Con un mando en las manos desde que tengo uso de razón. Crecí con una Super Nintendo y me enamoré de la industria con una PlayStation 2. Fan de los líos espacio-temporales, puede que Chrono Trigger y Regreso al futuro tengan la culpa.
Three classic titles in the saga arrive for the first time on Valve's platform to confirm that Activision wants to bring the franchise to all platforms
New chapter in the particular recent history of the Call of Duty saga. A few hours ago, Steam players were pleasantly surprised to find that three classics of the franchise had landed on Valve’s portal. Thus, after revealing its intention to bring the well-known war license to Nintendo Switch, it seems that Call of Duty wants to be present on as many platforms as possible and, therefore, the reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) and the little-remembered Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020) and Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021) are already available on Valve’s platform.
The landing of these games on the popular PC launcher is far from a coincidence. The most recent release in the franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, can boast of being a real success as it placed among the best-selling games on Steam in 2022. However, this move is a sign of both Activision and Microsoft’s intention to bring Call of Duty to as many platforms as possible, the main factor that the various government entities involved are clinging to in order to prevent the purchase deal. But, with the confirmation of the franchise’s arrival on Nintendo Switch and the release of these three games, the intention to take the saga everywhere possible has been proven to be a reality.
We want the record to be clear and address any misunderstandings. I’m delighted to repost below this statement and affirm Microsoft’s strong commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s customers if our acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved by regulators. pic.twitter.com/AlsIjwAGEU
To commemorate the launch of the three Call of Duty releases, interested users can currently purchase them for just 30 euros. This offer will be valid until March 23, when it will be revoked and they will cost the full price (60 euros). In addition, it is also necessary to have an Activision account to enjoy both access to the game and all the content available in it. Thus, Steam players already have the opportunity to enjoy three of the most recent games in the franchise. Moreover, upon landing on the platform, it is possible that they will experience a situation similar to that of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the hacker-infested 2015 game that is still alive thanks to its community.
This is how the screen door effect works, the main evil of virtual reality helmets
Virtual reality is one of the most important technological phenomena of recent years. Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s company that has focused much of its efforts on supporting concepts such as the metaverse, believe that both virtual and augmented reality will be part of the most important technological tools in recent years. But, unfortunately, there is a phenomenon that affects all virtual reality headsets that, regardless of their cost, they fail to solve: the screen door effect.
This phenomenon, alluded to in Digital Trends, is a fairly common malady in any virtual reality device. In fact, its rate of occurrence is so high that it affects both low-end headsets and premium options, which is why there is no solution for this bug. Thus, the screen door effect appears when it is possible to see gaps between pixels, as if looking through a hole in a mesh. However, although there is no magic formula to put an end to this annoying circumstance, several companies have tried different methods to mitigate its impact.
One example might be to opt for more compact pixels. With a screen less than 5 centimeters away from the eyes, increasing the amount of visible detail can help users not to notice these gaps between pixels. At the same time, different firms opt to improve the arrangement of the subpixels, which is why Sony opted for an OLED PenTile screen for its recent PSVR 2. And, above these two options, the bet on diffusers and coatings stands out, two elements that make the pixels larger. However, being the cheaper solution, it is possible that on more modest devices the screen may appear slightly blurry.
Be that as it may, the screen door effect is a very personal aspect, which is why its detection depends on the eyesight of each user. Thus, its appearance is similar to the dizziness caused by this technology: while some users can enjoy virtual reality for hours without worries, others suffer a series of dizziness that makes it impossible for them to continue with this practice. Therefore, although there is no perfect solution, there are sufficient approaches for each user to choose the equipment that best suits them.
Crew 5 returns after making major strides for humanity on SpaceX's latest space mission
One of Elon Musk‘s main goals is to take mankind to Mars, a task for which he founded the well-known space company SpaceX. However, the creator of Tesla is investing his time in fixing Twitter, the well-known social network that hasn’t stopped giving him headaches since he took over a few months ago. But, as someone has to pursue Musk’s dream, just over 150 days ago up to 4 astronauts traveled to the International Space Station at the controls of Crew Dragon, a SpaceX spacecraft. And today, after much research and experimentation, they will begin their return home.
