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Tag: game

  • Innocn portable monitors: easy second screen, DeX, gaming on the go

    Innocn portable monitors: easy second screen, DeX, gaming on the go

    We live in a time where users demand more and more portability. Smartphones have spoiled us this way — we are so used to having supercomputers in our pockets that, sometimes, it feels jarring that we can’t take our PlayStations with us.

    However, a new type of product is currently on the rise that will enhance a digital nomad’s life even more — portable monitors!

    Here we have the Innocn N1F-Pro — a display that is so thin and light that you might think it’s a prop. But it is, in fact, a very functional, convenient, energy-efficient, and portable device that can make your life much easier — whether you are on the go, or setting up a small work corner at home.

    The N1F-Pro is the value-priced offering from Innocn, but the company also offers portable screens that come with their own batteries and much sharper resolutions! Be sure to check them out below and use the codes Innocn kindly provided for some great discounts!

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  • Netflix brings three new mobile games to its subscribers

    Netflix brings three new mobile games to its subscribers

    Netflix’s games program doesn’t work like traditional games services since it doesn’t require users to pay a monthly subscription. However, you do have to be a Netflix subscriber to have access to several mobile games in its library.

    When it launched early last month, the program offered to Netflix subscribers a pretty short list of mobile games they could play for free: Stranger Things: 1984, Stranger Things 3: The Game, Shooting Hoops, Card Blast, and Teeter Up.

    Less than two weeks ago, Netflix added two new games to the lineup: Gameloft’s Asphalt Xtreme and Bowling Ballers. Today, three new games are added to the roster: Dominoes Café, Knittens, and Wonderputt Forever.

    Although these might not be as appealing as the previous titles, they’re free to play and don’t include ads, additional fees or in-app purchases. If you want to play any of the games offered by Netflix and you’re using an Android device, you can do so via the dedicated games row and games tab.

    On the other hand, members on an iOS device will see a dedicated games row where they can select any game to download.

  • Pokemon GO still going strong, scores $5 billion in lifetime revenue

    Pokemon GO still going strong, scores $5 billion in lifetime revenue

    Well, what do you know? Even though we spent the past two years mostly locked up and homebound (pandemic and stuff), the AR game sensation Pokemon GO not only survived but managed to cross the $5 billion mark in lifetime revenue.

    According to a recent report by SensorTower, the AR title from Niantic has surpassed $5 billion from player spending since its launch back in 2016. The game remains vastly popular in the US, catching $1.9 billion, or 36.6 percent of its lifetime revenue in the country.

    People spending money on Pokemon GO seem to be almost equally distributed between Android and iOS, 52.8% and 47.2% respectively. The report also shows that the game generated $642 million in the first half of 2021, a 34% increase from the same period last year.

    Pokemon GO has been downloaded 632 million times to date, and there are no signs that the Pokemon craze will subside anytime soon.

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  • Both Epic and Apple land solid blows as the court battle begins

    Both Epic and Apple land solid blows as the court battle begins

    Today was the first day of the court battle between Apple and game developer Epic. The latter sued Apple after the tech giant tossed its red hot Fortnite game out of the App Store. Apple did this after Epic violated Apple’s rules and gave its customers access to the developer’s own in-app payment platform.

    Seeking Alpha reports that during Epic’s opening statement, the developer explained that Apple has made iOS “a walled garden” which not only blocks competition but also makes it harder for iPhone users to switch to Android. And speaking of anti-competitive behavior, Epic says that Apple’s demand that apps offering in-app purchases use its payment platform violates federal anti-trust laws. Apple collects 30% of in-app purchases and at the same time, it is forcing developers to run in-app payments through its platform.

    Other companies who have complained about the so-called Apple Tax include Netflix and Spotify. The latter brought its argument to the European Union a couple of years ago saying that thanks to the 30% Apple Tax, Apple Music has an advantage over Spotify and other streaming music apps that have to cough up the additional 30% that Apple Music doesn’t have to pay.

    Epic says that requiring third-party apps to sell their wares through the App Store and forcing them to tack on 30% for processing in-app payments is actually a violation of federal antitrust law that prohibits companies from tying a product or service to the sale of another. Epic attorney Katherine Forrest’s highlight phrase of the day: “When they pick up the iPhone, users enter a different world. They are locked into a closed platform where they can only download apps from Apple, and each and every time they purchase in the app, a 30% tax is imposed.”

    Epic also refuted Apple’s claims that the rules Apple created for the App Store help it maintain the quality and security of iOS apps. This is a claim that Apple has made before.

