Scotland's biggest B2B games event says it has cancelled this year's show due to "disruption across the video game ecosystem and political landscape in 2024."
However, the event will return in October 2025 "with a larger, more diverse programme of events supporting the whole video games ecosystem."
Tommy Thompson from AI in Games will provide a high-level overview of what generative AI is capable of achieving, as well as what it cannot do. He will explore applications of different AI systems within a HR context, and what issues teams should be aware of both in terms of its adoption with human resource processes, as well as larger issues that can impact broader studio adoption of the technology; including intellectual property and copyright as well as a need for understanding of the emerging regulatory landscape.
Game Pass Standard, a new middle tier in the Netflix-like subscription service’s ever-expanding menu of options, won’t get some games that hit the higher tiers on day one for up to a year or longer, Microsoft revealed today. The cheaper version is going into preview mode for Xbox Insiders for $1 ahead of its official…
A controller area network (CAN) bus is a high-integrity serial bus system for networking intelligent devices. CAN busses and devices are common components in automotive and industrial systems. Using a CAN interface device, you can write LabVIEW applications to communicate with a CAN network.
CAN History
Bosch originally developed CAN in 1985 for in-vehicle networks. In the past, automotive manufacturers connected electronic devices in vehicles using point-to-point wiring systems. Manufacturers began using more and more electronics in vehicles, which resulted in bulky wire harnesses that were heavy and expensive. They then replaced dedicated wiring with in-vehicle networks, which reduced wiring cost, complexity, and weight. CAN, a high-integrity serial bus system for networking intelligent devices, emerged as the standard in-vehicle network. The automotive industry quickly adopted CAN and, in 1993, it became the international standard known as ISO 11898. Since 1994, several higher-level protocols have been standardized on CAN, such as CANopen and DeviceNet. Other markets have widely adopted these additional protocols, which are now standards for industrial communications. This white paper focuses on CAN as an in-vehicle network.
More speakers have been revealed for next month's GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, including sessions on the mental health crisis and how to support the wellbeing of your teams.
The GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit takes place at the Royal Institution in London on September 18. Tickets are available here.
Emma Smith of Hestia Talent and Sarah Sorrell of Safe In Our World will host a breakout session on overcoming the challenges that companies face in trying to prioritise mental health in video games. The 40-minute session will act as a discussion on the ever-growing issue facing employers.
The guide will cover alternative options to layoffs and how to support 'survivors' of job. Companies just need to sign-up and submit their data to receive the digital guide.
The salary benchmarking project is for UK games companies to understand whether they're paying their teams correctly. It's run between GamesIndustry.biz and HR and reward specialists Brightmine, which runs these projects for other major industry.
More speakers have been confirmed for this September's GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, including sessions on the skills crisis and developing young talent.
The GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit takes place at the Royal Institution in London on September 18. Tickets are available here.
Skillfull founder Gina Jackson will share with attendees and update on her report on the Skills Crisis in a session at the event. Meanwhile, NextGen Skills' Phil Atkinson will discuss the opportunities around apprenticeships during a breakout session.
HR experts Brightmine will share insight on how organisations are managing their workforce during the current economic climate at September's GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit.
Sheila Attwood, senior content manager for data and insights, will also offer best practice examples of maintaining team staff morale during these turbulent times. The games industry is currently suffering from a severe correction, marked by thousands of redundancies, following a period of significant expansion between 2020 and 2022.
Attwood has almost 30 years experience of working in research and editorial, and leads the team that is responsible for the data and market insights content on Brightmine, including the employer practice surveys, webinars and podcasts, and reward content. She speaks regularly around pay rates in the media.
Earlier this week, Microsoft shut down the Xbox 360’s digital store, effectively putting the final nail in the beloved console’s coffin. While it’s a shame that the nearly 20-year-old console’s marketplace is gone, it doesn’t take away from the Xbox 360’s legacy as a popular, innovative, and weird machine that paved…
Since its launch in 2019, the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) has been instrumental in advancing professional development through its diverse array of courses and programs. From specialized technical training to broader skill development, ILN online courses cater to professionals at every stage of their career and equip them with tools they need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.
