Some Info About Google Pixel C: Too clever by half

A funny thing happened on the way to inventing the future of touchscreen computing: everybody is botching it.

Google is the latest company to try to rethink how we interact with computers, designing and manufacturing a tablet and keyboard combination itself for the very first time instead of leaning on a partner to do it. The result is the Pixel C, a beautiful Android tablet that’s just slightly bigger than the iPad Air 2.

Google probably would never admit it, but putting its own hardware team in charge of this year’s Android tablet makes a statement: everybody else has been doing it wrong. That doesn’t just include Android tablets like the Nexus 9 or Samsung’s Tab series, but also Apple’s iPad Pro and even Microsoft’s Surface line. The iPad Pro is massive with a gangly keyboard and all the limitations of mobile software, and the Microsoft Surface has only recently begun to resolve its fundamental identity crisis between laptop and tablet. They’re good, but they're over-engineered solutions to problems we’re only beginning to have.

This tablet is the Pixel hardware team’s response. It’s a simple, well-considered, uncomplicated glimpse into what a tablet computer ought to be. “Get on the train,” it says, “this is the future.”

Except, well: Google’s Android and developer relations teams never even got to the station.

Let’s start with the hardware, and I won’t make any bones about it: I love it in all its squarish simplicity. The Pixel C is slightly bigger than the iPad Air 2 in every dimension (including weight), but not so much that it should give anybody significant pause. Even though both tablets share the same basic materials — glass and aluminum — they look and feel totally distinct.

The Pixel C has straight, squared off edges — you can trace the design language straight back to the Chromebook Pixel. But it isn’t a slavish port from laptop to tablet. It’s designed with slightly curved edges and dual speakers. There are no creaks or weird misaligned ports and buttons like we often see on Android tablets. Google’s Pixel team has only ever made beautiful-looking hardware, and the Pixel C is no exception.

IT FITS THE PIXEL DESIGN AESTHETIC PERFECTLY

The 10.2-inch screen is beautiful too, at a resolution of 2560 x 1800 in a screen with an uncommon aspect ratio: 1:√2. That’s the same ratio as a standard A4 piece of paper, which means that the Pixel C’s screen feels capacious whether you’re using it in landscape or portrait mode (it also has implications for multitasking, maybe, someday — more on that later).

Like those Chromebook Pixel laptops, paying for the design and materials of the Pixel C isn’t cheap. It starts at $499 for the 32GB version, and it’s another $149 for the Bluetooth keyboard that’s meant to go along with it. From a certain perspective, that may not seem like too much — an iPad Air 2 with only 16GB of storage costs $499 as well. But Android tablets typically don’t cost this much.

The battery is good enough — which doubtlessly accounts for some of the 0.27-inch thickness — and so this tablet just lasts and lasts. In our battery test of refreshing web pages, it topped out over 11 hours. In real-world use I never plugged in the USB Type-C charger until the next morning, even after using it all day.

The specs are also huge: 3GB of RAM paired to the latest Nvidia X1 64-bit processor. That all seems good, but something is amiss with performance on the Pixel C. There are inexcusable pauses and latency, especially when launching and switching apps. My hunch is that the Android team still hasn’t figured out how to take real advantage of all that power out of Nvidia’s silicon (the Nexus 9 seemed to similarly underutilize its processor). Whatever the reason, it’s a miss. A bad one.

Hardware that looks good is easy to come by. But what’s genuinely new and interesting about the Pixel C is the optional Bluetooth keyboard accessory. It’s a $149 gadget that is more gadgety than any mainstream piece of consumer hardware I’ve used in years.

It attaches to the tablet with magnets, closing it up into a sealed little flat box in a mode that Google calls "sunny side down." When closed, the tablet wirelessly charges the keyboard. You can attach the keyboard to the back with more magnets — that’s "sunny side up." But what you want to do with a keyboard is type, and there again you have yet more — and more powerful — magnets.

IT TAKES A MINUTE TO FIGURE OUT, BUT IT WORKS WELL

There’s a small hinge at the top of the keyboard that latches on to the back of the Pixel C, letting you pull it up to any angle you might want — and it sticks there too, because that hinge is as sturdy as it can be without being obstinate. The Pixel C automatically detects whether the keyboard is attached and knows whether or not to show you the on-screen keyboard.

The system is clever. Actually, it’s too clever by half.

The Pixel C came with a cheeky little how-to card that explains how it works and, well, it needed it. I’ve watched no fewer than five Very Smart People who hadn’t seen it before struggle to figure out how to work the thing. Does it open like a laptop? Nope, you slide it out. Do you set the tablet on top of the keyboard to make the hinge pop up? Nope, you have to lay it flat or slap the two things together in the right position.

Once you get it, there is something kind of satisfying in that gadgety way of slipping the two things apart and reattaching them (but take note, it only works in landscape mode). When they’re together, you get a little laptoppy-looking thing that’s sturdy and won’t come apart or flop around at all. Surface and iPad Pro: take note.

But because this is a 10-inch tablet, there’s not enough horizontal space to fit a full-sized keyboard. The Pixel team’s solution was to excise less-used keys like brackets and the tilde, which means that the keys you use most get to be bigger. Like any diminutive keyboard, it takes a minute to get used to. But once you do, you can really fly. The key travel is plenty deep and there’s a little three-dot menu you can hit to bring up a symbol keyboard on the screen. (Google also tells me that there are hidden, secret keyboard combos for some symbols, only a few of which I’ve discovered).

You can definitely get used to this keyboard and even learn to love it — I did. Except, well, something is amiss again: missed and repeating keypresses. The Pixel C seems to just have a stutter-step in the Bluetooth connection from time to time. When it drops, nothing registers for a few seconds. When it returns: fffffffffffffffffffffff (literally and figuratively).

