Sony has shared its Games and Network Services slides from its IR Day 2021 report and there are some interesting pieces of information regarding the future of PlayStation on console and elsewhere: especially one slide suggesting that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is headed to the PC.
One of the slides details "new growth vectors" for PlayStation Studios on PC and Mobile. This slide points to the existing PC ports of Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone, as well as including a logo for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End while noting more PC releases are planned.
(Image credit: Sony)
Seeing more PS4 games come to PC isn't surprising. Back when the PC version of Days Gone was announced, a GQ interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan noted that a "whole slate" of titles were coming to PC. It seems like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End could be next but fans will have to keep hoping and wishing for other titles like Bloodborne.
The financial report contains other interesting tidbits as well, such as updated subscriber numbers for PlayStation Now. Per the report, PlayStation Now has crossed 3.2 million subscribers. This comes after the service was recently upgraded to 1080p game streaming for applicable games.
Meanwhile, the disc drive version of the PS5 is expected to start breaking even next month as manufacturing costs decrease. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the next big first-party PS5 game, currently aimed for release on June 11, 2021.
Guerrilla Games' Horizon Forbidden West is also slated for later in 2021 though there's not an exact release date right now. 14 minutes of gameplay will be shown on May 27, giving fans a look at just what's new, including the possibility of new machines in Forbidden West.
Fooz bets on charity mixed with digital for a winning combo
While lucky draws are certainly nothing new in the region, new digital platforms have recently emerged that enable people to experience the same thrill and joy of lucky draws regardless of where they are in the world.
The newest to launch is Fooz, a UAE-born online platform introduced by Arab Millionaire. Users in the GCC region as well as across the world can stand to win up to US$30 million each week by matching six numbers for the grand prize. Other prizes are also awarded based on three, four, or five matches as well.
Fooz marks the largest grand prize offered in the region, and is priced at AED 10 per entry. It also differentiates in how it distributes second prize winnings (five numbers matched), opting to give each winner $300,000 each rather than dividing the amount equally.
Every time a user decides to participate in a weekly draw, they automatically contribute a portion of the spend to one of the 23 charities, including Friends of Jordan; Helm; PCRF; Children’s Cancer Center Lebanon; Touche Pas A Mon Enfant; Palestinian Medical Relief Society; Association MARAM; Oum El Nour; GATEWAY, American Foundation of Ramallah – Palestine; Sesobel; Jusoor; Himaya; King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center; OPS; Association des Malades du Cancer; Affaluna Society for Deaf Children; Al Hassan Foundation; and more.
“At FOOZ we believe in giving people the opportunity to share joy collectively and wholeheartedly,” said Andre Hawit, CEO of FOOZ. “When users invest in a play-to-win experience with FOOZ, they not only have a chance to invest in their future, but invest in the futures of talented individuals from across the region who are in need of support. We believe that together, we can create a culture where we can not only dream together but grow together as a community that thrives on fun, excitement and joy.”
“We are constantly investing in the development of the FOOZ app, as we continue to listen to our users to incorporate new experiences that people will enjoy and find entertaining. We are excited about the opportunities that FOOZ will bring to people in the region and look forward to welcoming everyone to the FOOZ family both now and in the years to come.”
Soon you can manage your Office and Xbox accounts within Windows 11
Microsoft is making further improvements to Windows 11 with a better way to manage your Office and Xbox subscriptions within the Settings app if a Windows Insider build is to be believed.
A Windows Insider build can allow a user to sign up to a release of Windows that’s under development, which could showcase new apps, new features, or different ways to access parts of the user interface.
This change has been in the ‘Dev Channel’ of Windows Insider since late last year and has recently moved up to the ‘Release Channel’ build, numbered 22000.466. This most likely means that we could be seeing this arrive to all Windows 11 users sooner than Sun Valley 2, the next big update to the operating system.
Analysis: It’s about time
We’ve been pleased to see Microsoft constantly look at aspects of Windows and how it could make the operating system easier on the eye, or just easier to use. While this is a small change, it’s going to make a big difference to those who manage Office subscriptions for their family or small business, or your personal Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Going to 'Settings > Accounts > Your Microsoft Account' in the Windows 11 Release Channel will show your active subscriptions, payment history, and rewards, mirroring what you would normally see on the web.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
It’s another aspect of Microsoft focusing on the usability of Windows. In the past, such as Windows 8 and Windows Phone, form seemed to matter more than function, and once you got past the main feature that the company was showcasing, you’d be greeted with apps or message boxes that felt as though they had time traveled from Windows 95.
But with other improvements such as a new Task Manager coming, the return of Windows Media Player, and a better Microsoft Store, it looks as though Windows 11 is already shaping up to be a release that’s focusing on the future, not the past.
