Will Star Wars Battlefront 2 Loot Boxes Bring Regulation Into Gaming?

On this episode of Transition, gamers Rishi Alwani and Mikhail Madnani join host Pranay Parab to talk about Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot boxes, Ashes Cricket, Destiny 2, IGX 2017, Demon’s Souls, and Deus Ex Mankind Divided. We begin the episode by talking about Star Wars Battlefront 2 and loot box legislation. The first thing we discuss is whether loot boxes are a form of gambling. We talk about the loot box regulations in China, European legislation attempts, CS: GO's failed lottery system, and Gacha games in Japan. 

Then we mention how loot boxes are different from traditional forms of gambling, and why Star Wars Battlefront 2 in particular is in the spotlight. We wonder whether this game has brought the wrath of regulation on gaming and what are the downsides of having regulators interfering with video games. We conclude this segment by comparing the loot boxes in Overwatch against those in Battlefront 2.

Next up, we talk about claims that Bungie has been lying about Destiny 2 XP system. We begin by explaining the level scaling mechanics in Destiny 2, and how players discovered that the XP system was rigged. Then we talk about Bungie’s statement and whether it's a good enough explanation. 

Then we bid a fond farewell to Demon’s Souls' online component. Mikhail talks about the history of Demon’s Souls and measures it against other games in the series. Then we explain why the online component of the game is still quite popular and talk about the future of PS3 and Xbox 360 games, and how it's decided by the number of people who play these games online.

Rishi then starts shedding tears over Square Enix claiming that Deus Ex is quite important to the studio. He talks about why Deus Ex is a big name in gaming, Deus Ex Mankind Divided controversies, and why you should be sad about the state of Deus Ex. Following that, we talk about Ashes Cricket, starting with why Big Ant Studios delayed the PC release and the game's rather steep MRP and subsequent discounts within weeks of release.

Here the discussion takes us back to Steam Direct and what a disaster it is for PC gaming. This begins with a discussion on why developers delay PC releases. Rishi and Mikhail talk about the discoverability problem on Steam, low-quality games, and the rather low Steam Direct entry fee. Here we subtly point people to the Transition episode on Steam Direct.

Honor 7X India Launch Set for December 5, Sales Begin December 7

HIGHLIGHTS

• Honor India confirms the launch of Honor 7X
• New Honor smartphone will be available exclusively on Amazon.in
• Huawei has scheduled an event in London to announce the launch

Huawei brand Honor on Tuesday confirmed that it is set to launch the Honor 7X in India on December 5. The new smartphone was unveiled at a media event in China last month and was recently teased to debut in the Indian market with an "unbeatable price" tag. It will go on sale in the country exclusively on Amazon.in following its formal launch next week, starting December 7.

The Honor India account on Twitter has revealed the launch schedule. As per the details provided by the official account, Huawei is hosting an event in London on December 5 where the Honor 7X launch will be announced for alongside the global launch of the Honor V10. The event will be live streamed in India through the Honor India Facebook page at 8 pm IST on December 5. Further, a listing on Amazon.in confirms that the Honor 7X will go on sale in the country from December 7 at 12pm IST. The online marketplace started taking registrations for the sale earlier this month.

As a successor to the Honor 6X, the Honor 7X features a 5.93-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio and full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels resolution. The Android 7.0 Nougat-based smartphone runs Huawei's proprietary EMUI 5.1 custom skin and is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor. Also, it packs a 3340mAh battery and has dual-SIM support.

The Honor 7X has a dual-camera setup with a set of 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors on the back and an 8-megapixel camera sensor is available on the front. The handset comes in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage options that all include a microSD card to expand the built-in storage by up to 256GB.

India price details about the Honor 7X in India are yet to emerge. However, the 32GB Honor 7X is available in China at CNY 1,299 (approximately Rs. 12,800), while its 64GB version is available at CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 16,700) and the top-end version with 128GB storage is on sale at CNY 1,999 (approximately Rs. 19,700). All these models have Gold, Aurora Blue, and Black colour options.

Vodafone's Rs. 399 RED Basic Plan Offers 10GB Data, RED Together, Data Roll Over Benefits

  

HIGHLIGHTS

• RED Together was unveiled earlier this month
• Users on RED Together can save up to 20 percent, Vodafone says
• The RED Basic plan offers free incoming on national roaming

Vodafone India on Wednesday launched its new RED Together feature for postpaid customers, unveiled earlier this month alongside its new Vodafone RED data roll over plans. The benefit is meant for groups like families, and is said to provide up to 20 percent savings on the total rental of the group, and offer up to 20GB data extra. The RED Together feature also allows the group to make a single payment, under a single bill.

