Unity Software Inc., a big player in video game engine software, has hit the reset button and is laying off 25% of their workforce (1,800 jobs). This news comes as part of the new interim CEO Jim Whitehurst, former CEO of Redhat, plans for a company restructuring or “reset”. Whitehurst has taken over the helm of Unity from then CEO John Reiccitiello, who has since retired and left the board in October 2023 after a massive backlash last year because of new “runtime fee” structures.
TLDR for the new pricing structure is that for every new install for a game using Unity, there will be a charge if the game reaches a certain revenue threshold. This angered game developers as this policy came out of nowhere and also worked retroactively. This would be extremely damaging to games that have the free to play model like ‘Pokemon Go’ or ‘Hearthstone’. Eventually Unity had to walk back its changes for damage control, but it may not be enough as developers plan to move on to other platforms.
Unity under Whitehurst seems to have a lot of restructuring planned as they have already terminated an agreement with special effects house Weta Digital, founded by director Peter Jackson. This has already cost 275 jobs on top of the 600 previously trimmed in May 2023. Hopefully, all this trimming, restructuring and refocusing on their core, the Unity Editor and Runtime, and Monetizations Solutions workouts. We will have to wait and see as Whitehurst plans unfold for Unity. So far, shares for Unity have jumped up approximately 40% since the announced reset by Whitehurst.
Microsoft has shut down its Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) in a quiet update tucked away among other outdated Windows features that were recently released, listing out the many different softwares, apps, and modes being decrypted and shut down.
WMR came from Microsoft’s goal to have its own program when the AR/VR market began to be popular around 2017. HTC and Oculus (now Meta) were the reigning winners then, but Microsoft had a different vision. Instead of focusing primarily on VR immersion, WMR adopted the mixed reality concept, in which digital aspects blend seamlessly with the physical world. This vision piqued the interest of both developers and customers, promising a future in which education and entertainment could ascend higher in a more fufilling experience.
A flurry of headsets from partners such as Acer, Dell, and HP entered the market supported with WMR programs, providing a less expensive alternative to Oculus and HTC. The platform included an easy-to-use interface and access to an extensive library of VR games and experiences. They also joined the enterprise sphere, discovering uses in product design and remote collaboration.
Sadly, despite its initial promise, WMR had several difficulties. Many of these were due to technical restrictions. The virtual surroundings felt less polished and responsive when compared to competitors. The absence of standout apps and memorable experiences hindered its appeal to die-hard VR fans. While it was advertised at low prices, the quality control difficulties with its headsets impacted the user’s experience.
Besides that, some internal issues at Microsoft had a role in the flunking of WMR. The resignation of HoloLens leader Alex Kipman and, more significantly, company-wide cutbacks impacted the division in charge of WMR. As a result, updates and new features were reduced to a trickle, leaving its software stagnant.
HoloLens 2 Industrial Edition. Image Source: Microsoft
However, Microsoft’s departure from WMR does not indicate a complete withdrawal from the AR/VR market. Microsoft still has hopes for HoloLens 2 for business applications. They have added a recent free update to Windows 11 and has additional functionalities.
Furthermore, Microsoft is still pushing for VR uses, such as their Microsoft Mesh App. Their collaboration with Meta allows Quest users to use apps like Word and Excel in VR, blurring the distinction between physical and digital workspaces. It is also to be noted that their latest collaborations include Xbox Cloud Gaming, which allows gamers to access their Xbox Cloud libraries and games to their heart’s content via the Quest headsets.
AMD has just released their latest software. The current AMD Sofware: Adrenalin Edition 22.7.1, as they know it, packs AMD’s latest latest drivers for their Ryzen CPUs and Radeon GPUs. AMD’s Adrenalin software is also the nerve center for everything that is AMD on your PC.
The latest edition of the Adrenalin comes with a new feature that makes your Radeon GPU more than just a graphics processor. It turns it into a rather clever machine learning accelerator that helps with a rather specific function. It helps with voice recognition-ish.
Before we go into that though, the Adrenalin software also brought a few updates to AMD’s suite of GPUs. For starters, AMD’s RX 6400, RX 6500 XT, RX 6800 XT and RX 6950 XT GPUs have received a performance boost for 4K Fabulous settings in Minecraft. AMD is claiming up to 92% in performance improvements for the game. AMD has also extended support for their Super Resolution technology to RX 5000 and RX 6000 discrete GPUs for notebooks. Radeon Boost support has also been extended to games like Elden Ring, VALORANT, and Resident Evil Village.
On top of all these performance boosts for various GPUs, AMD has also added a new feature called AMD Noise Suppression. If you are familiar with NVIDIA’s RTX Voice, this is something similar. It also utilises AMD’s Radeon GPUs for machine learning applications specifically in voice processing and noise suppression. Yes, it is what it sounds like, a noise suppression engine.
