News/Gaming
APK teardown offers early glimpse of Google Play’s AI avatar generator
Google's Play Store is advancing its personalization features with the development of an AI-powered avatar generator for Play Games profiles. This new tool will allow users to create custom avatars by adjusting three main parameters: character, background, and art style. Current development status: The AI avatar generator has been spotted in the Play Store's code but is not yet available in the current beta release (version 45.0.21). The feature appears to be in final stages of development, suggesting an imminent public release Early testing shows promising results in avatar generation quality The tool is specifically designed for enhancing Play Games...
read Feb 21, 2025Niantic plans $3.5B ‘Pokemon Go’ sale as HP acquires AI Pin
Whatever the "name of the game," it's going to have AR and VR written all throughout it. Here are some big happenings in that space... The virtual and augmented reality gaming landscape continues to evolve, with several major acquisitions and product launches reshaping the industry in early 2025. Notable developments include Niantic's potential sale of Pokémon Go and HP's acquisition of Humane's AI technology assets. Major industry shifts: Niantic is in negotiations to sell Pokémon Go to Scopely Inc. for approximately $3.5 billion, marking a significant change in the AR gaming space. The deal reflects challenges in AR gaming profitability, as...
read Feb 19, 2025Google is working on a new AI avatar generator for mobile gamers
The Play Store has offered gamers limited profile customization options, with users currently restricted to selecting from premade avatars for their gaming profiles. Google's latest development aims to expand these options through AI-driven personalization features. What's changing: Google is developing an AI-powered avatar generator for gaming profiles in the Play Store, building upon recent updates to the Play Games profile system. The feature was discovered in version 44.9.19-29 of the Google Play Store Users will be able to customize their avatars by selecting from multiple categories including character type, background, and art style The system appears to function similarly to...
read Feb 19, 2025Microsoft’s new AI model simulates worlds by watching game footage
The emerging field of AI-powered game world generation has seen significant advances as researchers work to create systems that can understand and simulate gaming environments from video footage alone. Microsoft Research's latest contribution to this field is WHAM (World and Human Action Model), which demonstrates notable progress in generating interactive gaming environments while highlighting current technological limitations. Project Overview: Microsoft's WHAM model, detailed in a recent Nature publication, uses extensive gameplay footage from the online brawler Bleeding Edge to create AI-generated gaming environments. The system was trained on seven player-years worth of gameplay video paired with actual player inputs Training...
read Feb 5, 2025KaibanJS is a multi-agent system that automates hardware optimization for gamers
PC gaming optimization just got smarter with KaibanJS, an AI multi-agent system that automates hardware selection for optimal gaming performance. The innovation: KaibanJS introduces an automated approach to PC hardware optimization, replacing hours of manual research with AI-driven analysis and recommendations. The system employs specialized AI agents that work together to analyze and recommend optimal CPU, GPU, and RAM configurations Each agent focuses on specific aspects like performance metrics, pricing, and compatibility The technology aims to streamline the traditionally complex process of building gaming PCs Try KaibanJS for yourself here Core functionality: KaibanJS deploys five distinct AI agents that collaborate...
read Feb 4, 2025AI’s deep roots in chess history shape its future moves
The intersection of chess history and artificial intelligence development offers unique insights into how traditional games evolve alongside technological advancement. Historical context and evolution: Chess, an ancient game with multicultural roots, has experienced significant transformations through its journey from Persia to Europe and into the modern era. The game originated as Shatranj in Persia before making its way to Europe through Andalusia and Sicily around the 10th century Different cultures contributed unique pieces and terminology, such as the elephant piece still present in many languages' chess vocabulary The game's evolution reflects broader cultural and societal changes, including the religionization during...
