Gaming in China. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

Nintendo is in the habit of, at times, not revealing which studios have developed some of its first-party titles, especially if they were developed by external studios (as was the case quite recently with Super Mario RPG’s remake, developed by ArtePiazza), and similarly, details on who exactly has developed the upcoming Princess Peach: Showtime! have been elusive.

Apple escalated its feud with Epic Games on Wednesday, blocking the Fortnite video-game maker from launching its own online marketplace on iPhones and iPads in Europe.

The famous open-source platform MESA on Linux has pushed out CPU-based ray tracing for its Vulkan driver, opening new performance possibilities on the OS.

Sea is “still making changes” and has yet to launch its popular mobile game Free Fire in India, more than six months after announcing plans to do so.

Bliss Brain has delayed Princess Maker 2 Regeneration from its previously planned May 30 release date to July 11. It will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam with English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language support.

Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.12 hit the RPG on February 29 alongside some relatively short patch notes. The patch notably didn't mention a newly discovered Easter egg attached to an unassuming diner in Watson district, which the devs at CD Projekt Red were only recently musing about being undiscovered.

Netflix has released the final trailer for its upcoming mind-bending sci-fi show 3 Body Problem, and according to the streamer, something big is coming. 

After weeks of anticipation, the Xiaomi 14 series has been launched in India today, March 5. The Chinese tech giant is bringing two smartphones to India - Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Xiaomi 14, as part of its flagship smartphone lineup. Prior to launch, Xiaomi was expected to launch just the base smartphone in India but the company has sprung a positive surprise by bringing its flagship model to the Indian market as well. From features to price, know all about the Xiaomi 14 series.

The AI arms race between the U.S. and China has escalated to a new level, and there will be some defectors in the mix intending to steal highly secretive files to give the other region an edge. As it happens, one Google engineer, Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing trade secrets revolving around Google’s AI chip software and hardware on March 5. In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that Ding had 500 confidential files containing AI trade secrets and was secretly colluding with China-based firms attempting to seek an upper hand in the AI race.

The Vivo V30 series will be announced today, March 7, 2024, at 12 PM. Vivo is expected to launch two models in the V-series: Vivo V30 and the Vivo V30 Pro. Over the past few weeks, we have been hearing a lot about the device in the form of leaks and speculation. Now, just before the launch, prices for the upcoming Vivo devices have been leaked and it is speculated to enter the mid-range smartphone market. If you are waiting for the Vivo V30 series to be launched, then check out what is expected to be announced at the launch event.

Apple has come along with their iPhones in the last few years. It has created a name and brand image for itself which attracts buyers to invest in its products. However, becoming one of the top smartphones is not enough for tech-savvy buyers in every country. A recent study highlights that iPhone sales in Japan are continuously increasing, but it's the exact opposite in China. Apple iPhone sales have seen a massive decrease, while Huawei has been the choice for many in China. Know more about the market study here and what experts say.

A Honkai: Star Rail leak showcases gameplay for Aventurine that players will encounter in version 2.1. Although Honkai: Star Rail is in version 2.0 at the moment, there are already leaks about the next version, which will supposedly offer freebies in celebration of the game's anniversary. It's being speculated that at least eight characters will be obtainable in an event-exclusive selector during update 2.1.

Apple's iPhone sales in China fell 24% year-on-year in the first six weeks of 2024, according to research firm Counterpoint, as the U.S. company faced increased competition from domestic rivals such as Huawei.

If you've been itching for another video game presentation, the Future Games Show Spring Showcase has got you covered. The digital event is set to take place next month, and as per usual, it's secured some familiar voice talent to stand in as hosts for the show.

After the successful China Hero Project helped bring several great PS5 and PS4 games to a global audience, Sony is doing the same in India, and it's ready to talk about the selected titles. The India Hero Project is aiding a set of five games from Indian developers, all of which are heading to PS5 as well as PC.

Rayka Studio has announced Home of the Yokai, a creature-collecting adventure RPG with an auto-battle combat system. It will launch for PC via Steam on July 10 with English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language support.

As gacha game developer HoYoverse continues its pursuit of world domination, the developer has effectively rebooted its first gacha giga hit, Honkai Impact 3rd. Already over six years old, this wasn’t the first entry in the Honkai franchise, but it was the one that blew up and catapulted the Chinese company into the mainstream. It’s obviously since gone on to build even bigger titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.

