AMD Announces Partnership With MediaTek With Development Of RZ600 Series Wi-Fi 6E Modules

AMD and MediaTek recently confirmed their partnership with each other by announcing that they are currently developing a new series of Wi-Fi 6E modules, dubbed the RZ600 series. The new Wi-Fi modules are expected to appear in next-generation Ryzen-powered laptops, as well as desktop PC components, starting in 2022 and well into the future.

The RZ600 Series Wi-Fi 6E modules will comprise two models: the RZ616 and RZ608, and both modules will house MediaTek’s Fliogic 330P chipset. Specs-wise, both modules will support the latest Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 and the latest Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity standards. What sets the two apart lies in the supported channels: the RZ616 module will support the new 6GHz spectrum at 160MHz channel bandwidths, with PHY rates of up to 2.4Gbps. The RZ608 module, on the other hand, supports the 6GHz spectrum at bandwidths up to 80MHz, and just half the maximum PHY rate of the RZ616, at 1.2Gbps.

On top of that, the new RZ600 series modules are small and M.2-ready, with the RZ616 available in two sizes, 2230 and 1216, while the RZ608 is only available in the 2230 configuration.

We’ve mentioned in the past that this isn’t the first AMD and MediaTek have gotten into bed together. To that end, the RZ608 module has already been around for a while and was ultimately rebranded as the MediaTek MT7921K. On that note, it is possible that the RZ608 module being listed here is an updated version of the original that only supported Wi-Fi 6 and not Wi-Fi 6E.

Also, in the case of MediaTek, the semiconductor maker has been around the block with several other major technology brands, including NVIDIA and Google.

PLAY Interactive Has A Game Development Fund For Malaysian Devs

Video games development can, and often does, get very expensive. Which is probably the reason why PLAY Interactive set up its PLAY Game Development Co-Investment Fund. As the name implies, it’s there to help local devs get the the financial help they need in making their games.

PLAY Interactive says that it has RM1 million being set aside for this fund. And each game dev applying for it can get up to RM100000 to help complete their game. Though it will have to complete the game within two years of receiving the grant.

Development window aside, there’s another caveat, and likely a bigger one, to this deal of accepting financial support. Once your game is done, PLAY Interactive will also hold worldwide publishing rights to the project. This effectively turns the company into a publisher. That being said, it’s likely not too bad a deal for indie devs, since they won’t need to worry about the whole publishing side of the game-making process.

For what it’s worth, PLAY Interactive isn’t picky as to what kind of games devs can make when applying for its game development fund. So even mobile game makers have the potential of getting a bit of extra cash infusion. The company is even willing to give out grants for port projects. If you’re a developer and wish to know more about the PLAY Game Development Co-Investment Fund, you can find out more by visiting its official website linked below.

Huawei Founder Reportedly Urging Staff To Focus On Software Development

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is urging staff to shift their focus on software development instead of hardware, according to an alleged internal memo spotted by Reuters. With the company’s smartphone production now at limited capacity, a change in direction is necessary in order to counter the ongoing sanctions that were imposed by the US government, he explained.

Ren added that development in the software field is “outside of US control”, which would grant Huawei “greater independence and autonomy.” The memo also mentioned that software such as its own HarmonyOS mobile operating system, Mindspore AI cloud framework, and other IT products will be given priority. It’s worth noting that the company had recently confirmed that it will be launching its mobile OS in early June.

Huawei’s shift in focus to software would depend on finding the right business model and is envisioned to adopt an open source approach, the founder wrote. In addition, Ren encouraged staff to strengthen the company’s position in China and also build up its territory in regions, with the possibility of excluding the United States altogether. “Once we dominate Europe, the Asia Pacific and Africa, if U.S. standards don’t match ours, and we can’t enter the U.S., then the U.S. can’t enter our territory,” he said.

While it may be shifting its focus to the software market for its future endeavors, Huawei still has ongoing plans on hardware production. This includes the newly announced collaboration with Changan Automobile to include the design and development of automotive-based semiconductors. On the unofficial side of things, the company has yet to officially announce its latest flagship, the Huawei P50 series, which has seen numerous leaks since the beginning of the year.

TSMC 2nm Chips Reportedly Enters Development; 3nm, 4nm Due In 2022

While the chip shortage is expected to rage on till next year, Taiwanese foundry, TSMC, has no intentions of slowing down the development of new and thinner fabrications of its products. To that end, reports suggest that the foundry has already entered development of a 2nm process node.