read Jan 25, 2025This San Francisco couple defrauded their AI investors out of $60M
The founders of San Francisco AI startup GameOn Technology have been charged with orchestrating a $60 million fraud scheme targeting investors between 2018 and 2024. The allegations: Federal prosecutors have indicted Alexander Beckman and Valerie Lau Beckman on 25 criminal counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and identity theft. Beckman founded GameOn Technology (later renamed ON Platform) in 2014, developing customer service chatbots for major sports leagues and luxury brands The company's business model allegedly proved unsustainable, relying entirely on investor funding rather than genuine revenue Federal investigators found the company's actual annual revenue never exceeded $1 million, despite...
read Jan 22, 2025MSI’s new VenturePro 16 AI is the perfect laptop for creatives and gamers
MSI unveiled its VenturePro 16 AI laptop at CES 2025, marking the gaming hardware company's serious entry into the productivity laptop market with a focus on creative professionals. Key Features and Design; The VenturePro 16 AI combines powerful hardware with productivity-focused features in a professional package. The laptop features a 16-inch 2K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate At 4.19 lbs (1.9kg) and 22mm thick, it's notably heavier than typical ultrabooks Port selection includes USB-C, two USB-A ports, HDMI, RJ45, and a Kensington Lock The design opts for a minimalist silver chassis that prioritizes function over flashy aesthetics Performance...
read Jan 21, 2025CharacterAI is enriching chatbot interactions with new playable games
The Character.AI platform has expanded beyond basic chatbot interactions by introducing two competitive word games that allow users to engage with AI personalities in more dynamic ways. Key features and gameplay: Character.AI's new gaming features include two distinct word-based challenges that transform traditional AI conversations into competitive experiences. Speakeasy challenges players to make the AI say a specific word while avoiding five banned terms, testing strategic communication skills War of Words creates a debate-style competition where players engage in five rounds of verbal sparring with AI characters, judged by an AI referee Users must start new chat sessions for games...
read Jan 21, 2025Tencent’s new open AI model turns images and text to 3D models
Tencent has released Hunyuan3D 2.0, an artificial intelligence system that transforms single images or text descriptions into detailed 3D models within seconds, dramatically reducing a process that traditionally takes skilled artists days or weeks to complete. Key innovation: The system employs a two-component architecture that creates basic shapes and adds surface details while ensuring consistency across all viewpoints of the generated 3D models. The Hunyuan3D-DiT component handles basic shape generation Hunyuan3D-Paint adds detailed surface textures and features A new guidance system ensures coherence across multiple viewpoints of the object Strategic camera positioning captures maximum visible area, including traditionally difficult areas...
read Jan 21, 2025State of the game industry report reveals growing developer skepticism toward AI
Game developers are expressing increasing skepticism and frustration over artificial intelligence initiatives in the gaming industry, according to a new State of the Game Industry report surveying 3,000 developers. Key findings: The comprehensive industry survey reveals a significant shift in developer sentiment towards AI implementation in gaming development. More than half (52%) of surveyed developers reported their companies are utilizing generative AI in game development Developer skepticism has notably increased, with 30% expressing negative views about AI (up from 18% last year) Positive sentiment has declined, with only 13% seeing AI as beneficial (down from 21% in 2024) When asked...
read Jan 20, 2025AI-driven cloud gaming poised to revolutionize remote gameplay by 2035
The future of cloud gaming will likely see artificial intelligence enabling fully remote gameplay experiences within the next decade, despite significant technical challenges. Technical requirements and human perception: The boundaries for acceptable gaming performance are primarily determined by human sensory and response limitations. Human players typically cannot detect individual frames above 90 frames per second (approximately 10ms per frame) Audio latency of 10ms is considered acceptable by professional audio engineers Human motor reaction times generally exceed 100ms, with nerve signals requiring at least 10ms to travel from hand to brain Cloud gaming becomes indistinguishable from local gaming when latency drops...
