We’ve already seen Samsung’s new rugged smartphone with a removable battery, the Galaxy XCover Pro, because the company revealed it on its Finnish website before taking it down. Today, though, the company is officially announcing the phone and that it’s coming to the US for $499.
For that price, you’re getting a phone with a swappable battery that’s a meaty 4,050mAh, and the phone even supports 15W fast charging, as well as with special docks that use pogo pins. The XCover Pro is intended to be used by workers in industrial settings or out in the field, so that huge battery should theoretically let workers use their phones for longer and give them the option to swap in a fresh battery in a pinch.
The phone also has two programmable buttons, which Samsung says can be programmed for applications like push-to-talk. And if you’re a Microsoft Teams user, you can use that button with the new Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie feature.
Samsung says the XCover Pro is also EMV Level 1 certified, meaning you might be able to run a business where customers pay you by tapping their NFC-equipped credit card, phone, or watch to your Galaxy handset. The phone has Samsung’s point-of-sale software built in, and the company says Visa approved this phone for its Tap to Phone payments pilot program.
And to help the phone better survive the elements, Samsung says it has an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating, can withstand drops of up to 1.5 meters, and that it’s MIL-STD 810G certified, which means it should theoretically be able to withstand extreme altitudes, temperatures, humidity, and other difficult conditions.
Otherwise, the phone’s specs are mid-range: a 6.3-inch AMOLED 2220 x 1080 display (which Samsung says you can use when you have gloves on), a 2GHz octa-core Exynos 9611 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (with support for microSD storage up to 512GB). For cameras, the phone has a 13-megapixel front-facing camera in a corner of the screen and two rear cameras: a 25-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel camera.
It’ll also ship with the latest Android 10 and Samsung’s One UI 2.0, contrary to information from the early reveal that indicated that the XCover Pro was running Android 9 Pie.
Samsung hasn’t said when the XCover Pro is coming out, where you’ll be able to buy it, what carriers it works on, or even provided an official picture, but we’ve asked the company for more information.
The rumors of Instagram spicing up Boomerang turned out to be true. It just introduced a host of creative tools, including an (arguably overdue) trimming feature. Much like the trim tool in your phone's video editor, you can decide just where the animation loop starts and stops -- no more re-recording a Boomerang or settling for a less-than-perfect endpoint. There are also three special effects, including SlowMo (half-speed playback), Echo (a motion blur trail effect) and Duo (a glitchy appearance).
As TechCrunchnoted, these effects (like some of Instagram's features) aren't strictly new. Snapchat has had some of these effects since 2015, while TikTok has its own share of effects. However, they should give you a much better reason to use Boomerang if you're tired of the same canned animation in your posts and Stories.
🐢 SlowMo 🗣 Echo 👯♀️ Duo
Boomerang has new creative twists that'll make you say yaaassssss. Try them all out today. pic.twitter.com/wp0A71RefL
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This weekend, TASBot will finally take its talents into the modern gaming era, showing off expert-level Super Mario Maker 2 gameplay on an actual Switch during the livestreamed Awesome Games Done Quick speedrunning marathon. And this time, the TASBot team is taking pains to make sure no one else can copy its method—to hopefully avoid Nintendo's potential legal ire in the process.
Flipping the Switch
The effort to let a Linux computer take external control of a Switch game began a bit inadvertently back in 2018, when the TASBot team attempted to partner with the AbleGamers charity. Their goal was to create an Arduino interface that would allow inputs (and pre-recorded input macros) from any controller to be re-mapped into input signals for any console interface.
While these kinds of efforts were fun for random tinkering, they utterly lacked the frame-perfect precision necessary for a successful replay of a pre-recorded, tool-assisted speedrun. "We saw massive inconsistencies," TASBot maintainer Allan "dwangoAC" Cecil told Ars about TASBot testing on the Switch in 2018. "Replay device precision was impossible... TASBot is a player piano—he's playing back a predefined sequence of button presses—but if he doesn't know when to send those button presses, it'll never work."
A circa 2016 version of TASBot shows off his new NES control display
P4plus2 carries TASBot down the AGDQ hallway to his big show in 2016.
TASBot circa 2019 sits at the ready in the GDQ practice room
A visualization of the setup that let TASBot pump arbitrary video through an SNES and streaming audio through an NES.
