T3 India

Entertainment

Asus Launches ROG Fusion II Series Gaming Headsets

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Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced the Fusion II 500 and Fusion II 300, a pair of fully loaded gaming headsets that feature advanced virtual 7.1 surround sound, high-resolution ESS 9280 Quad DAC technology and ASUS AI Beamforming Microphones with AI Noise Cancelation.

ROG Fusion II 500

The ROG Fusion II series headsets use 50 mm Asus Essence drivers and are one of the few gaming headsets in the market to feature the ESS 9280 Quad DAC to provide gamers with lossless audio processing. Each DAC allocates its processing power to a subset of the audible frequency range — from lows, mids, highs and ultra-highs — resulting in crisp, clear sound for true-to-life audio.

ROG Fusion II 300

The Asus AI Beamforming Microphones with AI Noise Cancelation ensure a clear and natural representation of human voices with minimal distortion. The microphones create a 40° acoustic zone in front of the gamer’s mouth and filter out distracting background noise from other directions for clear voice pick-up. In addition, AI Noise Cancelation identifies and reduces over 500 million types of background noise such as chatter, keyboard clatter and mouse clicks by up to 95 per cent. The Game Chat volume control on the ROG Fusion II 500 allows gamers to adjust the volume of in-game audio and voice chat via the slider on the earcups to suit their preferences.

Both headsets include customisable Aura RGB lighting to provide gamers with over 16.8 million colour combinations and six preset lighting effects via Armoury Crate. This software provides gamers with extensive controls and an intuitive interface to adjust audio profiles and lighting.

The ROG Fusion II 500 features a 3.5 mm audio jack, USB-C and USB Type-A connectivity, making it compatible with a myriad of devices including laptops, PCs, mobile devices and gaming consoles. The Fusion II 300 is similar to the higher-end Fusion II 500, but does not support 3.5 mm audio connection. The ASUS ROG Fusion II series gaming headsets will be available in India from March. Prices are yet to be announced.

How AI Has Transformed the Gaming Industry

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Ever since the emergence of AI in the gaming industry, game developers have been programming software in a manner so that it acts as if it’s human and helps in making the digital world from the scratch through non-playable characters. However, at present, even the most out-of-the-box game design doesn’t spin around modern AI. Rather, it revolves around making a bunch of mind-boggling frameworks that result in emergent gameplay, which refers to complex situations in video games that emerge from the interaction of relatively simple game mechanics. The majority of the developers are making efforts in the direction of creating a sense of realism instead of game-breaking outcomes. The objective, in the end, is not to attain human-like intelligence, rather, it is to generate an experience that draws in and stimulates in a manner that imitates reality. Several giant game developing studios are gradually trying to push the envelope with regards to building frameworks that achieve the complexity of reality.

Although it may seem like Artificial Intelligence is a recent innovation in video games, it has been a developing resource for decades. It was incepted in the 1950s, and ever since those early years, AI has been an integral part of the gaming industry that has inclined to an incredible level of growth and development. Let’s explore further how AI transformed the gaming sector.

Smarter non-player characters (NPCs)

AI game developers make the best use of the technology by controlling the conduct of NPCs today. Earlier when the games didn’t have the opportunity to leverage AI, they used to become exhausting after playing for some time as it kept getting easier to defeat because of their anticipated behaviour. The real excitement and thrill of playing video games come from rivalling NPCs that respond erratically and surprise the players. Envision an FPS game in which enemies are equipped for breaking down their surroundings so that they can track down what’s significant for their endurance or make moves that seize your intelligent moves to increase their odds of winning. Moreover, imagine a scenario where they can learn from their behaviour and can seek shelter, perceive sounds and patterns, speak with one another and move in a manner you never saw or expected. Having new encounters despite playing such games numerous times keeps gamers energized and captivated to continue to return. A pioneer in game development can assist you with building such games that gamers enjoy playing for extended periods. The advent of AI has provided opponents with the capacity to securely explore in a dynamic environment without colliding with different entities.  

