Sony Mocopi Can Be Your Very Own Motion Capture Kit

In today’s online world of YouTubers and live streamers, VTubers and VStreamers are starting to rise in prominence from what was once a ciche corner of the market. But having a virtual avatar instead of just revealing your real self has challenges of its own, primarily on the motion capture department. Sony has something that can be an affordable-ish solution, in the form of the Mocopi.

The Sony Mocopi is a motion capture kit that consists of six sensors, each about the size of, say, an Apple AirTag. Each measures 32mm across in diameter, and weights about 8g, and are labelled for which part of your body they are supposed to be strapped to – one for your head, one for your hip, one for each wrist and one for each ankle. They are also dust-proof and water resistant, with the usual IP65 / IP68 rating that you find on most of the brand’s smartphones. While we’re on the subject, the sensors also connect to phones via Bluetooth.

 

On the software side of things, the Sony Mocopi uses the company’s proprietary algorithm to translate physical motion into data. This can then be streamed to applicable software like VRChat. Or, should you prefer, you can also export your motion with an avatar as an MP4 video file. Being completely wireless, the Sony Mocopi set comes with a carrying case which also serves to charge the sensors. The company claims that each sensor has a battery life of up to 10 hours, and the case can charge each one up to full in 1.5 hours, or 90 minutes, via USB-C.

This is all pretty impressive-sounding, but there are a couple of issues that one can foresee some very specific use case issues with the Sony Mocopi. For one, there’s no indication on if it does finger tracking. The how-to video posted on YouTube indicated that there’s lip-syncing at least, but its accuracy remains to be judged.

Sony announced that it will be releasing the software development kit (SDK) for the Mocopi on 15 December, so that devs can get it to work on things like Unity and Autodesk MotionBuilder. A little later, consumers (in Japan at least) will be able to purchase it for JPY49500 (`~RM1600) in late January. No word on when or if it will be available elsewhere just yet.

Could This Be The First Look At Apple Store TRX?

There are five Apple Stores in Southeast Asia with three of them being in Singapore and two in Bangkok, Thailand. It goes without saying that Apple users felt a little bit left out and it has been rumoured for quite some time that an Apple Store will be opened in the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) at Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

According to the last major update regarding the rumour last April, it was estimated that Apple Store TRX could be opening its doors in 2022. As the year is going to end in less than three weeks with The Exchange TRX is not exactly ready for the public just yet, you can generally take that estimation out of the equation.

But, not the rumour itself though. As shown above, this particular image which claimed to be the first glimpse of Apple Store TRX has made its way to the Klang Valley Shopping Malls thread on the Skyscraper City forum. Unfortunately, the image has since been deleted although it has since spread like a wildfire.

The deletion may have strengthened its authenticity but it is still rather hard to verify whether the image was really taken at TRX since we were not able to see the view outside the scaffoldings. The resolution of the image is also not high enough for us to zoom in to check the logo on the safety jackets worn by the workers.

Naturally, we have also tried reverse search the image but didn’t receive any good results. So, do take this image with a grain of salt, if you must.

Meanwhile, the Project Director for The Exchange TRX, Mitch Wilson has recently stated that the area is currently scheduled to be open sometime in Q4 2023. The statement also noted that there will be more than 400 stores and 100 dining outlets throughout its four retail levels.

He also revealed some of the confirmed tenants which include Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), a Seibu department store, and a supermarket by Hong Kong’s Dairy Farm Group. The Exchange TRX will also feature a 10-acre public park on its rooftop.

Clubhouse Now Allows Conversations To Be Recorded And Shared

Clubhouse has launched a suite of new features and among them is the ability to finally record conversations. One of them is called “Clips”, a new button that will allow anyone in the room to record the last 30 seconds of the conversation.

The feature has to be enabled by the creators of the room and can be disabled at any time. It’s only available for open/public rooms, meaning private, social, and club rooms will remain private. For now though, Clips will only be rolled out to select creators as it’s still beta.

When Clips is enabled, both the creators and the audience can tap on the scissor-shaped (✄) button at any point during the conversation to get a shareable and editable clip of the last 30 seconds. Don’t worry if you’re not included in Clips’ beta, as there’s a new feature coming this month that will let every user save and distribute their conversations. “Replays” will let you save your entire room’s conversation, download it, and make the room publicly discoverable for as long as you want.