Bad Bluetooth connections and rogue latency are the sort of thing that could be improved with a minor OS update — or so I’d like to hope. But Android doesn’t need a minor OS update to get up to snuff on tablets, it needs a major one. And that update needs to be combined with an all-out campaign to woo developers to update their apps to truly support tablets.

1ANDROID NEEDS SERIOUS WORK ON TABLETS

One big problem is that most of the apps I use on Android tablets still aren’t truly optimized for tablets. Most apps are comprised of wide, wasted expanses of open space that are technically designed for any screen size but actually aren’t utilizing all this screen real estate. That’s problematic with third-party apps, but it’s unforgivable from Google’s own apps. Hangouts, the perennial forgotten child of Mountain View, is a mess on this device. Even Google Docs (presumably the app best suited to this keyboard) feels more like a phone app than something I can do real work in.

It gets worse with third-party apps. The Pixel C wants to be used in landscape mode, but too many apps assume that they’re on phones. Popular apps like Slack, Twitter, and many more toss you into portrait mode even when the keyboard is attached.

Complaining that Android is lacking tablet apps is old hat, but that’s not even the biggest problem here. No, it’s that Android and the Pixel C have a hair-on-fire screaming need for some kind of split-screen solution. Microsoft, Samsung, and Apple have all figured this out, but there’s not any kind of solution inside Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Heck, the √2 aspect ratio of the Pixel C’s screen is basically designed to be split in half, yet there’s no option to do so here.

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I’ve spent the past month or two on a sort of casual quest to try to move into this weird and woolly future of computing — the kind with a touchscreen and mobile-style apps and new form factors. I tried various Microsoft Surfaces, which had too few apps and fiddly keyboard designs. I tried the iPad Pro, which also had a fiddly keyboard and an unconscionable lack of support for multiple users. And now I’ve tried the Pixel C.

The pieces should have been here, but there are just too many flaws. Occasional performance skips and Bluetooth connection issues aside, the Pixel team has built a really nice piece of hardware. It simply engenders affection — you pick it up and you want to love it. The keyboard setup is a little weird at first, but when put together, it feels sturdy and much less of a hassle than what you’ll find for iPads or Surfaces. Plus, Android supports multiple users where iOS doesn’t. It has more mobile-style apps (albeit without proper tablet support) than Microsoft.

THE PIXEL TEAM HAS MOSTLY DELIVERED SOMETHING REALLY GOOD, THE ANDROID TEAM HAS NOT

But the performance issues, the lack of apps, and the lack of split-screen functionality show that, right now, Android isn’t really even trying to participate in that future. Simply put: the Pixel team has mostly delivered something really good, the Android team has not. Android may not be Google’s answer for the next generation of computing on a tablet. Maybe that will have to wait for whatever weird hybrid ChromeOS / Android thing that Google is supposedly working on.

The future of tablet computing just isn’t here yet, on any platform. So I bought an iPad.

Photography by Amelia Krales

Video by Mark Linsangan, Andrew Marino, and Phil Esposito

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JBL Clip 2: Waterproofing tiny speaker

L's Clip speakers have been among our favorite micro Bluetooth speakers, and the new Clip 2, which comes in five color options and costs $60 (£50, AU$80), is also a winner.

The Clip 2 has couple of notable changes from its predecessor. For starters, it's fully waterproof. It also comes equipped with a real metal carabiner instead the plastic "clip" mechanism found on the Clip andClip+. And finally, battery life has been improved to eight hours from five.

Like those earlier models, this one has a nifty integrated audio cable for devices that don't support Bluetooth, and there's a built-in speakerphone that works reasonably well.

As you can see from our video, the speaker initially floats when you put in water. But eventually it will sink. I gently put it in a pool and it played for about 10 seconds and then cut out as it dipped a little below the surface. It's rated to be submerged in four feet of water for 30 minutes. But drop it in a deep lake or ocean and you'll want to rescue it pretty quickly or you won't see it again.

On the sound front, I didn't notice a significant improvement, but the speaker still sounds relatively impressive for its tiny size. There's some bass, just not a lot of it, and the speaker will distort at higher volumes with certain bass-heavy tracks, such as the American Authors' "Best Day of My Life" (I tested this speaker with some of the same music as the Clip+). It's strongest in the midrange, and it does best with acoustic music and speech.

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It makes for a good lightweight companion for a tablet or smartphone for watching movies, television shows and sporting events. And using JBL's Connect app, you can now link two Clips 2s to augment the sound. But you're just going to get more voluminous sound, not better sound nor more bass. You also can't do stereo pairing.

The UE Roll 2, which lists for $100, is shaped similarly but is about twice the Clip 2's size and definitely sounds better, with bigger sound

The UE doesn't have speakerphone capabilities but it's arguably the better choice if you want a waterproof Bluetooth speaker (it comes with a flotation accessory). However, if it's a tiny wireless speaker you're after, the Clip 2 is certainly appealing and clearly an improvement over its predecessors, which can now be had for less than $40 online. It'd be nice to see this speaker closer to that price, but that's really my only gripe.

JBL Clip 2 Features

• Wireless Bluetooth streaming (Bluetooth 4.2)
• 6.6 ounces (187g)
• Rechargeable battery: built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery supports up to eight hours of playtime.
• Speakerphone capabilities: Take calls from your speaker with a touch of a button.
• Built-in carabiner
• IPX7 waterproof (fully submersible for a short period)
• Wirelessly connect two Clip 2 speakers together for amplified sound.
• Integrated 3.5mm Audio Cable: if your music player does not have Bluetooth, plug the audio cable into it.

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Destiny Guide: How to Beat the Wrath of the Machine Raid

Bungie releases the new Wrath of the Machine raid for Destiny‘sRise of Iron expansion. Use this guide to conquer its challenges and complete the raid!

