 |
|
|
|||||
Niantic Labs just announced that it has found a buyer for its game division after putting out feelers back in February. The Saudi Arabia-owned company Scopely has agreed to purchase the division for $3.5 billion. Scopely was founded in Los Angeles but was purchased using money from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, otherwise called the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The agreement includes most of Niantics portfolio of AR games, including Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, among several others. It also includes the companys social companion apps for Pokémon Go, Campfire and Wayfarer. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. Scopely says it will receive Niantics entire team of exceptional gamemakers and category-leading games. There are a couple of titles, however, missing from this purchase. Niantic Labs will retain the AR gaming titles Peridot and Ingress. Scopely is a major player in the mobile games industry. Its the company behind games like Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force and Monopoly Go!, to name a few. As for Niantics games division, its a shadow of its former self. Pokémon Go engaged more than 500 million players in its first year, but the games staying power has waned in recent times. At its peak, the mobile monster battler attracted over 230 million players each month. Nowadays, that number has shrunk to around 80 million. The company has also struggled to replicate the Pikachu-shaped lightning in a bottle with other titles. It tried to reskin the Pokémon Go formula onto other franchises like Harry Potter and NBA basketball, but nothing stuck. The Monster Hunter and Pikmin projects, however, are still active. This led Niantic to cancel multiple games and lay off hundreds of employees. Niantics valuation has taken several hits and the companys long-promised real-world metaverse has yet to materialize. If the sale goes through, the company will focus on building out its standalone entity Niantic Spatial. This group builds real-world 3D maps and is led by company CEO John Hanke. The Saudi PIF has become a major player in the games industry in recent years. It not only owns Scopely and its parent company Savvy Games Group, but has financial stakes in organizations like Nintendo, EA and Activision Blizzard.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/pokemon-go-maker-niantic-sells-its-game-division-to-saudi-owned-scopely-160905447.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
There's a sale on some of our favorite Sonos devices happening on Amazon right now. One of the best deals comes thanks to a 36 percent discount on the Sonos Ray compact soundbar. It's currently available for just $179, down from $279 in either black or white. It's our runner up for best midrange soundbar. The Sonos Ray debuted in 2022 and garnered an 82 in our review thanks to compact, sleek design and easy setup. We also liked its bass performance and overall sound quality for either TV or music. However, it didn't create as immersive a sound as larger options, so people with a big space might want to opt for something else. Then there's our favorite midrange speaker, the Sonos Era 100. The speaker is currently down to $199 from $249 a 20 percent discount. It offers great sound quality and has two tweeters. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-soundbars-and-speakers-are-up-to-36-percent-off-right-now-153107885.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Since its debut at the end of last year, Gemini 2.0 has gone on to power a handful of Google products, including a new AI Mode chatbot. Now Google DeepMind is using that same technology for something altogether more interesting. On Wednesday, the AI lab announced two new Gemini-based models it says will "lay the foundation for a new generation of helpful robots." The first, Gemini Robotics, was designed by Deepmind to facilitate direct control of robots. According to the company, AI systems for robots need to excel at three qualities: generality, interactivity and dexterity. The first involves a robot's flexibility to adapt to novel situations, including ones not covered by its training. Interactivity, meanwhile, encapsulates a robot's ability to respond to people and the environment. Finally, there's dexterity, which is mostly self-explanatory: a lot of tasks humans can complete without a second thought involve fine motor skills that are difficult for robots to master. "While our previous work demonstrated progress in these areas, Gemini Robotics represents a substantial step in performance on all three axes, getting us closer to truly general purpose robots," says DeepMind. For instance, with Gemini Robotics powering it, DeepMind's ALOHA 2 robot is able to fold origami and close a Ziploc bag. The two-armed robot also understands all the instructions given to it in natural, everyday language. As you can see from the video Google shared, it can even complete tasks despite encountering roadblocks, such as when the researcher moves around the Tupperware he just asked the robot to place the fruit inside of. Google is partnering with Apptronik, the company behind the Apollo bipedal robot, to build the next generation of humanoid robots. At the same time, DeepMind is releasing Gemini Robotics-ER (or embodied reasoning). Of the second model, the company says it will enable roboticists to run their own programs using Gemini's advanced reasoning abilities. DeepMind is giving "trusted testers," including one-time Google subsidiary Boston Dynamics, access to the system.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/deepminds-latest-ai-model-can-help-robots-fold-origami-and-close-ziploc-bags-151455249.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||