Trapped In Its own Shadow

HIGH The golf segment.

LOW Literally waiting on the bus.

WTF Why is there not an effective synonym for shadow?

SCHiM makes an excellent first impression. 

Shown from an isometric perspective, SCHiM’s world feels alive — cars buzz down busy streets, children play in the park, and birds fly through the sky.  Each of these elements casts a shadow, some of which appear to be alive with great blinking eyes peering back and forth.  Taking control of a displaced shadow, the player must leap between other shadows in pursuit of their missing human.

The story begins in childhood.  A young boy and his shadow explore and play before he eventually grows into a teenager, young adult, and finally a man. Told entirely through pantomime, I watched as the man went through hardship before ultimately losing connection with his shadow.  Each stage of SCHiM involves the player controlling the estranged shadow and pursuing him across city streets, construction sites, and beaches in an effort to reconnect.  While the thematic elements at work here are not particularly unique, they are relatable, especially with the state of the world today. 

Represented as a frog-like being, the player-controlled shadow can only survive in shadows cast by objects in the world.  Missing a jump and ending up between shadows on “land” spells almost instant death – mercifully, the developers allow the player a single ‘safety jump’ to course-correct after a miscalculation.

In this situation, both planning and opportunism became my biggest allies. I surveyed my environment, analyzing things like the patterns of pedestrians, the flow of traffic and the flight path of a bird, waiting for my moment to strike.  As the world wheeled around me, indifferent to my presence, I keyed into its rhythms, readying myself to spring forth.  There is an almost tactical nature to this process that belies the simplistic, cutesy façade of quaint towns and living shadows.

Unfortunately, failure in these instances grinds play to a halt.  More than once, having missed a critical jump, I found myself simply sitting, waiting for the next passing vehicle or cyclist to hitch a ride on.  At times, these waits were so protracted that I wondered if I’d taken a wrong turn and hit a dead end.  Many of SCHiM’s levels are expansive, and despite a button dedicated to moving the camera in the direction of the goal, I would often find myself lost.  The top-down perspective with a limited window into the world only exacerbates this issue.

I found SCHiM to be more successful when it broke out of the monotony of open, sunny city streets and moved the action to more linear levels with intentional theming — things like a rainy night with shadows appearing and disappearing with each lighting flash, or a burning building with dynamic shadows that ebbed and flowed with the light provide welcome mechanical mix-ups.  Unfortunately, these more tightly-designed stages are the exception rather than the rule, making up a disappointingly small percentage of the overall experience.

Beyond the general platforming that makes up most of SCHiM‘s play, there is also a mechanic by which the player can influence the object they are currently inhabiting.  For example, it’s possible to raise the forks of a forklift when in its shadow, thereby creating a bridge to my destination. Some of these are more kinetic, such as a clothesline that acts as a trampoline, or a carousel that can be used as a slingshot to launch the player across the map.  These moments, bouncing through the environment, skipping from shadow to shadow fluidly, find SCHiM at its best, and the juxtaposition of realism and whimsy provides real joy when the developers fully explore their mechanics of light and shadow.

Unfortunately, mechanics like these feel underutilized. Sometimes I could prod a bird into flight, but more often than not it would simply chirp, content to sit in the grass. Most of the inhabitants of SCHiM react this way – a dog might bark or a person might sneeze, but rarely do they provide a useful reaction. I sometimes found myself unsure where to go next, only to discover that I was supposed to interact with an object but had forgotten the mechanic even existed because it so rarely produced results. 

SCHiM is built around contrast —  light and dark, youth and age, harsh reality and naïve whimsy.  Unfortunately, this dichotomous nature leaks into its mechanics, leading to an overall sense of inconsistency.  The moments of touching beauty and joyful movement it sometimes creates stand in stark opposition to the frustration and confusion when play breaks down.  This juxtaposition doesn’t make SCHiM a failure, but it casts a shadow over the experience that’s hard to see past.

Rating: 6 out of 10

— Ryan Nalley

Disclosures: This game is developed by Ewoud va der Werf and published by Extra Nice.  It is currently available on PC, XBO, XBO/X/S, PS4/5 and Switch.  This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBX.  Approximately 4 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E and contains Mild Violence.  The official description reads as follows:  This is an adventure platformer in which players assume the role of a shadow creature reconnecting with a character who has lost their shadow. From a ¾-overhead perspective, players explore city locations and interact with shadows/objects to solve puzzles. A handful of sequences depict characters in mild peril, including a child inside a burning building.