Destiny fans haven’t seen a new raid in the game since the King’s Fall raid in The Taken King last year, but with the release of the game’s Rise of Iron expansion, Bungie has introduced a brand new raid for players to master. This raid is called Wrath of the Machine, and like the other raids in Destiny, it requires strategy and skill to complete.

Before players decide to jump into the Rise of Iron raid, they will want to make sure that they arelight level 370. Being a lower level will put players at a severe disadvantage, so taking the time to level up before trying to beat the Wrath of the Machine raid is important. It’s also best to gather a team of six players if possible.

Once at the proper light level and properly equipped with some quality weapons, players are ready to start the Wrath of the Machine raid. We will explain how to complete the raid step-by-step, but for those that prefer a video guide, we recommend this one put together by Salvum:

1. How to Defeat Vosik

The first step is to run through the white lights on the ground. Run through them all in succession to get a x4 Voltage Rising buff, but be aware that failing to get the x4 buff means death. This buff will be on a timer, so be quick about going to the three generators in the area and powering them up. Unleashing two max voltage charges on a generator should be enough to power it to capacity, releasing valuable SIVA charges for players to collect.

These SIVA charges are used in the fight against Vosik, the Archpriest, the raid’s first boss. Chuck as many of these SIVA charges at Vosik as possible to lower his shields, then fight him like normal. Keep at it until Vosik is nearly dead, and then he will teleport out of the battle.

To get to the next part of the Vosik fight, players have to complete a platforming puzzle of sorts, jumping across falling platforms. Afterwards, they will be in the Splicer’s Den with Vosik, who will spawn a bunch of Splicer enemies for players to deal with. Right now, Vosik is invincible with his shields up, so focus on killing the Splicers around him. Killing enough of them will cause some SIVA charges to drop, an event noted by an in-game audio tone similar to the one heard in the Prison of Elders.

Pick up the SIVA charges and try to throw them all at Vosik at the same time, or at least in quick succession. If done fast enough, the monitors behind Vosik will turn off instead of showing static. One monitor will then light up with SIVA energy, so shoot it.

If successful, Vosik’s shields will drop, so pummel him with the Iron Gjallarhorn or other powerful weapons to deal as much damage as quickly as possible. If players fail to throw the SIVA charges at him fast enough or don’t destroy the monitor in time, then Vosik’s shields will regenerate and the process will start all over.

Players need to keep repeating this process until Vosik is dead, but there is an additional hazard to be aware of. Sometimes during the fight, SIVA density will be at “critical,” which means players need to run to whichever rooms surrounding the boss fight area are lit up. Shoot the panel to the right of the open door in these rooms to shut it, avoiding instant death.

2. Death Zamboni

Upon defeating Vosik, collect the loot and then proceed through another platforming section. At the other end of this platforming section is a battle with the Death Zamboni, the next boss fight for the Wrath of the Machine raid. For the first part of the boss fight, have some members of the Fireteam blasting away at Death Zamboni’s turrets, while everyone else deals with the smaller enemies that spawn.

Destroying the Death Zamboni’s turrets will expose the weak point on its head. Attack its weak point until a platform falls on its side, allowing players to get on the Zamboni itself. Ride the Death Zamboni until it smashes into a wall, and then hop down and run to the other end of the platform. Kill all the enemies here, and then three Zamboni parts should drop.

Split into pairs, so three Guardians should be carrying Zamboni parts at any given time. Those not carrying the parts will be on protection duty. Carry the parts all the way back to the Zamboni itself. Have anyone not carrying parts to climb back onto the Zamboni and kill the Engineer standing on top of it. Doing this will lower a ramp that allows everyone else to carry the Zamboni parts onto the machine. Deliver the parts to their designated areas (they’re color-coded), and the Death Zamboni should get moving again.

Keep riding the Death Zamboni until it smashes through the wall, then jump off and down the hole. From there, it’s just a matter of carefully following the path until players reach the door of the raid’s final boss fight.

3. How to Defeat Aksis

For the first phase of this battle, players will want to split into three teams of two, one for each section of the boss fight room (left, right, center). Kill the regular enemies that spawn here until Captains spawn in. Kill one of the Captains and it will drop a cannon that will be categorized as Arc, Solar, or Void. Picking up this cannon will make a Servitor of the same elemental type spawn, so go and kill it with a fully charged blast of the cannon.

Killing the Servitor will make it drop a SIVA charge. Pick up the SIVA charge and use it on one of the containment cores that appear on Aksis. Now repeat the process with the other two elemental types (the third time multiple Servitors of the type will spawn, and all must be destroyed). Then damage the boss as much as possible. Keep repeating these steps until the first phase of the battle is complete.

The second phase of the fight is much tougher, as Aksis is more actively involved in the fight, moving around the area in a tank of sorts. To bring his shields down, go through the same steps of killing Captains, shooting Servitors, and collecting SIVA charges, but this time throw the charges at Aksis himself. Once his shields are down, three players on the Fireteam will be selected at random to have a max voltage buff. Have these buffed players spread out across the room, so that there is one in each section (left, right, center).

Aksis will teleport to one area of the room randomly. When he does this, one of the buffed players needs to jump on his back and unleash the charge. This will stun him, leaving him wide open for significant damage. Aksis will keep teleporting around the room until all the buffed players have used their max voltage, and then players need to repeat the process from the beginning.

Eventually, Aksis will attempt some last-ditch efforts to wipe the team, including a move where he unleashes damaging SIVA energy everywhere. To avoid this, simply jump away from the room to one of the pillars that are standing in the darkness. His second desperation attack will come at the very end of the fight, when he has a sliver of health left. To avoid being wiped from this attack, it’s just a matter of draining the rest of his health in time.

