BioWare has explained the new changes in its gameplay they have made to the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. The first Mass Effect was an RPG, but the sequels are mostly focused on the feel of combat.
The Legendary Edition of Mass Effect has received some changes to its combat system and UI: better aiming, team AI, camera positioning, and squad controls. For a sequel, this type of gameplay change was not necessary.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition’s project director and a longtime BioWare developer, Mac Walters say, “One of the first questions is if we’re remastering this, what does that look like, and what does it mean to us. It quickly became this archaeological discovery, pulling things out […] one of the jokes I’d make, we’d talk about restoring a beautiful beloved car. Still, then it quickly turned into sure, if that car was buried in cement, and every time you tried to clear off some of the cement you were worried about dinging the paint or ripping off a mirror…”
Besides that, BioWare has appeared with disappointing news for the series fans that the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect 3 has been removed from the Legendary Edition. On this topic Mac Walters says, “What do we do with cross-play, what do we do with people playing multiplayer now, how do we honour that, bring them in, bridge that gap, and of course these aren’t insurmountable challenges […], but when you looked at the amount of effort that it was gonna take to do that, it was easily commensurate if not greater than for example uplifting all of Mass Effect 1.”
“I think our focus really was on the singleplayer experience, and at some point, we had to draw the line. I love ME3 multiplayer like I say people are still playing it today. Still, ultimately I think the product, the overall ME: LE is a better representation of the original trilogy because we’re able to focus on those singleplayer elements,” he added.
Maybe the majority of the audience is on the side of the single-player mode. Simultaneously, where Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode is alive, it isn’t very pleasant to see the remaster of Mass Effect 3 without its best features.
Qualcomm Inc. has signalled towards a global semiconductor shortage, as the world’s largest smartphone chipmaker is struggling to meet demand.
“The shortage in the semiconductor industry is across the board,” said incoming Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon, according to Bloomberg.
Like most chipmakers, the American company outsources production to companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics Co. These suppliers are trying to adjust to a vigorous rebound in demand far they are failing. The U.S. auto sector, in particular, has complained about this recently, but Qualcomm’s comments show the problems are deep-lying.
When the Covid-19 pandemic took the world by storm in early 2020, chip orders initially collapsed, and the R&D teams could not predict what holds for the future. But remote work and studying have seen demand for computers spur, while car buying has surged as people avoid public transport. That, in turn, has caused auto and electronics makers to need more chips than previously thought.
Amon said orders for chips that run cars, computers, and many other devices that are internet-connected are swamping the industry, which mostly relies on just a handful of developed factories in Asia. Supply should see a positive effect in the second half of 2021, he added.
According to a report by Bloomberg, “Qualcomm shares fell about 6% in extended trading. The stock closed at $162.30 on Wednesday in New York, leaving it up 6.5% in 2021.”
On Wednesday, Qualcomm also reported quarterly results and gave an upbeat forecast. However, some analysts and investors were not satisfied as they have become more bullish on Qualcomm recently.
Outgoing CEO Steve Mollenkopf gave supply constraints as the reason why Qualcomm’s performance was curbed.
Apple Inc., a major Qualcomm customer and one of the biggest consumers of chips globally informed last week that some components’ availability limited sales of high-end iPhone 12 models. Earlier on Wednesday, American automaker, General Motors Co., warned that a global semiconductor shortage would bring in a decline in production this year as the company plans downtime at three plants.
Qualcomm is the largest maker of chips that connect smartphones to wireless networks and is also a supplier of processors that give the devices their computer-like capabilities. With customers including some of the big players of the market like Apple and Samsung, the company’s projections are a closely watched indicator of the health of the mobile phone market.
In its fiscal first quarter, Qualcomm said revenue was $8.24 billion, which is a gain of 62% from a year earlier, while analysts, on average, projected $8.25 billion. Net income was $2.12 a share. Excluding certain items, profit was $2.17 a share, compared with Wall Street’s average estimate of $2.09.