read Jan 14, 2025AI assistants will gain access to your screen in 2025
AI assistants now integrate directly with various applications, simplifying tasks and offering contextual help through visual recognition and natural language interaction. Key innovations: Nvidia's Project RTX and Razer's Project AVA represent significant advances in AI assistance technology, demonstrating how AI can actively monitor and respond to user activities in real-time. Project RTX features a graphical assistant that observes screen activity and webcam input to provide contextual help and execute commands The system can identify applications being used and guide users through specific features, such as Photoshop's Generative Fill Physical object recognition through webcam enables real-world interactions, like identifying a coffee...
read Jan 9, 2025MSI shows off next-gen gaming and productivity laptops at CES 2025
CES 2025 sees MSI unveiling a comprehensive lineup of next-generation laptops featuring the latest processors from Intel and AMD, alongside NVIDIA's new RTX 50 series GPUs. Product Overview; MSI's 2025 portfolio spans high-end gaming machines to productivity-focused laptops, with significant upgrades across all categories. The flagship Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition features Norse mythology-inspired design elements, Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 275HX, and supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM All gaming models incorporate NVIDIA's latest RTX 50 series GPUs, with options ranging from the RTX 5090 to 5070 Ti Display technology advances include Mini LED and OLED panels, offering up...
read Jan 7, 2025AI-powered NPCs join PUBG as Nvidia’s latest gaming innovation
Nvidia has announced an expansion of its AI-powered "ACE" characters, transforming them from simple chatbots into fully autonomous teammates capable of playing complex games like PUBG alongside human players. Key innovation explained: Nvidia's ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) characters now utilize advanced AI to perceive their environment, make strategic decisions, and interact with players in ways that mirror human gameplay behavior. The system employs small language models (SLMs) that enable human-like decision-making frequencies Multi-modal SLMs allow AI characters to process both visual and audio information from the game environment The technology represents a significant advancement from earlier versions that were limited...
read Jan 7, 2025Razer unveils temperature-controlled gaming chair and AI esports coach at CES
Razer unveils innovative gaming concepts at CES 2025, including a temperature-controlled gaming chair and an AI coaching system, alongside updates to its remote gaming capabilities. Key Announcements: Razer's CES 2025 showcase features two major prototype innovations alongside a new remote gaming feature, marking significant advances in gaming comfort and performance technology. The company introduced Project Arielle, a sophisticated gaming chair with integrated cooling and heating capabilities Project Ava, an AI-powered esports coaching system, was unveiled to help gamers improve their skills A beta version of PC Remote Play was announced, enabling mobile access to PC games Project Arielle Deep Dive:...
read Jan 7, 2025Razer’s newest Blade 16 gaming laptop features AMD Ryzen AI chip, Copilot+ features
A new version of Razer's high-end gaming laptop, the Blade 16, features AMD's Ryzen AI chip and significant design improvements while maintaining its gaming-focused features. Key specifications; Announced at CES 2025, The 2025 Razer Blade 16 represents a major shift from Intel to AMD processors, featuring the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads. The processor can achieve boost clock speeds up to 5.1GHz and Zen5c clock speeds up to 3.3GHz While GPU specifications haven't been announced, the laptop is expected to offer similar graphics options to its predecessor, which included the NVIDIA RTX 4090...
read Jan 7, 2025Google is assembling a new team to build ‘world models’ for games and robotics
Google DeepMind is creating a dedicated artificial intelligence team focused on developing "world models" - AI systems that can simulate physical environments - under the leadership of former OpenAI executive Tim Brooks. Key development: Google DeepMind is launching a new initiative to build AI models capable of simulating real-world physical environments, marking a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence capabilities. The team will be led by Tim Brooks, who previously co-led OpenAI's Sora project before joining DeepMind in October 2023 The project aims to create real-time interactive environments for video games and movies, as well as training scenarios for robots...
