https://www.scmp.com/rss/325183/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The measuring stick for success between the big three gaming companies Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo has long been how many consoles they’ve sold. But all three have had banner quarters in which they largely highlighted software rather than hardware sales, underscoring a shifting relationship between the games and the boxes on which we play them. This change reflects a broader conversation in the industry about the future or even death of the console as we know it – away from the powerful box in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2160458/xbox-playstation-and-nintendo-face-uncertain-future-fortnite-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2160458/xbox-playstation-and-nintendo-face-uncertain-future-fortnite-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 07:15:45 +0000 Samsung is sticking to its tested formula for the Note 9, its newest high-end smartphone. The company unveiled the latest addition to its Galaxy smartphone line-up at a New York event on Thursday, where it increased the screen size of its largest smartphone but kept most of its core features the same. The new release follows a quarter of disappointing sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S9. Samsung is facing increased pressure from Chinese smartphone makers overseas and a continued battle with Apple for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2159073/samsung-note-9-full-review-bigger-screen-huge-battery-and-more-powerful-s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2159073/samsung-note-9-full-review-bigger-screen-huge-battery-and-more-powerful-s?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Aug 2018 03:45:30 +0000 Google is rolling out Android Pie, the latest version of its operating system, to phones across the globe – starting with its own Pixel devices. While Google officially started the roll-out on Monday, most won’t see their phones update this week unless they have a Pixel or select models from smartphone makers including Sony, Essential, Xiaomi and Vivo. World’s most bezel-less phone is truly daring: Oppo Find X review Google did not specify when it will come to other phone makers; that decision... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2159005/android-pie-new-features-ai-app-actions-slices-digital-well-being-could?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2159005/android-pie-new-features-ai-app-actions-slices-digital-well-being-could?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Aug 2018 09:30:45 +0000 At its Worldwide Developers Conference early this month, Apple showed off its solution to help iPhone owners use their phones less often. The company presented more advanced parental controls and unveiled new system features that let people monitor how much they are using their phone. OnePlus 6 review: similar to top iPhone or Samsung but half the price The new features walk a fine line between answering customers’ concerns about device addiction and developers’ desires to keep people coming... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2150929/new-iphone-and-android-tools-fight-phone-addiction-graded-experts-apple-vs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2150929/new-iphone-and-android-tools-fight-phone-addiction-graded-experts-apple-vs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jun 2018 12:00:30 +0000 I built a car today. And it only took me 10 minutes. A remote-controlled car is the first project you make as part of the Nintendo Labo, a new type of build-it-yourself cardboard accessory that works with the Switch console to combine real-world and digital play. After folding and assembling the mini car, I slotted each of the Switch’s detachable, vibrating controllers into it. Then, using the console and its touch screen, I used the vibrations from the controllers to drive it around. 10 best... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2143446/should-you-buy-nintendo-labo-six-things-know-about-quirky-cardboard-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2143446/should-you-buy-nintendo-labo-six-things-know-about-quirky-cardboard-video?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Apr 2018 11:15:30 +0000 Apple has announced a February 9 release date for its smart speaker called the HomePod – allowing the company that first popularised virtual assistants through its smartphones to finally enter the market for virtual assistants in the home. The looming question for the company, though, is whether it is too late. Chinese developers pile in for the Next Big Thing in tech: voice-activated smart speakers Apple is releasing its smart speaker nearly three years after the Amazon Echo and after the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2130692/apple-launches-us350-homepod-smart-speaker-february-its-late-lacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2130692/apple-launches-us350-homepod-smart-speaker-february-its-late-lacks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jan 2018 10:15:45 +0000 Our growing appetite for binge watching cannot be stopped – even by price increases from Netflix in its home market, the United States. Looking at its results for the final quarter of 2017, the streaming-media giant reported far more new subscribers globally than analysts expected. The company said that 8.3 million people around the world signed up for its service over the past three months, blowing past its expectation of 6.3 million subscribers. Many feared that Netflix would see fewer new... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2130676/netflix-added-8-million-new-subscribers-globally-three-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2130676/netflix-added-8-million-new-subscribers-globally-three-months?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jan 2018 00:48:47 +0000 Snap Inc – in which Chinese tech giant Tencent is reported to have a 12 per cent stake – has redesigned its popular social media app Snapchat in a bid to broaden its appeal. The company said in a blog post last week that the app will now separate posts with friends from a feed of content from professional publishers and public figures. The app will appear as usual, but all friend content will now be on the left, while publisher content on the company’s “Discover” platform will be on the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122757/snapchat-introduces-redesign-will-split-its-social-posts-media-content?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122757/snapchat-introduces-redesign-will-split-its-social-posts-media-content?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2017 11:18:48 +0000 It’s a particularly good year for video gamers, thanks to console releases and changes to the way we play games overall. For the really hard-core video gamers, there’s plenty to choose from. 10 most violent video games of 2017 and child-friendly alternatives to keep the kids happy – and safe Anyone can feel like a kid again over the holidays thanks to the new gaming devices on offer. Here are some of the best. PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One X Sony and Microsoft have updated their gaming... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122285/three-christmas-gifts-will-keep-gamers-playing-happily-over-holidays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2122285/three-christmas-gifts-will-keep-gamers-playing-happily-over-holidays?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 11:18:03 +0000 Not content with being dominant online, Google is pushing into your home – with a line of smart devices and speakers that it hopes will grace your shelves and coffee tables very soon. The company handed out the smallest member of its speaker “home hub” line, the Google Home Mini, to everyone who attended its recent launch event. These are my thoughts after a few days with it. Design and hardware First things first: the main selling point for the Google Home Mini is its price. As the speaker... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2115252/google-home-mini-review-cheap-smart-speaker-clever-home-hub-functions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2115252/google-home-mini-review-cheap-smart-speaker-clever-home-hub-functions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Oct 2017 12:01:43 +0000 Apple has three new phones coming this autumn. While most of the attention has been focused on the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will hit stores first – and cheaper than the iPhone X’s US$1,000 price tag. They go on sale starting at US$699 and US$799 respectively. Why the iPhone X feels like an evolution of the iPhone, but not of the smartphone How much of an upgrade are we getting with these two phones? Design and hardware Both are solid updates to the iPhone line. They’re very... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2112196/review-apples-iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-wont-wow-you-theyre-still-pretty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2112196/review-apples-iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-wont-wow-you-theyre-still-pretty?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:47:13 +0000 Apple needed to wow sceptics with its 10th-anniversary smartphone, the iPhone X. (That’s pronounced “iPhone 10,” for the curious.) As expected, Apple showed off a phone with an edge-to-edge screen, advanced facial recognition technology and no home button. Apple launches ‘the future of the smartphone’ in new flagship iPhone X I got to try it out, spending some brief time with the phone at Apple’s launch event on September 12. This is a sleek, beautiful phone. It had all of the more credible... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2110954/why-iphone-x-feels-evolution-iphone-not-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2110954/why-iphone-x-feels-evolution-iphone-not-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:30:30 +0000