With Aksis defeated, players can rest easy. Congratulations on completing the Wrath of the Machine raid for Destiny: Rise of Iron!

Unless Bungie releases another raid in a future update, Wrath of the Machine may be the last new raid for Destiny players to master until Destiny 2 releases next year. In the meantime, fans can still explore the other content in Rise of Iron, such as the new Crucible maps, game modes, and more to help tide them over until the next game in the series launches in 2017.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is available now for PS4 and Xbox One.

Source: Salvum

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YouTube Go is a new app for offline

Google has announced YouTube Go, a new app designed to broaden the accessibility of the behemoth video-sharing service. Designed and developed with Indian users in mind, who will be able to test the app first before a broader rollout, YouTube Go is intended to work more effectively in areas where connectivity is more limited.

YouTube Go allows users to save videos for offline viewing, giving options over quality and file size so it's clear how much data a download will use. The app also allows for local sharing with nearby users without using any data. YouTube Go builds upon the Smart Offline feature that YouTube launched first in India earlier this year.

SHARE VIDEOS WITHOUT USING ANY DATA

"YouTube Go is a brand new app to help the next generation of users share and enjoy videos," YouTube product management VP Johanna Wright says in a statement. "YouTube Go was designed and built from the ground up with insights from India, in order to bring the power of video to mobile users in a way that is more conscious of their data and connectivity, while still being locally relevant and social."

YouTube Go was announced at a Google event in Delhi where the company revealed several new products aimed at the Indian market; many of these will later make it around the world. "In an increasingly mobile-first world, India gives us early insights into the future of the Internet," Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in an op-ed for The Economic Times today. "Moreover, we learned the issues Indians may have with connectivity and data constraints can be universal."

Indian users can sign up now to test YouTube Go, but there's no word on when the app will formally launch in the country or elsewhere.

SOURCE: YouTube Go

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Sony's PS4 Pro Gets the Jump on 4K, HDR TVs

Sony on Wednesday officially unveiled the powered-up PlayStation 4 Pro, which features smoother graphics, thanks to higher frame rates. This new version of Sony's bestselling video game console includes support for 4K resolution and high dynamic range, making it fully compatible with 4K/UHD displays.

Some developers will add PS4 Pro support to existing games, as well as upcoming releases. Sony's own Uncharted 4 can be updated to take advantage of the 4K/HDR support immediately. Other titles -- including Call of Duty: Infinite Wars, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Days Gone -- will provide support at their respective launches.

Gamers who don't have HDTVs that offer either 4K or HDR still can benefit from the PS4 Pro's higher frame rate.

The PS4 Pro will support for Netflix's and YouTube's upcoming 4K apps, which will be available in the coming months.

In addition to the high-end PS4 Pro, Sony introduced a new standard version of the PlayStation 4. It is externally smaller and weighs less than the original PS4, but its new hardware design reduces power consumption by 28 percent. It is otherwise the same as the PS4 launched in late 2013.

"The premium tier allows Sony to target enthusiasts, while its standard version addresses a broader audience," said Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at IHS Markit.

Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro will be available at retail on Nov. 10 for US$399.99, while the new standard PlayStation will be released on Sept. 15 for $299.99.

Going High-End

Support for 4K and HDR may mean a more powerful gaming system, but adoption of TV sets that are capable of utilizing those features is still in its infancy. Sony's PS4 Pro, in a sense, has future-proofed the console.

"The PS4 Pro is designed to appeal to a high-end consumer, and in the same way that you have high-end gaming PCs, you can expect to have an audience of console gamers who want more from the PS4," noted Scott Steinberg, principal analyst at TechSavvy Global.

"Not everyone will take advantage of these new features in the next month or two, but the system will be there and be ready for when the market gets there," he told TechNewsWorld. "This way Sony will have a system that can take advantages of a consumer's next TV as well as their current one."

Halfway There

Sony is hedging its bets with the two offerins.

"The PS4 Pro is really a '.5' upgrade, which adds features, but the major hitch is going to be selling to someone who already has the system and doesn't have a 4K TV right now," observed independent video game industry analystBilly Pidgeon.

However, "the advanced features could possibly entice those with an Xbox One to make the switch," he told TechNewsWorld.

Further, "Sony is also smart to offer the cheaper slimmed-down version as another way to pull in those who haven't bought a PS4 in any form yet," Pidgeon said.

"The danger still remains that hardware upgrades can cut out the largest part of your install base in the process, so Sony and the game developers will have to be careful not to make it seem like early adopters are left behind" he cautioned.

"Some console gamers will always want the best stuff, and if they have the money then they'll buy the system again," Pidgeon said, noting that a similar strategy sustained the PC hardware market at one time. "The question remains, how big is that market?"

Updates Galore

Updating the technology in a video game console was not so easy with past systems.

"Today's consoles use less proprietary technology compared to older generations and are more like PCs," remarked IHS Markit's Harding-Rolls. "This makes it easier and quick to develop and build improved versions."

Microsoft already has fired its own salvo, with the introduction of the Xbox One S, which offers 4K video and HDR support, as well as a 4K/UHD Blu-ray drive.

Microsoft reportedly also is working on another version that will be capable of running 4K-native games expected early next year.

The companies' new strategies could be to extend the lives of their respective systems through these types of updates, rather than introducing completely new systems.

"Consoles are now being designed to last a whole lot longer than previous generations," said TechSavvy Global's Steinberg.

"This is good news for gamers who don't have to see their library of games left behind, but it also should appeal to game developers who don't have to learn a whole new ecosystem," he pointed out. "For both gamers and developers, this really provides maximum value for the systems."