Colorblind Modes: There is not a labeled, official colorblind mode, however SCHiM allows players to customize every color on screen.  Each level is presented in a limited, high contrast color palette, and every color can be changed using a color wheel style mechanic. It should be noted that the color scheme changes with most levels and these settings are not pervasive.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is no spoken dialogue in the game, therefore there are no subtitle options. All audio cues are accompanied by a visual element, so this game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

Tomorrow, the next big update for Disney Dreamlight Valley arrives on all platforms. And while players will be happy with all the quality-of-life changes and new content being added to the cozy life sim, the characters of Dreamlight Valley probably aren’t happy to hear that they’ll no longer be allowed to sleep.

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See the freaky and cool way that a black-eyed tree frog's eyes open after it wakes up from a nap.

Instead of opening its eyes in one swift motion, the black-eyed tree frog has eyes that slowly open and bulge out, making it look as if it has been possessed by a demon upon waking. — Read the rest

The post See the freaky and cool way that a black-eyed tree frog's eyes wake up from a nap appeared first on Boing Boing.

The next handheld gaming PC from Asus is coming soon, but don’t call it a next-gen Asus ROG Ally. That’s because the upcoming Asus ROG Ally X will have the same 7 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel, 120 Hz display with a variable refresh rate and the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor as the […]

The post Asus ROG Ally X handheld gaming PC will have an 80 Wh battery, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB M.2 2280 SSD appeared first on Liliputing.

My new favorite social media account is run by Derek Guy, who describes himself as a "menswear writer," editor at Put This On, and creator of Ralph Lauren Pics That Go Hard. He provides detailed fashion analyses of celebrities, politicians, and more, and doles out interesting and helpful fashion advice, along with historical information about fashion trends, clothing silhouettes, and more. — Read the rest

The post Here's the Piers Morgan vs. Kermit the Frog fashion showdown you never knew you needed appeared first on Boing Boing.

By Adam Kovac, Gregory Haley, and Liz Allan.

Cadence plans to acquire BETA CAE Systems for $1.24 billion, the latest volley in a race to sell multi-physics simulation and analysis across a broad set of customers with deep pockets. Cadence said the deal opens the door to structural analysis for the automotive, aerospace, industrial, and health care sectors. Under the terms of the agreement, 60% of the purchase would be paid in cash, and the remainder in stock.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported that North Korea was targeting cyberattacks at domestic semiconductor equipment companies, using a “living off the land” approach, in which the attacker uses minimal malware to attack common applications installed on the server. That makes it more difficult to spot an attack. According to the government, “In December last year, Company A, and in February this year, Company B, had their configuration management server and security policy server hacked, respectively, and product design drawings and facility site photos were stolen.”

As the memory market goes, so goes the broader chip industry. Last quarter, and heading into early 2024, both markets began showing signs of sustainable growth. DRAM revenue jumped 29.6% in Q4 for a total of $17.46 billion. TrendForce attributed some of that to  new efforts to stockpile chips and strategic production control. NAND flash revenue was up 24.5% in Q4, with solid growth expected to continue into the first part of this year, according to TrendForce. Revenue for the sector topped $11.4 billion in Q4, and it’s expected to grow another 20% this quarter. SSD prices rebounded in Q4, as well, up 15% to $23.1 billion. Across the chip industry, sales grew 15.2% in January compared to the same period in 2023, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). This is the largest increase since May 2022, and that trend is expected to continue throughout 2024 with double-digit growth compared to 2023.

Marvell said it is working with TSMC to develop a technology platform for the rapid deployment of analog, mixed-signal, and foundational IP. The company plans to sell both custom and commercial chiplets at 2nm.

The Dutch government is concerned that ASML, the only maker of EUV/high-NA EUV lithography equipment in the world, is considering leaving the Netherlands, according to De Telegraaf.

Quick links to more news:

Design and Power
Manufacturing and Test
Automotive and Batteries
Security
Pervasive Computing and AI
Events

Design and Power

AMD appears to have hit a roadblock with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) over a new AI chip it designed for the Chinese market, as reported by Bloomberg. U.S. officials told the company the new chip is too powerful to be sold without a license.

JEDEC released its new memory standard as a free download on its website. The JESD239 Graphics Double Data Rate SGRAM can reach speeds of 192 GB/s and improve signal-to-noise ratio.