    In its opening arguments, Apple stated that its 30% fee is in line with industry standards and that allowing apps like Fortnite to side-load its own in-app platforms could lead to security issues. Where Apple might have scored points with the judge is when it noted that Epic never informed Apple about its in-app payment system until the day it launched while Microsoft was given advanced notice.

    Apple Attorney Karen Dunn said during Monday’s court session that “A $20 billion company has decided that it doesn’t want to pay for Apple’s innovations anymore. So Epic is here, demanding that this court force Apple to get into its App Store untested and untrusted apps — something that Apple has never done.”

    In giving the court reasons why Epic can’t win the case, Apple claims that the game developer is using the incorrect version in its antitrust claim. Apple states that Epic is unable to show anti-competitive behavior on the part of Apple and the latter says that it can show pro-competitive justifications.

    Apple also mentioned that the appeals court that sided with Qualcomm in its case against the FTC, a case that the FTC decided not to take back to the Supreme Court, ruled that “while anti-competitive behavior is illegal, hypercompetitive behavior is not.” Apple obviously believes its actions are in the latter category.

    Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney took the stand today and said that Epic isn’t asking for Apple to eliminate the compensation it receives from in-app purchases. But he pointed out that the Apple Tax can result in Apple making more money from an app than the app’s own developers.

    While Apple has been trying to show that there are plenty of other app stores that Fortnite can be listed in, Epic’s top executive said that Fortnite is more than a game. He called Fortnite a “phenomenon that transcends gaming” and a “social and entertainment experience that includes a variety of gaming experiences and non-gaming experiences within it.” This means that such a title needs a top app storefront like Apple’s App Store to help promote it.

    While Apple’s App Store takes as much as a 30% cut of in-app purchases, Epic’s own app store grabs a 12% cut and is “hundreds of millions of dollars short of being profitable.” Sweeney says that Epic’s app store could turn profitable some time over the next two to three years.

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  • Vietnamese studio bags $1 mln funding for new blockchain game

    Vietnamese studio bags $1 mln funding for new blockchain game

    Vietnamese game studio Topebox and its blockchain partner KardiaChain have raised $1 million for an upcoming blockchain game called My DeFi Pet.

    The investors include Shanghai-based venture capital firms Axia8 Ventures, OKEx Blockdream Ventures, and the venture capital fund of cryptocurrency exchange OKEx in Hong Kong. Vietnam-based venture capitalist Megala Ventures and Chinese game developer Animoca Brands have also pitched in.

    Based in HCMC, Topebox is the developer of hit games like Pocket Army, Sky Dancer: Free Falling, and King Rivals. It had bagged $1 million in the seed funding round from Singapore’s mobile game publisher Habby in April last year.

    My DeFi Pet is its first blockchain gaming project, which is set to launch globally in mid-May. The game will include decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) features. NFT is a unit of data stored on blockchain that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable.

    Accordingly, players can earn tokens while playing the game, get rewards by participating in the game’s events and make profit from selling in-game characters.

    The Topebox developer team includes experienced game producers from Vietnam’s gaming giant VNG and leading global mobile video games developer Gameloft.

    It aims to have it business appraised and valued at $150 million in the next 3-5 years.

    Before My DeFi Pet, Vietnam had developed another blockchain game called Axie Infinity, released in 2018. It was developed by Vietnamese game developer Sky Marvis and was the first blockchain game developed in Southeast Asia.

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  • Google will bring Stadia gaming to iOS via a web app

    Google will bring Stadia gaming to iOS via a web app

    It seems that the Stadia conundrum on iOS continues. Although Stadia has an official app on the App Store, you can’t use it to play actual games without downloading them first. Google’s true game streaming service was first brought to iOS devices via a third-party app – the Stadium browser. It was then taken down by Apple for violating certain guidelines and then brought back again after the developer fixed the issue.

    Now there’s another development to the saga. Google announced that it plans on developing a web app that will allow iOS users to play Stadia games on their phones and tablets without the need to download them. The company will initiate “public iOS testing” in the following weeks and it will use a web app in order to bypass Apple’s guidelines stating that:

    “Games offered in a streaming game service subscription must be downloaded directly from the App Store, must be designed to avoid duplicate payment by a subscriber, and should not disadvantage non-subscriber customers.”

    Even though the Stadium browser is technically available on the App Store and it can run games with the native Stadia controller hooked up, it’d be nice to have something official from Google regarding iOS users. We have to wait and see how Apple will react to all this.

