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- Sony is launching the PS5 in India on February 2nd - Engadget
- Everything we know about Samsung's Galaxy S21 so far - Engadget
- Xbox’s 2020 Was Less About This Year and More About the Next Decade - The Escapist
| Sony is launching the PS5 in India on February 2nd - Engadget Posted: 01 Jan 2021 01:59 AM PST PlayStation gamers in India will finally have the chance to get their hands on a PS5 within a few weeks' time. The official PlayStation India Twitter account has announced that Sony's new console will be available in the country on February 2nd. Retailers selling the device, including Amazon, Flipkart and other partners, will start accepting pre-orders on January 12th. — PlayStation India (@PlayStationIN) January 1, 2021 As TechCrunch suggests, the launch could indicate an improvement in Sony's supply chain, allowing the the tech giant to release the console in a new region. Jim Ryan, Sony Interactive Entertainment's CEO, confirmed shortly after the PS5's US debut that the device is completely sold out. He said the shortage would've happened regardless of COVID-19, but that the biggest issue caused by the pandemic was in pre-production due to travel and other restrictions. "Everything is sold. Absolutely everything is sold... I'm spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand," he revealed. PlayStation India also announced on Twitter back in November that Sony didn't have a release date for the country yet, because availability for each region is subject to "local import regulations" among other things. Fans may want to check out the pre-order's timing details from any of the participating retailers before January 12th, seeing as the console sold out in the US and other countries within minutes of pre-orders going live. According to an old tweet by PS India, the PS5 will cost buyers IDR 49,990 (US$684), while the digital edition will set them back IDR 39,990 (US$548).
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| Everything we know about Samsung's Galaxy S21 so far - Engadget Posted: 01 Jan 2021 07:32 AM PST 2020 is thankfully in the rearview mirror, which means -- among other things -- a year of new hardware to look forward to. While we'd normally have to wait a little longer for news of high-profile smartphone launches, 2021 is already shaping up to be a little different. For whatever reason, Samsung is planning to unveil its latest flagship devices very soon, so to prepare, we've collected everything we know about them right here. This story was first published on January 1st, and last updated on the same day. When will Samsung show these things off?Samsung hasn't announced when its next Unpacked event will take place, but we're fairly sure we know anyway. Thanks to our friends at Android Authority (and a particularly helpful Samsung India employee), we're all but sure the company will show off its latest smartphones on January 14th, with a global release to follow weeks later. Among other things, that means Unpacked coincides with the last official day of CES 2021 -- suffice to say, it's going to be a busy day around here. In case you aren't naturally attuned to Samsung's product launches, this timing (like just about everything else going on) is highly unusual. Traditionally, the company announces its first flagship phones in late February or March, around the time of Mobile World Congress. Be it because of accelerated production schedules, the fact that MWC has been pushed to June, or other factors we're not aware of, Samsung is planning to get its next flagship out the door far earlier than usual. It's probably hoping that extra lead time equates to more sales before the rest of 2021's similarly spec'd devices are released, but we'll have to see how that goes. What do we know about the Galaxy S21?Well, to start, we know it's called the Galaxy S21 -- for a while, many of us expected Samsung to jump to S30, but that's definitely not what's happening this year. As usual, the Galaxy S21 is Samsung's smallest flagship phone, and it got a slight makeover this year. The changes are most notable when you view the device from the rear: the all-black camera humps that debuted in last year's S20 series have been replaced by more elegant housings that blend into the S21's metal frame. (The phone nerd community quickly dubbed this the Phantom of the Opera design, and who are we to argue?) As a result, some of the S21's new color options look a lot cooler than others; the black and pink models have metal frames that match their bodies, while the white and purple models have eye-catching silver and bronze trim, respectively.  Meanwhile, the cameras themselves seem quite close to the ones we got in last year's non-Ultra Galaxy S20s. WinFuture's Roland Quandt notes the main 12-megapixel rear sensor offers an f/1.8 aperture and a 79-degree field of view, just like last time, and the phone's 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 10-megapixel front camera seem similarly unchanged. The one difference Quandt points out has to do with the S21's 64-megapixel telephoto camera: Samsung's chosen sensor seems to be a little smaller than last year, but the light-capturing pixels on it are reportedly the same size. The front of the S21 is as sparse as ever, but there are a few interesting things to note about the 6.2-inch, 120Hz Infinity-O display. For one, it uses an LTPS backplane which -- long story short -- allows for either lower power consumption or higher resolutions. Curiously, a detailed leak provided by AndroidPolice claims the Galaxy S21's display only runs at Full HD+, which would make this year's display quite a bit less pixel-dense compared to the ones we got last year. If these reports hold up, then it's clear Samsung wanted to squeeze as much life as it could out of the S21's reported 4,000mAh battery. Multiple reports also suggest Samsung is finally giving up on its use of curved-edge displays, and we're frankly happy to see them go. If you've ever accidentally launched an app or clicked a link with the side of your hand while stretching your thumb to reach for something, this is good news for you.  