Accellera rolled out its IEEE Std. 1800‑2023 Standard for SystemVerilog—Unified Hardware Design, Specification, and Verification Language, which is now available for free download. The decision to offer it at no cost is due to Accellera’s participation in the IEEE GET Program, which was founded in 2010 with the intention of providing  open access to some standards. Accellera also announced it had approved for release the Verilog-AMS 2023 standard, which offers enhancements to analog constructs, dynamic tolerance for event control statements, and other upgrades.

Chiplets are a hot topic these days. Six industry experts discuss chiplet standards, interoperability, and the need for highly customized AI chiplets.

Optimizing EDA hardware for the cloud can shorten the time required for large and complex simulations, but not all workloads will benefit equally, and much more can be done to improve those that can.

Flex Logix is developing InferX DSP for use with existing EFLX eFPGA from 40nm to 7nm. InferX achieves about 30 times the DSP performance/mm² than eFPGA.

The number of challenges is growing in power semiconductors, just as it is in traditional chips. This tech talk looks at integrating power semiconductors with other devices, different packaging impacts, and how these devices will degrade over time.

Vultr announced it will use NVIDIA’s HGX H100 GPU clusters to expand its Seattle-based cloud data center. The company said the expansion, which will be powered by hydroelectricity, will make the facility one of the cleanest, most power efficient data centers in the country.

Amazon Web Services will expand its presence in Saudi Arabia, announcing a new $5.3 billion infrastructure region in the country that will launch in 2026. The new region will offer developers, entrepreneurs and companies access to healthcare, education and other services.

Google is teaming up with the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) to launch the XPRIZE Quantum Applications, with a $5 million in prizes for winners who can demonstrate ways to use quantum computing to solve real-world problems. Teams must submit a proposal that includes analysis of how long their algorithm would need to run before reaching a solution to a problem, such as improving drug development or designing new battery materials.

South Korea’s nepes corporation has turned to Siemens EDA for solutions in the development of advanced 3D-IC packages. The deal will see nepes incorporating several Siemens technologies, including the Calibre nmPlatform, Hyperlynx software and Xpedition Substrate Integrator software.

Siemens also formalized a partnership with Nuclei System Technology in which the pair of companies will work together on solution support for Nuclei’s RISC-V processor cores. The collaboration will allow clients to monitor CPU program execution in real-time via Nuclei’s RISC-V CPU Ips.

Keysight and ETS-Lindgren announced a breakthrough test solution for cellular devices using non-terrestrial networks. The solution is capable of measuring and validating the performance of both the transmitter and receiver of devices capable of supporting the network.

Nearly fifty companies raised $800 million for power electronics, data center interconnects, and more last month.

Manufacturing and Test

SEMI Europe issued a position statement to the European Union, warning against additional export controls or rules on foreign investment. SEMI argued that free trade partnerships are a better method for ensuring security than bans or restrictions.

Revenues for the top five wafer fab equipment manufacturers declined 1% YoY in 2023 to $93.5 billion, according to Counterpoint Research. The drop was attributed to weak spending on memory, inventory adjustments, and low demand in consumer electronics. The tide is changing, though.

Bruker closed two acquisitions. One involved Chemspeed Technologies, a Switzerland-based provider of automated laboratory R&D and QC workflow solutions. The second involved Phasefocus, an image processing company based in the UK.

A Swedish company, SCALINQ, released a commercially available large-scale packaging solution capable of controlling quantum devices with hundreds of qubits.

Solid Sands, a provider of testing and qualification technology for compilers and libraries, will partner with California-based Emprog to establish a representative presence in the U.S.

Automotive

Tesla halted production at its Brandenberg, Germany, gigafactory after an environmental activist group attacked an electricity pylon, reports the Guardian.

Stellantis will invest €5.6 billion (~$6.1B) in South America to support more than 40 new products, decarbonization technologies, and business opportunities.

The amount of data being collected, processed, and stored in vehicles is exploding, and so is the value of that data. That raises questions that are still not fully answered about how that data will be used, by whom, and how it will be secured.

While industry experts expect many benefits of V2X technology, technological and social hurdles to cross. But there is progress.

Infineon released its next-gen silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET trench technology with 650V and 1,200V options improving stored energies and charges by up to 20%, ideal for power semiconductor applications such as photovoltaics, energy storage, DC EV charging, motor drives, and industrial power supplies.

Hyundai selected Ansys to supply structural simulation solutions for vehicle body system analysis, providing end-to-end, predictively accurate capabilities for virtual performance validation.

ION Mobility used the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio for styling, mechanical engineering, and electric battery pack development for its ION M1-S electric motorbike.