Regardless, we may see further improvements to how we use the apps and settings that we’ve been used to for years. And if that means few clicks and less confusion for more users, then it will benefit everyone.
5 things you should know when choosing a SASE solution
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is gaining ground as digital transformation is increasingly seen as an answer to the global challenges unfolding before our eyes. Yet, organizations are wary of its often complex and prolonged implementation and want to play it safe with their choice of SASE solution. Their needs may vary – some may want to focus on protecting crucial data, others go for combining networking and security features in the cloud, or streamlining their security wherever there is work to be done.
Whatever your reason for choosing SASE, there are some universal considerations for getting the best out of your future SASE solution – read on to find out the most important ones.
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1) Should you go for single-pass or best of breed?
Today many vendors offer so-called single-pass SASE solutions that combine broader networking and security features as part of a single platform. Considering the equal importance of the two, these solutions are marketed as “complete” since the same vendor will offer you both security and SD-WAN, for example.
This option may sound like a dream come true, but few providers offer this type of solution even in 2021. This means that you may be limiting your selection options from the outset.
Going for multiple vendors to deliver the best of breed functionality is a more flexible option for network security, WAN, and LAN. This means that you can choose a different provider for each component of the security system such as a firewall or VPN. The same goes for all the features you want to see in your SASE. Yet, bear in mind that this type of integration can be more complex because you need to support sufficient interoperability.
What you should certainly do is to go for the providers that are proven to offer quality support for their partners’ ecosystems. This will make the introduction of SASE or its integration with an existing infrastructure easier, and make the management of networking and security smoother and with fewer headaches down the road.
2) Do you go for native cloud deployment or the edge?
Virtualization of network features with SASE can be done with the help of the public cloud. The other option is an approach with more focus on hardware, with the deployment at the edge of the cloud. Both approaches come with their sets of pros and cons.
Virtual Private Cloud can be used with Network Function Virtualization to secure workloads that are part of these private clouds. The same goes for setups with multiple virtual private clouds of your cloud provider. What makes things a bit more complicated is that multiple environments require duplication of individual setups for each cloud service provider. This comes with additional costs and the need for more complex technical expertise.
At the edge, you can have a single setup to cover all users and locations. Going with this option simplifies managing multiple functions in different environments which comes with greater efficiency and less trouble in terms of support.
3) How close do you want to be to your assets?
Being closer to the source i.e. to the place where the data and applications are needed is important when it comes to planning their future management. The idea is that these valuable assets need to be made accessible to the users as fast as possible. This is where SASE comes into play as a way to distribute network architecture.
To achieve this, SASE implementation relies on the public cloud, private data centers, and colocation. SASE stack operates with the help of nodes that are found in the proximity of the public cloud. The result is easy access to cloud-based resources which is not impaired by high latency.
This is why SASE works best if your organization does not want to build its own secure access and networking infrastructure brick by brick. Instead of this, SASE will provide you with a single solution that functions as an umbrella for all devices, users, and policies. If you are after minimizing networking costs and streamlining deployment with the proximity of resources as a bonus, SASE is the path to go.
4) Check your provider for the quality of integration and the global coverage
By definition, SASE should provide you with a platform that brings together security and networking functionality in a cloud-native environment. This should not be taken for granted, as some providers may market their solution as SASE despite failing to fully converge the services on offer. For instance, you can check if SD-WAN is fully integrated with security functions such as NGFWaaS or SWG.
Also, SASE is a cloud-native solution, meaning that this quality should equally encompass all points that constitute your network’s edge. This includes cloud, mobile, and on-premise environments.
Your SASE solution should also offer a balanced performance wherever it is needed. This is ensured by the points of presence that your provider operates to ensure the optimal experience of using SASE. Check these in advance to avoid unwelcome outcomes when trying to use an application you need at a critical moment.
5) What about Zero Trust Network Access?
The traditional approach to protecting cloud and mobile environments with endpoint solutions does not cut it today when compared with SASE. SASE uses Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) with a set of specific benefits.
For starters, you will find it easier to introduce policies that can deny access to particular IP addresses. This allows for more granular access control all the way to individual identities.
SASE with ZTNA allows for easier scaling of network security no matter how fast your network grows. This is made possible since it can support multiple tenants as part of a cloud-native platform.
Also, better security with ZTNA is ensured by having SASE offer more than an ancient castle-and-moat approach which is often unsuitable for modern network topologies and edges.
Conclusion
Choosing the best SASE solution is no easy task, but sticking with key considerations such as those we presented above should make it a bit easier. While minding all of them is useful, you should also consider that your individual use case will also have an impact on your final choice of SASE, as this is a complex technology and not a skeleton key for every situation you can think of.
