Technology - Google News

Valve's Steam Deck Hopes To Avoid Switch's Joy-Con Drift Issues - Nintendo Life
Tencent to buy British video game studio Sumo for $1.27 billion - Engadget
'iPhone SE 3' With A14 Bionic Chip and 5G Expected in First Half of 2022 - MacRumors

Valve's Steam Deck Hopes To Avoid Switch's Joy-Con Drift Issues - Nintendo Life

Posted: 19 Jul 2021 07:30 AM PDT

With all the lawsuits, official investigations, homemade fixes and fan complaints, it's safe to say that controller stick drifting – especially on Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con controllers – has been a heated talking point in gaming over the past few years.

Of course, plenty of controllers from a variety of manufacturers have the potential to suffer from drift (yes, even your fancy new PS5 DualSense could end up having problems), so conversation surrounding the topic has started once again thanks to the reveal of Valve's upcoming Steam Deck, a system which some will consider to be one of Switch's closest rivals going forward.

Keen to reassure potential customers that drifting won't be an issue with the Steam Deck, Valve hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat and designer John Ikeda have touched upon the system's design process in conversation with IGN. When specifically asked about stick drift, Aldehayyat says:

"We've done a ton of testing on reliability, on all fronts really – and all inputs and different environmental factors and all that kind of stuff. I think we feel that this will perform really well. And I think people will be super happy with it. I think that it's going to be a great buy. I mean, obviously every part will fail at some point, but we think people will be very satisfied and happy with this."

Ikeda mentions that the team didn't want to "take a risk" on the parts they selected:

"We purposely picked something that we knew the performance of, right? We didn't want to take a risk on that, right? As I'm sure our customers don't want us to take a risk on that either."

The drift issues that have plagued Switch's Joy-Con controllers have been a huge headache for Nintendo; the company has faced lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit, has been forced to apologise, and has been put under pressure from the European Consumer Organisation to investigate and solve the issue. It's hardly surprising that Valve would want to avoid a similar nightmare with its new tech.

Do you have any interest in Valve's Steam Deck, and would you choose it over a Switch OLED?

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Tencent to buy British video game studio Sumo for $1.27 billion - Engadget

Posted: 19 Jul 2021 02:15 AM PDT

In a busy year for gaming mergers, another deal has just been announced. Tencent is to fully acquire Sumo Group, the UK developer behind LittleBigPlanet 3 and Crackdown 3. The Chinese web giant is offering 513 pence per share for the studio, in which it already owns an 8.75 percent stake, valuing it at $1.26 billion (£990 million).

The acquisition brings another major developer into the Tencent fold. Already the world's biggest gaming company, Tencent owns League of Legends studio Riot Games, and has a financial stake in several publishers including Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, Bluehole, Paradox Interactive, Supercell, Grinding Gear Games and Yager, along with chat platform Discord. In February, the company acquired a minority position in DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive.

But, Tencent's dominance has triggered regulatory pushback at home and abroad. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities blocked its plan to merge its two game livestreaming sites, Douyu and Huya. Tencent is also negiotiating an agreement with a US national security panel that would allow it to retain its stakes in US companies Riot Games and Epic Games, according to multiple reports.

The Sumo acquisition hands Tencent a mix of AAA and indie content. Alongside LittleBigPlanet 3 and spinoff Sackboy, both published by Sony, Sumo was also behind Hitman 2. It also owns UK-based indie developer The Chinese Room (Everybody's Gone to the Rapture) and Red Kite Games, best known for ports of games like Two Point Hospital. In February, the studio purchased Poland's PixelAnt Games for £250,000.

"The business will benefit from Tencent's broad videogaming ecosystem, proven industry expertise and its strategic resources, which will help secure and further the aspirations and long-term success of Sumo," Ian Livingstone, non-executive chairman of Sumo, said in a statement.

Between Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax and EA's deal for Codemasters, 2021 is already turning out to be a blockbuster year for video game consolidation. Other hot deals include Epic Games acquisition of Fall Guys studio Mediatonic, Sony's purchase of Returnal developer Housmarque and Facebook's takeover of BigBox VR through its Oculus arm.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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'iPhone SE 3' With A14 Bionic Chip and 5G Expected in First Half of 2022 - MacRumors

Posted: 19 Jul 2021 01:31 AM PDT

Apple plans to update the iPhone SE, its 4.7-inch entry-level iPhone, with an updated A14 Bionic processor from the iPhone 12 series in the first half of next year, according to a report from DigiTimes.

iPhone SE Cosmopolitan Clean
DigiTimes' report follows in the footsteps of reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reported last month the ‌iPhone SE‌ would receive an updated processor and 5G capabilities in the first half of 2022. Kuo says the new ‌iPhone SE‌, which has marketed well for customers looking for smaller handsets, will be the "cheapest 5G iPhone ever" and is hoped to bolster Apple's position in the increasingly competitive 5G market.

The ‌iPhone SE‌ was originally released in March of 2016 as a small entry-level ‌iPhone‌ to replace the ‌iPhone‌ 5S, released three years earlier. Apple updated the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time in April of last year with the A13 Bionic processor borrowed from the iPhone 11, a larger screen, a new design, and improved cameras. According to reports, the upcoming ‌iPhone SE‌ 3 will sport fewer changes, featuring only the improved A14 Bionic processor and 5G.

The ‌iPhone SE‌ is the only ‌iPhone‌ within Apple's current lineup that features a Touch ID sensor and a Home Button, and that design will continue with the ‌iPhone SE‌ 3 next year, according to DigiTimes and ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌. Looking further out, Apple is reportedly planning to redesign the iPhone SE with a punch-hole screen design rather than a notch in 2023.

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