Last month, Qualcomm said Mollenkopf, who will retire in June, will be succeeded by Amon as the CEO of the company.
The Japanese giant has recently announced the consolidated financial results for Q3 2020 yesterday. So, the Hiroki Totoki, vice president and CFO of the company, has said that it would be difficult to increase production of the PlayStation 5.
We know how much in demand these new PlayStation 5’s are and this scarcity in availability is restraining a lot of people to buy new consoles. Also the unavailability of the PS5 has led to scalping and a lot of illegal practices, which as fan no one likes to see.
The total sales in the game & network service division alone increased by 251.1 billion yen year-on-year to a whopping 883.2 billion yen. In contrast to this, the operating income increased by 26.7 billion yen to 80.2 billion yen.
As per Sony, by the end of December, a total of 4.5 million units had been shipped, thanks to the launch of PS5, which could have seen a lot better numbers if not the pandemic would disrupt the sector. Sony has said they are currently on track to meet our sales goal for the fiscal year of more than 7.6 million units.
The total PlayStation user gameplay time in December was approximately 30% higher than the same month of the previous fiscal year. Not only this, as of the end of December, 87% of PS5 users were subscribers to PlayStation Plus.
Also, Sony’s own Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales game recorded sell-through of a whopping 4.1 million units as of the end of December. Sony has seen a record-breaking end of 2020 but as the demand continues to grow, it will hard to match it, as its primary supplier AMD CEO Lisa Su expects that the capacity of manufacturing partners would be insufficient until the first half of 2021.
Although this winter transfer window was a lot quieter than others, many great deals were made through loan options, free transfers or sales for a relatively low price.
Speaking on the deals completed on the Here We Go podcast on Patreon, Fabrizio Romano and Francesco Porzio revealed, according to them, the best deals of the winter transfer window.
Fabrizio Romano chose Martin Odegaard’s transfer to Arsenal on a six-month loan deal as the best deal that took place in January. The Norwegian is the direct replacement for Mesut Ozil, who left for Fenerbahce after his contract with Arsenal was terminated.
The Real Madrid man is tasked with increasing the creative output of the Gunners and is finally getting to the place where he becomes a definite starter. Real Sociedad were also trying to get him back for another spell, but Mikel Arteta managed to convince Odegaard to choose the Emirates instead.
Podcast host Francesco Porzio went with the transfer of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig for €25 million as the bargain of January. The Hungarian is currently out injured, and it will be a while before he features for his new club.
Many close favourites were the acquisitions of Ozan Kabak by Liverpool, Papu Gomez by Sevilla and Mario Mandzukic by AC Milan.
With the first month of 2021 over, it is the perfect time to travel back and see what were the smartphones launched in January. Without wasting any time, let’s visit the list.
1. iQOO 7
Vivo’s iQOO 7 sports a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. In terms of optics, it offers a triple rear camera setup. This includes a 48MP primary camera and two 13MP sensors, along with 16MP snapper for selfies. It has a refresh rate of 120Hz and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. The smartphone is powered by a 4,000mAH battery with 120W of fast charging support. It’s 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant cost RMB 3,798 (approx Rs 43,000).
Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G smartphone showcases a 6.55-inch FHD+ OLED display with 2400×1080 pixels resolution. It is run by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset. In terms of optics, offers a quad rear camera setup having a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP mono portrait lens. Talking about the front cam, it offers a 32 MP selfie snapper. It features a 4,350mAh battery and is paired with a 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging support. It is priced at Rs. 35,990.
The Honor V40 exhibits a 6.72-inch full HD+ OLED waterfall display. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ 5G mobile processor. The camera setup boasts to have a 50MP primary sensor along with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro sensor. Talking about the front cam, it hosts a 16MP dual-camera system for selfies. It sports a 4,000mAh battery with 50W wireless charging. The price for the 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage variant is RMB 3,599 or around Rs 40,600.