read Jan 7, 2025HP’s CES announcements include new AI gaming hardware
HP has unveiled its latest gaming hardware lineup at CES 2025, headlined by the powerful Omen Max 16 gaming laptop alongside new gaming peripherals and software innovations. Product Overview: The new lineup represents HP's most significant gaming hardware refresh, featuring high-performance devices targeted at demanding gamers and content creators. The flagship Omen Max 16 gaming laptop introduces advanced cooling technology and next-generation processing power A new 32-inch smart gaming monitor integrates Google TV capabilities The HyperX Pulsefire Saga gaming mouse offers unprecedented customization options Technical Specifications: The Omen Max 16 combines cutting-edge processing capabilities with innovative thermal management solutions. Configuration...
read Jan 2, 2025Samsung’s shows off new AI-powered OLED monitors at CES 2025
Samsung will debut five new high-end monitors at CES 2024, including a glasses-free 3D display and what it claims is the world's first 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor. Key Product Announcements: Samsung's new monitor lineup spans gaming, productivity, and creative uses with innovative display technologies and features. The Odyssey 3D introduces glasses-free 3D viewing through light field display technology and a lenticular lens system, complemented by eye-tracking capabilities for optimal image adjustment The Odyssey OLED G81SF breaks new ground as the first 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor, featuring a 240Hz refresh rate and OLED Safeguard+ technology to prevent screen burn-in...
read Jan 1, 2025These AI-powered OLED displays will level up your gaming experience
Key Technology Overview: GIGABYTE has launched a new line of OLED gaming monitors featuring AI-powered burn-in prevention and advanced display capabilities. The monitors utilize OLED technology to deliver a 1.5M:1 contrast ratio and DCI-P3 99% color gamut Response times are as fast as 0.03ms with refresh rates up to 360Hz An AI-based solution called GIGABYTE OLED Care uses six different methods to prevent screen burn-in Technical Specifications and Features: The product line includes three main models targeting different gaming segments and use cases. The AORUS FO32U2P (31.5-inch) features DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 with 80 Gbps bandwidth and 240Hz refresh rate The...
read Dec 26, 2024MSI unveils Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld with Lunar Lake chip
MSI has unveiled its latest gaming handheld, the Claw 8 AI+, featuring Intel's new Lunar Lake processor and significant hardware upgrades from its predecessor. Key specifications; The Claw 8 AI+ is powered by Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V processor, featuring 8 cores/8 threads and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of 47 TOPS (trillion operations per second). The device comes equipped with 32GB of memory and a user-upgradeable 1TB SSD An enlarged 80Wh battery provides over 4 hours of gameplay in endurance mode Available in both 8-inch and 7-inch models, featuring 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate displays Hardware improvements;...
read Dec 22, 2024Nvidia’s new ACE platform aims to bring more AI to games, but not everyone’s sold
Key innovations on display: Nvidia recently showcased its ACE platform, demonstrating various AI-powered gaming and content creation capabilities running on RTX graphics cards. The demonstrations featured AI NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that players can interact with using natural language Most demos ran locally on consumer hardware like the RTX 4080, though they require substantial VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) The technology enables features like voice-commanded character customization and contextual mission guidance Technical implementations: Nvidia's demonstrations revealed several practical applications of AI in gaming environments. Mecha BREAK showcased an AI mechanic named Martel who responds to voice commands for customization and mission...
read Dec 19, 2024AMD and Sony partner on AI to enhance gaming graphics
Sony and AMD have joined forces to advance artificial intelligence technology for enhanced gaming graphics and performance. Strategic partnership details: Sony and AMD have announced "Project Amethyst," a collaborative initiative aimed at developing advanced machine learning capabilities for gaming hardware. The project's name cleverly combines AMD's red and PlayStation's blue branding colors to create purple (amethyst) The partnership builds upon existing collaboration, as PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro consoles already utilize AMD GPUs The PS5 Pro currently features enhanced GPU capabilities, improved memory, and AI-powered upscaling technology Key objectives and technical focus: Mark Cerny, PS5 and PS5 Pro's lead architect,...
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