Evan Blass/@evleaks In the past, we've occasionally seen Samsung use Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets in all versions of a particular smartphone, like the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Don't expect that here, though: while an FCC leak confirms the US version of the S21 will use Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 888 chipset, some variants sold outside the US will instead pack Samsung's Exynos 2100. In other years, that would come as troubling news to some of the company's biggest fans, since Exynos-powered devices are frequently outgunned by their Qualcomm variants, but some early benchmarks suggest Samsung might have actually turned the tables this time. Granted, these kinds of tests don't speak to the totality of the smartphone experience, but the results are promising at least. And beyond the different chips powering the S21, you can expect to see similar configurations just about everywhere: we're expecting Samsung's small flagship to come with 12GB of RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. Oh, and one more thing: Samsung may give people the option of using Google's Discover feed on their homescreens instead of the company's lookalike. Not everyone will find this change all that interesting, but it's great news for Google purists who prefer the search giant's intelligent reminders and customized content picks.
What about the Galaxy S21 Plus? Just like last year, the S21 Plus is shaping up to be (what else?) a bigger version of the standard S21. The only differences we're expecting to see are fairly obvious ones, like a larger 6.7-inch screen also running at Full HD+ and a more capacious battery. Otherwise, expect the same RAM and internal storage allotments, the same cameras, the same new design -- the list goes on. That said, the S21 Plus might not come in that charming pink-on-pink color scheme which has us a little bummed. Conventional logic would suggest that, based on specs, the S21 Plus has the potential to be the most popular -- after all, it nicely splits the difference between Samsung's most affordable and most premium new models. Then again, Samsung felt the same going into 2020, but more people gravitated toward the highest-end model instead. And the Galaxy S21 Ultra?Samsung went all-out with its first Ultra smartphone last year, and that idea doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The Galaxy S21 Ultra shares a chipset and design with the other two models, but there's plenty here to set it apart from its siblings. For one, this year's Ultra is once again the largest device in the pack -- its supposed 5,000mAh battery and 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display should ensure this thing is a handful. And while we're talking about the screen, WinFuture's dutiful leaks all but confirm the Ultra is the sole version of the S21 with a 120Hz Quad HD display (one covered in Gorilla Glass Victus, no less).  And then there are the cameras, of which there are many. The standard S21 and the S21 Plus come with four, but the Ultra? It bumps the camera count to five, including a 40-megapixel front camera, a 12-megapixel, f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and -- once again -- a 108-megapixel main camera. Despite looking a lot like last year's flagship photo sensor on paper, expect this thing to work at least a little better; in addition to using a wider lens, WinFuture also reports this camera should produce better photos. (Exactly how that works is as yet unclear.) What's really odd this time, though, is that Samsung appears to have gone with two separate 10-megapixel telephoto cameras: one with a 3x optical zoom range, and another with a 10x range. (Thankfully, both also feature optical image stabilization.) We haven't seen any Space Zoom branding so far, but it's probably a safe bet that Samsung is bringing back some of its super-long-range shooting features. The big question, just like last time, is whether they're actually worth using. Rounding out the package is a laser autofocus sensor, a component that appeared for the first time in last year's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for good reason. Remember: last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra launched with some potentially deal-breaking camera issues, including some of the worst low-light autofocus we'd seen in a long time. That didn't stop it from becoming the company's early best-seller, but with devices like Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max pushing the envelope in camera performance, Samsung can't afford to fall short again this time. (That's especially true when you consider that many people are shying away from expensive new phones right now.)  