Apple Reportedly Planning To Debut Its Self-Driving Car In 2025

It’s been a while since we heard anything substantial about Apple’s Project Titan electric vehicle, apart from a certain mishap back in September which involved one of its prototypes. Now, a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims to have acquired new information regarding the company’s first EV from people who are familiar with the matter.

As we’ve already covered when rumours regarding Project Titan first surfaced, Apple’s first EV is believed to be fully autonomous rather than a conventional one with semi-autonomous features. According to the insiders, new Project Titan lead Kevin Lynch insisted that the first model should be able to drive itself. 

Gurman’s latest report cites several sources supporting this particular tidbit, as well as the company’s aim to debut the vehicle in 2025. In regards to the latter, earlier rumours suggested that Apple originally envisioned to debut the car in 2024, but the plan was supposedly pushed back to sometime between 2025 and 2027.

Whether the company is able to meet the 2025 launch window for its EV mainly depends on whether it can complete its fully autonomous system on time, the insiders noted. Progress-wise, sources claim that Apple has supposedly finished much of the “core work” on the car’s processor.

Other than that, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Apple plans to have its first EV to feature a lounge-like interior with a touchscreen infotainment system in the middle, but would lack a steering wheel or pedals. This further suggests that the vehicle would act as a fully-autonomous passenger shuttle rather than a standard car. In terms of safety, the sources added that the company intends to include a manual override mode in case of emergencies.

With four more years to go, it will definitely be a while until Apple is expected to officially announce or showcase its first ever EV. A fully autonomous system is indeed possible to an extent with current technology, but most of these rely on dedicated pathings with little to no interference or interaction with human-based traffic. That being said, it is not known whether the company’s vehicle is intended to be used on the road or for smaller-scaled use cases (such as in-campus transportation).

Tesla App Outage Causes Owners To Lose Access To Car Features

Tesla experienced a server downtime for its mobile phone app earlier today. The outage, which lasted several hours, left owners from across the globe unable to connect to their cars – losing access to certain features offered exclusively via the app.

Motoring website Electrek notes that the downtime coincidentally came shortly after the automaker rolled out an update to its application, although it is undetermined if this was actually the root cause of the problem. Company CEO Elon Musk later revealed in a tweet that the outage may have been caused by an “accidental increase of network traffic verbosity”. Concurrently, he also apologised and noted that the company will take measures to ensure that such problems will not happen again.

Naturally, the app outage also resulted in a flurry of complaints coming from owners worldwide. As mentioned earlier, users are locked away from accessing advanced features such as vehicle summoning, remote unlocking and activation, and interior climate controls.

Some owners even reported to have been left stranded due to their inability to unlock or start their cars via the Tesla app, which is likely an exaggeration. While it does offer the aforementioned abilities, users can still unlock and start their vehicles with their phones through an active Bluetooth connection, provided that they did not log out from the app. Alternatively, this issue can also be bypassed if the owner is carrying the car’s keycard or keyfob along with them.

Thankfully for the owners, their first world-related woes had been resolved by the company, albeit a couple of hours later. Aside from Musk’s reply in Twitter, Tesla itself has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.

This Is The Registry Hack That Lets You Install Windows 11 On Unsupported PC

Four months after it was first unveiled to the world, Microsoft unleashed Windows 11 to end users earlier this week. As you may know, the minimum system requirements for the new operating system are not only much higher than its predecessor but is also more stringent, down to the mandatory TPM 2.0 chip and specific lists of supported processors.

Interesting enough, there is a way to bypass the TPM and CPU check and believe it or not, this came directly from Microsoft. All you need to do is add a registry key value into your machine.

If you decide to do this, do make sure to be careful as your machine could turn haywire if you did something wrong in the Registry Editor. So, here are the steps:

1. Press the Windows button, type Registry Editor, and click on the search result once the program appears. Alternatively, press Windows + R to open the Run command window, type regedit, and press OK.
2. Press Yes when User Account Control pops up.
3. Find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup.
4. Right-click on the right-hand panel and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
5. Type AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU as the Value name.
6. Type 1 as the Value data. Leave the Base as Hexadecimal.
7. Press Ok and close the Registry Editor.

Do note that you still need a TPM 1.2 chip to be present and enabled in your machine before you can install Windows 11. Furthermore, Microsoft has said that unsupported PC will not be entitled to updates and that also include security updates.

Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City Has Its First Trailer

The Resident Evil movie series is getting a reboot, and the trailer for the first movie has been released. The name of the movie itself is Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, and boy does it look like a wild ride while having nausea.

On the positive side, the trailer suggests that the movie will be quite faithful to the games. There were a few direct callbacks to specific scenes, and the main characters are from the games, and not an original self-insert Mary Sue type character. So you’d think that we’re off to a good start.

But then things quickly go downhill at the same time as while they were starting to look good. For one, most of the characters are unrecogniseable. The only exception is Claire Redfield, or rather her red jacket. The character that’s supposed to be Leon looks like Carlos from Resident Evil 3 Remake instead. I get that it’s not practical to cast people who look like their role’s video game counterpart, but it’s still confusing when one character looks like another different one.

For what it’s worth, the trailer ends with a premiere date of 24 November. It could be worth a watch, even if your sole purpose of doing so is to have a tally of the number of things that the film faithfully recreates from the games, and where it takes liberties.

Rumour Suggests Next iPhone SE Retains Predecessor’s Design; Gains 5G And A15 Chip

Apple is said to be releasing a new entry to its more occasional smartphone series, the iPhone SE, sometime in early 2022. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, the upcoming model will allegedly come with recent hardware for its core internals, but retains its predecessor’s overall design.

In regards to the latter, this means that the new SE will still sport the iPhone 8’s look once more. Therefore, it may also feature a 4.7-inch LCD display with large upper and lower bezels, a curved aluminium frame, and a single rear camera setup. Concurrently, this would see the return of the Touch ID-enabled Home Button below the phone’s screen as well.

As for hardware, Macotakara suggests the next-gen iPhone SE will be equipped with the 5G-enabled A15 chip – the same SoC that is featured in the brand’s current generation iPhone 13 series. Unfortunately, no information regarding its battery or its front and rear camera sensors were shared by the Apple-specialised Japanese blog. Lastly, it is said that the new SE will begin production this December, and is expected to be launched later in Spring 2022.

This actually isn’t the first time that Apple is rumoured to be releasing a follow-up model to its iPhone SE line-up. Back in June, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo similarly suggested a new iteration of the phone with upgraded internals is currently in the works, and that it would also feature the same chassis as its predecessor. While the rumours are seemingly corroborating with each other, it is still worth reminding that both of which are unofficially sourced and may end up to be inaccurate in the end.

GOG Pulls Hitman – GOTY; Admits It Has DRM In Its Current Form

Late last month, GOG put up its version of Hitman – Game of the Year Edition. Being on GOG usually meant no DRM, but gamers soon found out that many of the game’s unlocks were tied to having an internet connection. After over two weeks, the CD Projekt storefront finally unreleased the game.

In a forum post, GOG community manager Gabriela Siemienkowicz, via the handle “chandra”, said that “we shouldn’t have released it in its current form, as you’ve pointed out”. The post also mentions talks with IO Interactive, the developers of Hitman – GOTY, presumably to properly work on a version of the game that didn’t need online connectivity to unlock new gear and starting locations.

To quickly recap, the Hitman reboot trilogy by IO Interactive required an internet connection to unlock new gear, costumes and starting equipment for every stage that you clear. This is the crux of the game’s massive replayability value. But all those unlocks, and by extension replay value, being tied to an internet connection is considered DRM, and it’s not difficult to see why.

The bit about dialogue with IO Interactive implies that GOG will one day rerelease a version of Hitman – GOTY that doesn’t need an internet connection for the unlocks. But it’s still up in the air as to when, or even if, that will happen.

Sony And TSMC Reportedly Joining Forces To Tackle Chip Shortage With Japan’s Help

Japanese tech company Sony and Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC may be joining forces to help tackle the ongoing global chip shortage, according to reports published independently by Reuters and Nikkei. It is said that both companies are considering a partnership to co-establish a new semiconductor factory in Japan, which is expected to be up and running by 2024.

People familiar with the matter told the publications that the new plant will be based at a Sony-owned location in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, close to the company’s own image sensor factory (shown above). The project is said to cost US$7 billion in investment from both Sony and TSMC, with half of it reportedly covered by the Japanese government. The new factory will be managed by the Taiwanese semiconductor giant, the sources added.

Reuters and Nikkei reports that the plant would manufacture chips for cameras, cars and other purposes – all of which have recently seen a drop in production capacity due to the ongoing shortage. Both Sony and TSMC declined to comment regarding this potential partnership when approached by the publications. Meanwhile, Nikkei believes that Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Denso is also interested in the project.