According to Anandtech, TSMC seems to be developing both 3nm and 2nm at the same time. Unsurprisingly, the Taiwanese foundry isn’t sharing a lot of detail, only that development for the die lithography is progressing nicely under its “advanced CMOS logic”.

As for its 3nm and 4nm process, Anandtech says that both process nodes are still on track with its development, with 4nm expected to enter mass production by early 2022, while the 3nm – part of the company’s N3 roadmap – should enter risk production this year, with mass production expected to begin during the second half of 2022.

TSMC has long dominated the semiconductor market and has virtually cornered half the market, the other half having been bagged by Samsung. Earlier this month, the company also announced that it would spend US$100 billion (~RM410 billion) over the next three years to ramp up its production capacity.

EA Confirms Development Of A Standalone Battlefield Game For Smartphones And Tablets

Fans of the multiplayer shooter genre on mobile devices will be expecting another high profiled franchise to arrive in the near future, namely the Battlefield series by Electronic Arts (EA). The publisher has recently announced that a standalone version of the game is currently in development and will be hitting the mobile platform sometime in 2022.

The game is being worked on by Industrial Toys in close collaboration with current Battlefield developer DICE, wrote the latter’s general manager Oskar Gabrielson on EA’s official blog. He noted that this version of the game will be specifically designed, and is promised to feature a “fully-fledged, skill-based experience” for players on smartphones and tablets.

Gabrielson also announced in the same blog post that a new major Battlefield game for PC and consoles will be revealed soon and eventually released in 2021. The game is jointly-developed by DICE, DICE LA, Criterion Games and EA Gothenburg, he added.

Ever since their debuts, multiplayer shooters such as Fortnite, PUBG and Call of Duty: Mobile have seen tremendous success and an increased player base on the mobile platform, especially on smartphones. In addition, these games -despite being marketed as free to play titles, have earned their respective developers and publishers millions of dollars in revenue, thanks to the availability of in-game purchases such as booster packs and player customisation items.

According to data gathered by Sensor Tower, PUBG Mobile has reportedly accumulated a total of US$2.7 billion in 2020 alone, with a recorded player spending average of US$7.4 million per day. In terms of player base and downloads, Tencent (via BusinessofApps) claims that the game had garnered a reported 30 million active users in Q3 2020, and recently claimed that it has achieved a whopping 1 billion downloads as of March 2021. With staggering numbers such as these, it’s no surprise that EA would also want a piece of this mobile-flavoured pie, albeit arriving later than other publishers.

In related news, the publisher also confirmed recently that its popular free-to-play battle royale shooter Apex Legends have begun testing on mobile platforms. Regional betas for the game are currently limited to countries such as India and the Philippines, with more regions planned to be added later in the year. Just in case you’re wondering, Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier revealed in a separate EA blog post that the mobile version will not feature cross-platform play.

Nikon Announces Development Of New Z9 Full-Frame Flagship Mirrorless Camera

Nikon has officially revealed that its next full-frame flagship camera, the Z9, is now in development. Along with the announcement, the company also revealed the camera’s design as well as several of its key features.

According to the press release, Nikon markets the Z9 to offer an “unprecedented imaging experience” via a set of “groundbreaking technologies.” These include a newly developed FX-format stacked CMOS sensor and a new image-processing engine, which enables it to record videos at up to 8K resolution – making it the first and only Z-series flagship with the capability to do so.

From the provided concept render, the new camera is shown to sport an integrated grip body  – another first for the Z-series – which allows users to shoot in either landscape and portrait orientation with ease. Most interestingly, the Z9’s form factor appears to be slightly more compact when compared to Nikon’s D-series flagships, which commonly offers integrated grip-styled bodies. However, the company noted that the finalised product may differ from the render provided – although it’s doubtful that the differences will be anything too drastic.

It appears that Nikon will finally bring the fight to Sony’s Alpha 1 and Canon’s EOS R5 mirrorless cameras by including 8K recording capability on the new Z9 flagship. Whether it is able to match up to the competition remains to be seen, especially in terms of internal cooling when recording in high resolution.

Most handheld mirrorless cameras with such capabilities have the tendency to overheat after a certain period of time – with the Sony Alpha 1 claiming to be able to last up to 30 minutes when shooting 8K, while the Canon EOS R5 is able to last approximately 20 minutes before shutting down. In Nikon’s case, the Z9 should at least feature a cooling system that is on par with Sony’s or risk getting overshadowed by its competitors.

