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A Chinese state-owned power company is splashing out 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) on an energy base that will generate electricity from solar, wind and coal sources. China Three Gorges Renewables Group, a subsidiary of the country’s largest hydropower company, plans to build a plant with a 16-gigawatt capacity and a five-gigawatt storage facility, Bloomberg reports.

This is part of China’s aim to build 455 gigawatts worth of renewable energy projects in the desert by 2030. This plant is being constructed in Inner Mongolia, which will get 135 gigawatts of the total planned output.

The China Three Gorges Corporation is looking to diversify its energy sources as building large hydro dams is becoming less feasible. According to Three Gorges, wind and solar generation from the plant will depend on grid accessibility. The coal plant is set to start operations in three years.

It’s somewhat disappointing that the new plant will have a coal power element, though it’s not fully surprising given the way China has bristled at renewable energy commitments during climate summit talks with other countries. As Bloomberg notes, China has been struggling to put all of its clean energy into the power grid. It often relies on coal when renewable sources like solar and wind aren’t available.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/china-is-plowing-11-billion-into-a-solar-wind-and-coal-energy-project-120007712.html?src=rss

Samsung’s latest Unpacked event will kick off on July 10th. The company has already released its latest flagship phones this year, unveiling the S24 family. But now it’s time for its spinoff smartphones: the foldables. That and the long-teased Galaxy Ring. The tiny wearable is slated to arrive “in or around August,” so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn’t appear at Unpacked. The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep.  

I’m expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to appear, although with minor tweaks that might not warrant an upgrade from last year’s foldables. That said, rumors suggest that Samsung might use the same 50MP camera as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 in the Flip 6, which has traditionally had less-powerful cameras than the other Samsung flagships.

On top of all that, Samsung is likely to offer refreshed smartwatches and possibly an update to its wireless buds. (Yes, there have been leaks.) Samsung is set to mimic Apple’s AirPods by adopting a stem design on its buds. That’s funny, because when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds Live in 2020, it trumpeted the lack of an “awkward stem.”

— Mat Smith

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Dune director Villeneuve casts scorn on Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket

Didn’t the Dune bucket look like a sex toy?

Marvel

A Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket will apparently appear alongside the movie, featuring the yellow Wolverine’s head, with a mouthful of popcorn. And people have opinions. Movie people.

“I’m not saying I don’t like the bucket,” Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve said. “I’m just saying it was difficult to beat the Dune bucket. It was like one of a kind.” Until it came out. Theaters and studios produced special buckets for other movies, like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ghost trap and ECTO-1 buckets, Wonka’s hat bucket and Inside Out 2’s core memory receptacle bucket. 

Continue reading.

Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works

Black Flag could be one of them.

Ubisoft boss, Yves Guillemot, revealed in an interview on the company’s website that Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works. In the remakes, the company could revisit and modernize older AC worlds — something the first three games could benefit from hugely. I’m up for prettier raytraced Renaissance Italy. 

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag may be one of those remakes. This entry introduced naval battles, which were spun out (and mired in development hell) in Skull and Bones. Fun fact: I watched a demo of the pirate sim in 2017, played a demo in 2018 but the game didn’t come out till 2023. 

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Everyone’s playing Balatro and Elden Ring on Steam

And a lot of you are playing Kingdom Hearts.

Valve has added a list of the 100 most-played titles on the Steam Deck. You can sort information by the past week, month or year, and it will update daily. The top 5: Elden Ring holds the top spot after the recent DLC launch. Then, Stardew Valley and my new favorite deck-builder, Balatro. Intriguingly, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is in fifth, beating out Fallout 4. 

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-what-to-expect-at-samsungs-unpacked-2024-event-111539176.html?src=rss

Today, Motorola unveiled its popular Razr flip phones, the Razr 2024 and the Razr Plus 2024. Both models feature larger external displays than last year’s versions, with the Razr’s screen size expanded by 2.5 times compared to the Razr 2023. Despite having almost the same dimensions and leather finish, they come in different colors and offer distinct features. The Razr is priced at $699.99, while the Razr Plus costs $999.99. Preorders begin on July 10th, and sales start on July 24th.

Razr 2024, from left to right: Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Design and Colors

When opened, the Razr Plus measures 171.42 mm, slightly taller and 0.16 mm thinner than the Razr, which measures 171.30 mm. The Razr is also one gram lighter at 188 g. The Razr is available in Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange. For the Razr Plus color options, refer to the Razr Plus article.

External Display

Left: Razr 2024 in Spritz orange – Right: Razr Plus 2024 in Pantone of the Year Peach Fuzz

Apart from colors, the main difference lies in the cover screen size: the Razr has a 3.6-inch panel with a 1056×1066 resolution, while the Razr Plus boasts a 4-inch 1272×1080 display. Both feature pOLED LTPO technology, but the Razr’s maximum refresh rate is 90 Hz compared to the Plus’s 165 Hz. The Razr’s peak brightness is 1700 nits, whereas the Razr Plus reaches 3000 nits.

Razr 2024, from left to right: Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Internal Display

Both phones sport a 6.9-inch pOLED LTPO internal display with a 2640×1080 resolution and 3000 nits peak brightness. The Razr’s maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz, while the Plus achieves 165 Hz.