If accurate, the new factory by Sony and TSMC would definitely contribute to other efforts that are also aiming to ramp up the manufacturing of semiconductors. However, it will still take some time until it is able to help with the production, seeing that the plant will only be operational in 2024. Moreover, Sony and TSMC themselves – as well as other major companies such as IBM and Foxconn – have noted that the chip shortage will likely continue for another few years until the strong demand for semiconductors could be met.

Twitter Now Lets You Remove Followers Without Them Knowing

As part of the company’s effort to filter potentially offensive content and users from its platform, Twitter has officially launched its “soft block” feature that lets you remove troublesome followers. The feature was already being tested last month but is now being rolled out to the general public.

If you’re wondering how soft blocking is different from regular blocking, it actually doesn’t block users at all, but rather quietly makes the unwanted follower “unfollow” you. Twitter says that such users won’t be notified of the action taken on them.

Keep in mind that while you’re essentially removing yourself from their feed, they’ll still have access to your profile and your public tweets. Moreover, they can still follow you back if they realise they’ve been removed. This might be useful if you think that blocking someone just for being annoying is a bit extreme but of course, Twitter still recommends you to do so for harassers.

To use this feature, you can go to your Followers list, pick an account, click on the three-dot icon, and click “Remove this follower”. The social media giant says that this is only going to be available for web users for now, with no word on when it will come to iOS or Android apps.

Twitter has been developing a suite of features to increase safety and reduce toxicity on its feeds. One of them includes the ability to set who can reply even after a Tweet has been published. Another that’s being tested is an algorithm that automatically blocks users for you if it detects that they’re repeatedly posting offensive replies.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut Review: More Narrative Greatness With A Touch Of Grit

You’re probably tired of hearing this from me, but Ghost of Tsushima is great. And it got even better when Sucker Punch Productions gave it a free multiplayer component. For the most part, that’s already a lot to give for a single game, and many were expecting the studio to work on a sequel. But then the company announced a Director’s Cut, which included the Iki Island expansion.

And to put it simply, the expansion is also great – for all the same reasons that made the base game so enjoyable. So let’s talk about that. Being built on an amazing foundation, the only remaining element was a new story to tell, and boy did Sucker Punch pull it off again.

Another setting, Another Mongol Invasion

Being the continuation of the main story in Ghost of Tsushima, the Director’s Cut expansion naturally kept the Mongol invasion as an important part of the story. Very early on, the story makes clear that the events of the Iki Island expansion happen some time after the main game. That, and there is a canon ending to the base game, which forces you to make a decision after the final duel. There is also what I see as a very minor retcon in the base game’s story in order to tell this one. Which is fine, because it wasn’t a major detail back in the base game.

Though this time, the game takes a sharper turn from the road that history has provided. Which is actually fine, because it’s sort of necessary for the story that the expansion is trying to tell. And the story is essentially one of Sakai Jin dealing with the ghost of his own past.

This time, the fictional invading force is an oddly specific Mongolian tribe led by the a Shaman known as the “Eagle”, Ankhsar Khatun. For context, Khatun is the female equivalent of Khan. As the plot progresses, she managed to poison Jin with a special drug that amplifies his darkest thoughts and suppressed memories. And it is through dealing with this poison that Jin faces his past, contemplates what he should or should not have done, and learns to deal with his choices at the end. Again, not the most original of stories, but with a past as grey as his, it makes for a compelling story all the same.

Of course, not everyone is as lucky, or mentally strong, as Jin. Many of the others on Iki Island were poisoned by the Eagle, and have subsequently irreparably lost their minds. And as Jin fights his inner demons, he also helps the locals fight off the Mongols so that this new threat does not take over the island, and move on not only to Tsushima, but the Japanese mainland as well.

Depicting The True Greyness Of The Warrior Class

The relative greyness throughout Jin’s past also reflects the greyness of the role of the samurai during that era. This makes it a far more realistic depiction of the warrior class of the time. Quite the contrast to the main game, which reinforces the stereotypical idealised version of bushido.

Without going into anymore detail, it’s safe to say that the samurai had to do some really nasty stuff in order to serve their lord, and act as peacekeepers. Honour in battle is certainly far from the focus this time around, and I’ll leave it there to avoid the risk of spoiling the story any further.