Chris Velazco/Engadget What about the S Pen?Samsung's S Pen started off as a simple stylus for the Galaxy Note series, but it's come a long way. With the addition of a tiny capacitor and Bluetooth radio a few years ago, the S Pen is now as good for wirelessly controlling a Galaxy Note as it is for jotting down your grocery list. And at long last, you'll be able to use the S Pen with a phone that isn't a Galaxy Note. Persistent rumors — and now an FCC filing — strongly suggest that the Galaxy S21 Ultra has the needed hardware to play nice with the company's smart stylus. That doesn't mean you'll get one in the box, though. S Pens will reportedly be sold separately, alongside cases that have a spot to stow the stylus since you can't squeeze it inside the phone Note-style. If there are any further differences in S Pen usability between the S21 Ultra and a Galaxy Note, we haven't heard of any, but update this story as we learn more. How can I make sure I get one?Given the popularity of Samsung's flagship phones and the company's tremendous production chops, we really don't expect you'll have any trouble getting your hands on one come launch. That said, if you don't want to leave anything to chance, you can basically save yourself a spot in the pre-order line right now by registering on Samsung's website. |
| Xbox’s 2020 Was Less About This Year and More About the Next Decade - The Escapist Posted: 31 Dec 2020 10:00 AM PST Of the three major first-parties, Xbox is the one that feels like it's changed the most when you compare it at the beginning of 2020 to the end. Xbox Series X was finally fully revealed and released, alongside its more economical partner in the Series S. Game Pass and xCloud are attempting to redefine the entire way we interact with our games. The most anticipated Xbox game of 2020 became the most anticipated Xbox game of 2021. The gap between Xbox and Sony's first-party games was as wide as ever, but it's clear that that's going to change soon thanks to Microsoft's unprecedented studio acquisitions. In fact, Xbox's 2020 was less about what was contained in the year itself and more of a mission statement for the entire decade to come. The road to Xbox Series X began in 2019, with the tease of "Project Scarlett" at E3, followed by the unveiling of the actual name and design of the console at The Game Awards in December 2019. However, COVID-19 threw a wrench in Microsoft's 2020 plans, with events at GDC and E3 both canceled. Instead, we got a handful of blog posts and streams, including console specs being shown in March and a pair of digital events in May and July that showcased some of the games. The July showcase was particularly important for providing our first full look at Halo Infinite in action, and it's where Microsoft's launch strategy would ultimately pivot quite heavily. In 2020, Sony seemed to deliver a major first-party game every other month or so, including Dreams, The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Demon's Souls. And while Microsoft had a good year, it certainly couldn't match Sony's greatness. Aside from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which remains one of the most beautiful and best-playing games of 2020, we saw a lot of smaller releases in the form of Battletoads, Grounded, Gears Tactics, Wasteland 3, and the wonderful Gears 5: Hivebusters mini-campaign. The PC front also offered Microsoft Flight Simulator, which was an absolutely astounding feat that Xbox owners will be able to experience in 2021. On their own, these games were all solid, but held alongside some of those massive games from Sony's most talented first-party studios, it was a tough look for Xbox.
 Of course, Halo Infinite was supposed to be Microsoft's marquee game of 2020. The plan was for the cross-generational sequel to go back to the series's roots when it hit alongside the launch of the new hardware in November. But after that July reveal, everything changed. While the demo showcased what was obviously real gameplay that hearkened back in all respects to the original Halo: Combat Evolved, the visuals were certainly lacking, none of it screaming "next-gen." Shortly after the demo came a pair of major announcements regarding Master Chief's latest adventure. First was that the game's iconic multiplayer would become free to play for the first time in series history. This felt like a direct response to how shooters have evolved in recent years, with Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite having such prominent success and mindshare. The second and much bigger announcement was that Halo Infinite would be delayed to 2021, leaving a pretty sizable gap in Xbox Series X's launch lineup. It's clear now that the delay was the right move. Anyone who's followed the past month of Cyberpunk 2077 drama knows that launching a highly anticipated game before it's ready can cause a company to lose years of built-up goodwill. It's also becoming increasingly clear that 2020's global shift to remote work has heavily impacted development across the industry, as is evident by the delays of countless games over the past nine months, from some of 2020's biggest games like Marvel's Avengers, The Last of Us Part II, and Cyberpunk 2077, to anticipated 2021 games like Far Cry 6, Deathloop, and The Medium. But throughout the tumultuous year, Microsoft had a string of huge wins not from individual games, but rather the bolstering of its growing ecosystem. This includes Project xCloud, which launched in September for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers and will continue to grow in 2021 on Apple iOS platforms and Windows PCs, which are two massive markets. This is part of Xbox's growing strategy to democratize and decentralize the gaming experience, opening up next-gen gaming to a new audience of hundreds of millions of people. And at the core of this is Xbox Game Pass, which remains the best deal in gaming that's only getting better thanks to Microsoft's impressive acquisitions and partnerships.