There’s also Universal Search that lets people search for specific rooms, clubs, people, and future events. As a bonus, Android users are also getting support for Spatial Audio. These new updates seem to be focused on expanding the reach of its creators, addressing the issue of a lack in shareability.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Users Will Be First To Get Samsung’s Android 12 Beta

After teasing about its upcoming beta program a few weeks ago, Samsung has officially opened up registration for Galaxy S21 series users to get early access and try out the One UI 4.0 beta based on Android 12. This year’s release is earlier than usual, as the stable release of Android 12 isn’t even out yet. In comparison, Samsung’s 3.0 beta last year got rolled out a month after the debut of Android 11.

The One UI 4 Beta Program is open to Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra users in China, India, Germany, Poland, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S. with varying release dates. Eligible users can sign up to preview the OS using the Samsung Members app and use some of the latest features being developed for the final version, including more customisable and transparent data settings.

Samsung says they’ll use the data from the beta program to fine-tune the final release coming later this year. Interestingly, the beta registration is being pushed out on the same day as Apple’s event, which is expected to launch this year’s iPhone.

One UI is the company’s custom Android skin, which looks markedly different from vanilla Android. Google’s upcoming version uses a new design theme called Material You, which is a major design revamp from previous versions of the OS. Seeing as Material You is a fundamental part of Android 12, it’ll be interesting to see how Samsung will integrate the AI theming into One UI’s aesthetics.

Samsung does say that 4.0 will have theming options that span from home screens, icons, notifications, wallpapers, and more, in addition to customisable widgets. From the pictures shown of the beta, it seems Samsung phones will be getting the microphone and camera indicators from Android 12 that show when these components are turned on. And of course, users will have even more customisation options in the AR Emoji Studio.

Coincidentally, a recent rumour based on internal Google documents suggests that the tech giant might be planning to officially release Android 12 for Pixel phones on 4 October, less than three weeks from now. Last year, One UI 3.0 was pushed out to Galaxy S20 phones a month after its public beta, so Samsung users who won’t be joining the beta programme might not have to wait that long for this year’s rollout.

Yakuza Creator May Be Leaving Sega For NetEase

If you like the Yakuza series of games, then you have a lot to thank Toshihiro Nagoshi for. He’s been with Sega for 32 years, and is the guy that created the Yakuza series. But a new report states that he may be leaving the company, and is currently in “final negotiations” to join NetEase instead.

Bloomberg reports that should negotiations be successful, Nagoshi is expected to set up his own team and create new games. Though since it’s not a done deal yet, it remains to be seen what sort of games he will be making if that happens.

China-based companies like NetEase and Tencent are pushing hard on ventures outside their home country. Which is not unexpected, considering the country’s increasingly hostile demeanour towards video games.

The country has recently passed new restrictions on the medium for those under 18, letting them play for only three hours a week. Or more specifically, one hour on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each, and specifically between 8PM and 9PM only. This one hour window also applies to public holidays, giving teens potentially one extra hour of game time in the week.

But back to Toshihiro Nagoshi. According to VGC, he was promoted to Creative Director at Sega as recently as April this year. If he is indeed leaving for NetEase, then it makes his tenure in his new position a short one.

Porsche Assembly Plant In Malaysia To Be Operational In 2022

It is something that has been rumoured for quite some time but Porsche and Sime Darby have finally confirmed that they are working together to set up an assembly plant in Malaysia. The new endeavour is part of the German automaker’s effort to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia which has seen an increase of 9% in terms of deliveries last year despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sime Darby is currently Porsche’s exclusive importer and distributor in Malaysia although the relationship between both companies has been going on for more than 10 years. The company also has almost 40 years of experience in vehicle assembly and operates a facility in Kulim that assembles vehicles for Hyundai, BMW, Land Rover, MINI, and Mazda.

Interesting enough, the Malaysian facility will be the first Porsche’s assembly plant outside of Europe. Not only that, Porsche also has noted that the vehicles assembled there will be made available exclusively for Malaysia.

At the moment, Porsche and Sime Darby have not yet disclosed which models will be assembled at the new facility. Nevertheless, both companies have said that production at the plant will begin in 2022.

Windows 11 To Be Officially Available On 5 October

Microsoft has announced that the general release of Windows 11 will officially take place starting from 5 October onwards. The announcement took place just two months after the new operating system made its official debut back in June.

So, what exactly going to happen on 5 October when it comes to Windows 11? For starters, it will be the day that consumers begin to be able to get their hands on PCs that are pre-installed with the new operating system.

At the same time, Microsoft said that it will begin to roll out Windows 11 to eligible Windows 10 PCs but this is where you have to manage your expectations. In today’s announcement, the company noted that newer devices will be offered to upgrade first.

Microsoft also said that the actual availability of the update for each device will depend on several factors including hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, and age. Nevertheless, the company expects that all eligible Windows 10 PCs will receive the free Windows 11 upgrade offer by the middle of 2022.