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  • Vietnam has most adult gamers globally

    Vietnam has most adult gamers globally

    Vietnam has the highest number of adult gamers in the world in 2020, according to a recently released global consumer survey by German data portal Statista.

    Ninety four percent of Vietnamese said they gamed at least occasionally while nearly 20 percent said they were frequent gamers, according to the Statista Global Consumer Survey.

    Eighty five percent said they gamed on smartphones.

    Besides Vietnam, other developing countries like Nigeria, Thailand and the Philippines also reported high numbers of adult gamers, aided by their younger demographics.

    Smartphone gaming has won over people not previously invested in the activity by giving them easy access at low or no initial cost.

    The Statista Global Consumer Survey polled 1,000-4,000 respondents between 18 and 64 years of age in 55 countries and territories.

    Vietnam is a growing market for e-sport and online games. An earlier Statista report said online game revenues in the country this year are expected to top $10.1 million, up 16 percent from 2019.

    Another study by market research company Niko Partners and Google earlier this year forecast Vietnam’s e-sport market to achieve the highest five-year compounded annual growth rate in Southeast Asia, from 2018, of 28 percent.

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  • Epic Games dares to challenge the 30% Apple Tax and gets its developer account closed in return

    Epic Games dares to challenge the 30% Apple Tax and gets its developer account closed in return

    Apple and Fortnite developer Epic Games are in the middle of a, well, epic battle. The fight is over Apple’s in-app payment system and the 30% cut that the company takes on in-app payments. Apple says that it will revoke Epic Games’ developer privileges by shutting its accounts starting later this month. Last week, Apple told the developer to “remove the ‘Epic direct payment feature’ that bypasses Apple’s in-app payment system which counts seven beans for Epic and three for Apple with each purchase. On Epic’s website, the developer wrote, “Apple is keeping prices high so they can collect 30% of your payments, and is blocking.

    Epic, very publicly, is revealing what is going on. A Tweet disseminated by the game developer revealed that Apple has removed Fortnite from the App Store and will terminate its developer accounts on Friday, August 28th. Epic will not have access to iOS or Mac developer tools starting on that date. Epic filed a lawsuit today seeking a Temporary Restraining Order against Apple; the suit requests that the latter be restrained “from removing, de-listing, refusing to list or otherwise making unavailable the app Fortnite, including any update thereof, from the App Store on the basis that Fortnite offers in-app payment processing through means other than Apple’s In-App Purchase…”

    Epic’s Preliminary Statement included with its court filing explains everything from Epic’s point of view. It says, “Apple has for years used its complete monopoly over the distribution of apps to the billion users of iOS, the Apple operating system running on all iPhones and iPads, to coerce app developers into using Apple’s payment platform, In-App Purchase (IAP) for all in-app purchases of digital content used in their apps. By tying IAP to app distribution, Apple eliminates all competition in the market for in-app payment processing, allowing it to impose an exorbitant 30% “app tax” on all in-app purchases of in-app content.”

    The filing goes into more detail as Epic explains what took place earlier this month. “Just over two weeks ago, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was asked during a Congressional hearing whether Apple has “ever retaliated against or disadvantaged a developer who went public about their frustrations with the App Store”. Mr. Cook testified, “We do not retaliate or bully people. It’s strongly against our company culture.” But Apple has done just that. When Epic gave users of its app Fortnite a choice of how they wanted to make purchases, Apple retaliated by removing Fortnite from its App Store. Then when Epic sued Apple to break its monopoly on app stores and in-app payments, Apple retaliated ferociously. It told Epic that by August 28, Apple will cut off Epic’s access to all development tools necessary to create software for Apple’s platforms—including for the Unreal Engine Epic offers to third-party developers, which Apple has never claimed violated any Apple policy.”

    Apple has said that it is willing to work with Epic but the developer notes that “Apple’s actions will irreparably damage Epic’s reputation among Fortnite users and be catastrophic for the future of the separate Unreal Engine business.” The optics just do not look good for Apple especially since the App Store and the tech giant’s 30% cut are under the regulatory microscope in the states and Europe.

    Epic believes that it is “likely to succeed on the merits of its claims,” but is asking for the restraining order anyway. That is because it is concerned that it will be irreparably harmed before the court reaches a final decision. It should also be pointed out that Epic is not asking for monetary damages, nor it is asking for a ruling that would favor it above other companies. What Epic is asking for is “injunctive relief to allow fair competition in these two key markets that directly affect hundreds of millions of consumers and tens of thousands, if not more, of third-party app developers.”