The objective of the SpaceX spacecraft crew’s mission was to conduct various scientific investigations and technology demonstrations with a single premise: to prepare humans for future space exploration missions. Thus, the work of Josh Cascada, Nicole Mann, Koichi Wataka and Anna Kikina was to delve into different future benefits for humanity on Earth, a mission that comes to an end today after 5 months. And, to commemorate the event, the International Space Station prepared a commemorative video with some of the best moments of the project.
Thus, Space X’s Crew 5 will begin their return shortly after 21:00 local time, at which time they will undock from the International Space Station; after this, they will begin a journey that will last just over 24 hours and return to Earth around 1:30 Saturday morning. Thus, Elon Musk can be happy with the outcome of this space mission. In recent years, the billionaire’s firm has stood out as one of the most ambitious in terms of the space race, which is why it put just over 50 satellites into orbit at the beginning of February. However, Musk has bigger concerns on the planet at the moment, such as his intention to ensure Twitter’s sustainability by rewarding the few remaining employees who have not yet been laid off.
A good example of this is the reimagining made by a Grand Theft Auto fan of the look of the characters in GTA: San Andreas. Thanks to Stable Diffusion, one of the best AIs for generating images, this user was able to make his dream come true by offering a realistic vision of CJ, Big Smoke, Sweet and other characters from Rockstar Games‘ classic. However, this practice does not always work out well since, for example, we could talk about the user who turned the protagonist of GTA IV into the streamer IlloJuan. Or, if we want to continue providing examples, we could also emphasize the failed plan of the GTA fan who got a somewhat curious version of Tommy Vercetti and Sonny Forelli, two characters from GTA: Vice City.
As you can see in the images above these lines, the result of the realistic version of both Vercetti and Forelli could be called strange. In the case of the former, it adapts iconic aspects of Vercetti’s look such as the hairstyle or the beard, but the truth is that there is a “something” that does not quite fit; in the case of the latter, the AI is more literal and retains the classic GTA drawn style, but nevertheless bets on realism in the hands, face and hair, a situation that leaves a picture that is difficult to qualify. Thus, although artificial intelligences aim to be the revolution of the decade, there are still some users who have a long way to go.
Although it had several controversies at the time it was released, such as criticism of its physics or the story as crude as realistic that starred the “good” Bellic, the truth is that time has been good and has been fair with this installment. More than a decade later and still with little news of GTA VI, users fondly remember the adventures of Bellic in Liberty City, a city inspired by New York that gave him experiences that marked his life. Thus, to pay tribute to the Slav, a user used an AI to recreate a hypothetical real version of him. However, as could be seen in his Reddit post, the result is far from the original.
Niko bellicNiko bellic (AI)
For some reason, the AI recreated Niko Bellic is a far cry from the original version. However, it doesn’t take much digging to find out the reason for this difference: the light in Bellic’s photograph. With side lighting, the artificial intelligence could not interpret the character’s features well, which is why it produced a realistic version that is far from what everyone would have imagined. Therefore, it is important to know how to use these tools to achieve convincing results, a situation that the user who wanted to imagine the realistic version of the characters in GTA: San Andreas did achieve.
A user uses artificial intelligence to bring the characters of GTA: San Andreas to life and the result is incredible
The impact of artificial intelligence in 2023 is undeniable. The emergence of ChatGPT, the chatbot capable of drafting essays, writing code and providing information of all kinds, is just the tip of the iceberg of a technology with a growing presence both in society and in the media. In fact, its irruption is such that it is already making its way into the video game and movie industry, a condition that led users to wonder about two very different questions: how Tom Holland would look at the age of 50 and, at the same time, how the characters of GTA: San Andreas would look reimagined with Stable Diffusion, one of today’s most popular image-creation tools.
Surprisingly, a user used the official Reddit thread of the AI to bring to life the characters of the iconic Grand Theft Auto title. Thus, those who enjoyed the craziness of CJ, Big Smoke or Sweet will hallucinate with the realistic look that artificial intelligence gave to these characters and many others that made players fall in love with San Andreas. With the image of the original characters as a base, the user used the virtues of the AI to bring to life the most recognizable faces of the game. And, as you can see below, the result is really impressive.
CJFrank TenpennyBig SmokeSweetRyderCesar VialpandoKatherineThe TruthMike TorenoWu Zi Mu
The popular fashion platform spied on users without their consent
One of the greatest conveniences offered by the Internet is the possibility of buying anything without leaving your living room. For this reason, in recent years options such as AliExpress, eBay or Amazon have not stopped growing and gaining followers, a select group joined by the Shein platform after conquering more than 100 million users on Android devices. However, an investigation has revealed that the well-known fashion app had a malicious error that gave access to personal data and, until it was corrected, it was active for half a year.