ILN is also achieving its original goal of becoming a one stop shop for education from across IEEE. Now more than 40 organizational units of IEEE have listed over 1,400 educational opportunities in ILN that provide practical knowledge from, covering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, renewable energy, career development, and many more topics.
About 322,000 learners from more than 190 countries have completed ILN courses, with 83 percent saying in a satisfaction survey that they would recommend the program to their peers.
“The ILN is the go-to location for high-quality e-learning content to stay abreast with the latest topics in engineering and technology.” —Jason K. Hui
Many courses also allow users to earn digital certificates and badges bearing continuing-education units (CEUs) and professional development hours (PDHs). More than 65,000 digital certificates have been issued.
Testimonials from the community
“The introduction of ILN and the single platform of educational products by IEEE Educational Activities a few years ago was a hugely welcomed initiative for many in the industry and academia,” says Babak Beheshti, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences at New York Institute of Technology. “ILN provides a one-stop shop for the technical educational product search. My university engaged in a pilot to use several e-learning modules available on the ILN in several undergraduate and graduate engineering courses. The outcome was so positive that we purchased it.”
“The ILN’s centralized and comprehensive catalog has enabled me to stay updated on the latest computer hardware and software technologies,” says IEEE Fellow Sorel Reisman, professor emeritus of information systems at California State University, Fullerton. “The availability of digital certificates upon course completion and the ability to earn CEUs and PDHs is particularly valuable to technology practitioners, and reinforces IEEE’s commitment to ongoing personal and professional development for both members and nonmembers of our international community of engineers and computer scientists.”
“For me, the ILN is the go-to location for high-quality e-learning content to stay abreast with the latest topics in engineering and technology,” says Jason K. Hui, senior manager of engineering at Textron Systems in Wilmington, Mass.
Discount available now
In celebration of its five-year anniversary, during the month of July, ILN is offering US $5 off of select courses with the discount code ILN5.
You can follow ILN on Facebook and LinkedIn to engage with others, share insights, and expand your professional network.
As the world’s 5G rollout continues with its predictable fits and starts, the cellular technology is also starting to move into a space already dominated by another wireless tech: Wi-Fi. Private 5G networks—in which a person or company sets up their own facility-wide cellular network—are today finding applications where Wi-Fi was once the only viable game in town. This month, the Newbury, England–based telecom company Vodafone is releasing a Raspberry Pi–based private 5G base station that it is now being aimed at developers, who might then jump-start a wave of private 5G innovation.
“The Raspberry Pi is the most affordable CPU[-based] computer that you can get,” says Santiago Tenorio, network architecture director at Vodafone. “Which means that what we build, in essence, has a similar bill of materials as a good quality Wi-Fi router.”
“In a Raspberry Pi—in this case, a Raspberry Pi 4 is what we used—then you can be sure you can run that anywhere, because it’s the tiniest processor that you can have,” Tenorio says.
Santiago Tenorio holds one of Lime Microsystems’ private 5G base-station kits.Vodafone
Private 5G for Drones and Bakeries
There are a range of reasons, Tenorio says, why someone might want their own private 5G network. At the moment, the scenarios mostly concern companies and organizations—although individual expert users could still be drawn to, for instance, 5G’s relatively low latency and network flexibility.
Tenorio highlighted security and mobility as two big selling points for private 5G.
A commercial storefront business, for instance, might be attracted to the extra security protections that a SIM card can provide compared to password-based wireless network security. Because each SIM card contains its own unique identifier and encryption keys, thereby also enabling a network to be able to recognize and authorize each individual connection, Tenorio says private 5G network security is a considerable selling point.
Plus, Tenorio says, it’s simpler for customers to access. Envisioning a use case of a bakery with its own privately deployed 5G network, he says, “You don’t need a password. You don’t need a conversation [with a clerk behind a counter] or a QR code. You simply walk into the bakery, and you are into the bakery’s network.”
As to mobility, Tenorio suggests one emergency relief and rescue application that might rely on the presence of a nearby 5G station that causes devices in its range to ping.
