Stadia: Google's game-streaming service

Imagine a world in which you don't need expensive gaming
equipment to play the next big release title. A world in which all you ever
have to do to start gaming is open up your browser, select a game and start
playing – no lengthy download required. This could soon become a reality
if Google's cloud gaming service, Stadia, delivers on its promises – you'll be
able to go from opening a Chrome tab to playing a 4K, 60fps game, in five
seconds, no installation required.

The service, which was announced at this year's Game
Developers Conference in San Francisco, got a proper unveiling ahead of E3 2019.
In a 15-minute presentation starring Google Stadia boss Phil Harrison, we
learned just how much the service will set us back – $9.99 / £8.99 (about
AU$14) per month for unlimited games and just how good a connection we'll need
(35Mbps for full 4K HDR/60fps).

At launch, Google has promised that Stadia will support
desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones  but just the Pixel series to start  without the need for a hardware box, with
games instead powered by Google's own data centers.  

About Stadia

  • What is stadia ? Google's big move into gaming  a 'Netflix for gaming' streaming service
    that's a true console competitor, one to rival (and potentially lead) the
    next generation of gameplay.
  • When is it launching? At some point in 2019, with launch territories including the
    USA, Canada and UK. Latest rumors suggest another update, teaser and more
    details will be coming in June 2019. 
  • How much will it cost? $9.99 / £8.99 (about AU$14) per month for full 4K HDR streaming
    via Stadia Pro, or you can purchase games a la carte with Stadia Base.

How it work

The best bit about Stadia is that as long as you've got a
stable and fast internet connection, and you're using a recent version of the
Google Chrome browser, you've got everything you need to get up and
running. Playing a game on Stadia is as simple as opening a new tab in
Chrome and going to the service's Stadia.com homepage, or even jumping from a
YouTube video link about the game.

To get started, Google will prompt you to run a connection
test that checks your internet bandwidth, the latency between your computer and
the servers, and any data loss. Google requires a streaming rate of 15Mbps,
latency below 40ms, and data loss below 5%. With these requirements met, you’ll
be ready to play.

The beta of Project Stream offered Assassin’s Creed
Odyssey, which is nothing short of a demanding title. When you launched the
game in your Chrome tab, it would go full screen, and run exactly as if it had
been launched on a dedicated gaming computer (except without a deep graphics
settings menu). You can play with a keyboard and mouse or a supported game
controller, and Google's Stadia controller.

All of your inputs on the computer are sent over to
Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed
right back to you. This is why that latency is so important, because you can’t
have a good game experience if everything you do in the game shows up a second
later.

The limits of Stadia are still being detailed, but Google
has stated that Stadia will eventually be able to scale up to 8K / 120fps-plus
frame rates, with 4K/ 60fps play as the norm. That's way above the standard bar
for quality PC gaming. 

All of your inputs on the computer get sent over to
Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed
right back to you.

In the case of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Stadia, you're
still required to log into a Ubisoft account to play, but beta testers aren’t
required to own the game.

Stadia will also work well with Google Chromecast, which
means you'll be able to stream its games straight to any TV using Google's
streaming dongle, not to mention phones and computers. . 

In addition, it'll support cross-platform multiplayer  so long as the other major game players want
to take part, of course.

It’s unclear at this point whether Google will require
players to buy games and pay for the streaming service in separate
transactions, or whether access to select games will be bundled into the
service.

Games available

The final number hasn't been released just yet, but so far,
the numbers look promising. During Google's pre-E3 event, we got our first look
at Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios, plus heard from Bungie that Destiny 2
would be available at launch on Google Stadia. Add to that Ghost Recon
Breakpoint from Ubisoft and a number of new Bethesda titles, and Stadia could
have one of the best launch libraries of any platform in recent memory.

Here are all the games Google has confirmed so far:

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
  • Borderlands 3
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • The Crew 2
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Destiny 2
  • Doom
  • Doom Eternal
  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • Farming Simulator 19
  • Final Fantasy 15
  • Football Manager
  • Get Packed
  • GRID
  • Gylt
  • Just Dance
  • Metro Exodus
  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • NBA 2K
  • Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
  • Rage 2
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider
  • Samurai Showdown
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
  • Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
  • Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
  • Thumper
  • Trials Rising
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood

PC, Laptop Configuration

Because everything runs on the cloud, it seems like nearly
any internet-connected laptop or PC with Chrome should be able to play Stadia.
That said, Google did release a set of required specs when it tested the
service last year:

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions
    only)
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz, Ryzen 5 - 1400, Intel Core
    i7-3770 @ 3.5 GHz
  • Video: AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB VRAM or
    more with Shader Model 5.0) or better
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Video Preset: High
  • Storage: 46GB available hard drive space
  • DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
  • Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card with latest drivers

In addition, id Software confirmed that Doom Eternal is
coming to the Stadia  with the team only
taking a few weeks to transfer the title onto Google's cloud streaming service.
id Software's Marty Stratton revealed Doom Eternal is capable of running at 4K
60fps at native HDR on Stadia.

