Good news everyone! Our multi-billionaire corporate overlords are adding policies to REDUCE privacy-invading tracking. Grandpa Google, Father Facebook, Auntie Amazon, all is forgiven!

Specifically, Google is limiting the sharing of user data with third parties across different applications. Altruistic wholesomeness out of the kindness of their own heart or shrewd attempt to increase value of it’s own data collection? You be the judge.

Apple has enacted similar changes with it’s app store, though Mama Meta would get a little nervous, claiming it could cost the company $10 billion in revenue. Thank God the folks at Meta turned out to be wrong, some good news followed the policy enactment… Meta lost $232 billion from their market cap that day! A 26% loss! … I didn’t say it was good news for them.

On a brighter note (for Facebook this time), they seem on much better terms with Google’s use of these policies based on Graham Mudd’s statements on Twitter (VP of product marketing at Facebook). Google has also admitted the existing agreements regarding technologies will last for 2 years, likely to allow more preparation time for the various parent companies of different platforms.

“[It is] encouraging to see this long-term, collaborative approach to privacy-protective personalized advertising from Google […] We look forward to continued work with them and the industry on privacy-enhancing tech through industry groups”. – Graham Mudd: Vice president of product marketing, ads and business.

Google’s super computer collaboration with Nvidia has also lead to suggestions that data collection may not be as necessary with regards to research purposes.

What are the results or upcoming effects? Well, in spite of my earlier flippancy and joy at The Hashtag Big Tech Masterminds taking a little financial blow, the new policies unfortunately mean third parties and smaller start-up businesses (LIKE US) also somewhat lose out on better advertising opportunities to customers, which means fewer avenues of financial success.

The card-carrying commie in me is saying “okay, then let’s eat the rich and radically distribute ourselves like a Mario Party mechanic”! On the other hand, that would only work if whoever gets their hands on that money doesn’t end up defaulting to a “greed is good” mindset once the greenback starts flowing… In other news, we live in a society!

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The post Google and Facebook! Policy Changes + VOUCHERS first appeared on Get2Gaming.

NTF’s are bad. Bold statements only today. An NTF, or “none Fungible token” is often misconstrued as crypto bros spending way too much money on Jpegs of monkeys. The reality is actually that its crypto bros spending way too much money on a receipt that *says* They own the JPEG of a monkey but that has no legal backing behind it. Combine that with a bunch of issues revolving around the environment, and NFTS have got a severe amount of backlash in the last few months.

But what if I told you it was worse?

There is a small amount of people who are generally apathetic to the whole thing. Sure, there aren’t many who take this view, NFTs are widely hated, but there are some. So let me explain exactly why you should care, and why this matters.

So what exactly is the “block chain”

The Blockchain is essentially a list of text entries, a copy of which is on every computer on  the network. This means that older entries cannot be altered, as the other users will have copies of the accurate data. This means the Data involved is decentralized, and no single entity can take control of it like a bank or government.

New Entries (known as blocks) are added to the list (chain) using a mechanism. Though there are many of these, the most popular chains (bitcoin and etherium)  utalise Proof of Work.

Using this system, each computer on the network tries to solve a Cryptographic puzzle (hence cryptocurrency), with the first one that solves the puzzle adding an entry to the lis and getting a coin as a reward. To solve the puzzle quicker you use GPUs that are found on graphics cards. This can be a very intense process, so doing so uses an insane amount of electricity and reduces the lifespan of the cards involved. Furthermore, puzzles get more complicated over time, increasing the costs.

Etherium is promising to move to a “proof of stake” system (which they have been saying for around a decade at this point but whatever). The principle is the same but rather than ever computer solving puzzles its decided by lottery. The more you stake, the more likely you are to be selected. This lowers the environmental impact, but really it just goes to show its just ritch people getting richer.

“Green Chains”

Some blockchains claim to be eco friendly and “Green”, such as the one Ubisoft have been using for their Quartz NFT’s, however all this really seems to do is bundle up and store transaction numbers, then dump them on the (deicdedly not green) etherium chain. Sure, its a bit better than it was, but its still not great.

NFT’s

So that brings us back to NFT’s. Again, all these really are is a digital receipt that says you own a piece of media, but actually that is pretty much meaningless outside of crypto bros who go for this stuff. notably, though, despite using the block chain, NFT’s are not decentralised. People could change the location that your NFT links to and suddenly all you have is a receipt that leads to nothing.

Further more, according to their very own inventor… NTF’s are a scam. Its a pyramid scheme.

So how does this effect gamers?

NFT implementation so far has been… shit to say the least, and that isnt even the biggest issue when it comes to NFT’s. Sure, its bad. Its really fucking bad, but thats not why gamers should be opposed to this tech on principle.

Remember when I mentioned that you need GPU’s to mine cryptocurrency, to solve puzzles. Yeah, thats the issue. That is one of the many reasons the PS5, for example. Has been so hard to find. Because there has been a parts shortage caused, in no small part, by the people running these farms buying up the parts to go into their farms.