Real-time customisation

AI has redesigned the general gaming experience by continuous customisation of situations. Besides, AI makes a game more interactive by enhancing the experience of playing. For example, in case your team is losing, it will urge the fans to support your team to lift the morale and cause your players to perform better. Such a tendency of AI has now taken the general gaming experience to an all-new level.  

The shift in difficulty levels

Another excellence of AI-planned video games is player-experience modelling, which implies giving tailor-made insight to players in real-time according to their level of mastery. For instance, if the gamer is inexperienced, the AI possesses the potential to change its level and turn on the easy mode so that s/he doesn’t get baffled or exasperated for not being sufficiently equipped to make further progress in the game. Conversely, if s/he is an expert-level player, the AI will make the game difficult so that the player doesn’t get exhausted or bored. It can also determine the intent of a player through gesture recognition which empowers players to convey and cooperate with video games normally with no mechanical gadgets. 

Generation of procedural content

The technology has allowed the developers to consequently produce creative content, similar to scenes, things, levels, rules and quests. The gamers can now create weapons and armour based on the character level if they utilise procedural content generation in quest-driven games.

Summing Up 

The inception of Artificial Intelligence has made video gaming a lot more exciting as it has the power to provide unprecedented situations by altering the flow and force of the games. It would be more than appropriate to say that there’s nothing preferable for a player over getting fantastic as well as challenging experience simultaneously. As the future unfurls, we are going to witness an ever-increasing number of games with AI regulators which will improve the experience of the end-users like never before. Furthermore, AI will prove to be a testing ground for the developers to work on their code and configuration for creating an avant-garde game. Certainly, AI solutions have transformed the Indian gaming industry for the better. 

About the Author

Stewart Neal is the Studio Director of Sumo India Studios, an award-winning network of game development studios. With over 22 years of experience in the gaming industry, Stewart leads Sumo India’s Pune and Bangalore studios.  

Review: Xgimi Horizon Pro

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Price: ₹1,87,500

Xgimi is a popular projector manufacturer based in China. Their portfolio includes portable projectors designed for extreme convenience and with cutting-edge technology. The Horizon Pro is a portable DLP projector that won the EISA Award for Best Buy Projector.

Well-designed would be an understatement for the Xgimi horizon pro. We have reviewed quite a few projectors in the past, but none of those affords the portability and ‘clean’ design that this device offers. Measuring 208.4 x 218.4 x136.2mm and weighing 2.9kg, the projector is extremely portable and comes with an equally well-designed and sleek remote control.

This 4K (3840 x 2160) projector can be used to project at up to 300 inches, however, we would put this at 200 inches for optimum image quality. Though this is not an ultra-short-throw model, the device features Intelligent Screen Adaption Technology, which offers the convenience of automatically finding and setting up the ideal projection area in a matter of seconds, making the whole process a breeze. To elaborate a little, the Horizon Pro uses automatic focus and keystone correction along with AI object detection to set up your projection area intelligently. It even incorporates an Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance system to avoid obstacles such as power sockets and furniture in the room to find the ideal projection surface even if you are using a wall to project the image. It also automatically matches your screen size with the size of the projected image in case of a screen being used. This eliminates the requirement of having the projector in straight line and perfectly parallel with the screen. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can always use the manual alignment option, which allows you to finely shift the position of each corner of the image area.

At 2200 ANSI Lumens, the Horizon Pro delivers bright projection with a wide dynamic range and excellent sharpness. The device uses Xgimi’s X-VUE 2.0 Image Engine for clarity and realistic colour reproduction. With MEMC (Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation), the projector delivers low latency with the least image blur aided by proprietary 60Hz motion compensation technology, making it ideal for gaming too. The device offers HDR 10 and is 3D compatible. Further, the AI Brightness Adjustment feature ensures that the projector adapts to ambient light changes. Xgimi claims life of 25,000 hours for the lamp. The Horizon Pro offers two HDMI 2.0 ports along with two USB 2.0, LAN and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It uses dual-band 2.4/5G Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for seamless connectivity. A TÜV Rheinland certification assures you of low blue light for better eye care.