As mentioned, RED Together is meant for groups like families, but is not restricted to them, and users can choose to bring their friends - or their own multiple devices - under the feature. Consumers can apply for Vodafone's RED Together on any new RED postpaid plan, starting with the RED Basic plan at Rs. 399. The telecom operator says the new plans are currently not available in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh circles.

The Vodafone RED Basic plan offers unlimited local, STD, and free incoming on national roaming, 10GB data, and data roll over (allowing users to carry forward a maximum of 200GB of unused data to their next cycle). Unlike the new RED Traveller, RED International, and RED Signature plans unveiled earlier this month - starting at Rs. 499, all of these also offered data roll over and RED Together eligibility - RED Basic does not offer bundled Netflix, Vodafone Play, and Magzter subscriptions, free outgoing calls on national roaming, a number of free local/ national SMSes, or RED Shield device security.

Speaking about the launch of RED TOGETHER, Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director - Consumer Business, Vodafone India, said, "RED TOGETHER is an extremely rewarding proposition that guarantees savings for our consumers. As it is exclusively available on the recently relaunched Vodafone RED Postpaid plans, it further strengthens Vodafone RED's position of being India's best postpaid plan."

WhatsApp Now Lets Users Play YouTube Videos Without Leaving Chats

WhatsApp for iPhone has been updated, and brings two new features - the ability to watch YouTube videos directly within a conversation, and, the ability to lock recording so users can record a voice message without holding the button down. Notably, the YouTube feature comes with Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, allowing users to keep watching the video even when they navigate to another chat. The new WhatsApp v2.17.81 app for iPhone is now available to download via the App Store, and details the changes in the What's New section.

The update was first spotted by WABetaInfo, which adds that the YouTube feature may need to be enabled with a server side switch. We were also not able to replicate the built-in player or PiP on the latest version of the iPhone app, but, the voice message recording lock is there.

"When you receive a link to a YouTube video, you can now play it right within WhatsApp. With picture-in-picture, you can also keep watching the video while you navigate to another chat," the App Store description reads.

Earlier, when users clicked on the link, the YouTube video would open in YouTube app installed on the smartphones.

The latest update can also help you record long messages with ease. "Want to easily record long Voice Messages? When recording a Voice Message, just swipe up to lock recording so you can continue to record without keeping your finger down," read the description.

WhatsApp is also working on a new feature that will allow users to quickly switch from voice to video call while the voice call is in progress.

According to WABetaInfo, in a new Android update, WhatsApp is developing a new button that will allow users to quickly switch from voice to video call without stopping the voice call in progress.

The recipient, however, will be able to reject the upcoming video call if he or she wants.

"WhatsApp is also testing a feature that will allow to directly mute a video," the report added.

WhatsApp has over 200 million monthly active users in India and 1.2 billion users worldwide.

Written with inputs from IANS

ONE PLUS 5T LAVA RED

OnePlus 5T 'Lava Red' Limited Edition Colour Variant Launched in China

The Lava Red variant of the OnePlus 5T is currently visibleon OnePlus' China site, with a starting price tag of CNY 2,999 (roughly Rs. 29,300), which is identical to the price of its 'Midnight Black' model. Notably, it is not listed on the Buy page yet. The new variant was announced at the OnePlus 5T launch event as a Limited Edition variant for the country, as reported by TechDroider.

Sans the new colour treatment, the OnePlus 5T Lava Red variant has no changes over the existing OnePlus 5T. The smartphone has a 6.01-inch Optic AMOLED display with full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, coupled with 6GB and 8GB RAM options and up to 128GB onboard storage. The handset runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based OxygenOS and packs a 3,300mAh battery.

As we mentioned, his isn't the first time when OnePlus has opted a new colour option for its flagship model. The Shenzhen-based company launched the OnePlus 3 Red colour variant last year. It also launched a limited edition OnePlus 5 Soft Gold variant in India earlier this year.

Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Rs 149, Rs 199 plans: What they offer, which one is better

The telecom war doesn't seem to end anytime soon. It all started from the time Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio entered the telecom space back in September 2016 with its free and unlimited data and calling facility. The free services definitely wooed the customers, and in no time Jio garnered millions of consumers. This indeed started giving sleepless nights to other telecom majors in the industry. To counter Jio's services and strategies -- telecom operators -- especially Airtel and Vodafone started to bring in new 'value-for-money' plans and revamp the old ones with the motto to provide more at a cheaper price.

New tariff plans are introduced almost every passing day, and very recently, Airtel and Vodafone announced two new plans and both are priced at Rs 199. Similarly, to counter Jio's 149 plan, Airtel also introduced Rs 149 plan. So, which of the aforementioned plans are better? Which one should you opt for? Let's find out.

Airtel Rs 199 plan

It is a couple of days ago that Airtel announced this offer for its prepaid users. So what does it offer? Under the Rs 199 plan, Airtel offers unlimited local and STD calling facility, and 1GB of data with a validity for 28 days. When we tried to check the MyAirtel app, this plan was listed under the bestselling prepaid packs category. Under this plan, customers will be able to receive unlimited roaming incoming calls, but then it seems charges will be applied to the roaming outgoing calls. You'll also get unlimited local and national SMS facility.

Vodafone Rs 199 plan

Like Airtel, Vodafone also offers the Rs 199 plan to the prepaid users only. Under this plan, consumers will get 1GB of 4G or 3G data along with unlimited local and STD calling facility will the validity of 28 days. But, the unlimited calls come with certain limitations. It doesn't literally offer 'unlimited' calls. Under the new plan, Vodafone prepaid users will be able to make unlimited calls for only 250 minutes in a day -- both local and STD and to any network, while the weekly limitation is 1000 minutes. So, what happens if you make more than 250 min calls in a day? In that case, Vodafone will charge 30 paise per minute call. There's another limitation. If you make calls to more than 300 unique numbers in a week, Vodafone will charge you 30 paise per minute for the remaining validity. Alongside the data and call offers, this plan also offers a free subscription to Vodafone Play to the customers.

Comparing the two plans, both Airtel and Vodafone offer almost the similar benefits to its users. Although there are slight difference in the calling facility, as there a lot more limitations when it comes to Vodafone's Rs Rs 199 plan. Airtel's plan also has some limitations but are comparatively a little lesser than Vodafone.  

Airtel Rs 149 plan

Now coming to the Rs 149 plan by Airtel -- which the company apparently introduced to take on Jio's Rs 149 plan. Under the Rs 149 plan, Airtel is offering 300MB data along with unlimited local and STD calls with a validity for 28 days. But then, there's a catch. 4G handset users opting for this plan will get 300MB data, while other handset users will get only 50MB.

Jio Rs 149 plan

Jio revamped its tariff plans back last month - at the time of Diwali. It revamped its Rs 149 plan as well. After the revision, Jio's Rs 149 plan now offers 4.2GB of 4G data along with unlimited local and STD calls. The plan comes with a daily FUP limit under this plan is 0.15GB.

Comparing these two plans, Jio seems to offer better services compared to Airtel. The data offer by Airtel is much lesser than that of Jio's. However, in the calling department, both the telcos offer the same service. 

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) Front Panel Leaks, Suggests Dual Selfie Cameras and Thin Bezels

 

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) 

In addition to the dual selfie camera, the leaked panel of the Galaxy A8 (2018) apparently suggests thin bezels on the left and right of its display. The panel doesn't look curved, unlike some of the recent bezel-less smartphones. However, the actual shape of the frontal view would be visible only on the handset - not through the surfaced glass panel.

Earlier this month, the Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) received Wi-Fi and FCC certification. Samsung also revealed the existence of both the new Galaxy A series smartphones through its official support pages. If we believe the details provided by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) both will run Android 7.1 Nougat and have dual-band Wi-Fi support.

Some case renders of the Galaxy A5 (2018) had emerged last week that showed a thin-bezel display and a rear-facing fingerprint sensor on the new smartphone. Recent reports suggested that the Galaxy A5 (2018) will come with a 5.5-inch full HD+ display and include an Exynos 7885 chip, paired with 4GB RAM.

Considering some historical records, Samsung is expected to unveil its new Galaxy A range, including the Galaxy A5 (2018), Galaxy A7 (2018), the Galaxy A8 (2018), in January. The new lineup is also likely to be showcased at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a dedicated Bixby Voice button, similar to the Galaxy S8 flagship.