These gaming accessories on Amazon could be lying to you
Gaming accessories such as keyboards, headsets and controllers have changed a fair bit over the last few decades, not only to offer better ergonomics and features, but also to keep up with current style trends.
One of the more prevalent phrases you might see thrown around is 'RGB lighting' as having colorful LED lights across your setup has become more popular, but there are some unfortunate traps that you might fall into if you're not paying attention.
Let me explain. 'RGB' stands for 'Red Green Blue', a type of color space used in additive color synthesis across displays to create a huge spectrum of other colors by using a mix of red, green, and blue LED lights. LEDs first became available in the 1960s in red, and eventually followed by green and then orange/yellow, but it wouldn't be until much later that the ability to create other colors was developed.
The inventor of Blue LED (which finally arrived in the 1990s) was awarded a noble prize in 2014 as blue was the final color required to make almost any color when mixed alongside other LEDs. This revolutionized technology in things like TVs and computer screens, but we can also see this applied in other areas, such as color-changing light bulbs from brands like Philips Hue.
In the world of gaming peripherals and accessories though, RGB has also become associated with flashy rainbow lights that can sometimes be customized to match your existing setup. If your gaming keyboard has a backlight that switches between a specific shade of green and blue, you could also extend this across other RGB-capable peripherals like your gaming mouse or even within the PC build itself.
This customization is prevalent across many of the well-recognized gaming brands such as Razer, MSI and Asus, all of which have software available such as Razer Chroma, MSI Mystic Light and Asus Aura that can be used to sync your choice of lighting style and effects across the rest of your peripherals, providing they're compatible with the same software.
What to look out for when buying RGB products
Everything from keyboards, mice and even PC components can have RGB lighting. (Image credit: Shutterstock / Om.Nom.Nom)
Thing is, just because something is labeled as an 'RGB' capable product, doesn't mean you're getting that customization capability, and it's possible that some manufacturers and retailers are using this as a loophole to catch out unsuspecting consumers.
In most cases, you're still getting the recognizable flowing rainbow lights, but without appropriate software to control them or alter the color beyond presets that are built into the product itself. If you purchased, say, a new headset stand with built-in RGB lighting for example, you might not be able to configure it to match the rest of your gaming PC.
A cropped image taken from the listing of an IFYOO RGB Gaming Headset Stand on Amazon (Image credit: IFYOO)
In the case of the above image taken from an IFYOO RGB Gaming Headset Stand listing, the brand has been very forward with the limitations of the product, and the information is also clear on the product description, with only four color presets available. If you wanted the headphone stand to display a pink or orange light, it doesn't have that capability.
Still, there are many, many more listings online where this information isn't clearly available, either tucked away in some small print or the product description or in some cases, not available on the listing at all.
There are also instances where a product will be listed with the phrase 'customizable RGB' when in reality, this customization is limited to switching between manual presets. You might feel lied to if a product arrived and didn't have the features you were expecting, but as long as the purchase uses the RGB color model then the seller isn't doing anything wrong.
How to not get caught out
Chaotic rainbow lighting might not be your vibe, but some RGB components can be customized to suit your exact color specifications. (Image credit: Shutterstock / Alberto Garcia Guillen)
There are a few easy ways to avoid disappointment thankfully. If you already have a branded peripheral from one of the brands we mentioned earlier like Razer and Asus, it's likely that other peripherals from that company that are labeled as RGB will also follow the same customization, so if you want a new gaming mouse that has lighting that can sync to your existing Razer keyboard, just look to buy a Razer mouse.
That said, these brands can be pretty expensive, so if you're low on funds and want to have the same customization features then you might not want to drop a stack of cash on a premium-branded gaming accessory. Luckily, there are other branded accessories that might work alongside your existing hardware.
On listings, look for phrases like 'works with MSI Mystic Light' or whatever other software you're using to manage your RGB lighting. It's unlikely this feature will be hidden away given its potential for marketing, so it shouldn't be hard to find.
Similarly, keep a lookout for the actual lighting capabilities of the product you're looking to buy. In many instances, you're getting the standard flowing rainbow setting and then a handful of solid color options, which should be clearly available on the page. If the product is advertised as 'RGB' but doesn't mention what color presets are available OR what customization and management software it's compatible with, we would suggest that you steer clear.
We should also mention that just because some of these products don't allow full customization, that doesn't make them bad. If you have everything set to the usual rainbow vomit or it comes with a preset color that'd you'd default to anyway then there's no reason for you to avoid them. Just make sure you carefully read all the information available to you prior to making a purchase and avoid assumptions about what RGB lighting actually means on gaming accessories.