New Toys To Play With

There are also three new enemy types added to Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut. One, which you’ll be introduced to very early on, is the shaman, who makes nearby enemies more resilient to damage, and fights like a spearman up close. Another looks like your average grunt, but can swap between dual swords, sword and shield, and pole-arm at will, and even has a unique pole-arm move set. And the final one is a new brute with a double-bladed pole-arm, who is a lot faster than the others in its class. Enemies in general also can take more hits before going down. All that being said, this list looks to be exclusive to the Iki Island region.

On another note, one improvement that you can expect to be transferrable to the main game is more varied stealth assassination animations. Ditto a new chiburi sheathing animation that was previously exclusive to boss duels. That being said, it’s unclear if these are part of the Director’s Cut, or part of the overall improvements that Sucker Punch promised. What’s definitely a new addition thanks to the Director’s Cut is a new armour set with its own unique set of skills, which is a lot of fun and very overpowered if you have quick reflexes in combat. Your horse gets some love too, which comes in both practical and comedic flavours.

Iki The Animal Sanctuary

If you like animals, then the Iki Island expansion has a treat for you – mostly in the form of three more animal types that you can pet. Scattered around the new area are animal sanctuaries for the monkey, deer and cat. The expansion adds a new limited gameplay mechanic that allows a more active use of your flute in these sanctuaries. Play them well, and the animals will calm down enough to trust you and let you pet them. They appear throughout the expanded area, but you can only pet them in their respective sanctuaries.

This is still quite the major improvement over the foxes in the main game. Beyond a single quest in Act II, the only time foxes appear are near their dens, from which they lead you to the nearest fox shrine. You can also only pet them once, if you see them after praying to said shrines. Beyond that, the foxes of Tsushima appear to completely vanish from the island. And unlike the foxes, as long as you return to the sanctuaries on Iki, you can pet the animals as often as you like.

PS5 Exclusive Features Not A Must, With One Exception

Having reviewed the Director’s Cut on a PS5, I’ll say that the improvements on this version of the game are mostly unimportant. Sure, you get constant 60fps gameplay rather than 30fps, but the DualSense features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers are not really all that big an improvement. This is especially the case for the latter, which was a little disappointing after having experienced what Insomniac did with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

All that being said, if you want Japanese lip sync, then unfortunately the PS5 version is a must. It’s a strange thing to be locked behind the latest-generation console. I don’t know if this is a hardware limitation, and I have a hard time believing that it is the case, but here we are. Translations are still whack, with some names translated completely differently. But since these are remnants of the base game, there isn’t much that can be done there short of overhauling the text of from it.

Conclusion

If you can’t get enough of Ghost of Tsushima, then the Director’s Cut is for you. Since it’s built on the bones of such a brilliant game, there’s little that can go wrong. And thankfully, not only did nothing go wrong, but we got another compelling, albeit shorter story experience to continue where the base game left off.

In terms of landmass, the in-game version of the Iki Island is about a third of Tsushima. Though in terms of actual story, it feels a lot more than just a third of the main game. Because of this, the story feels faster – and better – paced. And because of the smaller landmass you can wrap things up pretty quickly. This includes all the side quests, challenges and collectibles, simply because there’s less traversing in between.

For this review, I’ve done almost all there is to do in slightly over 12 hours. Your experience may be quicker if you forgo the collectibles, and play on a difficulty that’s lower than Lethal+. Though that being said, I feel the desire to finish my current playthrough and go for a third one, this time completing the game in canonical order, while making use of the new toys for more of the base game. You don’t have to do that, because in an update quite late into the review cycle, Sucker Punch has added the ability to replay boss duels and outpost captures.

But for all the praise I pile onto this, I must reiterate one criticism. And that’s the fact that Japanese lip sync is locked behind the PS5 version. As I mentioned before, I can live without the DualSense improvements. I can also live without 60fps gameplay, although having it is certainly nice. But by far the one thing that drastically improved my enjoyment of the game is the Japanese lip sync. And it really feels unfair for those who don’t have the console but want to experience Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut at its best state, narratively speaking.

If you’ve never experienced Ghost of Tsushima, definitely jump into the PS5 version of the Director’s Cut. If you don’t yet have the console, then I would say you wait until after you get it. For those who have experienced the base game, I’d say that the new elements and replayabllity makes it worth its asking price, regardless of if you’re upgrading to the PS4 or PS5 versions.