Facebook’s 3D photos no longer require portrait mode
Facebook isn't the first to do this — Google has used a similar technique for portrait mode with its Pixel phones — but Facebook's version also allows you to convert photos long after you've snapped them. The company says it can make 3D pics out of everything from recent selfies to "decades-old" shots stored on your phone.
Eventually, Facebook says it hopes to also apply the research to video, which could open up some interesting possibilities for its AR and VR efforts.
There is a catch, though: not all devices will be able to support it, according to Facebook. Though any device can view 3D photos in News Feed, the ability to post a 3D photo in Facebook's app is limited to the iPhone 7 and newer, as well as a handful of "midrange or better" Android phones, including Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 and Note 9, as well as the entire Pixel lineup (minus last year's budget-friendly Pixel 3A).
The feature is rolling out now to Facebook's app. Unfortunately, the company wasn't able to provide a full list of compatible devices, so if you don't have one of the phones already mentioned, you'll likely need to wait and see if your device supports the feature in the next few days.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/facebook-converts-3D-photos-without-portrait-mode/
Professional ‘League of Legends’ is trying to work around the coronavirus
The move makes a lot of sense: while the spread of the coronavirus appears to be slowing in China, it's better to be safe than sorry. The change in format will be dramatic, though. The LPL is one of the few esports leagues with multiple home team venues dotted around the country. Match attendance is usually high -- dramatically higher than equivalent leagues in North America (LCS) and Europe (LEC) -- and the inevitable chants and cheers create a lively atmosphere for the players on stage and everyone watching at home. With an online-only setup, viewers will have to make do with the in-game audio and 'shoutcast' commentary.
— LPL (@lplenglish) February 28, 2020
According to the LPL, all players will have to complete a 14-day monitored quarantine period and meet "all local health requirements" before they can participate in the new format. And, to make sure every game is fair, the league will be sending referees to each team's headquarters. "This new 2020 LPL format will be the first time a professional League of Legends league is done online," the organisers said on Twitter. "There will likely be some unforeseen technical difficulties, but we will try our best to deal with them in a timely fashion. We expect to continue to bring everyone the exciting and action-packed gameplay that the LPL has been known for."
The timing of the coronavirus outbreak is unfortunate. Two new teams, SinoDragon Gaming (SDG) and Victory Five (V5), joined the LPL this year, bringing the total number of squads up to 16. This split is also the first time that every team has been allowed to wear its new Nike-supplied uniforms, which include custom jerseys, LPL-branded joggers and Nike sneakers.
For now, the domestic league in Korea, the LCK, is still playing matches inside an arena. Spectators are barred, however, which has created a similarly safe but tepid atmosphere for players and viewers watching online. The LCS and LEC, meanwhile, are carrying on with live audiences.
It's hoped, of course, that the coronavirus will soon peter out and everything will return to normal. Until that happens, Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, needs a back-up plan for its annual Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) tournament. The prestigious competition, which takes place after the Spring Split, features the best team from every major region including the LPL and LCK. Right now, Riot doesn't know what, if any travel restrictions will be in place during the tournament, and whether there's a host city that would be easier for everyone to reach.
An Update on MSI 2020 from John Needham, Global Head of Esports pic.twitter.com/VdekcrEibU
— lolesports (@lolesports) February 26, 2020
Earlier this week, John Needham, Global Head of Esports at Riot Games, admitted that the company has had to adjust its plans and delay the announcement of when and where MSI will be held. "While we remain committed to making the event happen, the health and safety of players and fans comes first and foremost, with the integrity of the competition a close second," he said in a statement. Riot's position is completely understandable. Still, the lack of information has frustrated some fans who are keen to book their own travel and accommodation for the event.
It's possible that MSI will be held without representation from one or many of the major regions, including the LPL. That would arguably defeat the point of the competition, though, and make any victory a hollow one. Some fans have suggested that the tournament be held online, similar to the LPL, or scrapped entirely given the unusual circumstances. It wouldn't be the first, or likely the last international event to be cancelled this year.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/league-legends-lpl-online-china-coronavirus/
Etsy’s new ad policy could force more fees on merchants
At first glance, a system in which creators only have to pay for successful ads doesn't seem bad, but it's how Etsy plans to implement the service that has some sellers worried. When the company puts the new policy in place in April, it will automatically enroll merchants who make more than $10,000 in sales annually, charging them a 12 percent advertising fee. Critically, these sellers won't have the option to opt-out of the service. Meanwhile, merchants who generate less than $10,000 in sales per year won't have to take part. However, Etsy still plans to enroll them automatically, and they'll have to pay a higher 15 percent fee.
