Think of the most impressive, memorable video games of the last 40 years and they tend to have one thing in common: unity of vision. From the sludgy corridors of Doom to the vast art deco chambers of Bioshock, great games take place in intricately realised worlds where every aspect – from armour to architecture – reflects a consistent visual theme. As in the movie industry, the creation of detailed virtual worlds often involves the production of concept art – reams of sketches and paintings, based on early script drafts and discussions, fashioned to provide a target look for designers, artists and coders.…
Author: Loknath Das
Twentieth Century Fox is teaming with the “Captain America” directing team of Joe and Anthony Russo for the studio to co-finance and distribute movies from the brothers’ unnamed production company. The production company will formally launch next year after the brothers complete their work directing Marvel-Disney’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and the untitled sequel. “Avengers: Infinity War” will open May 4, 2018, and the sequel is set for May 3, 2019. The Russo brothers directed 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” for Marvel-Disney. The team first gained notice for their work on the 2002 film “Welcome to Collinwood” and then turned…
Google parent Alphabet on Monday saw shares slide as the market reacted to a massive fine by the European Commission and word that success in mobile, cloud and YouTube is coming with higher costs. Alphabet reported a quarterly profit of $3.5 billion (roughly Rs. 22,532 crores), in a sharp decline from a year ago, with a $2.74 billion antitrust fine in Europe biting into earnings. The technology giant reported that revenue grew to $26 billion (roughly Rs. 1,67,384 crores) in the recently ended quarter, and that profit would have tallied nearly $6.3 billion if it were not for the fine levied on search engine Google by the European Commission. Earnings…
YouTube unveiled its latest weapon in its effort to combat terrorist propaganda on its site: redirection. Users who search for such content will now be directed to videos that show victims of terrorism and clerics refuting violent religious narratives. Social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google have been rushing to respond to the wave of hate speech and terrorist propaganda flooding their platforms where it can be accessed by people with a penchant for violent behavior. “When people search for certain keywords on YouTube, we will display a playlist of videos debunking violent extremist recruiting narratives,” YouTube announced in a blog post last week explaining the…
Alphabet said it appointed chief executive of its Google unit, Sundar Pichai, to its board. The company’s board also includes founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In a statement, Alphabet CEO Page said, “Sundar has been doing a great job as Google’s CEO, driving strong growth, partnerships, and tremendous product innovation. I really enjoy working with him and I’m excited that he is joining the Alphabet board.” The company reported a 21 percent jump in quarterly revenue on Monday, maintaining a growth rate that is rarely seen among companies its size and suggesting the big sales gains enjoyed recently by the other Internet firms are not done yet.…
A major Pokemon Go festival in Chicago Saturday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the virtual game went badly awry when technical glitches prevented many fans from logging on. The problems forced Niantic Inc., the developer of the wildly popular augmented reality game, to issue a statement saying everyone who registered for the event would get a full refund for the $20 (roughly Rs. 1,290) tickets and $100 (roughly Rs. 6,450) in credits for use of the app. Niantic CEO John Hanke was booed when he took the stage at Chicago’s Grant Park to address the thousands of frustrated Pokemon enthusiasts. Some in attendance…
Google parent Alphabet on Monday saw shares slide as the market reacted to a massive fine by the European Commission and word that success in mobile, cloud and YouTube is coming with higher costs. Alphabet reported a quarterly profit of $3.5 billion (roughly Rs. 22,532 crores), in a sharp decline from a year ago, with a $2.74 billion antitrust fine in Europe biting into earnings. The technology giant reported that revenue grew to $26 billion (roughly Rs. 1,67,384 crores) in the recently ended quarter, and that profit would have tallied nearly $6.3 billion if it were not for the fine levied on search engine Google by the European Commission. Earnings…
Lucknow Outgoing president Pranab Mukherjee recently got lessons in sports from young researcher Kanishka Pandey. Sports: A way of life, written by Pandey, explains how sports plays a major role in holistic personality development of players. It was presented to Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan. “This research is the first-of-its-kind academic work on sports that lays emphasis on national character building through sports and seriously challenges the adage that sports spoil the human being,” Pandey, a former state-level badminton player from Lucknow’s St Francis College, said. During the 15 minute audience, Mukherjee asked him about the content of the work and how…
Even though most people use WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for chatting, there is no dearth of alternatives available. There are privacy-focused options such as Telegram, and sticker-filled apps such as WeChat, so there is a messaging app for every purpose. One such app, Wire, takes a slightly different approach. Wire’s appeal lies in its simple, clutter-free design that is suitable for both professional and personal use. The app, which is backed by Skype co-founder Janis Friis, let’s you chat, share images, and make voice calls to other Wire users. Like WhatsApp, and some other apps, Wires uses your phone’s contact list to quickly connect you to other users you…
HIGHLIGHTS PES 2018 online beta is available on PS4 and Xbox One It offers two modes: Online Co-op and Quick Match The beta runs till July 31 9:30am IST PES 2018 doesn’t release for another month or so, but Konami is giving players a sneak peek into the new iteration thanks to an online beta that’s now available for free (without the need to pre-order) on the PS4 and Xbox One. The reason it’s being called a “beta” by Konami is because it’s meant to test the online component of PES 2018 – a traditional “demo” of the game will be available closer to…