AMD's AI ambitions face a new barrier as the firm's China-compliant Instinct MI309 AI GPU may not receive approval from the US Commerce Secretary Department.

Both AMD & NVIDIA managed to increase their AIB GPU shipments in Q4 2023, marking a good end of the year for the discrete segment.

AI roundup: Scientists have developed a new AI model that recognises diseases with the help of images and provides an in-depth visual map for diagnosis. This will empower doctors to identify the treatment in the early stages. In other news, China has been preparing its AI strategy to meet its strategic and industrial development goals. Its aim is to improve its technology self-sufficiency. Know more about what happened in the AI-verse today.

NetEase released its financials results for 2023, with the Chinese gaming firm experiencing growth across the board – particularly in its games division.

Vivo is speculated to launch its new foldable device, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro in China this month. With the third generation of Vivo's foldable smartphone on the horizon, tipsters have been claiming that it will likely receive massive upgrades, which may give some serious competition to other brands in the foldable market such as Samsung. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is rumored to be powered by premium specs in terms of performance as well as design. While Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has been rumored to get design tweaks, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro may emerge as the next powerful foldable device. Know what the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has in store for users ahead of the China launch.

NVIDIA has banned the use of CUDA libraries on other platforms like AMD & Intel, as the firm adds a new warning with CUDA's EULA.

Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly decided to switch parties, now eying for Samsung Foundry as its primary AI chipmaker as it sees "uncertainty and volatility" at TSMC.

2D action RPG ASTRA: Knights of Veda will launch for PC via Steam, iOS via App Store, and Android via Google Play on April 2, publisher HYBE IM and developer FLINT announced. Pre-registration is available now.

Social media firms and internet companies need to take the onus of their work, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday, asserting that no untested AI model can be made public as it is not good for society.

In the fast-paced world of multitasking and constant communication, the right apps can make all the difference in maximising your daily output. From project management to seamless collaboration, curated to-do lists, and efficient calendars, these applications are designed to elevate your productivity game. Here are the top 5 picks for 2024:

Wordle today: Wordle players have had a great start to March with straightforward answers on the first three days. So far, we've encountered words such as STATE, URBAN and FORTY, all of which are common and used in everyday life. As is the trend, the makers of Wordle tend to throw a real head-scratching answer following a few days of easy solutions. Fortunately, today is not one such day and the answer for Wordle today can be guessed in a flash! 

Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Air lineup, featuring the groundbreaking M3 chip that propels the laptop's performance to new heights. The M3 chip enhances the MacBook Air's capabilities, making it up to 60% faster than the M1 model and a staggering 13 times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air.

Since our last content update, players culled the unworthy in Survivor’s Bane, flaunted their martial prowess in Tower War, and earned new Legendary items. This content update introduces the Season 24 Battle Pass, teases our next major update, and brings various feature changes.

Amidst the controversies surrounding the Google Gemini AI platform, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that simply saying "sorry" does not fall with the country's expectations of complying with the law. This statement comes at a time when the government of India has issued an advisory to tech companies, asking them to seek explicit permission before launching AI models that are under testing.

A recent revenue report reveals that Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail achieved impressive sales figures in February 2024. Both games run on a gacha system, which means that most of the revenue comes from players spending their real-life money to pull for limited characters and weapons.

In a fast-paced work environment, it is challenging for team members and individuals to manage their time and tasks effectively. In most cases, poor time management leads to burnout which could create stress. Therefore, managing time is as crucial as dividing tasks and responsibilities effectively. To help you manage time and tasks, we have found the right tool for your team. HourStack is a time-tracking tool that enables users to maintain a healthy work-life balance while improving productivity. Know more about the HourStack tool below.

Upcoming OTT releases: Have you wrapped up watching all the latest OTT releases from last week? If yes, then we have good news for you as we have prepared the upcoming OTT releases list and the coming week will be more exciting than ever. From action drama to thriller, know what will be released this week on OTT platforms. Also, the list does not only include the latest movies but also web series which you can binge-watch from the comfort of your home. Check out the list of Upcoming OTT releases such as HanuMan, Show Time, and more.

Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy F15 5G in India, marking its entry into the budget smartphone market. Packed with impressive specifications and features, such as an enhanced battery, a robust chipset, and a commitment to four years of Android updates. Let's delve into the key details of the newly launched Samsung Galaxy F15 5G.

Vivo is all set to launch its new V-series smartphone on March 7, 2024. The Vivo V30 series is expected to have two models in the mid-range segment. However, just a few days before launch, a tipster leaked its specifications and price which is expected to feature in the Vivo V30 and Vivo V30 Pro models. The two new Vivo smartphones are expected to be tough competitors for phones under Rs.40000 segment such as the newly launched OnePlus 12R. Check out what the Vivo V30 series has to offer to its users.

Anticipation is building as Realme gears up to unveil its much-awaited smartphone, the Realme Narzo 70 Pro 5G in India. The company has been teasing the smartphone for weeks now, offering glimpses of its standout features, including a distinctive circular rear camera module reminiscent of the recently unveiled Realme 12 series. It is also tipped to make waves by introducing an innovative Air Gesture feature that could redefine the way users interact with their phones.

A recent report speculates that Apple may not organise any launch event for its upcoming devices including iPads and Macs. Instead, the iPhone maker may announce the new products on its official website with press releases and promotional videos. In the coming months, Apple is rumoured to introduce numerous products including the new generation iPad Pro, iPad Air and 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models. Know what has been planned.

SpaceX rocket was successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, along Florida's Atlantic coast today and it is heading to the International Space Station. The spacecraft consists of a capsule called Endeavour which is carrying four astronauts in a 16-hour flight to the ISS. Crew members are expected to reach the ISS on Tuesday if everything goes as planned. Know more about the SpaceX rocket launch and the Crew-8 mission here.

Solar storm 2024: As we approach the solar maximum, the Sun's activity is expected to increase further. The Sun has been showing its might in the last few weeks, with dangerous X-class solar flares spewing out on multiple occasions. All these solar phenomena hold the potential to cause damage on Earth to the electrical infrastructure. Technological instruments are especially at risk during these events, resulting in power blackouts and even disruption of radio communication. Just days after a G1-class geomagnetic storm hit Earth, another triggered auroras on March 3.

From genomic information to internet-connected cars, the United States is rethinking its data protection policies -- with further trade curbs aimed at China in the cards -- as tech like AI brings new risks.

In a sensational heist of data, as many as 3.6 crore AI gaming accounts have been stolen and sold on the Dark Web, reports Kaspersky; Indians are being urged to unleash AI potential; OpenAI's Sam Altman debunks AI being dubbed a 'creature,' saying it is nothing more than a tool; AI breakthrough in nuclear fusion paves the way for limitless clean energy- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

Yohane the Parhelion: NUMAZU in the MIRAGE developer BeXide has announced 3D physics puzzle game Fruit Mountain for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch in 2024 with English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Portugeues, Russian, German, French, Spain, and Italian language support.

Alibaba unveils EMO AI tool that converts photos to lifelike talking, singing videos; Leonardo CEO highlights concerns over human 'Stupidity' in AI use; Kara Swisher unveils new book on AI generated scams amidst global concerns; Meta's resistance and the rising AI threat: Challenges to journalism in Australia- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

Apple’s iron grip on the ARM notebook and desktop space might be coming to an end, starting with Qualcomm and its Snapdragon X Elite. However, one rumor claims that Huawei is another player to enter this space, and there are claims that the former Chinese giant has already developed a competitor to the M1. Then again, the company might have obtained dependency from a slew of foreign companies in a bid to jumpstart its smartphone business, starting with the Kirin 9000S, but that does not mean that there are no other hurdles that need to be scaled.

The version 4.5 update for Genshin Impact, dubbed “Blades Weaving Betwixt Brocade,” will launch on March 13, developer miHoYo announced.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on May 23 in Asia, day and date with its Japanese release, with English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean voice-overs and subtitles, publisher Clouded Leopard Entertainment announced.

Over the years, we’ve explored many different audio brands in this column. They’ve come from all around the world, including many from China where the personal audio market is exploding. But one place we haven’t yet examined closely is right here at home in the United States. That’s changing this year with our proverbial home-town hero: Campfire Audio.

Arknights is rolling out a new story event, Operation Lucent Arrowhead. Team Arknights just dropped a new promotional video for the event, which will feature characters from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. It’s set to drop in China first, so it’s likely to make its way to the global version soon.

