UWB looks very cool for finding things from the phone (without the tracker ringing). Samsung Smart tag 2 does this.

I’ve picked up a Moto tag that has UWB and works with Google’s find my network - my understanding is that this will work like apple air tags which can use any iPhone to report and track it’s location. Though it’s not doing all of these things just yet!

These 2 videos, whilst slightly rambling, covered a lot.

https://youtu.be/G3HP6NVScJw?si=Kr9rF_A05Sk7OWB8

https://youtu.be/kPumuCbVVnk?si=xCSsFfNUY9TazHu6

It’s such a stupid thing, not only do people have to pay over the odds to scalpers, but how do people go about claiming on warranty or returns.

Excellent choice! In my vague memories it was an original game with a fun theme

Black & White 2 gets my vote

I didn’t remember this specific incidence, but the govt. / media do like to blame that darn rock music, mini skirts, Doom game, horror movie for all the bad things that are happening.

Also, link to this specific incidence https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Rose#Controversy

So I was trying to think how I’d implement it, and I agree if it’s simple then it really only needs to set the brightness level once, then remember if the user adjusts it, and reuse that adjustment for every lux reading.

Hence the example I gave:

Take the ambient light level (lux).
Set brightness to 5.
Log that the user has made it 1 level or 10% darker.
Next time it senses the same lux level, set the brightness 1 level lower

Well shucks, I guess Samsung lied to me! I see adaptive brightness was released as part of Android Pie in 2018.

Yeah, I was thinking it could be machine learning in that it takes the average of all your changes over time and the different ambient light levels.

But deffo no need for neural networks.

I totally agree with you.

However there is one smart feature Samsung has that I like. The screen brightness auto adjusts based on the ambient light, but if I change that automatic brightness (I prefer the screen darker) it will remember that and consistently adjust the brightness.

I’m not sure it’s really an AI feature…

Take the ambient light level (lux).
Set brightness to 5.
Log that the user has made it 1 level or 10% darker.
Next time it senses the same lux level, set the brightness 1 level lower

Windows 10 gang here. If I wait a few years I’m sure 11 will be usable by the time 10 support ends.

Same with buying pc games.

I should say that that’s a fairly recent news article talking about the next FSR in development.

As to if we need it … I don’t know, we certainly managed a long time without AI everything!

I hate to say it, but FSR4 is AI powered https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/amd-plans-for-fsr4-to-be-fully-ai-based-designed-to-improve-quality-and-maximize-power-efficiency

Let them eat cake

I was trying to make a joke about the character model looking like it had fallen through the floor.

I’m not sure he’s digging a hole when he seems to be stuck up to his chest! 😂

Yes, these precipts seem to be common in the TV industry

Ms Jefferies stresses the guidelines are not trying to put boundaries on storytelling … She says - and “these guidelines are just to bring it even more in line with the best practices in the film and TV industry”.

And I can’t think of news stories that show this is a problem in terms of leaking a story.

So, why not have the same degree of safety and protocols in game development?

Lol. I just found it in my works GitHub instance. I asked what files a ticket refers to and it just returned an error message.

I’m pretty sure the USA refers to the model*. The manufacturer may have a Chinese or International version of each phone.

Great point, except you’ve completely failed to show how any of the alternatives are better.

Epic, GoG, Microsoft store, if Steam is so awful, then why don’t people use the competition?

There’s really no penalty to me as a consumer if I choose to buy on any platform, they all work on Windows, and to a lesser extent Steam OS. I’m not locked on hardware, there no subscription, the biggest challenge is keeping all 4 app stores updated to the latest version which costs me a little time and storage space…

Actually, dlc is a good example of being trapped in one ecosystem, but beyond that I can buy games from any publisher on any store without penalty.

Compare that to Apple and their restrictive app store, or other innovators that stop supporting hardware upgrades or disable servers removing key features (Unisoft…) Steam even goes further and provides users access to games that have been withdrawn from sale, compare that with Nintendo.

Like Apple’s vr headset? Or did you forget the first 2 Valve VR (HTC hardware) sets and associated software?

What about the Steam Deck, of course hand held consoles are nothing new, but what makes it special is the combination of the rather excellent trackpads and controller mapping that debuted in the Steam controller and with an OS (that uses wine) to bypass Windows and all it’s bloat - It must be quite popular as we’re now seeing a number of imitators!

Imho Steam is, by far, the gold standard for digital distributors.

So as a developer I could release my software on Steam directly (no publisher and associated costs) and have access to how many potential customers? Of course I could also release on my own website and host everything myself, or I could use the Epic Store, perhaps GOG.

How do you think Steam store restricts the industry? I can buy steam keys on alternative sites, is that possible in Epic or GOG?

https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/keys

Steam Keys are a free service we provide to developers as a convenient tool to help you sell your game on other stores and at retail, or provide for free for beta testers or press/influencers.

As a customer the steam store experience, mod workshop, Steam deck and OS, Steam VR app (I use with my Quest 2) all work really well for me. Reviews seem pretty uncensored (at least I’ve not read about Valve doing anything underhand)

I’m very happy to say that the Steam android app could be better!

As a final point, I would like to see a viable alternative to Steam as competition is generally good for consumers!

Fair point, however everyone (just about) has either an android or apple phone. Not everyone plays computer games.

SteamOS struggles/struggled to support some online gaming due to anti cheat. I think that’s why the support is mentioned.

I’m still on an early gen Chromecast and never see any adverts. Very occasionally crashes (once a fortnight).

Don’t forget moonlight also runs on the Raspberry Pi. https://github.com/moonlight-stream/moonlight-docs/wiki/Installing-Moonlight-Qt-on-Raspberry-Pi-4

And I had it running on a PS Vita, though the experience wasn’t great and I never used it very much.

I think the Ubisoft guy is pushing for subscriptions when a lot of people are not keen. See any of the recent articles about NatGeo pulling videos from Sony, etc etc.

As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect… you don’t lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That’s not been deleted. You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it’s about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.

Also https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/help/connectivity-and-performance/article/decommissioning-of-online-services-for-older-ubisoft-games-january-2024/000105788

If I buy a game I want to be able to play whenever I feel like it.

I completed Fallout New Vegas last year, graphics were a bit dated but the game it still great.

My point is that I don’t trust Ubisoft to do what’s good for gamers.

Point taken, I’ve updated the post to include the headline

I don’t know if you’ve already looked but this site is my favourite for this kind of question.

Has the ability to filter by licence and platform too. https://alternativeto.net/software/ourgroceries/

Microwaves also don’t contain motors 😂