Cameras

The Razr and Razr Plus feature an external dual camera and a 32 MP f/2.4 selfie camera. The primary 50 MP f/1.7 shooter is the same on both models. However, the secondary optical systems differ: the Razr retains a 13 MP wide macro camera, while the Plus has a 50 MP telephoto camera with a 2X zoom and an f/2.2 aperture. The Razr captures 4K video at 30 fps, whereas the Razr Plus supports 60 fps in 4K and slow motion.

Processor and Performance

The Razr is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300X SoC with 8GB of RAM, designed for dual-display support in foldable phones. The Razr Plus features the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM. 

Instead of examining the eight Arm-based cores and clock speeds on both processors to determine which one delivers the best performance, we will run the benchmarks on the devices. The results will be published later.

Battery

Both devices have a 4200 mAh battery. The Razr supports 30W TurboPower and 15W wireless charging, while the Razr Plus offers 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse charging.

Price and Availability

The Motorola Razr 2024 will be available for pre-order at T-Mobile on July 10. Starting July 24, the unlocked device will be available at motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy for $699.99. It will also be on sale at T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular, and Xfinity Mobile on July 24, and on July 25 at Cricket, Spectrum Mobile, Straight Talk, Total by Verizon, Visible, Google Fi Wireless, Optimum Mobile, and UScellular. Boost Mobile will begin selling the device later this summer.

Motorola Razr 2024 vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2024

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Today, Motorola unveiled its popular Razr flip phones, the Razr 2024 and the Razr Plus 2024. Both models feature larger external displays than last year’s versions, with the Razr’s screen size expanded by 2.5 times compared to the Razr 2023. Despite having almost the same dimensions and leather finish, they come in different colors and offer distinct features. The Razr is priced at $699.99, while the Razr Plus costs $999.99. Preorders begin on July 10th, and sales start on July 24th.

Razr 2024, from left to right: Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Design and Colors

When opened, the Razr Plus measures 171.42 mm, slightly taller and 0.16 mm thinner than the Razr, which measures 171.30 mm. The Razr is also one gram lighter at 188 g. The Razr is available in Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange. For the Razr Plus color options, refer to the Razr Plus article.

External Display

Left: Razr 2024 in Spritz orange – Right: Razr Plus 2024 in Pantone of the Year Peach Fuzz

Apart from colors, the main difference lies in the cover screen size: the Razr has a 3.6-inch panel with a 1056×1066 resolution, while the Razr Plus boasts a 4-inch 1272×1080 display. Both feature pOLED LTPO technology, but the Razr’s maximum refresh rate is 90 Hz compared to the Plus’s 165 Hz. The Razr’s peak brightness is 1700 nits, whereas the Razr Plus reaches 3000 nits.

Razr 2024, from left to right: Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Internal Display

Both phones sport a 6.9-inch pOLED LTPO internal display with a 2640×1080 resolution and 3000 nits peak brightness. The Razr’s maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz, while the Plus achieves 165 Hz.

Cameras

The Razr and Razr Plus feature an external dual camera and a 32 MP f/2.4 selfie camera. The primary 50 MP f/1.7 shooter is the same on both models. However, the secondary optical systems differ: the Razr retains a 13 MP wide macro camera, while the Plus has a 50 MP telephoto camera with a 2X zoom and an f/2.2 aperture. The Razr captures 4K video at 30 fps, whereas the Razr Plus supports 60 fps in 4K and slow motion.

Processor and Performance

The Razr is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300X SoC with 8GB of RAM, designed for dual-display support in foldable phones. The Razr Plus features the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM. 

Instead of examining the eight Arm-based cores and clock speeds on both processors to determine which one delivers the best performance, we will run the benchmarks on the devices. The results will be published later.

Battery

Both devices have a 4200 mAh battery. The Razr supports 30W TurboPower and 15W wireless charging, while the Razr Plus offers 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse charging.

Price and Availability

The Motorola Razr 2024 will be available for pre-order at T-Mobile on July 10. Starting July 24, the unlocked device will be available at motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy for $699.99. It will also be on sale at T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular, and Xfinity Mobile on July 24, and on July 25 at Cricket, Spectrum Mobile, Straight Talk, Total by Verizon, Visible, Google Fi Wireless, Optimum Mobile, and UScellular. Boost Mobile will begin selling the device later this summer.

Motorola Razr 2024 vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2024

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Valve has added a new chart to its roster of publicly-available data: a list of the 100 top-played titles on the Steam Deck. The information can be sorted by the past week, month, or year, and will be updated daily.

These charts can play a big part in game discovery on the platform, so it’s worth noting that making the list isn’t only about the sheer number of players. Lawrence Yang from Valve told The Verge more about the process. “The metric we’re using to determine top-played is a combination of unique users and interest,” Yang said. “Hades 2 has only been out for a month, but so many Steam Deck players have it as one of their top played games for the entire year, that it was lifted in the rankings.”

At the chart’s launch, Elden Ring unsurprisingly holds the top spot after the recent Shadow of the Erdtree release (and subsequent patch). Indie fave Stardew Valley is currently in second and hot deck-builder Balatro is in third. Both Hades 2 and Hades have made the top ten. There are some surprising entries too, such as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX in fifth place and Fallout 4 in sixth. If you want to add anything on the Steam Deck chart to your library, now’s the chance to load up your to-be-played queue for cheap with the ongoing Steam Summer Sale.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-reveals-the-most-played-games-on-steam-deck-222004418.html?src=rss