A recent Honkai: Star Rail leak has surfaced online, suggesting version 2.1 will give out free pulls that can be used to get playable characters and Light Cones from time-exclusive banners. Due to the celebrations for Chinese New Year, Honkai: Star Rail 2.0 will last one week longer than usual, with version 2.1 set to be released in late March. Aside from Rail Passes, the upcoming update will supposedly give away at least one free character in celebration of the first anniversary.

Apple Inc.'s resellers in China are slashing the price of iPhone 15 models by as much as $180, signaling an unusually prolonged slump in demand. iPhone 15 Pro Max handsets are now selling at prices 1,300 yuan ($180) lower than their original on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Tmall. It's a steeper drop than the roughly $120 discount the company offered on its smartphone lineup around the same time last year, and there are similar reductions on JD.com Inc.'s online platform. Apple's own store is selling the devices at original prices.

IDW's groundbreaking limited series, TMNT: The Last Ronin, was published between 2020 and 2022 and told the story of the last of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo, as he embarked on a quest to avenge his three fallen brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael. Hailed for taking the Turtles back to their grittier roots, The Last Ronin also set the stage for a new generation of turtles, whose adventures will take place in the time after the end of The Last Ronin.

Another day, another Palworld patch. Update v0.1.5.1 is available now for the Steam version of the ‘Pokémon with guns’ survival game, and out soon for the Xbox version.

It recently came to light that Apple had canceled its car project, which was internally referred to as ‘Project Titan,’ and with the abandonment, the company has re-assigned the 2,000 employees formerly stationed at the self-driving vehicle division to proceed with work on generative AI.

David Vonderhaar, best known for his work on Activision and Treyarch‘s Call of Duty Black Ops series, has been announced as the studio head for Los Angeles based BulletFarm. This is the latest development studio created by Chinese gaming giant, NetEase, as it attempts to expand into the western market and leverage industry talent.

News has reached Chinese EV makers that Apple has shuttered its self-driving car development that was internally called ‘Project Titan.’ Xiaomi, the world’s third-largest smartphone brand, recently entered this category, and it, plus other players, have expressed their thoughts on the latest development. While some companies are shocked at this revelation, others agree with Apple’s decision, stating that there are other areas in which the technology giant can thrive in.

Blizzard games may be coming back to China soon via leased servers from South Korea. According to a trusted source, an unnamed Korean company believes it can operate Blizzard games in China through these servers, albeit at a high cost.

Genshin Impact is partnering with Chinese smartphone developer OnePlus to release an exclusive themed phone based on popular five-star character Keqing. The massively popular RPG from HoYoverse has featured a variety of collaborations since it debuted in 2020, with fans getting the opportunity to show their love for the game with plenty of unique merch. The developer has previously partnered with KFC and Pizza Hut in China for promotions featuring the game and even created a Ganyu VISA credit card in partnership with China Merchants Bank. Now, the game's newest collaboration could give fans a new way to play.

BulletFarm, a new «remote-first» studio based in Los Angeles, has been formed by Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar, who has appointed former CoD developer Chris Cowell as its creative director. The studio is already hard at work on its first project, which Vonderhaar offered some details about. Fans likely recognize Vonderhaar's name, who directed the multiplayer modes for many of Treyarch's Call of Duty titles.

NetEase has announced its latest AAA studio, BulletFarm, with Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar at the helm. BulletFarm is a brand new game development company working on “building a world-class team.” Though the studio is based in Los Angeles, California, it is remote-first.

AI roundup: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently on his Asia tour where he met LG Electronics executives in South Korea. The discussions included partnerships to expand mixed reality devices and AI development; in a move that has shocked the tech world, Apple makes AI a priority and abandons its plans for developing self-driving cars. Reports say many employees from the project will be shifted to the iPhone maker's artificial intelligence (AI) division. 

David Vonderhaar, best known for his work on Activision and Treyarch‘s Call of Duty Black Ops series, has been announced as the studio head for Los Angeles based BulletFarm. This is the latest development studio created by Chinese gaming giant, NetEase, as it attempts to expand into the western market and leverage industry talent.

NetEase Games has opened another new studio in the West in the form of BulletFarm, and has hired Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar to lead the team.