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Cut the Rope: Magic

PROS

Just as pick up and play as the original

Swish new graphics

Nice subtle twist on the Cut the Rope approach with new animals

Levels feel fresh rather than like rehashes

CONS

Not as revolutionary as some might have hoped for?

Available on iOS and Android

I'm not sure what scares me the most; the fact that the original Cut the Rope is now more than five years old, or that the year it came out in – 2010 – was more than five years ago.

I could have sworn it just happened, you know? Kraft bought Cadbury, the BBC threatened to shut down 6 Music, Cameron and Clegg embraced each other (figuratively speaking) in the rose garden, and the biggest thing to come out of Russia since Sputnik, ZeptoLab's Om Nom, hit the App Store. Are we absolutely sure that all that happened half a decade ago?

Nevertheless, Om Nom's anniversary has given the studio the excuse it needed to bring out a game designed to celebrate the franchise's now long legacy and, arguably, Cut the Rope: Magic feels more like a bona fide sequel to that original encounter than Cut the Rope 2 ever did. That's because it does a great job of building on the original concept by adding new elements, but all without dragging it away all too far from what made it popular in the first place.

As in the first Cut the Rope, your main form of interaction is rope cutting – swiping your finger through rope that holds up pieces of candy, with the idea being to use your knowledge of physics to guide it down so it drops into Om Nom's mouth. There are stars to collect along the way if you're after a perfect score, but Cut the Rope: Magic remains a game that, if they so choose, novices can swipe through without thinking all too much for all too long.

Where things begin to get mixed up, however, is when it comes to some of the new abilities on offer. For those interested in plot – and when the lead character is basically a green blob with little more features to its arsenal than a face, who wouldn't be – On Nom is now trapped in a magic picture book, which enables him to transform into different animals (a bird, a mouse, a fish, and baby Om Nom) mid-stage. This brings an extra element or two when it comes to planning your strategy and places even more focus on doing things in the right order: there's no point cutting a rope or two to drop the candy down if you haven't first turned Om Nom into a bird so he can reach it, is there?

Unfortunately for our green furry friend, he doesn't have this magic book all to himself. Also popping up along the way is an evil wizard who wants all the candy for himself. Though he doesn't pop up in the main stages – an ominous appearance in Magic's opening cut-scene the extent of his threat for quite some time – he does feature in mini-games of tug of war with Om Nom, with the winner quite predictably taking home the sweet stuff and the loser being left hungry.

The standard stages also feature a hint system that takes you, step by step, through each move you need to pull off in order to get a perfect score, though this is limited to just a few runs before you then have to part with your cash to be similarly aided in the future.

When it all comes together, however, all the new abilities form an especially subtle way of mixing the Cut the Rope formula up without trashing it in the process and, as some of the stages prove, it's allowed ZeptoLab's level designers to avoid retreading old ground and simply serving up the same portions of play with new, shinier graphics. Importantly for ZeptoLab, it's also evidence that a model people may have assumed was well past its best still has some life left in it, and could well be further rejuvenated by similarly subtle twists on the original title.

If you never took to Om Nom's adventures in any of its previous forms, then it's safe to say that this isn't the game to change your mind, but if you're a fan of old that's been looking to return to the Cut the Rope world, then Cut the Rope: Magic feels like the perfect point to hop back aboard the ZeptoLab train, ready for the no doubt exciting ride ahead.

Verdict

A subtle twist on a model that's now half a decade old, Cut the Rope: Magic performs the delicate trick of staying in touch with what made the original game great whilst also adding new elements to it to keep thing exciting. More of a sequel than any of the games it follows, ZeptoLab has proven that there's more life in its flagship IP than we might have imagined.

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Hearth Stone: How to play

Itching to pick up a deck and start playing? There's no better way to learn than to simply download Hearthstone now and get started! And if you still have unanswered questions after the in-game tutorial, the pages in this section will help you catch up on anything you've missed.

Board Overview

All you need to know about Hearthstone's game interface can literally be summed up with just one screenshot. Don't believe us? Well, check it out for yourself below.

Playing Hearthstone

Let's get started by checking out the first few turns of a typical game of Hearthstone.

Pick Your Starting Hand

The match begins with a coin toss to determine who goes first, followed by both players drawing their starting hands: three cards for the coin toss winner, four for the other player. And because going first does offer a slight strategic advantage, the loser of the coin toss also gets The Coin: a special zero cost card that temporarily increases your mana by one! You can mulligan as many cards from your starting hands as you like. Once both players accept their hand, the match proper begins.

Draw a Card

You draw a cardfrom your deck at the start of each turn, and some cards allow you to draw additional cards during your turn.

Play Cards

One mana crystal isn't much, but there are plenty of low cost cards you can play during your first turn. Like this Argent Squire for example. Minions can't attack the turn they are played unless they have the Charge ability, so the squire is taking a nap until it's her turn to act.

Attack

Our opponent played a minion, and now it's our turn again. With two mana crystals, we can summon another minion, play a spell, or use our hero power. Decisions, decisions... Our Argent Squire is also ready to attack now; we can attack our opponent, or we can take out his minion. Since our squire has Divine Shield, we could take out the opposing minion without sacrificing our own.

Use Your Hero Power

Rogues can summon daggers, so let's grab a knife and use this weapon to take out our opponent's minion, saving our Squire's shield. Weapon-wielding heroes can target heroes or minions, but watch out: each attack costs one point of durability, and once your weapon runs out of durability, it's discarded for good.

End Your Turn

Satisfied with our play, we end the turn. Now it’s up to our opponent to find answers to our threats and adapt his tactics. Will he develop his board by playing more minions? Will he focus on removing ours? Will he bide his time until he can spring a deadly combo on us? Turn by turn, each match becomes more challenging, complex, and fun. What will your strategy be?