This Vivo’s device sports a 6.56-inch FHD+ (2376×1080) AMOLED display. It is powered by Qualcomm’s latest SoC, Snapdragon 888. On the rear side, Vivo X60 Pro+ hosts four cameras which include a 50MP primary sensor, 48MP wide-angle, 32MP portrait lens, and 8MP periscope camera. On the front side, you can notice a 32MP camera. It houses a 4,200mAh battery and comes with a 55W flash charging. The price of this new smartphone in China starts from CNY 4,998 or approx Rs 56,400.
Motorola’s latest smartphone comes at CNY 1,999 or Rs 22,500 (the base variant). It features a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2520×1800) LCD display and is run by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G chipset. Talking about the camera, it features a quad rear camera setup that includes a 64MP primary sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide sensor, a 2MP fixed-focus depth sensor, and a ToF sensor. The front-facing camera includes a 16MP primary and an 8MP wide-angle sensor.
Xiaomi Mi 10i features a 6.67-inch full HD+ (1080p) IPS LCD. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 750G processor. The quad rear camera setup features a stunning 108-megapixel sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 2-camera macro shooter, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. It is backed with a robust 4820mAh battery and support of 33W fast charging. It is priced at Rs 20,999.
This smartphone offers you a 6.53-inches FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) IPS LCD. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC. On the rear side, you can witness a triple camera setup with a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro lens. Also, you can click pretty selfies with the aid of 13MP snapper. It hosts a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast-charging support. The price of the device is Rs. 14,590.
9T features a 6.53-inches FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) IPS LCD. The smartphone comes at a price of €169 for 4GB and storage of 64GB variant. It is run by Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 Soc. The quad rear camera setup consists of a 48 MP sensor, 8 MP camera, and two 2 MP macro and depth cameras. The selfie camera features an 8 MP sensor. It houses a Li-Po 6000 mAh non-removable battery equipped with 18W fast charging capabilities.
Samsung launched three devices Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The three smartphones have a display of 6.2-inch, 6.7-inch, and 6.8-inch respectively. Galaxy S21 offers you a triple camera setup with 12MP ultra-wide sensor, a 12MP wide-angle sensor, and a 64MP Telephoto zoom lens. It houses a 4,000mAH battery. The price of the base model of this smartphone is (8GB+128GB) Rs 69,999.
Galaxy S21+ comes with a 12MP primary lens and a 64MP Telephoto Camera lens and a 12MP Ultra-Wide Angle lens. It is packed with a 4800mAh non-replaceable battery and 25W Fast Charging technology. The base model is priced at Rs 81,999. Last but not least, Galaxy S21 Ultra a stunning 108MP wide-angle sensor, 12MP Ultra-wide lens, and two 10MP telephoto zoom lenses. For selfies, it is equipped with a 40 MP camera. It has the same battery as the previous device, that is, 4,800mAH battery cell. The base price for this device is Rs 1,05,999.
Realme V15 comes with a 6.4-inch AMOLED type screen with 1080 x 2400 pixels screen resolution. It is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 800 MT6873V chipset. In terms of optics, the rear side of the device has a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. It also possesses a 16MP selfie camera at the front. It houses a 4,310mAh battery with 65W charging capability. The price of the device is Rs. 15,890.
This smartphone features a 6.52 inch IPS LCD screen. It is powered by MediaTek Helio G35 chipset. In terms of optics, C20 offers you a single rear camera of 8MP along with an LED flash. Talking about the front camera, it hosts a 5MP selfie-shooting lens. Realme C20 houses a robust 5000mAh Li-ion type battery. The price of this smartphone is Rs. 7,990.
Marseille have suspended head coach Andre Villas-Boas after the Portuguese publicly called the club out on their performance in the winter transfer market. The “suspension” is widely believed to be the first step towards the eventual sacking of the coach.