In case you missed it, here is the minimum system requirement for Windows 11:

• Dual-core 64-bit processor or SoC running at 1GHz
• DirectX 12-compatible graphics with WDDM 2.0 driver
• 9-inch display with HD 720p resolution and 8-bits colour depth
• 4GB of RAM
• 64GB storage
• UEFI, Secure Boot capable system firmware
• Trusted Platform Module 2.0

Not to forget, your system must also be powered by one of these AMD, Intel, or Qualcomm processors in order to be an eligible Windows 11 system. While you may be able to the new operating system on your machine through the age-old ISO method despite it not meeting the requirement, you may have to manually download and install important updates as Microsoft is going to cut off the Windows Update feature on unsupported PCs.

Samsung Confirms Galaxy Unpacked Event To Be Held On 11 August 2021

Samsung has updated its social media channels to confirm the date for its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event. Slated to happen on 11 August 2021 at 10pm local time via the tech giant’s official website, the online-only launch event will undoubtedly see the debut of its latest foldable smartphones – namely, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3.

While not officially confirmed by the brand itself, the graphic elements featured on the accompanying promotional image is a big giveaway on what to expect – along with the event’s not-so-subtle “Get ready to unfold” tagline. As you may recall from our report published in June, it was previously rumoured that Samsung will be launching the aforementioned foldable devices during a major Unpacked event that was tipped to be held in August.

Industry insiders also suggested that the tech giant will debut two new Galaxy-branded smartwatches along with the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip. These are believed to be the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch Active4, which would feature a refreshed version of Wear OS that is jointly-developed by both Samsung and Google. Not forgetting that some alleged details regarding the specifications for all four upcoming devices were also leaked in earlier this month.

Those who’ve been following Samsung’s various events for the past few years may have noticed something significantly different about this Galaxy Unpacked as well. Most obvious is the absence of the brand’s second highly anticipated flagship smartphone line, the Galaxy Note series, that is often revealed in the third quarter of every year. This could very well mean that rumours of the series’ cancellation may end up being true after all, which would definitely disappoint a good number of fans.

Meanwhile, Samsung Malaysia says that those registering their interest via the event’s page (link provided below) are also entitled to receive a RM300 e-voucher which can be used at the brand’s online store after pre-ordering the new Galaxy devices. However, the company noted that the e-voucher is only applicable on selected Samsung wearables & accessories.

Takuya Kimura’s Talent Agency May Be The Reason Why Judgment Is Not On PC

Almost the entirety of the Yakuza series has made its way to PC. So it’s strange that the spin-off series Judgment is still locked behind the confines of consoles. But now we may know the reason why, and it’s likely because of Takuya Kimura’s talent agency.

Japanese showbiz news site Nikkan Taishu reports that the talent agency, Johnny & Associates, and Sega could not come to an agreement over which platform the actor’s likeness can appear on. For context, Takuya Kimura is a very highly rated actor, to say the least, and plays the Judgment series lead Takayuki Yagami.

The report says that the agency is very strict when it comes to which platform its actors’ likeness can appear on. The agency also is particularly prickly when it comes to images of its actors being online. And for whatever reason, the agency has decided that this would be a problem if the Judgment series was available on PC, but not consoles from which screenshots are shared around just the same. Maybe inappropriate mods is a concern, but it’s the sort of lack of awareness that the agency seems to be projecting to the audience.

All this is bad news for both Sega and fans of the spin-off series. This is simply because Sega has decided that it’s not good for business if it can’t publish the game series on PC. Makes sense, because it is effectively cut off from a major revenue stream. But as such, Lost Judgment will likely be the last entry in the series.

The actor himself, Takuya Kimura, also expresses regret, as the report claims. It’s said that he enjoyed playing Takayuki Yagami a lot, and wants to do more of that, but expressed disappointment when he learned that it would be unlikely.

All in all, it sounds like the people calling the shots at Johnny & Associates have been left behind by the blazing progress of technology. And as a result of them not being able to keep up, gamers are going to be deprived of more entries into a great spin-off series. Sega is also being cut off of a reliable source of income, and a star actor is unable to play a role he enjoys.

Hideo Kojima Prefers Death Stranding Director’s Cut To Be Director’s Plus

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Kojima Productions announced Death Stranding Director’s Cut last week. But Hideo Kojima, the director of the game, isn’t fond of the Director’s Cut part of the name. He laments on Twitter that he wants it to be called something else.

As part of a two-tweet string, Kojima says that a director’s cut suggests an additional edit to a film to shorten it, or published reluctantly because the director did not have the right to edit it. So calling the PS5 version of the game Death Stranding Director’s Cut implies that the original had cut content.