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  • Snapchat fights misinformation with interactive Snapchat COVID-19 myth-buster game

    Snapchat fights misinformation with interactive Snapchat COVID-19 myth-buster game

    As the current public health situation unfolds, tech companies continue to look into ways to bring accurate knowledge to their users. Snapchat, as a typically younger-generation-oriented app, is providing a slightly different approach to promote reliable facts about the coronavirus – in a Snapchat game format.

    Now there is a new Snapchat game, which is a COVID-19 myth buster. As other Snapchat filter games, you are able to access it from the snap games list. The information the myth-buster game provides is taken from the World Health Organization.

    When you start playing, you receive questions about the coronavirus that you can answer with “true” or “false” and then you can send a snap of whether you got the answer right or wrong. Although this may seem too lighthearted given the current situation, education program expert Kelly Mendoza stated that young people learn a lot from games, so this way to provide knowledge is a great opportunity to engage young people and attract their attention to the situation.

    Therefore, the game provides a way to share accurate information about the virus, which cannot be a bad thing given the countless rumors and anxiety-spreading misinformation that the tech giants are fighting against.

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  • Burberry launches online game Ratberry before Chinese New Year

    Burberry launches online game Ratberry before Chinese New Year

    Burberry has launched an online game called Ratberry as part of its 2020 Lunar New Year campaign.

    The game builds on the popularity of B Bounce, the brand’s first online game launched in October last year. In the new game, Ratberry is the central character in a world inspired by the limited-edition Thomas Burberry Monogram motif, in honour of the Chinese Year of the Rat.

    Players bounce Ratberry upwards between platforms, aiming to get as high as possible, collecting gold coins and catching Chinese lanterns along the way.

    Burberry has also released Lunar New Year stickers on WeChat, featuring Ratberry and products from the dedicated Luna New Year capsule collection.

    Burberry has seen a growing appetite for gaming among younger consumers, particularly in China. As interactive digital content is increasingly becoming a source of inspiration, Ratberry is another opportunity for consumers to connect with the Burberry community online.

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  • Niantic increases Pokemon GO storage limit

    Niantic increases Pokemon GO storage limit

    Great news for Pokemon GO players, especially veterans who’ve played the game for a very long time, as Niantic has just announced another limit storage increase for its mobile game. This means that Trainers will now be able to catch and store no less than 3,000 Pokemon without having to transfer any of them.

    Keep in mind that you will still have to pay for the extra storage space, just like you did until now. Pokemon GO has a free storage limit of 300 Pokemon and 350 items, but you can purchase additional storage space up to 3,000 Pokemon and 2,500 items.

    Last year, Niantic increased the Pokemon GO storage limit from 1,500 to 2,000, and once again to 2,500 several months ago. Well, it looks like many players have already hit that limit forcing Niantic to further expand storage limit.

    In case you’re wondering how much it will cost you to hit the 3,000 Pokemon limits, you can do the math considering 200 Pokecoins will get you 50 slots (Pokemon or items). Of course, you can buy Pokecoins for real money or get them via in-game rewards and bonuses.

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  • For Sale: The World’s Most Exclusive Playing Cards

    For Sale: The World’s Most Exclusive Playing Cards

    You might think that a set of playing cards is a fairly cheap item that most people pick up in a convenience store or in an airport shop planning to use them to while away the time. While this is true of most sets, there’s a growing trend for retailers to stock more expensive and exclusive sets for people who also value them as collectors’ items or who want to make playing a card game a more exclusive experience.

    The history of playing cards goes back a long way with the first versions dating back to China in the first century AD. None of these survive and the oldest set currently on display date from the Middle East in the 15th century and can be seen in Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace.

    Whether any of these five examples of today’s most sought after sets will find themselves in a museum in 500 years’ time is impossible to predict.

    1. Smoke and Mirrors Gold Private Reserve

    Only 2,500 sets of these cards have ever been produced by the D & D Card Company and they are only available to those willing to visit the company’s San Diego showroom, which is only open by appointment. Each pack is individually inspected before being wrapped in gold foil and presented in a gold box.

    2. The Black Limited Edition Reserve Note

    Designed as one of series of sets using US banknotes as inspiration, the dramatic red and black design has found particular favour with players of blackjack, even if they’ve honed their skills and knowledge of blackjack rules online and then go on to use their expertise in a “live” game made even more special by these cards.

    3. Scarlett Tally-Ho Legacy Edition

    Funded by a Kickstarter promotion in 2015, the Scarlett Tally-Ho Legacy Edition was limited to just 50 sets, hence their extreme rarity value and prices of around $600 for each one. The cards were designed by Jackson Robinson making wide use of his favourite colour, red, and packed in a wooden case personally signed by the designer.