“This protective decision had become inevitable given the recent scheming and attitudes shown which have seriously damaged Olympique de Marseille as an institution,” read a club statement announcing the suspension.
“I don’t want anything from Marseille. I don’t want money,” said Villas-Boas, who was named boss in 2019.
“I’m waiting for an answer, it could be no and then we would continue. I don’t want any money, I just want to leave.”
Marseille signed Olivier Ntcham from Scottish Premiership club Celtic on deadline day to replace the outgoing Morgan Sanson, who sealed a transfer to Premier League club Aston Villa.
On Ntcham, he said: “The transfer window finished with the arrival of a new player. A decision which wasn’t taken by me. I had nothing to do with this decision.
“In fact I learnt about it in the press this morning. It is precisely a player for whom I said no [to signing]. He was never a player on our list.”
Marseille currently find themselves 9th in the Ligue 1 table, with two games in hand on the rest of the league. Should they manage to secure the six points available, they could move up to sixth, ahead of Rennes.
Monitor is the device through which computers display expressions to us most of the time. While gaming, its efficiency really matters. In case you are looking for a monitor for gaming purposes, here are the top 10 monitors for gaming under Rs.15,000.
Acer ED273 Abidpx
Price – Rs.14,990
27″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) Curved Widescreen VA Display with AMD FreeSync Technology
144Hz Refresh Rate- Using Display Port
Response Time: 4ms, Pixel Pitch: 0.3114mm
Ports: 1 x Display Port, 1 x HDMI & 1 x DVI (w/HDCP)
DXOMARK has recently announced that the OnePlus 8T qualifies with a score of 89 in the screen tests. This puts the last year’s affordable flagship second to only the Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, which costs nearly double to that of the OnePlus 8T.
Interestingly, as per the DXOMARK rankings, the so-called affordable flagship device has even managed to match the score of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (Exynos variant) while the Snapdragon version of the smartphone leads the chart with 90 points.
Also, the display of the OnePlus 8T manages to beat the expensive iPhone 12 Pro Max display, thanks to the 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Here’s what ITHome reports about DXOMARK’s decision of giving OnePlus 8T such high numbers:
“According to DXOMARK, the one plus 8T has beautiful colours, scores on sports and touch items are good, and readability in low light is pretty good. One plus 8T has also improved a lot in terms of processing video content, with more accurate overall colour rendering (skin tones should be better). The beautiful colours of the 8T screen, improved video rendering, and smooth touch make the 8T an outstanding member of the 8 Series and a competitive machine in its market segment.”
FIFA has earmarked for a record collection of revenue from the sale of official hospitality packages for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup after it was launched on a global platform. The hospitality pre-sale procuring period was conducted by MATCH and was offered to FIFA’s Commercial Affiliates and select groups.
Qatari newspaper, The Peninsula stated that MATCH yesterday announced that the pre-sales had reached an unparalleled level of $90m with the respective agents collectively committing to sales targets exceeding $260m, which resulted in far beyond the total target achieved for FIFA World Cups in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
“We are delighted to confirm that demand for the FIFA World Cup is stronger than ever. The remarkable global response we have had to our pre-sales and the enthusiasm and professionalism with which our long-standing sales agents have responded to our invitation to tender has further cemented our belief that despite the unprecedented events of recent months due to the global pandemic, there remains unwavering enthusiasm and interest in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Hospitality Programme,” said Jaime Byrom, Executive Chairman of MATCH Hospitality.
The conclusion was done by MATCH, of its worldwide sales agent tender process, where international sports travel and hospitality agencies have been appointed by MATCH to sell FIFA World Cup hospitality services worldwide. MATCH’s tender process resulted in the appointment of 27 agents across 39 territories, who have collectively committed financially to sales targets exceeding $260m. The amount sets another FIFA World Cup record, far exceeding the sales targets secured by MATCH for the equivalent sales agent tender processes conducted by MATCH in connection with the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Hospitality Programme will offer guests hospitality packages which include official match tickets plus a wide range of on-site services at the stadiums such as gourmet catering, premium beverages, preferential parking, entertainment and gifts, as well as additional ancillary services, including accommodation and air transportation.