Kojima says that this isn’t the case in the follow up tweet. Instead of what was cut, Death Stranding Director’s Cut added content. Because of that, the director says that he may have preferred if it was called Director’s Plus instead.

Which makes sense. In fact, we have a very good example of a director’s cut in very recent history. It’s just that the movie wasn’t called director’s cut, and people colloquially refer to it with the director’s name instead. In case it needs to be spelled out, I’m talking about the Snyder Cut.

But considering Hideo Kojima, with all his influence, had to settle for the Director’s Cut being added to Death Stranding, there’s little else any of us can do about it. But for what it’s worth, the game itself, with all its new content, will be available on 24 September.

Google To Let Other Search Engines Be The Default On Android In Europe

Google is making changes to the way its users in the European Union choose their default search engines. For one, it is increasing the number of available options that users will be able to select. Competitors will also be able to list their search engines for free.

Google is making changes to the way its users in the European Union choose their default search engines. For one, it is increasing the number of available options that users will be able to select. Competitors will also be able to list their search engines for free.

Back in 2018, Google was fined a massive US$5 billion in the EU for forcing its Search and Chrome browsers to be default on Android devices. Following that, Android users in the EU got to choose their default search engine every time they set up or reset their devices. Though as mentioned, this list only included three other options besides Google, and differs from country to country.

With the change, users in all of the EU will be able to see a list of up to 12 alternatives. Competing search engine providers will also no longer have to bid to appear on the list anymore. Though this only applies to general search engines that are available for free via the Google Play Store. In its blog post, Google says that these changes will take effect starting from September.

Intel-Powered Macs Reportedly Will Not Be Getting Live Text And Other Monterey Features

If you watched Apple’s WWDC 2021 keynote, you’ll know that the fruit company’s newly announced macOS Monterey comes with a ton of new and exciting features. Sadly, it seems that not all of the OS’ new features will be available for its Intel-based Mac machines, as some features will be exclusive to Macs running on the new M1 Apple Silicon chip.

If you’re running an Intel-powered Mac and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, here are some of the features that you’ll be missing out on:

• FaceTime Portrait Mode
• Live Text, which lets you interact with text in photos (e.g. being able to copy and paste an address on a sign)
• Interactive globe in Maps
• Detailed new city experience in Maps
• Neural text-to-speech voice in more languages for Siri, including in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish
• On-device keyboard dictation without a time limit (dictation was previously limited to 60 seconds)

As a quick recap, M1-powered Macs officially hit the market back in November last year. However, when the company from Cupertino announced its transition to its own silicon chips last June, they said that it would “continue to support and release new versions of macOS for Intel-based Macs for years to come.”

Obviously, this bit of news runs contrary to the company’s initial promise, so little wonder that some Mac users have taken to social media, accusing Apple of planned obsolescence.

Survey: Half Of Malaysian Gen Z, Millennials Will Be Frequent Augmented Reality Users By 2025

Deloitte Digital and Snap Inc., the developer of Snapchat, have produced a report estimating that half of Malaysian Gen Z-ers and millennials will be frequent augmented reality (AR) users by 2025.

As of 2021, the report found that approximately 3 million Gen Z-ers and millennials are frequent AR users, as in people who use AR weekly or daily. That figure is expected to grow by a whopping 187% to 8.6 million in 2025.

The report also revealed a shift in AR use towards utility as opposed to the playful videos that AR has been long known for. Today, 64% of Malaysian consumers on Snapchat use AR primarily at home for activities like communication (98%), media and entertainment (81%), gaming (79%), and shopping (67%).

Nine in ten Malaysians believe that AR will be even more important in their lives in the next five years. When asked what they expect to use AR for in the future, utility was put front and centre, with most Malaysians wishing to use the technology to help them stay connected with others, learn something new, and improve productivity levels.

The survey / report had 15,000 respondents from around the world, including Malaysia, with about half of which use Snapchat.

It’s no surprise why Snapchat is going all-in on AR since it plays such an outsized and even definitive role on the platform. Last month, the messaging app revealed the latest generation of its Spectacles which is specially designed for AR.

HONOR Confirms Return Of Google Mobile Services; HONOR 50 To Be First Device

HONOR, the brand that was once a subsidiary of Huawei, made an indirect announcement recently that Google Mobile Services will indeed be returning to its devices. According to the brand, the first device that is set to reflect the return in a post-Huawei world is the HONOR 50.