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Destiny Guide: Where to Find the New Crucible Map Dead Ghosts

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There are new Dead Ghosts to find and collect in each of Destiny‘s 27 Crucible maps, added today with Private Matches. Don’t miss any with this guide.

A week ahead of the release of Destiny: Rise of Iron, Private Matches have officially come to the game. As fans started jumping into Private Matches today, they quickly discovered that there was something else waiting for them. New Dead Ghosts have been added to the Crucible, and there is one on every map. For Destiny players on PlayStation, that means there are 27 Ghosts to collect, while those on Xbox have 26 due to the PlayStation-exclusive map Sector 618 (which will remain exclusive until fall 2017).

Arekkz Gaming has a full video guide to the locations of the Dead Ghosts, but be sure to check out our handy text guide.

It will be helpful to load into a Private Match onto each of these maps solo with Control selected, as Control will provide the flags as extra landmarks in finding the Dead Ghosts. Here are all 27 Dead Ghosts:

The Anomaly

Go to the C flag side, by the moon rover. Go towards the opening and to the right in the corner between the crate and the wall will be the Ghost.

Asylum

Near C flag, in the back corner towards the screen and benches, the Ghost can be found in the tall grass on the right side of the hallway.

Bannerfall

Go to the side of the map where if you stand looking towards B flag, the main courtyard and tree are to the left. Jump up onto the platform where the Rift usually spawns, and go right into the interior building. The Ghost will be to the left on a table.

Bastion

Not far from C flag, there is a rock formation with some large boulders scattered at its base. Jump on one of the boulders on the left side of the rock formation’s opening and inside a crater is the Dead Ghost.

Black Shield

Go through the small side tunnel that is to the right when running from C flag to B flag. Before coming out of the tunnel on the side closer to B flag, the Ghost will be on the left lying on the ground.

Blind Watch

On the A flag side of the map, find the area farthest to the left (the large fan will be to the right) covered with an overhang. In the shade, on the ground is the Ghost.

The Burning Shrine

On this Trials of Osiris favorite, go outside on the “sun side” of the map and go to the center of the area. Head towards the sun and the kill barrier. The Ghost is hiding behind one of the large sqaure stones to the left. You will have to go far enough to trigger the kill barrier countdown timer to snag it.

Cathedral of Dusk

Find the large stone tablet in front of where heavy ammo spawns in the interior of the map. Go straight across towards the chasm and the Ghost will be to the right of the crypt-like box.

The Cauldron

Go to the B flag. When standing on the steps, looking at B flag, drop down into the water on the right side. In the corner to the left of the small tunnel that connects the lower level of that room, is the Ghost.

Crossroads

On the B flag side of the map, (with the rest of the map behind you) the Ghost can be found just to the left of the teleporter to the left of the tree.

The Drifter

Run from the center of the map to B flag. Go to the railing where heavy ammo spawns. Turn right and follow the railing all the way to the wall. The Ghost is on the ground there.

The Dungeons

Walk from A flag to the right and through the door towards B flag, but continue right toward the Special Ammo box that spawns there. Now turn around and check one of the corners to the left.

Exodus Blue

From the A flag side, the Ghost is in one of the buildings furthest away from the center of the map. It is inside of the building that has the Russian “Poba” writing on it. Go inside the doorway and immediately turn right to find it.

Firebase Delphi

Run right from C flag into the room where Heavy Ammo spawns. Turn right and go through the circular opening. Go straight back into that room. The Ghost is near the back wall behind a metal cylinder.

First Light

From the C flag side of the map, pass the building where Heavy Ammo spawns and head towards the domed building slightly to the left. Before jumping down off that ledge, the Ghost is nestled between some crates to the left.

Frontier

Go to where Heavy Ammo spawns between the two rocks (to the right if starting on A flag). The Ghost is hidden well in some bushes against the cliff closer to the A flag side.

Memento

In the middle of the map, there is a Special Ammo crate through a doorway on the left not far from the red car. The Ghost is very easy to spot next to the Special Ammo box.

Pantheon

The Ghost can be found on the A flag side, directly to the left below the raised platform where the Alpha spawn point is located. Look on the stairs on the edge of the chasm.

Rusted Lands

This Ghost requires going into a kill barrier to get to. Go the B flag. When facing away from the center of the map, towards B flag, the wall to the left is the edge of the map. Walk over to the wall at its halfway point. Jump over the wall, and before the timer runs out, grab the Ghost hiding on that side of the wall.

Sector 618

The Ghost is sitting on the middle platform, next to the Fallen barrier right in the middle of the map that serves as a connection between where the Spark spawns in Rift and the upper section of the map.

Shores of Time

This Ghost is hidden behind some crates outside of the tunnel that connects A flag side and the open section outside of the B flag. On the A flag side, before going into the tunnel, check the stacked boxes to the right.

Skyshock

On this very large map, head down towards the water where the plane wreckage is. Check the tail section very close to the water. The Ghost will be on the left side of the opening, next to some grass.

Thieves’ Den

Directly behind the Spider Tank that sits next to A flag, check the pile of gold like material stacked up against the wall to find the Ghost.

The Timekeeper

Go to A flag in the pool of water. With the boundary of the map at your back, there is a narrow broken wall to the left. Jump up on top of it to find the Ghost.

Twilight Gap

This Ghost is hidden in the middle of the map. There is a stack of boxes through the doors that connects the path between A flag and C flag. Walk around it until you see the Ghost resting atop a box in the middle of the stack.

Vertigo

Start at B flag facing the teleporter. Go down the stairs to the right and then take a sharp right at the bottom of the stairs. Walk straight towards the corner for the Ghost.

Widow’s Court

From C flag, go to the right side of the map towards the broken stairs on the way the A flag. The Ghost is on the upper platform in the left corner.