“We are delighted to see such extraordinary interest in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 when following challenging times, the world can come together for a global festival of football,” said FIFA Director of Commercial Revenue Nick Brown.
Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, said: “The launch of global hospitality packages for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 brings us another step closer to delivering an extraordinary tournament in just under two years’ time. We have always said that Qatar 2022 will set new global benchmarks for the delivery of mega-events, and hospitality is no exception.
“Making guests welcome and feel entirely at home is a central tenet of Arab and Middle Eastern culture; alongside our partners, we look forward to greeting our fans and visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they come to Qatar, and help them make memories they will never forget,” he added.
Sales for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Hospitality Packages launched globally will be available to clients on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ashok Dinda served Bengal cricket for one-and-a-half decades with his amazing pace and passion. He also donned India colours in ODIs and T20Is and has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday.
During his press conference, he thanked everyone who supported him in his journey and was accompanied by his wife Sreyasi Rudra, at the Eden Gardens and said, “Today I am retiring from all formats of cricket. There have been several people, including my parents, who have helped me throughout my career and I would like to thank them. A thank you to my on-field guardian, Sourav Ganguly. He has a lot of contribution in my career,”
“I am today retiring from all formats of cricket. I have sent the mails to BCCI and GCA to this effect. There have been several people who have helped me throughout my career whom I would like to thank beginning with my parents. Then it’s Dada (Sourav Ganguly). It is because of him that I got to play for Bengal and when as skipper he stood at mid-off he would always guide and encourage me.”
Dinda hails from a small village named Naichanpur in West Bengal. Dinda has faced many struggles and has crossed many hurdles to play for the Indian National Cricket team. He was spotted by a coach from Kolkata and his journey as a cricketer began as Dinda was brought to Kolkata and gave him a contract with quite a famous West Bengal club, Kalighat Club. Since then, he never had to look back beside his first-class debut for Bengal in 2005.
Dinda with his consistent pace, impressed everyone in his first season with the Bengal cricket team. His impressive spell in domestic cricket helped him earn a spot in Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Despite being a late addition to the team, he got nine wickets in 13 games at an economy rate of 6.66. Subsequently, his impressive performance earned a spot in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy.
A year later, Dinda appeared for his T20I debut against Sri Lanka. When the selectors picked him for the ODI and T20 squads for the tour of Zimbabwe after the selectors decided to rest several senior players, Ashok Dinda made his debut in 2010 and concluded with 12 wickets in 13 matches.
His international career consisted of only 13 ODIs and nine T20Is with 29 wickets to his name overall. Dinda has also been a star performer for Bengal and has been the highest wicket-taker for Bengal season after season without much limelight and, has 420 wickets to his name from 116 first-class games and 141 wickets from 91 List A matches. Dinda has a record in first-class cricket with 8 for 123 against North Zone in the 2011-12 season and clinched 151 wickets in List A cricket and 151 scalps T20 format.
Ashok Dinda has featured for many IPL franchises like Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors, Rising Pune SuperGiants, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and was known for distinctive action, speed, and the ability to generate great bounce from the surface. His bowling speed was on average 130 kmph, however, there were situations when Dinda bowled at a speed which also clocked in the late 130s.
He has 68 wickets in his bag from 78 IPL games at an economy rate of 8.22, although the economy rate has been on the higher side in the IPL, the 35-year-old fast bowler possess an economy rate of 7.62 which is quite decent in the shortest format. Dinda has also represented Goa in 2021 domestic cricket season.
So after such a glorious domestic cricket career along with the international caps, the pacer from Bengal has now decided to call it quits from all forms of cricket.