Setting up a private 5G base station on a drone, Tenorio says, would enable that drone to fly over a disaster area and, via its airborne network, send a challenge signal to all devices in its coverage area to report in. Any device receiving that signal with a compatible SIM card then responds with its unique identification information.
“Then any phone would try to register,” Tenorio says. “And then you would know if there is someone [there].”
Not only that, but because the ping would be from a device with a SIM card, the private 5G rescue drone in the above scenario could potentially provide crucial information about each individual, just based on the device’s identifier alone. And that user-identifying feature of private 5G isn’t exactly irrelevant to a bakery owner—or to any other commercial customer—either, Tenorio says.
“If you are a bakery,” he says, “You could actually know who your customers are, because anyone walking into the bakery would register on your network and would leave their [International Mobile Subscriber Identity].”
Winning the Lag Race
According to Christian Wietfeld, professor of electrical engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany, private 5G networks also bring the possibility of less lag. His team has tested private 5G deployments—although, Wietfeld says that they haven’t yet tested the present Vodafone/Lime Microsystem base station—and have found private 5G to provide reliably better connectivity.
“The additional cost and effort to operate a private 5G network pays off in lower downtimes of production and less delays in delivery of goods,” Wietfeld says. “Also, for safety-critical use cases such as on-campus teleoperated driving, private 5G networks provide the necessary reliability and predictability of performance.”
For Lime Networks, according to the company’s CEO and founder Ebrahim Bushehri, the challenge comes in developing a private 5G base station that maximized versatility and openness to whatever kinds of applications developers could envision—while still being reasonably inexpensive and retaining a low-power envelope.
“The solution had to be ultraportable and with an optional battery pack which could be mounted on drones and autonomous robots, for remote and tactical deployments, such as emergency-response scenarios and temporary events,” Bushehri says.
Meanwhile, the crowdfunding behind the device’s rollout, via the website Crowd Supply, allows both companies to keep tabs on the kinds of applications the developer community is envisioning for this technology, he says.
“Crowdfunding,” Bushehri says, “Is one of the key indicators of community interest and engagement. Hence the reason for launching the campaign on Crowd Supply to get feedback from early adopters.”
Grid-based puzzlerGrindstonewas a favourite of Katharine’s, who found it to be her go-to during regularly scheduled moments of “cat-based paralysis”. I didn’t spent quite so many hours of feline enforced stasis with it, but I too was drawn in for a respectable time chunk. It’s those detail-stuffed visuals and caffeinated animations that tipped it for me, and it’s the same art that have me excited for Capybara’s follow-up. Battle Vision Network is an online puzzle battler that pits you head to head against real-life humans (boo those guys). The conceit here is its a televised space sport, in which you’ll steer the fate of its ongoing story arcs by winning or losing as your chosen team.
GlobalData predicts unparalleled security and performance levels
The emergence of the quantum internet, which uses quantum mechanical principles and qubits rather than traditional binary bits, is set to revolutionise global connectivity with unparalleled security and performance levels.
According to a report by number crunchers GlobalData the technology will transform various sectors, including telecommunications, cybersecurity, and computing,
GlobalData Practice Head of Disruptive Tech Kiran Raj said the quantum internet will tackle essential challenges across numerous industries. For example, in telecommunications, it reduces latency and increases bandwidth, addressing significant constraints.
He said: “In the realm of cybersecurity, it introduces inviolable encryption techniques such as quantum key distribution (QKD) to protect confidential data. Regarding computing, it enables groundbreaking quantum algorithms, enhancing computational power and efficiency, especially in fields like cryptography, optimisation, and intricate simulations. Essentially, the quantum internet is anticipated to become a pivotal element for future industrial progress."
GlobalData Disruptive Tech Project Manager Saurabh Daga said that while the quantum internet has primarily been an experimental notion, recent scientific breakthroughs, coupled with parallel progress in quantum computing, are cementing its trajectory towards complete practical application and eventual market introduction.
“These developments signify a considerable step in incorporating the quantum internet into practical uses, marking a notable landmark in its evolution from concept to reality."
GlobalData's Disruptor Intelligence Center has been watching the following companies which it thinks will kick the whole thing off.