If the service can handle Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p
60fps and Doom Eternal at 4K/60fps, Stadia is going to be capable of playing a
whole lot of games at these settings. Other major titles could easily see
support on the service.

A recent Chromium update also added support for Nintendo
Switch controllers to Google's browser, so it looks like we could be getting
more than just streams of PC releases.Google also announced the launch of
Stadia Games and Entertainment. This will be a new arm at Google, with the sole
aim of designing games exclusively for Google's game streaming platform.

As well as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft has indicated
a few upcoming games will also make it on to Stadia when it's released,
including multiplayer motor-cross game Trials Rising, naval warfare game Skull
and Bones, as well as strategy game Anno 1800.

Google Stadia will also allow for developers to implement
split-stream local couch co-op easier, through Stream Connect. This should
allow players to not only view but interact in each other's worlds. 

But, perhaps the biggest development for content creators
and their viewers is Crowd Play which will allow viewers to play games with
their favorite streamers by simply clicking a button. 

The big focus here is on designing a system that's both
easy to play and easy to show off to your friends. To that end, Stadia will
send both a 4K signal to both your device and to YouTube simultaneously,
allowing you to record what you're doing.

If you're stuck, either in your game or your friend's,
Google Assistant integration will allow you to access guides and walkthroughs
on-demand.

What was Project Stream like to use?

At its best, Project Stream was good. At its worst, well,
Google won’t let you play below a certain threshold of quality, and you
wouldn’t want to anyway.

We tested Project Stream on varying setups. We played on an
unstable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, a fast and nearby 5GHz Wi-Fi connection, and
on an ethernet connection held steady and offered high bandwidth. Keep in
mind this was without the dedicated hardware Google has now introduced.

The highly dated Chromebook hardware didn’t hold it back
from playing.That said, in our experience, the visual degradation came before
the latency, so we were able to continue battling enemies smoothly even if they
started to look like ghostly swarms of pixels.

Overall, the graphics were fairly good throughout,
especially when playing on a high-bandwidth connection using ethernet cables.
Colors, shadows, and anti-aliasing look fine, and the frame-rate seems to vary
between 30 and 60fps.

The low frame-rate was one of the two issues we noticed.
The other was compression. Most of the time, it’s not super jarring, but when
there’s a lot of detail in a scene and a lot of movement, the compression turns
it all into a bit of slop. Character faces become a blur and hard edges
(noticeably the character’s hair) go soft.  While the price and service
model Google adopts will go a long way in determining whether Stadia is
worthwhile, we can say right now that its prototype works, and it looks good
doing it. But, will Microsoft’s xCloud do it better?

Will it work on Phones?

Yes! Well, yes... as long as you're a Google Pixel owner.
For whatever strange reason, Google is limiting Stadia to Google Pixel phones
to start. 

That's not so bad considering there are so many other ways
to access the service (see: desktop, laptop, tablet and TV through Chromecast
Ultra), but the fact that all Android phones won't get Stadia at the same time
does feel  a bit strange.

Rivals

According to a recently accepted United States Patent and
Trademark Office patent (spotted Digital Trends) filed by Sony back in 2014,
the company is working on a "system for combining recorded application
state with application streaming interactive video output". 

In other words, a cloud gaming service which could rival
the Google Stadia (or a cloud streaming new Xbox) and could potentially launch
with the PS5.

Players would be able to stream a game through a hosting
server. So if you have a device that connects to the internet, be that a mobile
device, console, or PC, you can connect to that server and the game you're
wanting to play will be streamed to your monitor or screen, allowing can play
using your preferred input device. Imagine Netflix for gaming. 

Rather than downloading a game, it is instead streamed
directly to your device and you would play real-time, cutting the need to
delete games to make storage room on your device and reducing the hardware
requirements - although you wouldn't technically own the title.

We expect Sony would implement this cloud gaming service
alongside the PlayStation 5, although the company hasn't specified if this is
the case.


Clicking an image could have hacked the WhatsApp

Users of WhatsApp Web (the browser-based version of the app) were recently targeted with an image-based security threat where simply clicking an image could have hacked their accounts.

A security vulnerability was present in WhatsApp Web and it was recently patched by WhatsApp. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker could send a malicious code (virus or malware) hidden within an image to their target. And clicking this image would let the attacker take control of the victim’s WhatsApp account and access all its data – pics, videos, chats, contact lists, everything. And by having access to the contact list, the attacker could send the same infected image to the victim’s contacts – spreading it to others and making this attack into some kind of a fission reaction – one infection leads to another and so on.

