News
Qualcomm has announced a larger and faster fingerprint sensor
Introducing the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2
Even with improved facial recognition technology, fingerprint scanning technology is still a cornerstone of smartphone security. Some brands, like Samsung, continue to use the technology for their smartphones. Marking the importance of fingerprint readers, Qualcomm has announced a larger and faster fingerprint sensor.
Named the 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2, the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is likewise found under the screen. However, the new variant will feature an 8mm x 8mm surface area. For reference, the current model only has a 4mm x 9mm surface area.
Further, coupled with the larger operational area, it also features faster processing speed. The scanner will read fingerprints 50 percent faster than the current model. According, the reader will be able to record 1.7x biometric data. It will allow better security and faster access, which is always a great plus for the still-confusable technology.
Despite the announcement, Qualcomm has not announced any upcoming smartphones with the technology. The company has only mentioned that such phones will arrive in “early 2021.” Given that this week is CES 2021, we might see compatible smartphones as early as next week. For example, Samsung, a known client of the technology, will unveil its latest Galaxy S21 series on January 14.
SEE ALSO: Qualcomm launches the Snapdragon 480
What is an Xbox? For the past year and a half, Microsoft will tell you that anything can be an Xbox. Now, with Project Helix on the horizon, Xbox wants to bring the idea of playing anywhere to the next level. Microsoft will start rolling out its new Xbox Mode to PCs in April.
Since the very first device out in the market, handheld consoles have changed how people play games. Naturally, a lot can already be said about the portability and the convenience of its hardware. But the software needs a special shoutout, too.
Though they are essentially PCs at heart, these consoles are built explicitly for gaming. Fiddling around with Windows isn’t ideal. Instead, they have special software that can collate all of a user’s games into one hub.
The new Xbox Mode, adapted from the ROG Xbox Ally X’s Xbox Full Screen Experience, will do just that but on an actual PC. As announced via an official blog post, Xbox will release the new mode to Windows 11 devices in April, starting with select markets. Like the software used in handheld consoles, Xbox Mode should include all the available games from the Game Pass, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
Right now, the feature will likely go up against Steam’s Big Picture Mode, which does the same thing but only for Steam titles. However, it should also transition neatly to Project Helix. Xbox is now ramping up the development of its next-generation console codenamed Project Helix. The upcoming machine will be a high-end PC and a gaming console rolled into one, making it perfect for Xbox Mode.
SEE ALSO: Project Helix is Xbox’s next console, and it plays PC games
Gaming
Resident Evil Requiem will get a story expansion
There’s no word yet on when the story expansion will drop.
Resident Evil Requiem, Pokémon Pokopia, and Slay the Spire 2. Between these three, gamers today are eating well and good. Or rather, they’re not, because of how addicting of a time sink these titles are. The latter two especially are built to be played over and over for weeks and months. Now, Resident Evil Requiem is working on something, so you also won’t forget about it in a few months’ time.
Via an official post on Resident Evil’s social media platforms, Capcom has confirmed that a story expansion is coming to the horror game. Currently, the base game doesn’t take long to beat, especially when compared to other RPGs today. The expansion should add more content to explore the story’s world.
Right now, Capcom can’t share a timeline for the update’s launch. However, in the meantime, the developers are cooking up a few minor updates to keep the game alive. For one, the game will receive performance updates to improve the smoothness of gameplay and fix bugs. It will also get a photo mode for all you Leon-holics out there.
Finally, in May, the base game will get a “minigame” added to the main game. There’s no word as to what this minigame is, so we’ll have to wait for when it drops.
Resident Evil Requiem is out now on all major platforms. The game features the survival horror style of the modern Resident Evil games, while serving up the classic action gameplay with the return of Leon S. Kennedy as a co-protagonist with Grace Ashcroft.
SEE ALSO: Resident Evil Requiem is out now
Entertainment
Samurai Champloo is getting a live-action adaptation
The adaptation is coming from One Piece’s Tomorrow Studios.
The live-action One Piece, which recently premiered its second season on Netflix, is one of the rare wins for the anime adaptation segment, especially after a string of misfires. Now, after the success of that series, things are getting bolder. Tomorrow Studios, which produced Netflix’s One Piece, will adapt Samurai Champloo into a live-action format.
Still from the brilliant mind of Shinichirō Watanabe, Samurai Champloo is often touted as the samurai version of Watanabe’s more popular Cowboy Bebop but with a more cohesive story and a hipper soundtrack. Since its first airing over two decades ago, the series has enjoyed a cult following, especially for those who enjoyed Cowboy Bebop.
First reported by Variety, Tomorrow Studios will adapt the show into a live-action series. Critically, Watanabe will be involved in the show’s production.
Because the show is still in early development, there’s no news beyond that. In fact, though it’s likely that Netflix will pick the series up, Tomorrow Studios hasn’t shopped the series to platforms yet.
Samurai Champloo is going to be a huge gamble for the studio. Previously, Tomorrow Studios crashed and burned with its Cowboy Bebop adaptation, which ended up getting canned soon after its premiere. Watanabe even criticized the series for changing the plot too much.
This time, however, Watanabe has given his blessing and will likely steer the adaptation to success. The studio has also promised an adaptation more faithful to the original’s story and soundtrack. Both of which were crucial to the original show’s success.
SEE ALSO: One Piece: Into the Grand Line unveils final trailer ahead of premiere
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