For most sellers, Esty estimates one in 10 of their sales will come courtesy of offsite ads. By the company's math, someone who sells $10,000 in products annually will pay $120 in advertising costs. What Esty's example doesn't acknowledge are the other fees the company charges sellers. On its own, $120 for advertising isn't a lot, but it's yet another fee merchants need to pay on top of expenses like materials and, in some cases, shipping -- plus not to mention Etsy's existing listing fees. Moreover, not every product sold on Esty costs the same amount of money to make. For some merchants, an extra 12 to 15 percent fee top of other expenses could be the difference between profitability and breaking even.
Predictably, there are plenty of people who aren't happy about the new policy. While some say aspects of the new service are an improvement over the current one, the fact Esty plans to force some merchants to participate, whether they want to or not, is a significant point of contention.
In a statement to Gizmodo, a spokesperson for Etsy acknowledged those concerns but said the company believes merchants will see the benefits of the service once they use it. "Many sellers asked us for marketing products that give them more control with less risk, and we're excited to evolve our advertising services to directly address this feedback," the spokesperson said. "Offsite Ads will help sellers reach tens of millions of potential buyers off of Etsy, without having to pay any fees unless they make a successful sale. While we understand that changes like these can be an initial cause of concern, we're confident that once Offsite Ads launches sellers will see the benefits of this powerful new marketing tool."
Etsy has made several controversial moves in the past couple of years. Most recently, its decision to push creators to absorb the cost of shipping products outraged sellers. Then as now, people are threatening to leave the marketplace, saying they're upset about the upcoming changes.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/etsy-new-offsite-ad-policy/
Amazon is the latest to pull out of GDC over coronavirus fears
On top of this, Amazon has also begun restricting "non-essential" employee travel in the US after doing the same in China in January.
The internet giant joins Facebook, Sony, EA, Epic Games, Microsoft, Kojima Productions and Unity Technologies among the major brands exiting GDC. This won't necessarily lead to GDC shutting down, as there are still numerous developers (including larger ones like Google) committed to the event. A GDC spokesperson recently told The Verge that the event would move "forward as planned." However, it's safe to say the event will take on a very different tone than it has in recent years, assuming it goes ahead -- the focus will be more on indies.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/amazon-pulls-out-of-gdc-over-coronavirus/
GDC 2020 is officially canceled due to coronavirus
After one big name participant after another (Facebook, Sony, Microsoft, Amazon) announced it would not send people to the show over concerns about the spread of coronavirus, GDC 2020 organizers have announced the event is off. It was scheduled to take place between March 16th and 20th, and in a statement, they said "we fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer."
This announcement comes just hours after officials announced a second case of the virus in California with an unknown origin. After Mobile World Congress, this week we've already seen Facebook's F8 developer event and the Geneva Motor Show drop off of the schedule, and it seems unlikely that they will be the last ones.
Those who were planning on attending should have received an email with answers to some of their questions about refunds for passes and hotels booked within the convention's block. Right now the plan is for "many" of the presentations that would have been given to be submitted via video and made available for free viewing online. The Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards, as well as some of those talks, will stream on Twitch during the week the event would have taken place.
In an effort to support indie developers who may be impacted financially, the IGDA has teamed up with GameDev.world on a fundraiser that will include "a Pay-What-You-Want games bundle, a public game jam, and free online live talks and QA translated in the worlds' largest languages."
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/gdc-2020-coronavirus/
‘Quiplash 3’ is coming to Jackbox’s Party Pack 7 this fall
Since the original version of Quiplash launched in 2015, it has become the Jackbox's most popular game. It was the first of the company's offerings to feature an audience participation component, allowing up to 10,000 people beyond the main three to eight players to join in the fun.
In Quiplash and Quiplash 2, you and your friends use your phones and go to Jackbox's browser-based portal and enter a room code to join the game. In each of the three rounds, you have to come up with funny answers to two prompts. Then, your quips are pit against each another player who received the same question. Everyone else in the room (or tuned in through the room code) votes for their favorite. The option with the most votes wins a thousand points. If you've played Cards Against Humanity this will sound similar, except Jackbox is a console-based game and requires that one of the players has bought it and can host it on a big shared screen.