Aliro Quantum's AliroNet Solution: The American startup Aliro Quantum has unveiled AliroNet, a comprehensive entanglement-based quantum network solution. AliroNet simulates quantum networks, conducts small-scale trials, and implements extensive networks, revolutionising sectors like government, defence, finance, research, and environmental sciences with secure communications and distributed quantum sensing.
Cisco’s Project Lyra: In collaboration with UK-based Nu Quantum and supported by UK Research and Innovation, Cisco is working on Lyra to develop a modular quantum network infrastructure for a prototype quantum data centre. By merging quantum technology with standard networking, they aim to create scalable data centres, propelling Cisco's future networking technologies.
QphoX's Quantum Modem Technology: The Dutch startup QphoX has created a quantum modem to expand quantum computers and establish a quantum internet. This technology facilitates secure, efficient data transfer over vast distances by converting quantum information between microwave and optical domains, fostering interconnected quantum systems.
EPB’s Quantum Infrastructure: The Electric Power Board of Chattanooga (EPB) and Qubitekk have initiated a commercial quantum network that merges EPB's broadband proficiency with Qubitekk's quantum encryption technology. This network enables secure, rapid communication for sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government.
Daga said that the challenges persist in expanding quantum networks and ensuring their compatibility with current systems.
“Overcoming these hurdles is vital for fully capitalising on the quantum internet's advantages. As the technology matures, collaboration between industrial and academic entities will be crucial for the global deployment of quantum internet infrastructure, spurring innovation and economic development."
Per last night’s Sony State of Play, PS5 darling and supposedly rather good action-dad adventure God of War Ragnarök is coming to PC on September 19th 2024. The good news is that the port, co-developed by Jetpack Interactive and original makers Santa Monica Studio, will pack in all the DLSS 3, FSR 3, and ultrawide what-have-yous that one might expect from a big, monied PC release. The bad, silly, clearly pointless news is that it will need a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, despite the complete lack of multiplayer.
The PlayStation 5 has sold just over 59 million units since it launched in 2020, which is slightly less than PS4’s sales in the same timeframe, as it sold roughly 60 million consoles four years into its lifecycle. And from the sound of it, those PlayStation 5s only account for roughly half of PlayStation’s active…
Now, however, it seems digital storefronts like Steam and Green Man Gaming have either decided – or been instructed to – automatically refund pre-orders from people who live in territories where players cannot legally sign up for PSN.
Steam is refunding players with hundreds of in-game hours in Helldivers 2 after publisher Sony and developer Arrowhead told PC players that in order to keep playing after next month, they would have to link to a PSN account.
One player managed to secure a Steam refund despite having played Helldivers 2 for 90+ hours by simply submitting a refund request with the message: "Sony has retroactively changed how the game works and forced legal agreements upon me I do not accept".
As Helldivers 2 is pulled from sale in 177 countries following the disastrous rollout of mandatory PSN linking, Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch wants you to know that PSN is not required if you want to play the Director's Cut's singleplayer campaign on Steam.
As spotted by wccftech, the studio responded to a now-hidden Twitter/X message to the studio, assuring players that a PSN account is "not required to play the singleplayer game" – although you will need to link up if you'd like to play online multiplayer mode, Legends.
"Just so you are aware, a PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay," the studio wrote.
Now, however, it seems digital storefronts like Steam and Green Man Gaming have either decided – or been instructed to – automatically refund pre-orders from people who live in territories where players cannot legally sign up for PSN.
Steam is refunding players with hundreds of in-game hours in Helldivers 2 after publisher Sony and developer Arrowhead told PC players that in order to keep playing after next month, they would have to link to a PSN account.
One player managed to secure a Steam refund despite having played Helldivers 2 for 90+ hours by simply submitting a refund request with the message: "Sony has retroactively changed how the game works and forced legal agreements upon me I do not accept".
As Helldivers 2 is pulled from sale in 177 countries following the disastrous rollout of mandatory PSN linking, Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch wants you to know that PSN is not required if you want to play the Director's Cut's singleplayer campaign on Steam.
As spotted by wccftech, the studio responded to a now-hidden Twitter/X message to the studio, assuring players that a PSN account is "not required to play the singleplayer game" – although you will need to link up if you'd like to play online multiplayer mode, Legends.