Confirmation of GMS’ return to the brand’s upcoming device was done via Twitter, through the brand’s official German account. The tweet is no longer available, but as per Android Authority, it came as a reply to one user’s query. In addition to GMS, HONOR Germany also confirmed that the phone will retain Magic UI, which is technically an off-shoot of Huawei’s own EMUI.

As a quick primer, news about Huawei potentially selling off HONOR first cropped up in November last year. Back then, it was reported that the Chinese telecommunications and smartphone brand would sell its sister brand to a Shenzhen-based consortium for a sum of US$15.2 billion (~RM63 billion). Within a week, the sale was confirmed.

As for the hardware powering the HONOR 50, we know that the phone will be one of the first devices to be fitted with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC, while the Pro version of it should house the top-tier Snapdragon 888. Camera-wise, the phone is expected to feature a 50MP main camera reminiscent of Huawei’s alleged main camera design of the P50. It will also reportedly include a 13MP ultrawide and 8MP ultrawide.

In addition, the phone is expected to sport a 6.79-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.

Certain Apple iPad Models Rumoured To Be Fitted With OLED, Not LED Displays

The iPad already received a significant glow up (literally) this year with its 12.9-inch model debuting Apple’s mini-LED display. Now there are rumours that Apple is planning to adopt OLED displays for some of next year’s iPad models.

According to a report by ETNews, Apple and multiple display companies have agreed on the production and delivery of OLED iPad displays starting in 2022 as “the small and medium-sized OLED market is expected to enter the second growth phase”. This is in line with the contents of the research note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in March that said that the 2022 iPad Air will feature an OLED display.

Kuo pointed out that although Apple would adopt Mini-LED displays for the new iPad Pro, other tablet models would switch to OLED displays, beginning with the iPad Air next year. Mini-LED and OLED panels are similarly revered for their ability to display deeper blacks, though the former does not suffer from the issue of burn-in, such as the latter. Kuo stated that it is for that specific reason that Apple has no plans to bring OLED to its productivity devices.

Since the OLED displays for the upcoming iPad will be flat — unlike the custom iPhone panels folded at the bottom — it will cost less than the expensive mini-LED panels. It should be noted that while the new iPad’s mini-LED display tops out at 1,600 nits peak brightness, the iPhone 12 Pro’s OLED only reaches 1,200 nits.

Nike PG 5 PlayStation 5 Sneakers To Be Available In Malaysia For RM 465

Paul George’s love for PlayStation is pretty deep to the extent that it has been incorporated into some of his Nike signature shoes over the years. Things are no different for his latest signature model, as they have been given the PlayStation 5 colourway which will be making its way to Malaysia in just a few days time.

Currently playing for Los Angeles Clippers, it seems apt enough that the latest signature shoes for the professional basketball player are called the PG 5. Aside from featuring PS5’s white, blue, and black colour accents, there are also PlayStation logos on the tongue and insole of the right shoe.

Additionally, the four icons from the PlayStation DualSense controller can also be seen on the shoes’ forefoot and heel overlay. Completing the PlayStation extravaganza on these shoes is PG 5 heel tags that are written in PS5 font as well as a special PG x PS hangtag.

In Malaysia, the new PG 5 PS5 basketball shoes will be made available through Nike Malaysia’s official website on 14 May 2021 at 10:00 AM with a price tag of RM 465 which is similar to the standard PG 5 EP release. Since getting limited-edition releases through Nike’s website is notoriously hard, we hope that the odds will be in your favour if you’re planning to cop the PG 5 PS5 shoes.

Nike PG 5 PlayStation 5 Sneakers To Be Available In Malaysia For RM 465

Paul George’s love for PlayStation is pretty deep to the extent that it has been incorporated into some of his Nike signature shoes over the years. Things are no different for his latest signature model, as they have been given the PlayStation 5 colourway which will be making its way to Malaysia in just a few days time.

Currently playing for Los Angeles Clippers, it seems apt enough that the latest signature shoes for the professional basketball player are called the PG 5. Aside from featuring PS5’s white, blue, and black colour accents, there are also PlayStation logos on the tongue and insole of the right shoe.

Additionally, the four icons from the PlayStation DualSense controller can also be seen on the shoes’ forefoot and heel overlay. Completing the PlayStation extravaganza on these shoes is PG 5 heel tags that are written in PS5 font as well as a special PG x PS hangtag.

In Malaysia, the new PG 5 PS5 basketball shoes will be made available through Nike Malaysia’s official website on 14 May 2021 at 10:00 AM with a price tag of RM 465 which is similar to the standard PG 5 EP release. Since getting limited-edition releases through Nike’s website is notoriously hard, we hope that the odds will be in your favour if you’re planning to cop the PG 5 PS5 shoes.