Overall, NFT’s are bad. Really bad. Monumentally bad. And its not going to get better unless we really fight back. So far a couple of companies have budged, GCS gamescape have scrapped plans for NFT integration in stalker 2, Sega have rolled back plans for their integration, and Geoff Keighley of the game awards explicitly banned their inclusion in the show. But we need this to keep up. These days, lootboxes are a still present but mitigated problem in the industry due to this kind of backlash, but we also now have to put up with microtransactions in full price games. Lets make sure NFT’s are not here to stay.

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The post Why NFT’s are bad for gaming and everything else first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Clarity Boost, a new Xbox Cloud Gaming feature, has been launched on Microsoft Edge Canary, along with other upgrades, according to Microsoft. Gaming visuals are supposed to be improved by Clarity Boost.

All Windows 10 devices come with Microsoft Edge as the default browser. It’s designed to be extremely compatible with today’s web.

Edge Canary supposedly allows you to experience the development process with first-hand access to new features. It can be quite unstable however as it’s being constantly updated.

Edge Canary Gets Clarity Boost

Users of Microsoft Edge Canary, Microsoft’s experimental browser that receives updates early, have been the first to get the Clarity Boost feature. The upgrades are subsequently made available to the stable live version of Edge after being properly tested by Canary users.

You’ll need both an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and the Microsoft Edge Canary browser to try it out.

Microsoft demonstrated what Clarity Boost can achieve alongside the announcement. There was also a comparison of the feature being used in-game and without. Clarity Boost improves aesthetics in Xbox Cloud Gaming by making the stream’s image less fuzzy and increasing the detail.

It’s hard to tell at first, but when you can look closer you can see the difference.

The character’s facial features and hair are better defined in the Clarity Boost photograph, and the picture is clearer. You can definitely tell the quality has improved.

Microsoft’s mechanism for running Clarity Boost on Xbox Cloud Gaming is unknown. To improve the image, Microsoft says it’s utilising “client-side scaling improvements.” It’s likely that Microsoft is employing artificial intelligence (AI) to improve image quality digitally without using a lot of computing power.

Other New Features Being Tested in Microsoft Edge Canary

Microsoft Edge Canary has also received a quality-of-life update that is useful to everybody. Tab Search is the new feature and is also being tested on Edge Canary before being rolled out to Edge’s main service.

Tab Search is a simple yet effective feature that allows users to search for content across all of their browser tabs at the same time. Users may search all of their tabs at once, rather than clicking from tab to tab and searching individually. Control+Shift+A has been set to Tab Search as a keyboard shortcut.

W hile Tab Search is convenient, it’s Clarity Boost that is the impressive update to Microsoft Edge’s features. Microsoft’s first-party browsers have a terrible reputation in the past. It would be impossible to write about one without poking fun at Internet Explorer. Even considering the fact that the new Chromium-based Edge has some impressive features, it still doesn’t quite top Google Chrome in terms of popularity.

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The post Microsoft Have Updated Edge With Xbox Cloud Gaming Feature first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Google has revealed that its Autumn hardware event will be held on October 19th at 6pm BST.

The company has already shared some details regarding the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, including the visual designs. Google announced in August that Tensor, the first system-on-chip it designed, will debut on these new devices. The SoC will power the Pixel 6’s AI-heavy features, such as speech recognition and on-device live captions and translation.

The new models come with significant camera upgrades. The Pixel 6’s camera will allow approximately 150 percent more light in than previous models, and the Pro will also have 4x optical zoom and an additional telephoto option. The new chip, Tensor, will supposedly enhance the phones’ photo processing capabilities too.

Google claimed that a full battery will provide for a day’s usage, but did not give information on exactly how many hours a ‘day’ constitutes.

Both the 6 and 6 Pro will be 5G compatible.

Android 12 is set to be the most significant update to the Android operating system in years.

A few new handy features are dropping with this update.

Monet

Google has created a new theme engine code-named “monet”. Monet generates a palette of pastel colors derived from the user’s wallpaper. These colors are then applied to various parts of the system and their values are made available through an API that the user’s applications can call, thus letting apps decide whether they want to recolor their UI. It looks to be a very aesthetically pleasing update, and perhaps serves as a more efficient alternative to manually customising widgets and application icons.

Scrolling screenshots

Android 12 finally adds a highly requested feature: scrolling screenshots. With this feature, you can take a screenshot of a full scrolling page, without needing to take and combine a confusing series of screenshots. This feature won’t work in every application, but it should work most of the time. It’ll certainly be handy for screenshotting web pages or conversations.

One-handed mode

This will lower the top of your screen so that you can reach the top with your thumb and interact with your phone one-handed. To be honest, I just prefer to use a phone that I can reach the top of with my thumb at any time, but this will be a handy edition for those who want accessibility plus a larger screen for reading & watching videos.