Ethernovia sampled a family of automotive PHY transceivers that scale from 10 Gbps to 1 Gbps over 15 meters of automotive cabling.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved Waymo’s plan to expand its driverless robotaxi services to Los Angeles and other cities near San Francisco, reports Reuters.

By 2027, next-gen battery EVs (BEVs) will on average be cheaper to produce than comparable gas-powered cars, reports Gartner. But the firm noted that average cost of EV accident repair will rise by 30%, and 15% of EV companies founded in the last decade will be acquired or bankrupt.

University of California San Diego (UCSD) researchers developed a cathode material for solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries that is electrically conductive and structurally healable.

ION Storage Systems announced its anodeless and compressionless solid-state batteries (SSBs) achieved 125 cycles with under 5% capacity degradation in performance. ION has been working with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to test its SSB before expanding into markets such as EVs, energy storage, consumer electronics, and aerospace.

Security

Advanced process nodes and higher silicon densities are heightening DRAM’s susceptibility to Rowhammer attacks, as reduced cell spacing significantly decreases the hammer count needed for bit flips. A multi-layered, system-level approach is crucial to DRAM protection.

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University and Rafael Defense Systems proposed an analytical electromagnetic model for IC shielding against hardware attacks.

Keysight acquired the IP of Firmalyzer, whose firmware security analysis technology will be integrated into the Keysight IoT Security Assessment and Automotive Security solutions, providing analysis into what is happening inside the IoT device itself.

Flex Logix joined the Intel Foundry U.S. Military Aerospace Government (USMAG) Alliance, ensuring U.S. defense industrial base and government customers have access to the latest technology, enabling successful designs for mission critical programs.

The EU Council presidency and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a Cyber Solidarity Act and an amendment to the Cybersecurity Act (CSA) concerning managed security services.

The EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and partners updated the compendium on elections cybersecurity in response to issues such as AI deep fakes, hacktivists-for-hire, the sophistication of threat actors, and the current geopolitical context.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched efforts to help secure the open source software ecosystem; updated its Public Safety Communications and Cyber Resiliency Toolkit; and issued other alerts including security advisories for VMware, Apple, and Cisco.

Pervasive Computing and AI

Johns Hopkins University engineers used natural language prompts and ChatGPT4 to produce detailed instructions to build a spiking neural network (SNN) chip. The neuromorphic accelerators could power real-time machine intelligence for next-gen embodied systems like autonomous vehicles and robots.

The global AI hardware market size was estimated at $53.71 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach about $473.53 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate of 24.5%, reports Precedence Research.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers and partners built compact chips capable of converting light into microwaves, which could improve navigation, communication, and radar systems.

Fig. 1: NIST researchers test a chip for converting light into microwave signals. Pictured is the chip, which is the fluorescent panel that looks like two tiny vinyl records. The gold box to the left of the chip is the semiconductor laser that emits light to the chip. Credit: K. Palubicki/NIST

The Indian government is investing 103 billion rupees ($1.25B) in AI projects, including computing infrastructure and large language models (LLMs).

Infineon is collaborating with Qt Group, bringing Qt’s graphics framework to Infineon’s graphics-enabled TRAVEO T2G cluster MCUs to optimize graphical user interface (GUI) development.

Keysight leveraged fourth-generation AMD EPYC CPUs to develop a new benchmarking methodology to test mobile and 5G private network performance. The method uses realistic traffic generation to uncover a CPU’s true power and scalability while observing bandwidth requirements.

The AI industry is pushing a nuclear power revival, reports NBC, and Amazon bought a nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania from Talen Energy for $650 million, according to WNEP.

Bank of America was awarded 644 patents in 2023 for technology including information security, AI, machine learning (ML), online and mobile banking, payments, data analytics, and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).

Mistral AI’s large language model, Mistral Large, became available in the Snowflake Data Cloud for customers to securely harness generative AI with their enterprise data.

China’s smartphone unit sales declined 7% year over year in the first six weeks of 2024, with Apple declining 24%, reports Counterpoint.

Shipments of LCD TV panels are expected to reach 55.8 million units in Q1 2024, a 5.3% quarter over quarter increase, reports TrendForce. And an estimated 5.8 billion LED lamps and luminaires are expected to reach the end of their lifespan in 2024, triggering a wave of secondary replacements and boosting total LED lighting demand to 13.4 billion units.

Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) researchers mined high-purity gold from electrical and electronic waste.