The same security vulnerability was also detected in the browser-based version of another popular messaging app Telegram. Good news is, the flaw has been fixed for both of them.

Points to remember:

  • This security flaw does not affect the mobile apps of WhatsApp and Telegram. This does not mean that these apps won’t be affected in the future.
  • Avoid clicking documents, images or links received from unknown numbers.
  • If received from a known sender, ask them about what the content is about.
  • Always use an updated version of mobile apps.
  • Install a reliable mobile antivirus that can detect and block installation of fake or harmless apps.

GIFs That Designers And Creatives Will Love

Coffee Power:

Designer VS Developer:

Good / Cheap / Best:

Design Look Like:

Every Time Image Starch


Facts That Are Interesting About Running

The health benefits of running can never be underestimated. Running helps you lose weight, look young, strengthen muscles and bones, enhance growth hormone, prevent diabetes and stroke and keep your blood pressure under control.The benefits of running don’t stop there. Your cholesterol levels stay under control, blood clots minimise, immunity gets a boost, stress gets reduced and mood gets enhanced. Running is one of the first exercises mankind has ever tried. It is an enjoyable experience too as one may experience a high after running. You don’t need to buy any equipment to run and you can do it anywhere. This just makes it the best workout also. Here are some interesting facts about running.

Interesting facts about running are:

1.Running burns calories. Even those who cannot run fast can manage to burn 10 calories every minute during their run. So, it is worth it. Running can be a good way to burn extra calories. So, even if you can’t manage to run fast, you will still be able to make progress gradually.

2.Running can make your heart healthy and efficient. As your heart pumps and works hard while running, it is good to run regularly so that your health stays in good condition.

3.A study claims that runners can minimise their risk of suffering Alzheimer’s up to 60%. In fact, this applies to any physical activity, but running is one of the most primitive ways of being active.

4.Runners high is nothing but a euphoric feeling you get when you run. Your brain releases feel good chemicals which ease your stress.

5.Most of the runners claim to love bananas. This maybe because bananas energise the body and help to run with energy.

6.A research claims that the fat content in us can allow us to run for 3 continuous days. It means your fat can fuel your run only till that point. This also means that your accumulated fat can be lost if you run on a daily basis. But don’t try to run for longer periods on a single day as that would harm your joints and bones.

7.When your body is running, nearly 32 joints, 25 bones, 111 ligaments, nerves, tendons, blood vessels and a lot more should coordinate and work like a team. Only then your body will be able to move from point A to point B.

These are the facts that are interesting about running.


Lessons from picture

Lessons from this picture:
df67d2ac-245b-4698-a751-29394c9b2032-original

  • Not all opportunities are to be taken. Some are traps.
  • A person can become so determined to destroy another person that they become blind and end up destroying themselves.
  • You fight best in your natural element and environment. Here the bird has advantage in his natural element.
  • Know your limits, we all have them.
  • Sometimes the best response to provocation is not to fight.
  • Sometimes to accomplish something you need team work, you will not always win alone.
  • Stick to what you do best and don't pursue what will kill you.

Pixel, made by Google

Google at their #madebyGoogle event announced the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The new smartphones come with the Pixel UI.

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL will be the first phone that comes with Google Assistant out of the box. The Google Assistant comes with their new machine learning AI which sits right on the Pixel.

DXOmark rates the Google Pixel’s camera at 89 a 3 points above the iPhone 7. The camera on the Pixel is a 12.3 MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 1.55 micron pixel size. You get HDR Plus, without any shutter lag and smart bursts which select the best shot.

Google Pixel comes with unlimited online storage for Photos and Videos at full quality. The Pixel phones are the latest to run Android Nougat (version 7.1), the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Additionally, with Pixel  you also get a customer care on call 24/7 with Google via the settings app. You can also share your screen live with the support agents for troubleshooting.

Google Launches Pixel

The Pixel will come with a 5 inch display while the Pixel XL comes with a 5.5 inch display. Both have a AMOLED screen. The Pixel and Pixel XL run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 with 4GB of RAM. The Pixel will get a 2770 mAh battery while the Pixel XL gets a large 3450 mAh battery.

pixel-colors

 


Firefox Launching $25 Smartphones

FIREFOX LAUNCHING $25 SMARTPHONES:
Firefox OS, an upstart smartphone operating system aimed at challenging the Apple and Google duopoly, will power a new category of $25 smartphones meant for use in developing countries .

firefox-os-smartphone
firefox-os-smartphone

Samsung unveils water-resistant Galaxy S5

The S5 is set to feature a brand new Snapdragon 805 chip-set, 3GB RAM and up to 128GB of internal memory,  S5 is also going to host a 16 megapixel camera according to information.
In terms of software features, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is looking to be home to a brand new Touch-wiz user interface running on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Samsung S5 key features like:
- Apple : fingerprint sensor.
- Sony : water and dust resistance
- Nokia : camera features
- Asus : back panel design


The Strange, True Story of 'Flappy Bird'

Just in a few weeks, the mobile app Flappy Bird became a global phenomenon. It was a simple game, but frustrating and endless. Sharing many similarities with the famous Helicopter Game— only with Super Nintendo-style graphics — it's safe to say Flappy Bird took over the web and said to be earning $50,000 per day revenue from in-app advertisements.