And that’s it! Be sure to check out Game Rant’s other guides for Rise of Iron, including how to beat the new revamped Devil’s Lair strike and how to get into the new hidden room added in Patch 2.4.0.

Destiny: Rise of Iron launches September 20 on PS4 and Xbox One.

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How to Beat Sepiks Perfected in Rise of Iron’s New Strike on Destiny

The classic strike boss from Destiny‘s Year One is back and has a bag of new tricks. Find out how to beat Sepiks Perfected straight away for when Rise of Iron launches.

Destiny is getting a remastered strike with Rise of Iron, in addition to the brand new strike Wretched Eye. Like many of Destiny‘s strikes that have been “Taken-ified” in The Taken King and the April Update, Rise of Iron will remix the first strike many players ever played, The Devil’s Lair.

To see the entire new strike in action, overflowing with the new Devil Splicer enemy faction, check out Destiny YouTuber Mesa Sean’s video:

Rise of Iron’s version of The Devil’s Lair appears to be even more changed than some of the other remastered strikes of the past. While many of the older remixed strikes feature packs of Taken among the normal enemies, this one feels a lot different.

First off, when players spawn in, they do so into the new winter version of the Cosmodrome. That carries through the strike with walls that have been cut through by the Devil Splicers and snow in the open areas. That said, the progression of the strike is much the same.

In the first main room, where players faced off against Fallen and Hive while the Ghost had to go through three rounds of hacking, players will now face off against Devil Splicers, and for only two rounds. Some of the spawn points of the enemies have changed, but the section still ends with a major Fallen Captain, albeit a Splicer version.

After that, in the the open area outside of Sepiks’ door, the Spider Tank is no more. Instead Hive and Devil Splicer skirmish, and Guardians will have to deal with both enemies.

Finally, once fireteams reach Sepiks’ room, they will find that the boss is no longer Sepiks Prime, but Sepiks Perfected (the same boss players face off against in the expansion’s first story mission). This new version of the boss has been modified and transformed by SIVA, the technological virus that takes center stage in Rise of Iron. And Sepiks doesn’t just look different, the fight has some new mechanics.

Whereas previously, Sepiks was pretty much a giant bullet sponge, some new mechanics have been added. At certain times of the fight, Sepiks will teleport away and gain an elemental shield rendering the giant Servitor immune to damage. At the same time, Splicer Captains spawn in with Scorch Cannons with the corresponding damage type. Kill the Captains, take their Scorch Cannons, and fire the one round at Sepiks to knock off its shield and continue damaging it.

In addition to showing off the new strike, Mesa Sean is also able to get a glimpse at the new Hoard Chest mechanic being added, which will drop strike specific loot that players can open with a Skeleton Key (which is a random drop from completing strikes). This allows players to open chests in strikes for the loot they are searching for most.

There is one other classic strike that is being remastered for Rise of Iron, The Summoning Pits, which has yet to be shown off.

Destiny: Rise of Iron launches September 20th on PS4 and Xbox One.

Source: Mesa Sean

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Things Pokemon Go Doesn't Tell You

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Pokemon Go can be daunting for players new to the Pokemon franchise, and veteran Pokemon trainers unfamiliar with the differences from the normal Pokemon gameplay. This page highlights some of the more important Things Pokemon Go Doesn't Tell You about controls, mechanics, and other useful tips.

PokeStops Refresh Often

If you happen to live, work, or just be in an area near one of the PokeStops, you'll notice that the color changes from blue to purple once interacted with. If you hang around the area for a bit, you'll find it goes back to its blue color after 5 or so minutes (times can vary), allowing you to easily stock up on Poke Balls, and gain 50 xp a pop, which is useful if you find yourself stuck someplace where Pokemon are not appearing.

Transfer Duplicate Pokemon For Candy

Leveling Pokemon doesn't work the same as other games, since you don't battle Pokemon in the wild. Instead, each Pokemon caught will come with a few of that Pokemon's candy, as well as Stardust. Both of these items will need to be gathered to train your Pokemon, and the candy in particular is needed to evolve Pokemon.

An easy way to obtain more candy is to transfer any duplicate Pokemon you catch in the wild. Find two Squirtles? Transfer one (which is the same as letting it go) and you'll be rewarded with a Squirtle candy. It's important to never pass up a Pokemon you find - even if you already have that one!

Pokemon and PokeStops in Motion

Whether you're on a bus, in a car, taking a train, or whatever — you'll find that you can still play Pokemon Go on the go and your avatar will faithfully run down the streets to keep up. This can be both a blessing and a curse, because you'll often pass through several potential PokeStops or Pokemon.

It's important to note that when interacting with PokeStops, if you leave the area, you won't be able to finish interacting with it — and interaction is often best saved when you're slowing down or stopped in a moving vehicle. However, any Pokemon that is encountered and engaged will stay with you, letting you catch them at your leisure (so long as they don't flee).

And of course: please don't play Pokemon and drive.

Trainer Level Influences Rarer Pokemon

As exciting as exploring new and unknown places for Pokemon are, you won't have to brave the most dangerous places on Earth to find rare Pokemon - instead your personal level will dictate the rarity of Pokemon that appear. To start,you'll often encounter basic pokemon (Zubats, Charmanders, Weedles, etc) but as you gain in level, there will be a better chance of finding both Pokemon with higher Combat Power (CP), and rare Pokemon in general.

Tougher and rarer Pokemon will often be harder to catch - a green ring means an easy catch, yellow harder, and then orange and red. Difficult Pokemon may often break out of a Pokeball, or even run away. Consider using Items to make it easier before trying against these Pokemon.