Game dashboard

With the new game dashboard, you get quick access to useful tools like an FPS meter and screen recorder that can be accessed in-game through a floating button. You can also change the device’s performance profile on a per-game basis, stream live to YouTube, or check up on your achievements in Play Games from the dashboard.

Privacy dashboard

This new feature lets you see how often apps request the most sensitive permissions. You will be able to view a timeline of usage for permissions like location, camera, and microphone. From here, you can easily manage which apps have access to sensitive permissions.

Whenever an app is accessing your phone’s camera or microphone, you’ll see an indicator in the status bar. New toggles let you cut off access to the camera and microphone, preventing any app from using them.

Conversations widget

Do you have a contact you frequently talk to? Android 12’s new Conversations widget lets you see their latest message or status update, right from your home screen.

This is just a small selection of some of the new Android 12 features, and of course you can expect the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to take full advantage of them all.

We still lack some key information on the new phones, for example, how many CPU and GPU cores there are and how much RAM the devices boast. All will surely be revealed at the event this month.

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Before you go: grab these voucher codes for use at Go2Games!
These offers end on October 18th

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The post Google Pixel 6 launch event on October 19th first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg believes that the Oculus VR will change the way we communicate

As well as having a pretty huge presence at E3 this year, Oculus VR have very recently announced it’s controllers and retail iteration. Mark Zuckerberg, who is CEO of Oculus’ parent company Facebook, has stated that the headset is just the beginning of VR technology. He feels that virtual reality will grow to become a part of every day communication.

Zuckerberg took a question, in a Facebook Q & A, on how he feels the world will look like in 10 years time. In responding, he said that Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR came about initially because he is convinced that this technology will change the way we all communicate and compute.

“We’re working on VR because I think it’s the next major computing and communication platform after phones,” he said. “In the future we’ll probably still carry phones in our pockets, but I think we’ll also have glasses on our faces that can help us out throughout the day and give us the ability to share our experiences with those we love in completely immersive and new ways that aren’t possible today.”

In addition, Zuckerberg talked about his company’s research into artificial intelligence, and mentioned how Facebook is focusing on language and image interpretation to make personalized internet experiences more effective and, more importantly, possible.

The post Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on Oculus VR first appeared on Get2Gaming.

We are used to EE providing mobile data services in the form of phone, tablets and dongles but something new and perhaps far more adventurous is on the horizon.  

The Go-Pro has become synonymous with capturing high quality video of sports or action  footage  in a tiny package. Allowing users to then pop the card out of the tiny camera and transfer still or moving images on to the users PC  or Mac for editing, before uploading onto relevant streaming or video based sites such as YouTube or Twitch. EE are now stepping into the fray with a somewhat more niche offering with a hint of game changer about it by adding 4G connectivity to it own incarnation of action camera. Unlike it’s rival it will not reach the dizzy heights of 4K Ultra high definition capture. But will allow for a rather nifty option of instantly sharing live footage at an impressive 720p to the web. It will also be bundled with a viewfinder watch to allow the user to frame footage on the move without being left wondering what you have actually managed to capture until getting home. We feel there may be a little more need for consistent use on this type of tech offering due to the data plan you will inevitably be tied to.

Gimmick or not let’s just hope the battery in both bits of kit are up to the task!

The post EE to offer Live-Stream GoPro Rival first appeared on Get2Gaming.

For good or for bad we must all admit the internet has had a profound effect on our lives and continues to create and generate debate on all things from kitten fails to space flight.

Along with this debate comes an inexhaustible amount of ideas that spread with the right level of uniqueness like wild fire. A collective consciousness is really beginning to form, as more and more are connect to the vast expanse that is online to the point where it would seem even your very best ideas are either already on the horizon, in the process of being thought about, discussed or created. Some of the best stories or creations always seem to come from an amalgamation of two or more very different ideas that when collided make the ultimate statement that we can all understand with a simple picture.

Here is just one of those ideas….

Waiting in the departure lounge in an airport can be somewhat of a drag, your tan is topped up and you are beginning to hear the whispers of your work colleagues in the back of your mind, along with not ever quite being bothered to swap out what is left for your holiday budget for your national currency as it would bring you just a little bit too close for comfort with reality. Luckily some clever clogs at the British Red Cross sensed a gap in the market that would not only be a cheap and effective way of raising awareness, but also allow you to stave off the thoughts of home for just that little bit longer.

The charity arcade idea is simple, allowing you to play retro games whilst waiting for your flight, with the leftovers in your wallet. Leaving you with a number of feelings inclusive of I’m a good person and I may want to miss my flight just to try and beat that top score! Let’s hope these are rolled out worldwide. They look as stunning in the promo shots as the idea itself! #IWOOT

The post Achievement unlocked: The British Red Cross fly into gaming first appeared on Get2Gaming.