongside some additional device specs.

Teaser images

Apparently, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo’s display will be 12-bit, support HDR10+ and feature a 120Hz refresh rate, 1920Hz PWM Dimming and SGS Low Blue Light Certification. Previous rumors have indicated a display diagonal of 6.67 inches and an FHD+ resolution. The phone will boast pretty thin bezels, measuring just 1.95mm on top, and 1.42mm on the sides of the display, with a 2.22mm chin underneath it and a 93.45% screen-to-body ratio. The phone’s entire body will measure 7.9mm in thickness and weigh 181 grams.

The Redmi Note 12 Turbo is also rumored to offer a stereo speaker setup with Dolby ATMOS and Hi-Res Audio support alongside a 3.5mm audio jack. Also on board is an IR blaster. Confirming earlier rumors, the handset is expected to be among the first, if not the very first, to rock a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset, alongside up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of UFS3.1 storage. As per the new teaser, the chip will be cooled by a 3725mm² vapor chamber cooler.

Teaser images

In a rather conflicting report, the new source now claims that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo will feature a side-mounted fingerprint reader instead of an in-display one. Also on the list of expected specs is a large 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging. The phone is expected to have a 64MP main camera with OIS, 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro shooter. It is also said to run Android 13 with MIUI 14 on top.

There is still no word on pricing and availability. Though, it is worth noting that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is expected to launch under the Poco F5 branding in India on April 5.

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Tech

Why can’t I sync blocked numbers to a new Android phone?

Published

6 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

I don’t switch phones often, but when I do, I dread every single part of the process. Although Google has smoothed out some of the steps thanks to a more robust Android backup system and a new Fast Pair phone setup, a lot of tedious bits and pieces remain. It’s painful to re-pair wearables and Bluetooth accessories, adjust smart home gadgets to follow the new phone for geolocation automations, and sign into and re-customize apps to my liking. It can take a day and do all of that manually; what I can’t do, though, is transfer or sync my blocked numbers on my Android phone to a new phone.

And this little issue has been annoying me for a couple of years now. It baffles me that it hasn’t been fixed yet.

I trust Google to identify some spam numbers on its own and stop them from disrupting me, but I also make an effort to report as spam and block any other spammers and unwanted numbers that slip through. Still, every year or so, I find myself answering calls and looking at messages from these same unwanted numbers just because the blocklist didn’t carry over when I switched to a new phone.

My blocked numbers list doesn’t carry over when I switch phones. I end up answering calls and reading messages from the same unwanted numbers.

Spam and phishing are massive problems in some countries like the US and India. In my experience, they’ve been less of an issue in France, but they were a major annoyance in Lebanon where GDPR and privacy rules don’t exist. Since I was a practicing pharmacist, my number was registered with the union and was shared, without my consent, with hundreds of pharmaceutical and not-so-pharmaceutical companies. Even two years after shutting down my practice, I still get dozens of unwanted messages every week on my Lebanese number.

With spam being such an annoying everyday occurrence, you’d think that all the tools would be at your disposal to fight it. And yet, Google is fighting it with Assistant call screening and massive data collection from millions of users to identify spam before it annoys you, but it’s forgetting one very simple trick that could save everyone extra headache: Just sync my list of blocked numbers on Android across phones.

Spam, phishing, and abuse are massive issues. I should only have to block a number once, but Google is trying to solve the problem differently.

Beyond spam, the issue gets worse when you imagine that an ex or an abusive person from your past keeps calling you or messaging you. You block them and think you’re done with that crap, only to see their number pop up again when you switch to a new phone. If we’re intentionally choosing to block a number or mark it as spam, we don’t want to find ourselves looking at that same number again, ever.

Here are three ways this problem can be fixed, from simple and manual, to complex and automatic:

Add a manual export and import button to the blocked numbers list in the Google Phone and Messages apps.
Treat the blocked numbers list like the call history and make sure it backs up and restores when users switch phones.
Synchronize the blocked numbers list with my Google account (maybe as a part of Google Contacts?) so that it’s always updated across all my devices.

Apple does the latter with iCloud. You block a number on your iPhone and it’ll be synced to your iPad, iMac, and every other device you use. Google could and should do it the same way. Sure, this isn’t as sexy as Assistant call screening, but no one wants to keep blocking the same numbers again and again.

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Tech

New film by Calgary’s Tank Standing Buffalo streams on HBO

Published

12 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

A Calgary animator’s newest cartoon started streaming Thursday night on HBO Max.

Tank Standing Buffalo’s MONSTR was one of eight animated shorts chosen from more than 1,200 submissions to be part of the HBO Max series Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.

MONSTR deals with Standing Buffalo’s fight with inner demons while apprenticing with a northwest totem carver following the death of his wife Marsha.

“My partner Marsha died suddenly in my arms of a brain aneurysm,” Standing Buffalo said in a release. “One moment she was there, the next she was gone. Without her, I was lost.

“I left Calgary to walk the west coast until I couldn’t walk, and ended up on carver Phil Ashbee’s doorstep. He saw I was in trouble, and took me in. I began a tough year-and -a-half apprenticeship, learning from him and another carver. The teachings were harsh, but helped me to heal.

Tank Standing Buffalo’s next project MONSTR is part of an HBO Max program for animators

“MONSTR takes place during my time with Phil, and brings to life how I confronted the grief of Marsha’s passing. It is my story, one only I can tell.”

Standing Buffalo worked with co-writer Xstine Coo, producer Amanda Miller and composers Cara Adu-Darko and Brandon Smith on the film, which features music by Walter MacDonald White Bear.

The film features the voices of Corey Feldman and Tristan Risk.

It’s Standing Buffalo’s third animated short, following RKLSS (2020), which screened at TIFF, and SAVJ (2021), which is currently being screened at a variety of film festivals.

HBO flew Standing Buffalo to Los Angeles for the Hollywood premiere of MONSTR Tuesday night.

Scene from MONSTR by Tank Standing Buffalo

In his artist statement, Standing Buffalo said art has literally saved his life – and his emergence as a rising animation star was launched by a scholarship he received to attend a Calgary animation workshop.

“I came to love animation six years ago when I received a scholarship through Quickdraw Animation Society in Calgary,” he said. “I am a person who thrives on routine and discipline. I appreciate the meditative repetition required to create animation.

“Through making my first two autobiographical shorts with monster and fantasy elements, I’ve found telling my story through animation is a form of time travel; my art is healing the person who I was in the past.”

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