Movie watching experience is only as good as the sound reproduction, and the Horizon Pro got you covered here as well. Professional sound design by Harman Kardon ensures immersive DTS studio surround sound with the help of two 8W, 45mm full-range speakers. The system provides low distortion and high dynamic response along with a virtualised surround sound experience. The result is truly mesmerising for such a small device.

The projector integrates Android TV, Google Play Store and Google Assistant for a seamless OTT experience. You can use the remote to access the voice assistant and control your connected smart devices. It also comes with Chromecast built-in so that you can cast your content, apps, and games directly to the device for a more immersive experience.

RATING

★★★★★

WE’RE IMPRESSED Portable and neatly designed, intelligent framing and focussing, excellent image quality, impressive surround sound

WE’D IMPROVE No backlighting on remote, no optical zoom

THE LAST WORD This device projects its brilliance in every department. Need we say more?

The official India representative of XGIMI, Mr. Sushil Motwani speaks to T3 India about the company’s future

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XGIMI designs and manufactures high-performance multi-functional smart projectors and laser TVs determined to improve the audio-visual experience of their users. XGIMI has created a series of giant screen projection products with critical partners, such as Harman/Kardon, Texas Instruments, Baidu and Google. XGIMI launched its first-generation smart projector back in 2014 which comprised an innovative product concept and provided outstanding user experience. In the last 6 years, the company has won 28 authoritative international design and innovation awards

T3 Magazine India got the chance to speak to XGIMI’s official India representative, Mr. Sushil Motwani, about the company’s future. Here are the excerpts:

T3: What are XGIMI plans for the future?

SM: Well, XGIMI is looking to reach a more diverse clientele across India and we would like to open experience centers in many cities and not just in the metros. We are also exploring the possibility of establishing either kiosks or standalone stores in very big malls for people to just stop by and engage with our products.

T3: What kind of customers do they want to target in the market?

SM: Anyone who wants a superior home entertainment experience is our potential customer. We are not aspiring to impress only High Net Worth Individuals but anyone who wants to buy a futuristic product at a competitive price. Our vision is to make entertainment across a magnificent 100-inch screen accessible to everyone, including those for whom even a TV with a 65-inch screen is an aspirational buy. Anyone who wants to upgrade from television or wants to buy an additional home entertainment product is the kind of customer we are reaching out to.

T3: Which is XGIMIs next product that they are planning to launch and are you excited about?

SM: We are super excited actually about the launch of a revolutionary product called the Halo Plus which is the brightest portable projector on the planet. With Halo Plus, home entertainment is going to get better than ever before. Some of the features and specifications Halo Plus boasts are absolutely breathtaking and we will reveal more in time.

T3: What makes XGIMI’s customer service stand out from the competitors?

SM: Usually, most projector companies offer customer services either via a call centre or a third-party service centre. At XGIMI, we believe in a more personalized approach and so we have an in-house customer service department that takes care of all the calls and the escalations are also quick and easy. It does not take us much time to resolve any issues because we are always striving to hear and serve the customer to the best of our ability.

T3: Is XGIMI looking to also expand into the educational/professional sectors or just for home use?

SM: At the moment, we are concentrating on home entertainment totally but yes, our projectors have brought about a huge shift in corporate sectors also. Many professionals have started using our devices, especially the 4K ultra-short-throw laser projector. Architects, interior designers are using our devices for creating and demonstrating their work and are very happy with the results. As far as the education sector goes, it will take some more time for us to explore it fully as it’s a completely different genre for us to get into.

A Simple 5-step Path to Setting up a Home Theatre: Audio POV

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Over the last year, the importance of quality home entertainment has increased. To better understand the impact 2020 has had on entertainment, Dolby conducted a consumer study with Wakefield Research, which revealed that Indian consumers are prioritizing and seeking better experiences possibly driven by long hours spent at home. Indian consumers are spending more on quality to better connect with content—and to connect with each other.

There was a clear shift in consumer preference for premium content experiences. Consumers are willing to invest in premium quality content and in devices and are being able to have an enhanced audio and visual experience. The study reveals that 94% of consumers in India are willing to pay more for a premium subscription for enhanced video & audio quality, whereas 96% of them will upgrade their entertainment equipment in the span of the next 6 months.

