Before the iPhone showed up, screen-to-body ratios were comical.

And before Sharp’s Aquos Crystal showed up, we had black borders all around our screens. Not anymore. And I’m not just talking about phones. The move changed laptops, televisions, and even smart fridges for the better. Once the Aquos Crystal hit the scene in 2014, smartphone manufacturers stumbled upon the next big spec sheet battleground: shrinking bezels.

The war against bezels sent ripples across the tech industry. From design adaptations like notches and punch-hole cameras to the widespread rationing of bezels across tablets and laptops, Sharp kicked off a revolution. Even…

Sony’s been stirring up the press mill over the past few days. With a solid State of Play event and former PlayStation exclusive Days Gone arriving on PC, the Japanese giant has been busy. But while these announcements are noteworthy, the big picture sets up a future quite unlike how Sony operates today. With more exclusives slated to hit PCs in the upcoming months, the reception has been divisive so far.

While console fans may clamor for more exclusives, few things are as exclusive as a next-gen console at the moment. Sony’s move to democratize its game library is one…

A thing of beauty will never fade away. Those blank VHS tapes from the 80s? They look just as good in 2021. Vibrant Instagram images with layers of filters can’t hold a candle to these boxes in black. While I did have a tank of a VHS player at home (remember those?), I only got to see blank tapes at film rentals and aftermarket video cassette boutiques.

My cupboards were stacked with the tapes of the garden variety, those laden with films. I’ll never forget watching the first Pokémon movie and Disney’s Hercules off VHS tapes. …

An action role-playing game that lets you team up with Disney and Pixar characters? Kingdom Hearts sounds like a dream come true and that’s because it is. The holy grail of crossovers was born from a chance meeting between a Square Enix producer and a Disney executive in an elevator. The companies shared a building in Japan at the time and the results were beyond the wildest dreams of Disney and Pixar fans across the globe.

In 2021, few games have as much narrative baggage as a series that doesn’t hesitate to jump from one world to another. After all…

Character models that have contested among the uncanny valley are among the hardest parts of game development. From intricate details to compelling performances via mo-cap techniques, they’re difficult to perfect. Designing a 3D model for a character is a process that takes hours and several iterations before being implemented into a videogame. As someone who knows how tough Photoshop can be, I shudder at the thought of a browser application that can create realistic character models. With MetaHuman Creator, Epic Games promises to get it done in “less than an hour.”

Run in the cloud via Epic Games’ Unreal Engine…

‘Neath ashen sands and chrome skies He arose
From a pool of sins man dare not confess.
Assembly of gilded joints dense as prose
His lustrous swords outshone the sun’s distress.

As the shadows lengthened over the earth
Its ravenous hatred consumed the land.
They were yet to taste pain His blade hath birth
The dark lords knew not of the doom at hand.

Drops of crimson hung to cold caramel
As the golden knight stepped on hell’s raw rug.
His fiery wrists clenched in a foul farewell
As He faced a trail that made Atlas shrug.

The barons of…

Before I go any further, take a look at the logos before you. Look at the elements that have changed and those that remain. The moment I tell you that a multi-billion dollar company has redesigned its “offensive” logo, it isn’t strange to go looking for flaws.

Some of you might see something that you haven’t seen before. Others may go one step further and demand a corrective course of action. But whether the said change is necessary is a question that stirs up a storm of ideas ranging from cancel culture and business identity to gender disparity. Decades from…

Iwill be as blunt as a hammer with you: I barely remember Arx Fatalis’ plot. It must have been noteworthy because people are still talking about it in 2021. Arkane Studios’ beloved role-playing game bridged genres and paved the way for gems like Dishonored and Prey. Arx Fatalis had a fairly unique setting, complete with a dying sun to set the mood. But what really managed to burrow into my mind was its frustrating magic system. Some of you may call it inventive and immersive in comparison to today’s button-mashing followed by random numbers flying off foes. …