The game company Rockstar Games strives for fairer working conditions for its employees. This should also affect the next part of the “GTA” series.
Massive, beautifully animated worlds, innovative game principles and a hearty pinch of corrosively cynical humor – with games like the “Red Dead Redemption” series, “Max Payne”, “LA Noire” and of course the now five independent “Grand Theft Auto parts have made some of the most successful and important contributions to the computer and video game market. However, it is said to have been catastrophic working conditions under which these masterpieces were created. While attention is now paid to fair production in many areas of consumption, this has not played a significant role in the games industry so far.
Photo: Shutterstock/Rafapress
Rockstar Games: Overtime and Strip Club Field Trips
In 2018, the year the milestone “Red Dead Redemption 2” was released, several Rockstar Games employees spoke up. As the game magazine Kotaku reported, there were incredible working hours with 100-hour weeks before the release. This is so common in the industry that it even has its own name: crunch. Personal life, mental health and marriages have been sacrificed to meet the release date. Employees described the company’s former corporate philosophy to the news site Bloomberg as a boys’ club, with “boozes, fights and excursions to strip clubs”. Sexism and verbal violence were the order of the day. However, that is about to change.
Rockstar Games is contemporary – and so is “GTA 6”
The company, founded in 1998, has since fired some managers who are said to have behaved inappropriately towards employees. The gender pay gap is to be increasingly closed, and there are also additional benefits for the mental health of employees. Of course, this internal restructuring takes time, and according to some statements, certain processes have to be established first. This will primarily have one effect on the developers’ latest project: the release date will be pushed back further. Rockstar Games has been working on “GTA 6” since 2014 – and there is no end in sight, although experts expect it to be released in 2023/2024. But that’s not the only change the latest installment in the action series is set to see.
“GTA 6” for the first time with a female protagonist
For the first time, one of two main characters should be female. In a gaming world in which women have so far mainly appeared as sex objects, this can definitely be called progress. The protagonist, who will also have a Latin American background, is said to be part of a Bonnie and Clyde-esque duo. After New York City and Los Angeles, a fictional version of Miami is to be offered as a new location. Fans of the series should be reminded of “GTA Vice City”. In contrast to earlier times, however, in the future more attention will be paid to satirical content not to step down and thus create a mood against minorities. Whether and to what extent the new company philosophy is actually reflected in the game remains to be seen.
A new chip from Infineon is powered via NFC via the smartphone – enough to open and close small locks
Infineon’s new NAC1080 chip makes it possible to open and close digital locks without their own power supply. Instead of an internal power supply, the user’s smartphone – which is also the key – supplies the power to open it, as the chip manufacturer reports.
Both data and energy are exchanged via NFC – a process that is used, for example, for payment transactions via smartphone. Data transmission is encrypted thanks to an integrated AES128 accelerator and a random number generator.
To open the lock, the smartphone must be held directly against the lock equipped with the chip, as with other smart locks. The lock then draws energy from the built-in NFC technology through so-called energy harvesting. On average, different devices can transmit around 20 milliwatts, according to Infineon, and significantly more with some models.
Use with smaller locks
A capacitor collects the energy; the chip uses them to check whether the user is authorized and to open the lock with a small motor. According to Infineon, the technology is particularly suitable for smaller locks on office cabinets, lockers, parcel boxes or mailboxes. The duration of the opening process should be around two seconds – depending on the smartphone used and the energy transmitted.
Larger, harder-to-move locks require more energy to be transferred, which takes longer. It is therefore more conceivable to use it as an emergency option for house or hotel doors if the lock’s own energy supply fails. According to Infineon, one would then have to wait a little longer for the opening, but at least this could save the expensive key service. The first products with the chip could be on the market next year.
These are the new laptops, monitors and PCs for 2022
At the Global Press Conference 2022, Acer presented a variety of new products such as laptops, convertibles, desktop PCs and monitors. In addition to technical updates of the individual model series, the manufacturer wants to focus primarily on sustainability and 3D screens without glasses.
Acer’s Vero series: Many new devices made from recycled materials
In its Global Press Conference for the second half of 2022, Acer presented a large number of new products. It is striking that the Vero series, which stands for recycled materials, is being expanded again. In addition to laptops, there will also be an all-in-one PC, monitors and a projector from the Vero series. In addition, a keyboard and a mouse are already in the starting blocks for the fourth quarter.
The laptops are 14 and 15 inch models, which should be available from the third quarter. Acer asks for the Aspire Vero (AV14-51) from 799 euros and the Acer Aspire Vero (AV15-52) should be available from 999 euros. Both feature 12th generation Intel Core processors. The housings are made of 30 percent PCR plastic. In addition, you should be able to carry out minor repairs or upgrades yourself.
The Veriton Vero all-in-one desktop computer (VVZ4694G) is also made from 30 percent recycled plastic and has a 24-inch display that can also be wall-mounted. The scope of delivery includes a mouse and keyboard, which are also made of PCR plastic. The computer is equipped with an Intel Corei9 processor of the twelfth generation, an Nvidia GeForce MX550 graphics processor and up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory. It should be available from 919 euros in the third quarter.