There is a variety of equipment available in the market, depending upon one’s budget, area, and technology upgrade. Many of us hear “home theatre” and think of soundproof rooms, cushioned seats, and a large screen. However, building a home theatre does not need to break a bank.

Whether you want to upgrade the audio in your living room or invest in a full home cinema set-up, here are our recommendations to ensure you get a seamless entertainment experience.

Space Optimisation

Where you plan to set up your system can dictate what you will need. If you have a fairly large room, invest in a home theatre system but for a smaller room, you could go with a soundbar with a sub-woofer.

If you are doing up a big room and want surround sound with a theatre experience, go for a 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound system. This has 5 or 7 separate speakers, including a centre speaker, and an audio-video receiver or home theatre. For an immersive experience, get a Dolby Atmos-enabled sound system.

Large speakers can overwhelm a small room. Hence, when setting up a home entertainment system in a smaller space, consider getting a Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar.

Another important aspect is to buy a home theatre system that has a Dolby Vision compatible logo. This will pass High Dynamic Range Dolby Vision video through the home theatre to the television and will enable you to enjoy the HDR content.

Allocate the right budget

When you plan the home entertainment system, it is important to understand how to divide your budget. Don’t neglect the speakers. They are a critical component in experiencing great sounding audio. While planning the setup, allocate the bulk of your budget (up to 80%) on speakers and about 20% on the amplifier. Don’t spend large amounts of money on unnecessary features or a very expensive amplifier.

A common misconception is that all home theatre devices which deliver a cinematic experience are expensive. Today, an Indian consumer can find living room audio devices with next-generation object-based immersive audio technology like Dolby Atmos, at various price points that suit the needs of the price and quality conscious Indian consumer.

Choose the right supporting equipment

Video accounts for a major part of the cinema experience. The right television can enhance your entertainment manifold. It is recommended to go with 4K (or UHD) televisions that support Dolby Vision HDR and are Dolby Atmos enabled. Another important consideration is the eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) feature found in most new smart televisions. This enables you to transmit the original full-resolution audio signal back through the HDMI cable to your home theatre or soundbar and reproduce immersive audio without compromise. The home theatre should always be connected to the ARC/ eARC port of the television.

If there is no eARC port available on the television, it may be better to connect your media streaming device (TV stick) directly with the home theatre system for enhanced audio output.

Everything In the Right Place

Nowadays, most home theatre systems and soundbars are easy to plug and play. However, one needs to consider the positioning of the speakers while setting it up. For optimal effect, place your Dolby Atmos enabled speakers at the height of your ears when seated, with no obstructions between you and the speakers.

A soundbar should be placed beneath the television screen. Some Dolby Atmos enabled soundbars have speakers which point upwards and reflect sound off the roof for an enhanced immersive experience. If you have one of these, take care that these speakers don’t get obstructed by the TV. Keep the soundbar below and slightly ahead of the TV.

The Final Touches

The most crucial part after installing a home theatre system is the final alignment of the system. 90% of home theatres have an auto-alignment feature. A small microphone is usually provided, which should be placed at the listening position while running the auto-alignment process. This usually results in optimum quality output. Make sure to keep the listening environment completely silent during the alignment process to guarantee the best results. 

To get the best immersive experience, it is recommended that you stream content in Dolby. Stream your favourite content from Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video or any other streaming service in the unmatched combination of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. People often assume that setting up a home theatre is an overwhelming task, but the key is to get the basics right. Plan it right and enjoy an immersive cinema-like experience in your home

About the Author

Pankaj Kedia is Managing Director for Emerging Markets at Dolby Laboratories and has been with the company since 2009. In his current role, he has developed and executed strategy for growing Dolby’s business across the Emerging Markets region. He has also helped in driving the adoption of Dolby’s technology across the Consumer Entertainment ecosystem. Prior to this, he has worked with Autodesk as their Business and Regional Manager for 11 years. He has an experience of over 25 years in digital entertainment and technology.