Egg Hatching Distance Measuring

When trying to incubate a Pokemon Egg, you'll have to travel a distance of several kilometers (varying from 2 to 5 to 10). While you might be tempted to simply drive the distance, there's more to it than distance traveled. Pokemon Go uses both your phone's pedometer as well as the GPS to calculate how far you've actually walked, and appears to limit your distance traveled if it clocks you going at high speeds. Distance traveled is still counted fairly accurately if done on a skateboard, as long as you don't go too fast. 

Note: The app must be active to count your steps. This means if you go for a walk, the app must stay running and you must be logged in and playing for it to count your steps.

Get Free Items for Defending Gyms

Once your trainer is level 5, you can finally visit Pokemon Gyms and battle against other trainers. If you visit a Gym with your team's color - or take over one of the opposing color, you can store your Pokemon there and become a Gym Defender. Immediately thereafter you can check the Shop tab and click on the shield icon to access your Defender Bonus for free PokeCoins and Stardust. Check back every 20~ hours (so long as your pokemon have not been dethroned) and to recieve more (the amount may vary depending on how many Pokemon you have in the gym, or their CP).

Battles Are Not Turn Based

Contrary to most Pokemon games, Gym Battles in Pokemon Go are not turn based - though attacks can't be literally spammed either. To attack, simply tap the screen, and your Pokemon will deal its first attack as soon as its able. To deal a special attack, you will need to hold down on the screen and release. In order to perform a special attack, you will need to charge the meter below a pokemon's health until a bar is full - different special attacks have different meters. To dodge, swipe to the sides before the attack hits. 

You can tell which move is the Pokemon's basic attack and which is its special by the order the moves are listed in. For example, this Ekans will use Acid, and will only be able to attack with Sludge Bomb when one or both of the bars are filled by using Acid first.

Pokemon Close By Can Be Summoned

When on the map, in the bottom right corner you can find a tab that lists any nearby Pokemon. Most of these Pokemon should have a number of 1 to 3 footprints under them, with 1 equaling close and 3 equaling farther away. However, sometimes you may find that a Pokemon listed has no footprints - if this is the case, track that Pokemon by tapping on it, and it should pop up on the map in a few seconds.

You can also track any nearby Pokemon by tapping on it and monitoring the list of nearby Pokemon.

Note that simply seeing a patch of moving grass on the map doesn't always mean a Pokemon will immediately pop up if you're close enough - but some will often appear if you walk around the area long enough.

Make the Most of the Battery Saver

Pokemon Go includes an option in the settings to initiate a Battery Saver mode, but it doesn't really explain what that does - in fact, simply turning it on won't do much of anything.

To make use of Battery Saver, once turned on, simply turn your phone upside down, and the screen will darken to display a faint Pokemon Go logo. The game will still be on, and will still track your movements - you just won't see it. However, you will still get a notification or rumble if you approach a Pokestop or a Pokemon appears, so you can quickly pull the phone out of your pocket to interact!

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Pokemon Go Will Haunt Your Nightmares

Twitter artist BrachyZoid recreates screenshots of Pokemon GOPokemon that appear to be fused together, creating terrifying Pokemon hybrid monstrosities.

Pokemon GO, despite its incredible popularity, is by no means a perfect game, and not even its biggest supporters would label it as one. It’s no secret that the game has its fair share of glitches and oddities, with these issues ranging from serious technical problems to goofy graphical mishaps. One common issue Pokemon GOplayers run into when on their Pokemon-hunting adventures is two or more Pokemon spawning in the same spot, making it look as though the creatures are fused together. Well, one artist has taken inspiration from these hybrid Pokemon, and has decided to bring them to life in his drawings.

Twitter user BrachyZoid has been drawing disturbing pictures of hybrid Pokemon sent to him by Pokemon GOfans. These drawings imagine what these hybrid Pokemon would look like if they were actually fused together, and not just clipping through one another. The results are a Rattata with Paras claws, a Weedle bursting from the head of a dead Oddish, and perhaps the most unnerving, a Psyduck with the three heads of Dodrio sticking out of the top of its skull.

It’s safe to say that most of BrachyZoid’s Pokemon GO hybrid drawings are gross, but there are a couple that aren’t upsetting. For example, a Krabby with a Doduo on its head is made to look like it is dancing to disco music, and a Doduo/Geodude mashup has spawned its own series of fan art of people that enjoy seeing a buff Dodou.

Pokemon GO fans may get a kick out of BrachyZoid’s drawings, but at the same time, his drawings are proof that there are still lingering issues that plague the popular augmented reality mobile game, even a couple of months after its launch. For example, the Pokemontracking glitch that caused headaches in the game’s early days resulted in the popular feature being removed entirely, and then replaced by a new tracking tool that seems to be less popular with the community.

So, while the hybrid Pokemon seen in Pokemon GO may be amusing, they also serve as a reminder that Niantic has a long way to go when it comes to improving the game. If Niantic wants to continue making $200 million a month from Pokemon GO, it should be sure to retain its fan base by keeping the game updated on a regular basis and keeping it as glitch-free as possible.

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

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Check in at PokeStops!

Look around on your map for the blue icons that denote Pokestops.

These blue icons are often landmarks, sculptures, noteworthy buildings and more, and getting close to and swiping the image that appears in the circle will score you free items like Poke Balls to catch Pokemon,Eggs to hatch Pokemon, and upon reaching level 5 - Potions and Revives to heal your Pokemon from Gym Battles.

To use the Pokestop, you must move your character near enough to activate it (there's a ring around your character that shows how close you are). Once you have it activated, you must tap on the blue icon, then swipe to spin the blue disc that shows a picture of the spot on your screen. This will release items. You can either tap to collect them, or simply exit the Pokestop and they will be collected anyways.

Note that you must remain near the Pokestop to obtain the items, which can be difficult in moving vehicles!

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