    4. White Centurions

    These cards really captured the public imagination when illusionist Chris Kenner used them in his famous Blueprint trick. As a result all of the 1,100 sets that had been produced sold out pretty much immediately and when they do appear for resale today you can expect to pay well over $300 to get your hands on them.

    5. Zenith

    Zenith was the very first design to be released by manufacturer Encarded‘s Signature Series in 2014 and has proved to be the rarest and most sought-after. The cards were designed by Paul Carpenter and use a silver holographic design on the back – thought to still be a unique playing card feature today.

    While these are all cards which have been on sale for some time now, rest assured that many more limited editions are still being produced which make superb retail items with a ready and willing group of customers prepared to pay the price. So why not start your search for some now?

     

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  • Niantic confirms Pokemon GO online player battles are coming in 2020

    Niantic confirms Pokemon GO online player battles are coming in 2020

    Niantic has been planning to implement a PvP system in Pokemon GO for quite some time now. The new gameplay mechanic is not yet ready for prime time, but Niantic confirmed that online player battles are coming in 2020.

    At the moment, Pokemon GO players can only battle other trainers locally, but they can battle NPCs wherever. Starting next year, Niantic will add an online PvP mechanic that will pit players against each other no matter their location.

    The new PvP system will be called GO Battle League and will make its debut early next year. Just like many other Pokemon GO features, GO Battle League will encourage players to explore the world with Pokemon. Players will be able to walk in order to earn entry into the GO Battle League, then face other players from around the globe through an online matching system.

    No other details have been revealed by Niantic in the announcement, so it’s unclear what rewards winners will receive and whether or not climbing in the ranks of the league will award any prize. The good news is we’ll find out more in a special Dev Insights video that Niantic promised to share very soon, so stay tuned.

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  • Microsoft confirms Gears of War mobile game drops this month

    Microsoft confirms Gears of War mobile game drops this month

    Unveiled more than a year ago, Microsoft’s Gears of War mobile game will be released on August 22, just a few weeks before Gears 5 hits PC and consoles in September. Dubbed Gears Pop!, since it’s a collaboration between Microsoft and Funko Pop!, the game will be available on both Android and iOS devices, Microsoft announced earlier.

    After a brief soft-launch, Gears Pop! will be fully available for everyone around the world with a compatible phone. The game features more than 30 Gears of War characters, ready to take your orders, all brought to life from authentic Funko Pop designs.

    In Gears Pop!, you’ll be building your squad mixing and matching COG and Locust units, use ultimate abilities, as you strive for supremacy on popular Gears maps. You can play against AI opponents to try out new squads before you take on real players.

    Since this is a free-to-play game, expect Gear Pop! to be heavy on in-app purchases, especially if you want to build a pretty solid team of Gears of War heroes and villains. You can still pre-register for the game via Google Play Store and App Store before the game launched on August 22.

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  • Pokemon GO brings back Water Festival, adds two new Pokemon

    Pokemon GO brings back Water Festival, adds two new Pokemon

    Pokemon GO developers announced recently they have decided to bring back the long-awaited Water Festival this year. The event will take place next week between August 23 and August 30, and includes new Pokemon, raids, and bonuses.

    Throughout the entire Water Festival event, players will notice that water-type Pokemon like Magikarp, Wooper, Wailmer, and more will appear more frequently in the wild. The same goes for the following Pokemon which will appear more frequently in the wild around water: Wartortle, Poliwhirl, Seaking, Lapras, Qwilfish, Mantine, Lotad, Feebas, Piplup, Buizel, and Finneon.

    Moreover, water-type Pokemon will hatch more often from eggs, but if you’re really lucky, you’ll also find two new Pokemon – Shiny Carvanha and Shiny Barboach. Some of the Pokemon will be able to learn new abilities during the Water Festival. For example, Kingler and Crawdaunt can learn Crabhammer, a water-type charged attack that is newly available in Pokemon GO.

    As far as raids go, on August 28, from 6 pm to 7 pm local time, players will be able to encounter Uxie, Mesprit, or Azelf in five-star raids in their respective regions. Also, water-type Pokemon like Blastoise, Vaporeon, Lapras, and more will appear in raids.

    Finally, there will be a couple of bonuses during Water Festival, such as 2x Hatch Candy and less distance needed to earn Buddy Candy for players who have water-type Pokemon such as their Buddy.

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