The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and the University of Utah launched a National Data Platform pilot project, aimed at making access to and use of scientific data open and equitable.

Events

Find upcoming chip industry events here, including:

Upcoming webinars are here.

Further Reading and Newsletters

Read the latest special reports and top stories, or check out the latest newsletters:

Systems and Design
Low Power-High Performance
Test, Measurement and Analytics
Manufacturing, Packaging and Materials
Automotive, Security and Pervasive Computing

The post Chip Industry Week In Review appeared first on Semiconductor Engineering.

Handheld Gaming Renaissance: Giants Stake Their Claim with Competition

The evolution of gaming has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. From the pixelated games of the ’80s to the hyper-realistic ones of today, the gaming world has witnessed revolutionary changes. But the most recent and perhaps the most exciting of these changes is the rise of handheld gaming 2.0. With giants like Sony and Lenovo entering the arena, the handheld gaming landscape is set for a massive transformation.

Sony’s PlayStation Portal is a testament to the company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of gaming. This device, a PS5 that fits your pocket, promises to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience. With features like Remote Play, gamers can now take their favorite PS5 games on the go. The Portal also boasts a 5.5-inch OLED display, ensuring that games look as stunning as they do on the big screen.

On the other hand, Lenovo’s Legion Go is making waves as a formidable competitor to the Steam Deck. Powered by a custom AMD APU, the Legion Go promises to deliver a PC-level gaming experience in a handheld form. With its ergonomic design and impressive hardware, Lenovo is clearly aiming to capture a significant share of the handheld gaming market.

Nintendo Switch: Still a Dominant Force in Handheld Gaming, but not Alone, with Ally

But Sony and Lenovo aren’t the only players in this game. The Nintendo Switch has been a dominant force in the handheld gaming world, and its unique hybrid design has won the hearts of millions of gamers worldwide. Rumours ar saying new obviously enhanced version is to come in 2024

Devices like the ROG Ally are also vying for a piece of the handheld gaming pie as well. Athough facing technical difficulties with SD Card interface, lot of devoted fans are sharing hints on how to owercome this with some DYI methods. And it works well in comparatively tiny body to Steam Deck or new Lenovo GO.

The rise of handheld gaming 2.0 is not just about hardware but also the games. With developers now focusing on creating games optimized for handheld devices, players can expect many exciting titles in the coming months. From action-packed shooters to immersive RPGs, the future of handheld gaming looks brighter than ever.

The Qualcomm Vision: Mobile Gaming’s Next Leap

The gaming world buzzed with excitement when Qualcomm announced its vision for the future of mobile gaming. Their ambition? To bridge the gap between mobile and console gaming. As reported by CNET, Qualcomm is gearing up to launch chips that promise to elevate the mobile gaming experience to console levels. This move could potentially reshape the landscape of handheld gaming, making it more accessible and versatile.

The Market Perspective: A Flourishing Industry

The handheld gaming market is not just about the big players and their flagship devices. It’s an ecosystem that thrives on innovation, competition, and, most importantly, gamers. According to a report from Yahoo Finance, the global console & handheld gaming market is expected to grow significantly by 2029. Technological advancements, a surge in mobile gaming, and the increasing popularity of eSports fuel this growth.

The Future: Boundless Possibilities

With the rapid advancements in technology and the ever-evolving demands of gamers, the future of handheld gaming is rife with possibilities. We might see devices with augmented reality capabilities, immersive haptic feedback, or even integration with wearable tech. The line between console, PC, and handheld gaming might blur, giving rise to a new era of gaming that’s more immersive and interactive than ever.

Conclusion: The Golden Age of Handheld Gaming

As we stand on the cusp of a new era in handheld gaming, one thing is clear: the golden age of handheld gaming is upon us. The future looks promising, with powerhouses like Sony and Lenovo entering the fray and innovations from companies like Qualcomm on the horizon. Whether you’re a casual gamer or a hardcore eSports enthusiast, there’s something in store for everyone. So, gear up and get ready to dive into a world of unparalleled gaming experiences; it may be the standard normal thing to play future AAA games like Star Wars Outlaws, same as classic legends on future handheld devices. Let’s hope.

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The post The Dawn of Handheld Gaming 2.0: PlayStation Portal vs. Legion Go and More! appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for all Gamers.

You might remember Stacklands, a joyful survival village builder in which you stack and combine cards to craft and advance your society. WitchHand, which released this week, takes the same concept and applies it to developing your own witches coven.

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