Besides that, Nikon did provide any further information regarding the Z9’s specifications. But on the unofficial side of things, website NikonRumors claims to have obtained details of the camera from a supposed reliable source. The site reports that the Nikon Z9 will come with either a 46MP, 50MP or 60MP sensor, an ISO range of 64 – 25,600, 20 fps continuous shooting, two XQD/CFX type B memory card support, a high resolution and blackout-free EVF, as well as a slew of upgrades to its onboard autofocusing, dynamic range and noise reduction features.

The company has yet to reveal when it is planning to fully unveil the upcoming Nikon Z9 full-frame mirrorless camera. NikonRumors, on the other hand, suggests that Nikon will launch the flagship in the fall of 2021 with an expected price tag of US$6,000 (~RM24,744) – US$7,000 (~RM28,868).

EA Delays New Need For Speed; Shifts Focus Towards Development Of Next Battlefield Title

EA has reportedly put a halt on the development of its Need For Speed series temporarily and reallocated the franchise’s developers, Criterion Games, over to EA DICE, in order to assist in the development of its next Battlefield title.

The next Battlefield title, which is called Battlefield 6 (BF6) for now, was confirmed to be landing this year by Andrew Wilson, EA’s CEO. Not much is known about the franchise’s next instalment, save for what Wilson revealed during an earnings calls last year. Specifically, the game will see a return to a modern setting, along with bigger multiplayer maps capable of supporting up to 128 players in a single game.

Despite Criterion’s new support role at DICE, EA has promised to release at least one racing title this year thanks on no small part to its recent acquisition of Codemasters. As for when the next Need For Speed will arrive, the publisher says that that franchise should return to form next year.

EA has been on something of a losing streak since 2017 when it launched Mass Effect Andromeda. Reception for the game was relatively mixed, with the majority of reviews leaning towards the negative. Then came Anthem in 2019, a game that suffered from multiple, critical flaws that led to the game being panned by critics. Then, despite promises of an overhaul of the game’s system, it abruptly announced that it had ceased all development for the game.

Apple Reportedly Nabs Porsche VP Of Chassis Development For Project Titan

Leaks of Apple’s mysterious self-driving electric car, which it codenamed as Project Titan, continues to surface. Just recently, word has it that the company has poached a key Porsche personnel to join the development of the upcoming vehicle.

According to Business Insider, the supposed new addition to the project’s team is Dr. Manfred Harrer (pictured above), Porsche’s Vice President of Chassis Development. He is well known for his involvement in the development of the automaker’s Cayenne series, as well as the all-electric Taycan model which debuted in late 2019. Before his career with Porsche, Harrer’s previous working experience included car companies such as Audi and BMW.

Sources told the news outlet that Harrer had departed from Porsche at the end of 2020 to join Apple, although this change has not been reflected on his LinkedIn profile. They added that his new role would also see an upward pay of a million dollars above his reported US$721,000 annual salary at the Germany-based sports car maker.

As for Project Titan itself, earlier reports have suggested that Apple is close to signing a deal with Hyundai subsidiary Kia Motors. The alleged partnership will allow the latter to manufacture 100,000 of the Cupertino-based tech company’s vehicles by 2024, through the Korean automaker’s facilities in the US state of Georgia.

Google Shutting Down Stadia Games Development Studios

Less than two years into its existence, Google Stadia announced that it is not going to develop its own games and will be shutting down its own development studios in Montreal and Los Angles. In conjunction, Jade Raymond, an industry veteran whom Google reached out to lead the initiative, will also be leaving.

In light of the decision, Google says that Stadia will redirect and shift its focus as a game streaming hub for currently existing game developers. That said, Stadia Games and Entertainment (SG&E), the division’s in-house studio will be “moving on to other roles” and Google will, at the very least, take responsibility in helping them to find new positions.

It’s undeniable that Google’s decision to shutter its own development studio is clearly a dent in the search engine’s gaming ambition; it was heavily invested in the idea of producing its own games and making them available via its own cloud streaming service. Now, that’s all but gone out the window.

That said, SG&E had managed to both develop and publish a few games before Google shuttered the doors, with titles including Orcs Must Die! 3, Outcasters, and Submerged: Hidden Depths. Also, given the high and enormous expenses typically generated in the production of a AAA title, it is understandable why Google would want to take a step back from the development stage. But, as The Verge put it, this simply means that Stadia will now be just another platform option for games that are already available on other platforms.