"Just so you are aware, a PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay," the studio wrote.
Now, however, it seems digital storefronts like Steam and Green Man Gaming have either decided – or been instructed to – automatically refund pre-orders from people who live in territories where players cannot legally sign up for PSN.
Steam is refunding players with hundreds of in-game hours in Helldivers 2 after publisher Sony and developer Arrowhead told PC players that in order to keep playing after next month, they would have to link to a PSN account.
One player managed to secure a Steam refund despite having played Helldivers 2 for 90+ hours by simply submitting a refund request with the message: "Sony has retroactively changed how the game works and forced legal agreements upon me I do not accept".
As Helldivers 2 is pulled from sale in 177 countries following the disastrous rollout of mandatory PSN linking, Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch wants you to know that PSN is not required if you want to play the Director's Cut's singleplayer campaign on Steam.
As spotted by wccftech, the studio responded to a now-hidden Twitter/X message to the studio, assuring players that a PSN account is "not required to play the singleplayer game" – although you will need to link up if you'd like to play online multiplayer mode, Legends.
"Just so you are aware, a PSN account is required for Legends online multiplayer mode and to use PlayStation overlay," the studio wrote.
Without a doubt, coverage and speed are the two most important considerations when choosing a router, but it can be hard to find one with the right balance. While most routers strive for good coverage, some models excel more than others with clever antenna designs and modern technology support like OFDMA and beamforming. If youre willing to go with one of the best mesh systems, you have a lot more options, but if you just want a single router that can do it all, and maybe expand with a mesh later on, youll want something with a bit more power.
Among the myriad scourges that make playing games in 2024 so tiresome, the need for multiple different accounts to various services ranks high. Helldivers 2 players have just been told by Sony that come next week, they’ll have to link their Steam account with a PlayStation Network account, something it’s been working…
Samsung Networks and Qualcomm have used advanced modulation, as outlined in 3GPP Release 17, to increase downlink speeds by approximately 20 per cent compared to 256 QAM.
The laboratory test, conducted at Samsung’s research and development laboratory in Korea, signifies an industry first for the deployment of 1024 QAM in an FDD band (2.1 GHz) and 1024 QAM across both FDD and TDD (3.5 GHz) spectrums, as per the partners.
Samsung said 256 QAM is widely used commercially within mobile networks to transmit data more efficiently. With the potential of 1024 QAM, operators can extract even greater performance and capacity from their spectrum assets, paving the way for a more efficient and faster mobile network. The test utilised 20 megahertz of spectrum and achieved downlink speeds of 485 Mbps, which the companies have noted is close to the theoretical gain of 2,024 QAM.
The tests depended on Samsung’s 5G virtualised RAN software and radios and a Qualcomm smartphone test device incorporating the Snapdragon X75 5G modem-RF system.
Samsung has also stated that it is examining 1024 QAM in traditional RAN scenarios. The technology is expected to be commercially available this year.
Samsung’s Vice President and head of Networks product strategy, Ji-Yun Seol, said: “We believe that enhancing spectral efficiency is crucial in developing next-generation solutions. This accomplishment highlights Samsung’s continuous commitment to advancing the boundaries of mobile technology.
“Our joint efforts with Qualcomm Technologies have once again produced remarkable outcomes, and we are eager to use our collective expertise to propel network innovation.”
This next sentence might make you feel very old and I’m sorry: Earlier this week, Cartoon Network’s first original show, Space Ghost Coast To Coast, turned 30 years old. And while many have spent the week celebrating the strange series, its best bits, and funniest episodes, I want to take a moment to remember a…
Corporate entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery has begun sending notices to developers behind Adult Swim-published video games that their creations will be delisted and removed from digital stores in the next 60 days. While the company has yet to confirm what will happen to nearly 20 Adult Swim titles currently…
Nintendo has just sprung a Nintendo Direct on everybody, but this one was a little different from the usual first-party fare. The latest Direct aired on February 21 at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET. Unlike most Nintendo reveal events, this Partner Direct is a pre-recorded video focused on third-party titles, rather…