The two new Vero monitors, the 27-inch Acer CB273 and the 24-inch Acer B247Y G offer Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and are made of 85 percent PCR plastic and 5 percent OBP plastic . The 27-inch model costs 39 euros, while the 24-inch model costs 269 euros.
Acer will also have the Vero PD2325W projector in its portfolio, which also consists of 35 percent recyclable plastic and whose LED lamp is said to last around 30,000 hours. It is said to consume around 50 percent less energy than a conventional projector. It offers WXGA resolution (1,280 x 800 pixels) and should be available in stores from the third quarter for around 549 euros.
Spatial Labs: 3D technology without glasses
The Acer Spatial Labs View Pro is a commercial 4K monitor that is supposed to enable glasses-free 3D. Image credit : Acer
tial Labs: 3D technology without glasses
In addition, Acer will expand its 3D lineup with two SpatialLabs View Series displays, with the standard version aimed at end users and the Pro version at business customers. Both screens are 15.6 inches and offer 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels).
The SpatialLabs View has the so-called “SpatialLabs TrueGame”, which should be able to show games in stereoscopic 3D. At the start there should be preconfigured profiles for more than 50 games that support this AI feature. Gamers should be able to have a completely new gaming experience in real time even without VR glasses.
Another application that supports both displays is “SpatialLabs Go”. This AI solution is intended to create stereoscopic 3D content from two-dimensional screen content at the click of a mouse.
The “SpatialLabs Model Viewer” function that bears its name, on the other hand, is only available for the Acer SpatialLabs View Pro. It should enable 3D design software such as Maya, Blender or Cinema 4D to create stereoscopic 3D models.
It is not yet known when the devices will be available and how expensive they will be.
The new gaming products
The gaming highlight of the new Acer lineup is likely to be the Predator Helios 300 in the SpatialLabs Edition. Acer has installed the aforementioned 15.6-inch “SpatialLabs View” display in the notebook, which has a resolution of 4K with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and whose technology should enable stereoscopic 3D images without VR glasses. It is equipped with a twelfth-generation Intel Core i9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 in the laptop version and up to 32 GB of fast DDR5-4800 RAM. The device will probably be available from September at a starting price of 3,299 euros.
The slim Predator Triton 300 SE is a 14-inch laptop that is aimed not only at gamers but also at content creators. It is equipped with the latest 12th generation Intel Core CPUs and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 laptop GPUs. Among other things, an OLED variant is available as a display. The device should already be available in June for a price starting at 1,499 euros.
In addition, two gaming monitors are in the starting blocks with the Predator XB273K LV and the Acer Nitro XV272U RV. The former is a 27-inch model and offers 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) at a frame rate of 160 Hz. It also supports HDR 600. It should be available from October for around 850 euros. The Acer Nitro, on the other hand, is a 27-inch monitor with WQHD resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) and a refresh rate of 170 Hz, which has HDR 400 certification. This model should be in stores from October for 399 euros.
Minor upgrades from well-known brands
In addition, well-known model series will receive a technical upgrade. These include, for example, the Acer Swift 3 OLED (in July from 999 euros), the Acer Spin 5 (in July from 1,399 euros) and the Acer Spin 3 (in June from 999 euros).
The business line of the Tavelmate series will also be relaunched. Depending on the model, these will be available from August/September.
Acer will also continue the ConceptD notebook series: The ConceptD 5 notebook will probably be available from July for a price starting at 3,399 euros, the ConceptD 5 Pro probably from August at a starting price of 3,799 euros. Both are equipped with 12th generation Intel Core processors and powerful Nvidia RTX GPUs.
With the ConcetD series, Acer proves that desktop PCs are far from dead. Two new models will be launched here in September, the ConceptD 100 and ConceptD 500 desktop PCs. The 100 should start at 1,099 euros and the 500 at 2,199 euros.
The Russian chips are not yet suitable for everyday use in companies, but there is progress.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shown us how fragile our supply chains have become. Many products are sometimes only manufactured in certain regions of the world, which is why microchips have become so rare in the last 2 years. For this reason, too, Russia would like to buy more products from the domestic market.
Therefore, a small technology sector of its own has developed in the country in the past, in addition to software products, the associated hardware should also be “Made in Russia”. The MCST Elbrus-8C processors show that this is not yet the case with processors.
SberTech, the technology division of Russia’s largest bank, has compared the Elbrus-8C with systems with Intel Xeon Gold 6230 and had to realize that the technology is making great strides, but at the same time it is not yet suitable for everyday tasks within the company.
SberTech is not alone in this. Russian chips have already been installed in many places in the past, but when it comes to the critical infrastructure, one is still dependent on companies such as AMD and Intel. In the test field set up by SberTech, the Elbrus-8C failed in 84 percent of the functional test cases, and the chip could not or only partially withstand other tests.
Nevertheless, all hope is not lost. Experts say that although the chip has many disadvantages, it is still possible to work with it. In addition, adjustments in the software can optimize the current behavior and thus get the maximum out of the processor.
Another positive aspect is that such processors already exist, even if the development of new generations still takes far too long. Years can quickly pass before a concept is converted into a finished chip. During this time, companies such as AMD and Intel have long overtaken the progress that was then achieved. So it remains to be seen how chip development “Made in Russia” will progress in the future.