This information comes from The Hacker News, an Anglo-Saxon portal specialized in system vulnerabilities. In a recent news item, they report that a Shein bug made it possible to periodically capture and send the contents of the clipboard to a remote server. For those who are not familiar with the clipboard function, this is the tool that manages the content that the user has copied. Thus, those who have chosen to copy a password, personal data or an excerpt of a conversation, put their information at risk without knowing it. But luckily for Shein users and shoppers, this bug was fixed almost a year ago.
As they point out in the news, this problem was related to version 7.9.2 of the Shein app on Android, a revision that saw the light of day last December 16, 2021. Since then, all users saw their private information exposed, a situation that came to an end when the bug was fixed in May 2022. Today, almost a year later, Shein has version 9.0.0, an update free of such errors. And, as a direct consequence, both those in charge of the application and those responsible for Google introduced various changes to prevent this situation from recurring.
As reported by members of Shein itself, one of the star apps for gifting at any time of the year, no member had specific knowledge of malicious intent behind such behavior. Google, for its part, introduced a series of measures to prevent apps from accessing the clipboard. These include a warning when an app intends to do so and a ban on apps attempting to obtain data while not running in the foreground. In this way, Google made sure to protect clipboards, a tool they consider key as it allows attackers to collect useful information and data from their targets.
For Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett's performances are to blame for Will Smith's attitude
Remember the moment that went around the world exactly one year ago? Unless you live under a rock, you probably know the story starring Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after bringing up his toxic mascunity. Twelve months later, each has returned to what they do best: movies and a monologue addressing the experience from the comedic side.
On February 13 will take place the most awaited event by fans of the seventh art: the annual Oscar Awards. In it, the spotlight will be focused on actors like Brendan Fraser, the protagonist of historic franchises such as The Mummy, who returns in style after his performance in The Whale, who will share this media spotlight with proposals such as Top Gun: Maverick or the curious and charismatic Everything Everywhere All at Once. However, although the Academy tries to omit it and almost a year has passed, two of the stars of the event will once again be Will Smith and Chris Rock.
At last year’s ceremony, Rock acted as master of ceremonies, which meant he had to liven up the evening with jokes, funny comments and other situations. But, unfortunately for him, everything got out of control during the awarding of the best documentary feature film. At this point, the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett’sshaved head by pointing out that he was looking forward to seeing her performance in the sequel to Lieutenant O’Neil, a comment that did not sit well with either Pinkett or Will Smith.
As a result, Smith went on stage and slapped Rock. The audience, torn between astonishment at the situation and disbelief that it was a pact, was uncomfortable with the joke’s resolution. After returning to his seat, Smith aggressively asked the host to stop referring to his wife, a request that Rock accepted and later noted that they had experienced “the greatest moment in the history of television. After this, the ceremony continued and Will Smith won the award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, but the consequences for those involved were not to be long in coming.
Ten years of punishment for Will Smith
As expected, the moment between the performers became the most talked about moment of the night. Once the gala was over, users from around the world sought an explanation for the situation, a maneuver with which they discovered that there were already previous conflicts between those involved. As an example, they cited the 2016 Oscar ceremony in which, following Jada Pinkett’s boycott due to the lack of African-American actors nominated, Chris Rock (who was also acting as master of ceremonies) pointed out that Pinkett’s position was as ridiculous as if he boycotted “Rihanna’s panties” since none of them were invited. This, coupled with other situations, revealed that the relationship between Pinkett, Smith and Rock had had its ups and downs.
The latter, who had a performance in Boston a few days after the Oscar ceremony, revealed during it that he was still processing what happened, which is why at some point he would try to talk about it. As for Jada Pinkett, a few days later she acknowledged through her social networks that she did not need anyone’s defense, a statement to which she added that she was going to start a personal healing stage. Finally, Will Smith, although he was able to keep his Oscar for Best Actor, abandoned his position in the Academy and received a 10-year sanction that will prevent him from attending events organized by the Academy until 2032. And, when everything seemed to have calmed down a year later, a Chris Rock show and some new statements by Will Smith have reignited the controversy.