 Microsoft's done a wonderful job of fixing its first-party drought by acquiring a wealth of great studios over the past few years, including developers like Double Fine, Obsidian, inXile, and Ninja Theory. But none of those could prepare us for September, when arguably the biggest gaming news of 2020 hit when Microsoft entered into an agreement to acquire Zenimax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. This included not only Bethesda Game Studios and its properties like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and the upcoming Starfield, but also developers like Arkane, Tango Gameworks, MachineGames, and id Software, which are behind beloved franchises like Dishonored, The Evil Within, Wolfenstein, and Doom. We still don't know what this means for these games ultimately appearing on other consoles, apart from the fact that Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo are still launching in 2021 as PlayStation 5 timed exclusives thanks to previous deals. All this aside, there's a strong chance that some of the next games in the aforementioned franchises will be Xbox exclusives, timed exclusives, or feature some sort of Xbox-related exclusive content. The full ramifications of the deal are going to be felt throughout the next decade, especially considering that Xbox Game Pass promises to be the home of all Xbox Game Studios games on day one. 2020 additionally saw a handful of massive game announcements coming down the pipeline, including Playground Games' long-rumored Fable reboot, The Initiative's "AAAA" take on Perfect Dark, and Obsidian's very Elder Scrolls-looking dark fantasy RPG, Avowed. It may have taken a few years, but we finally have a clearer view of what Microsoft's growing corral of studios is working on.
 Aside from this wealth of new first-party studios and projects, Game Pass grew even further by partnering with EA Play, bringing games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to the service. Recent rumors have pointed to a similar partnership with Ubisoft+, which would once again dramatically increase the value of the already incredible service. Plus, Microsoft is still making it home to fantastic indie games and smaller titles on the day of launch, including Spiritfarer, Call of the Sea, Haven, Carrion, and Tetris Effect: Connected. Simply put, Game Pass is a must-have subscription for anyone who owns an Xbox and, with the growth of xCloud, millions of people who don't. With all that said, Xbox Games with Gold kinda sucked in 2020 and is getting embarrassed by the free games offered on PlayStation Plus. With the new year, it's probably time for Microsoft to sunset GWG and just focus on a singular service with Game Pass. But obviously, the big Xbox event of 2020 came in November, with the release of Xbox Series X and S. Series S surprised me with how powerful it was for such a small, economic console. At $299, it's such an incredible gateway to "next-gen" gaming, a fantastic second console, and an amazing conduit for Game Pass. Meanwhile, Series X feels like future-proof hardware that has me excited to see what assorted studios have in store once we get to the meat and potatoes of the console generation. Xbox Series X is powerful, quiet, and familiar. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but damn if it isn't a nice-looking and functional wheel. Microsoft announced that the new consoles had the biggest launch in Xbox history, with a majority of the sales going to the Series S. That said, we know that PlayStation 5 has outsold the new Xbox in the UK, which doesn't actually mean much, except PS5 is also selling better on popular reseller websites. However, Nintendo Switch outsold both of the new consoles in November, making it the bestselling console for the 24th(!) straight month in the United States. Not a lot has changed from the last holiday season, but it feels like Microsoft is in a much better position than it was 365 days ago.
 From a top-down view, Xbox Series X's launch was lacking a killer next-gen exclusive like Demon's Souls or something that showed off why the hardware was special like Astro's Playroom did for PS5. In fact, two of my favorite experiences on my new Xbox have been Call of the Sea and Gears 5: Hivebusters, both of which came weeks after launch and to surprisingly little fanfare from Microsoft. Anecdotally, when I've logged into my Xbox in the past month, most of my friends have been playing third-party games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Fortnite, or Assassin's Creed Valhalla, whereas I see plenty of my PS5 pals playing Demon's Souls, Miles Morales, and Astro's Playroom. I'm sure it also doesn't help that Microsoft leaned heavily into Cyberpunk 2077's marketing, which quickly transformed post-launch into companies releasing long statements and clarifying how people get refunds on the game. Despite the relatively slight 2020 lineup, Xbox is poised to have an absolutely stellar next few years. From known quantities like Psychonauts 2, Halo Infinite, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, to games with impressive 2020 reveals like Fable, Perfect Dark, Ark 2, and Avowed, to the entire flock of Bethesda Softworks studios, the future of Xbox is looking bright. Paired with the incredible value of Game Pass and the tremendous potential that xCloud has to change the way we play games entirely, the sky is the limit for the next decade of Xbox. |
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