All generations of the Party Pack are available across a wide variety of platforms, including the Switch, PC, PlayStation, Xbox and a few smart TVs. CEO Mike Bilder told Engadget Quiplash 3 will be the only sequel in Party Pack 7. "The remaining four games that will be in pack seven will be brand new IP," he said, and that the new bundle will likely arrive on all existing platforms "with the potential for more". If you're looking for new activities to do with your friends at your next gathering and don't want to wait till the fall, you can already buy the first six sets on your preferred platform. Happy parties!
Update (at 11:28pm ET on February 28th): This article was edited to correct a spelling error in Jackbox CEO Mike Bilder's last name.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/jackbox-quiplash-3/
NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission will use a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
Scientists want to visit the unique metal asteroid, because they believe that it could actually be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet that broke apart due to violent collisions. The mission's findings could shed light on the formation of our solar system and offer a window into the "violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets."
NASA says launching the Psyche spacecraft will cost it approximately $117 million, and according to SpaceNews, it's the agency's first mission that will fly on top of a Falcon Heavy as its primary payload. If everything goes according to plan, the Psyche spacecraft will start its journey in July 2022 from Launch Complex 39A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Falcon Heavy will launch @NASAPsyche! The mission, for which @NASA requires the highest level of launch vehicle reliability, will study a metal asteroid between Mars and Jupiter to help humanity better understand the formation of our solar system's planets https://t.co/mvrgx6dvaW pic.twitter.com/FqMaRKscQ4
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 28, 2020
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/nasa-psyche-asteroid-mission-spacex/
Microsoft will remove Cortana from its Android launcher in April
Microsoft says it will discontinue Cortana services in the application by the end of April. "This next step in Cortana's evolution will bring enhanced, seamless personal productivity assistance as a free update to the latest version of Windows 10 coming this spring," the company said.
It's not overly surprising to see Microsoft remove Cortana from its launcher app. While a lot of people like the launcher, the assistant was never its main appeal. What's more, we knew Cortana's days on Android were numbered when the Cortana app stopped working last month in countries like Canada, Australia and the UK. In those places, Microsoft has already removed the assistant from its launcher app as it tries to carve a different niche for the AI.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/28/microsoft-removing-cortana-android-launcher/
YouTube TV, Sinclair keep Fox sports channels on as they negotiate
On Thursday YouTube TV announced that subscribers would lose access to Fox regional sports networks and the YES network because it couldn't reach a new deal with their owner, Sinclair Broadcasting (they got there as a part of Disney's deal to buy Fox, which required selling off the sports networks). Now the deadline of February 29th has arrived, and the channels are still on.
Per the Team YouTube Twitter account, the two companies have arranged an extension while they keep working on a new deal, so we'll have to wait and see if this arrangement lasts or whether the carriage dispute actually leads to some blacked-out channels.
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/29/fox-rsn-youtube-tv-sinclair/
FCC votes to auction C-band satellite spectrum for 5G use
A divided @FCC chose to give away $15B to foreign satellite companies when American taxpayers want that money for rural broadband.
These foreign satellite firms want all 4 feet and their snout in the taxpayer trough, but the FCC shouldn't be helping them.https://t.co/wpUwRziYnU
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) February 28, 2020
Following previous proclamations, Pai again claimed they will assist in closing the digital divide between city and rural areas. In his own statement, he said " it would be irresponsible for me to do nothing on a spectrum band vital for 5G in the hopes that a Congress under divided control and in an election year is going to pass C-band legislation addressing the difficult issues ably resolved by this Order."
There's no date set for the auction yet, and as Reuters notes, the FCC has previously said that it will require new satellites to be launched, and filters placed on ground stations. There's also pending legislation that could reduce those incentive payments, and in a statement Sen. John Kennedy (R) said "We still don't know how the chairman arrived at his $15 billion gift. Why not surrender $14 billion to the foreign satellite giants, who don't even own the airwaves they've been using? Why not $16 billion? We're in real need of transparency here. Shelling out billions for airwaves we already own is no way to handle taxpayer money—especially when taxpayers want those dollars to support rural broadband."
Verizon (owner of Engadget's parent company), ATT and T-Mobile previously expressed support for the plan, and on Friday, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said "5G services fueled by mid-band spectrum will enable new innovations, vast economic opportunities and game-changing products and technologies for all American consumers and businesses. Verizon fully supports the FCC's actions."
Article source: https://www.engadget.com/2020/02/29/fcc-5g-auction/