Chris Rock thinks Will Smith’s anger is due to Jada Pinkett’s infidelity
In a recent Rock show released on Netflix, the comedian alludes to his incident with Will Smith and his current view of the situation. During his monologue, Rock analyzes the inordinate public exposure of the Smith-Pinkett marriage, a decision that led them to publicly acknowledge that Jada had been unfaithful to Will with a friend of their son. And this, for Rock, was the conditioning factor for Smith’s attitude since he considers that the public exposure of this fact, added to the way they both acted, made him quite insecure. If you want to see an excerpt of the monologue focused on this situation, you can do it below these lines.
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 5, 2023
Smith, for his part, delivered his first speech after almost a year of silence. As reported by Deadline, this took place during a recent awards ceremony of the African American Film Critics Association. In this, Smith took the stage next to Antoine Fuqua, director of Towards Freedom and numerous action films, and thanked the opportunity to be back and be able to work on what he loves the most. After this, he praised Apple for their willingness to make the film, jokingly noting that the budget was never a problem because they make iPhones and can afford it.
So, while Rock addressed the issue in his most recent show, Smith prefers to shelve the issue and not allude to it. In fact, during the show the comedian revealed that the performer has not answered any of his calls in the last year. Thus, just days before the celebration of the most important annual event of cinema, the controversy over the events of the past are back in the eye of the hurricane.
The use of artificial intelligence as a creation tool is already a reality in video games and movies
The impact of artificial intelligence on current and future society is undeniable. In recent weeks, this technology has been making headlines due to its impact and possibilities. In addition to the popularity of ChatGPT, the AI that is the protagonist of all the debates, other options such as DALL-E or Microsoft’s particular bet have managed to bring artificial intelligence to corners of the world. As a result, events such as the first festival of video gamesand films made by AI are already a reality.
As reported by the portal GamesBeat, the first Artificial Intelligence Games and Film Festival will take place in San Francisco on May 9. However, before that, the AI Games Hackathon, an event starring video games and demos produced with artificial intelligence, will be held for the first time on March 23. In it, those who can show titles generated with AI will have the chance to win up to $10,000 in prizes, a figure to which all those who use this technology as a vital tool in their creations will have access.
Among the candidates, GamesBeat mentions proposals such as Tales of Syn, an RPG similar to the classic Fallout 2 that will use AI to enhance dialogues and will delve into the division between classes in a future era on Earth. In addition, he also mentions other titles such as Origins, based on the relationship between humans and robots, or Echoes of Somewhere, a classic adventure in 2.5D that will allow players to take advantage of the virtues of artificial intelligence. Undoubtedly, this Hackathon is an excellent opportunity for those capable of using AI as a key tool in the development of video games.
The May 9 festival will also focus on films generated with this technology. As detailed by the portal, in the last 12 months more than 515 million euros have been invested in the creation of photography, cinema and video games with artificial intelligence. Thus, the objective of the organizers of the event is to give visibility to this investment and, at the same time, to show the virtues of the same. With this, they hope that in the next few years 1 of the 20 best games and 1 of the 20 best movies will be generated by artificial intelligence. They also mention examples such as White Mirror, an anthology of short films focused on the relationship between man and machine, and figures such as Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.
Epic Games will bet on including the long-awaited first-person mode in its next update.
Epic Games is already finalizing the last preparations for the landing of FortniteChapter 4 Season 2. The successful battle royale, the undisputed leader of its genre for almost five years, gathers millions of players every day who make the most of its game modes, iconic character skins and the other elements available in the title. However, if a recent leak turns out to be true, it is possible that Fortnite users will receive a much-demanded update in the coming weeks.
Since its beginnings, one of the main desires of the battle royale community has been to have the possibility of playing in first person. Apparently, this option would be closer than they think since a reputed insider who has already leaked on other occasions content of the game shared via Twitter a very interesting screenshot. In it, you can see how Epic Games has implemented the first-person view for Fortnite. And, as he points out, this long-awaited addition will be available in the next update of the game.
Is it going to be forced a bit like Zero Build, or optional
In the responses to his publication, HYPEX has offered more details on the matter. Thus, he indicated that most aspects seen by his source were in the usual third-person mode. Therefore, he believes that the first-person view will be an optional setting similar to the one seen in modes such as Zero Build, a specific option in which all users accept a series of conditions and restrictions in order to participate. Thus, if this option is integrated, it will most likely be a specific mode for all those who want to enjoy the game with this new view.