The game was designed and built by Dong Nguyen, a developer who lives in Vietnam. Nguyen previously made a number of iOS and flash games for his mobile studio  .Gears.

Flappy Bird first launched in 2013 for iOS and Android devices. It has been the number-one free app in Apple's App Store and in the Google Play Store for the past few days. It became an overnight Internet sensation after tweets, videos and reviews went viral.

The goal of the game — to navigate a yellow bird through a series of obstacles by tapping on the screen — appears simple, at first, but players often find themselves spending frustratingly long amounts of time trying to finish the addictive game.

This is an unprecedented move for a No. 1 app. Flappy Bird reportedly had more than 50 million downloads, most of those in the past couple of weeks. Nguyen, a lone developer in Hanoi, Vietnam, made the app. At first, he seemed to enjoy his good fortune and tweeted frequently. But he also got a lot of criticism, in part because the pipes in the game looked a lot like they came from a Nintendo Mario game.

He didn’t elaborate much on his decision to remove the title, except to say it wasn’t for legal reasons. But he previously expressed frustration about all of the criticism and accusations he had been receiving.

In taking the game down, he’ll be giving up an estimated $50,000 a day that he was generating in revenue from in-app advertisements.

In a tweet last week he said, “Please give me peace.” Those who have already downloaded the app can still play it. But it is gone from both the iOS and Google Play stores. The description still shows up in the stores, but it is unavailable for download.

If you haven't tried it yet, here is the apk for Android.
Requires Android: 2.2+
Download File Size: 894 KB


Get more out of Google Search

 

If you bother googling most of the time for your desired content where you don’t end up with the content of your actual need, you could try some of the search tricks to get better results & enhance your search experience or you could just have some fun with Google!

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Infographics credits: Hackcollege.com

1. Specific file types: Filetype:xls (for excel files)

Google allows to search for specific file types, so instead of getting html-files as a result (websites)

You can directly get the files formats you are looking for. But maybe more interesting would be searching for *.db files and *.mdb files. Google by the way doesn’t tell you you can search for *.db and *mdb files. I wonder what other file types one can search for. Things that come to mind are *.cfg files or *.pwd files, *.dat files, stuff like that. Try and think of something that might get you some interesting results.

2.Search in url : Inurl:admin

Another useful search option is the inurl: option which allows one to search for a certain word one would want to be in the url. This gives you the opportunity to search for specific directories/folders, especially in combination with the “index of” option, about which I will talk later on. An example would be inurl:admin which would give you results of website urls that have the word “admin” in the url.

3. Search in Index : “Index of”

The index of option is another option that isn’t especially thought of by the creators of google, but comes in very handy. If you use the “index of” string you will find directory listings of specific folders on servers.

An example could be: ‘index of”admin or index.of.admin

which would get you many directory listings of admin folders. (don’t forget to use the quotes in this case since you are looking for the entire “index of” string, not just for “index” and “of”)

4. Site Search : site:

The site option allows you to come up with results that only belong to a certain domain name extension or to a specific site. For example one could search for .com sites or .box.sk sites or .nl sites, but also for results from just one site, but more interesting might be to search for specific military or government websites. An example of a search string would be: Site:mil or site:gov or Site:neworder.box.sk “board”

5. Search in Title: Intitle:

Intitle is another nice option. It allows you to search for html files that have a certain word or words in the title. The format would be intitle:wordhere. You could check out what words appear in the title of some online control panel or content management system and then search google for this word with the intitle option, to find these control panel pages.

6. Search for links: Link

The Link option allows you to check which sites link to a specific site. As described in Hacking Exposed Third Edition, this could be useful: These search engines provide a handy facility that allows you to search for all sites that have links back to the target organization’s domain. This may not seem significant at first but let’s explore the implications. Suppose someone in an organization decides to put up a rogue website at home or on the target network’s site.

7. Combining search options

The above mentioned search options might or might not be known to you, but even though they can amount to some interesting results, it’s a fact that when you start combining them, that’s when google’s magic starts to show. You got to find a search string that gets the results you want.

Hope this may help you. Happy Searching! ;-)