Former Call of Duty: Black Ops design director David Vonderhaar has established BulletFarm, a new AAA game studio, following his departure from Treyarch last summer.

GamesRadar has announced that the Future Games Show Spring Showcase will return on March 21st. Airing at 1 PM PDT, it features over 40 titles from publishers like The Chinese Room, Bandai Namco, Quantic Dream and more. Actors Samantha Béart, who voices Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, and Ben Starr, the voice of Clive from Final Fantasy 16, will be hosting.

Tech companies showcased countless connected gadgets at the world's biggest wireless telecom fair, the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, which wraps up on Thursday.

The Future Games Show Spring Showcase returns next month, and this time will be hosted by Baldur's Gate 3 and Final Fantasy alumni.

Martial arts fans unite as one of the titles from the PS Plus March 2024 lineup has supposedly leaked in advance.

A smartphone that can be charged in fewer than 40 minutes. Even better: a tiny nuclear battery that could keep it running for 50 years. Facing consumers who are fed up with having to plug in their phones all the time, device makers are racing to develop more potent batteries that can charge faster and last longer. Telecom firms highlighted some of the progress they've made at the industry's biggest annual show, the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, which got underway in Barcelona on Monday.

AI roundup: Japan has started its own journey to design advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips. These will be developed by Rapidus Corp and Tenstorrent Inc. Tenstorrent Inc. is led by a former Tesla and Apple veteran, who will be planning the entire development process; in other news, Tecno will be unveiling its advanced AI robotic dog at the MWC 2024. Know more about what is happening in the world of AI today.

The highly anticipated Vivo V30 series is all set to launch in India soon weeks after the V30 made its global debut. The lineup consists of two smartphones - Vivo V30 and Vivo V30 Pro. The launch of the Vivo V30 series comes just days after the company debuted its Vivo Y200e 5G smartphone in the country. While the Vivo V30 Pro is set for launch in Thailand tomorrow, February 28, the company has now confirmed the details surrounding its launch in India. From features, specs to launch date, here's everything we know about the Vivo V30 series so far.

We have new rumors about Assassin’s Creed Hexe, that may spark interest in its new scenario.

Assassin’s Creed Codename Red is the next instalment in Ubisoft’s flagship franchise, but we do know about other major releases that are in the pipeline for the years beyond as well. Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, for instance, was announced alongside Red back in 2022 as the game that would follow it.

The PC version of all-directional shooting action game Maid of the Dead will launch via Steam on March 1 for $19.99, qureate announced. It will support Japanese voice-overs, and English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese text.

Call of Duty: Warzone's newest edition, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, is expected to be released worldwide soon, and a new gameplay video has shown off its impressive graphics. The new version of Call of Duty: Warzone has been available for some time in certain regions, but Call of Duty's biggest regions have been left out of the picture so far.

Final Fantasy VII was released in 1997 on PlayStation. In those days, the NES, despite Nintendo only discontinuing it in 1995, was considered practically ancient. Things aged faster in the ‘90s.

Amid a busy 2024, AMD revealed that the Radeon RX 7900 Golden Rabbit Edition (GRE) graphics card would launch globally on February 27 for an MSRP of $549. Originally exclusive to China, the latest AMD graphics card to hit the global market is aimed at competing against Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs, including the RTX 4070.

The name "Vivo" isn't unfamiliar regarding ground-breaking innovation in the smartphone market. Vivo is well-known for creating disruptive smartphones with distinctive and original looks and technology that set industry norms. Vivo pioneered once-ubiquitous pop-up cameras and, currently- the in-display fingerprint scanners.

February 29 is set to be an exciting day for fans of Honkai Impact 3rd with HoYoverse gearing up to launch its massive Part 2 update, bringing a plethora of new content to the game. While Genshin Impact has easily been the biggest success for the Chinese developer, the sci-fi RPG has stood the test of time for HoYoverse. Honkai Impact 3rd celebrated its 7th anniversary in China last October, revealing the major Part 2 update coming in early 2024. Now, HoYoverse is preparing to finally debut the game's biggest update yet.

Tecno, which has made a name for itself with wild smartphone experiments and brought foldables to a more palatable price point, is now looking to make a splash in the gaming segment. The company’s latest offering is the Pocket Go, which the company claims to be the world’s first Windows-based AR gaming kit. The system includes a pair of AR glasses fitted