It is supposed to work with any PC that has an AMD Radeon RX 6000 series GPU or Ryzen 5000 series CPU with integrated GPU. It is also supposed to work with any mic you have installed on your mic. What it does is allow its users to channel clearer and cleaner voice over team chats or even in meetings. It uses its own unique algorithms to achieve this effect, they did not specify what their implementation methods are though.
AMD’s latest Software: Adrenalin Edition 22.7.1 is now available for download from AMD’s website. You can also read all about the new software via their release notes here. Of course, if you want to take advantage of AMD’s latest software and features, you do want to ensure that you have AMD’s latest and greatest.
It looks like it’s the end of the road for Android devices running Android 2.3.7 and older. Android 2.3.7, better known as Gingerbread, was one of the more significant updates to Android as the operating system began to become more mainstream. However, it looks like it will also serve a new significance as the cutoff point for Google Services.
The announcement comes to light after a post on the Android Support Forums by community manager, Zak Pollack. In the post, the move is explained to be part of the “ongoing efforts to keep [our] users safe”. Of course, from a security perspective, the move will make things easier as security updates to Android can now focus on updating newer devices. That said, the distribution of active devices that fall into this category is negligible which isn’t surprising considering Gingerbread came out in 2010. Google’s last update in April 2020 showed that Android 9.0 (Pie) is currently the most common version of the OS in the market.
While it may seem a little harsh, the ending of support is nothing new. We’ve seen companies drop support for devices and software before. So, if you’re still running Android 2.3.7 on your devices, it would be advisable to update to Android 3.0 Honeycomb – if available.
Come September 27, 2021, any device running Gingerbread will face errors logging into Google apps like Google, Gmail, YouTube and Maps. That said, the OS itself will still be usable. However, accessing YouTube, Gmail and other Google apps will require the use of the browser. Keep in mind, that Google Play Service will also be affected. So, accessing the Google Play Store may be an issue for these devices.
Google’s move to drop support isn’t a controversial one considering how far Android has come since then. This and the fact that an increasing number of manufacturers are committing to updates for their devices. Most recently, Samsung committed to three year support for updates for their current device line up. Other manufacturers have also followed suit.
Dell has focused on optimising their offerings both in hardware and software in recent years. They have introduced a slew of software enhancements that has bolstered their hardware efficiency. This year, they are bringing a new piece of software to up the ante – the Dell Optimizer.
The Dell Optimizer is an AI-based optimization software that will adapt to your working style and respond to the way you work. It combines multiple components to reduce the network and data traffic issues and optimise performance on the applications to provide better, longer run times on a single charge. There are five components to this software: ExpressResponse, IntelligentAudio, ExpressCharge, ExpressConnect, and ExpressSign-In.
TheExpressResponse component of the Dell Optimizer software uses artificial intelligence and Intel’s Adaptix Technology to prioritize applications using stringent uptime requirements for speed and performance. To do so, users simply move the application in question to the Dell Optimizer interface and machine learning will do the rest. The algorithm will study the usage patterns and functions of the user in each program and intelligently enhance the performance. After this, ExpressResponse optimise the launch time of the application so that the user able to switch from one application to another quickly and smoothly.
ExpressResponse works in tandem with ExpressCharge. This feature focuses on getting better battery-life based user habits. ExpressCharge will analyze users working patterns and program usage to improve the battery performance and extend run time. It also serves as a guard to prevent power failure by regulating screen brightness and CPU performance while keeping a lookout for background tasks that drain battery unnecessarily and more. Moreover, it is also helps with when you’re in a pinch and need an urgent top up of power. ExpressCharge can get up to 80% battery life in one hour or up to 35% battery life in 20 minutes.
The ExpressConnect component of Dell Optimizer helps manage network bandwidth for better, more stable connectivity. It helps prioritize bandwidth to conferencing applications when you’re on a call or other network-intensive applications while you’re working to make sure you don’t disconnect. It also ensures that you’re connected to the best network available. ExpressConnect intelligently switches between authenticated networks as Wi-Fi quality drops.
Intelligent Audio enables better audio experiences on Dell systems with Dell Optimizer. It can intelligently reduce the background noise while enhancing the user’s voice and stabilize the volume when users are video conferences. Using the proximity microphone, it picks up and brightens the user’s voice while muting the background noise particularly non-human noises. In addition, Intelligent Audio also reduces the audio distortion for better, louder audio without feedback.
Dell Optimizer also comes with ExpressSign-In which uses the PC’s proximity sensor which is enabled by Intel Context Sensing Technology. The sensor will detect the user’s presence; waking the system and log them in with Window Hello when users are in the detection range. Once the user walks away, the sensor will log out, locking the PC to ensure data security.
On Dell Precision workstations, Dell Optimizer will generate analytics to help users keep track of CPU, storage, memory and graphics needs. This will allow users to proactively address and adapt to their workload needs as they arise.
Pricing & Availability
Dell Optimizer will be rolling out to compatible systems in 2021. It will come pre-installed in the newly announced Dell Latitude 9420 and the Dell Optiplex 7090 Ultra.