Brian Mulligan
TASBot sits next to MASHBot, which can actually tap a stylus on a Nintendo DS screen.
Last minute adjustments before TASBot's 2019 AGDQ performance.
By 2019, multiple TASBot team members were working in parallel to try to solve this seemingly intractable Switch timing problem. One branch of effort even tried to insert a "shim layer" onto a hacked Switch console to force the external input timing to line up with the in-game timing, but "we didn't get far because it's against our ethos to modify the console," Cecil said.
At the same time, TASBot team member KNfLrPn was "using the semi-working system to help test [Super Mario Maker 2] tech for other [efforts]," they recently told Ars. "So while doing that I kept trying different things just in case, and eventually found a combination of multiple pieces that worked together [to fix the timing problem]."
Prior to that first successful test in December, there was "about five months on-and-off of trying different approaches, different code, different hardware," KNfLrPn added. "Until it worked, we had no idea if it was possible (and actually suspected that it wasn't)."
Approaching the starting line
Though TASBot has taken the first step to breaking open robotic Switch play, its method still isn't perfect. For one, Cecil says the hardware still isn't precise enough for games that require analog input.
In testing on Breath of the Wild, for instance, the team tried recording a simple input macro of Link jumping off a tower. But Cecil said slight, frame-level differences between the Linux recording and the controller polling rate during playback led to butterfly effect-style chaos, such that "loading the same savestate and playing [the input] back would result in us landing in a different spot, sometimes substantially so." Using digital inputs on a more deterministic game like Super Mario Maker 2 eliminates those problems, Cecil added.
Playing on the Switch also means the TASBot team doesn't have the benefit of recording its inputs on robust, TAS-configured emulators, which allow for easy pausing, editing, and re-recording of frame-perfect input sequences that can create literally superhuman performance. On the Switch, thus far "there aren't any tools to make this fast," Cecil said. "This was done laboriously by hand and isn't easy to replicate."
For this weekend's AGDQ demonstration, KNfLrPn specifically designed a level to take these limitations into account; for each level section, they "include[d] a spot where I could get a consistent starting point (You might see in each part there's some kind of wall I could press against)."
From those safe spots, KNfLrPn said they could "start with a guess on which buttons to press for how long, try it, see what happens, adjust, and iterate over and over" until they reached the next safe spot. By playing a string of successfully recorded sections back from the start, KNfLrPn could then get back to any safe spot to continue the trial-and-error process.
Without the use of emulator tools, recording a few successful minutes of Switch gameplay took "several hours of trial and error, resetting each section and trying something slightly different each time," KNfLrPn said. "It was also 'only' several hours because I specifically designed each section to be easy to reset. Doing it with a 'real' level would be even more tedious."
Secrets and lawyers
Compared to some of our previousexplainers on TASBot, you may have noticed I didn't go into detail on the actual method the TASBot team used to solve its Switch timing problem. That's because the solution—which requires a bit of extra video signal analysis hardware that the team is keeping hidden in a literal "black box"—could lead copycats to unleash utter chaos on some active Switch online leaderboards, including the recently launched Ninji Speedrun competitions on Super Mario Maker 2.
"This has a higher risk of widespread damage because Nintendo has not always been attentive to illegitimate leaderboard entries," Cecil said. "If a troll wanted to, they could make it impossible for a human to obtain the fastest time in the regularly released Ninji speedrun levels."
A TASBot team member (who asked to remain anonymous) went even further. "The knowledge of how to do this can and will affect records on some of the most difficult levels in the game... This tool could allow an individual the ability to trial and error their way through a level, and then release a perfect run to anyone on the Internet that also wishes to 'beat' a level. This would ruin the experience players have, as no one would know if a top record on a level is real or if it was done by a user in a malicious way."
The team's concern for methodological secrecy also mean this is one of the first TASBot projects where the team won't be releasing its source code publicly. That's a decision Cecil says he didn't take lightly. "As the President of the North Bay Linux Users' Group and an advocate for open source software, I always ensure we release what we create as open source and open hardware so others can replicate it," Cecil said. "In this case, doing so is both risky and unwise due to the potential damage to the community... I made this decision after consulting with a diverse range of community members and experts, including paying for a consultation with a lawyer who specializes in video game lawsuits."
A 3D model showing TASBot's new prototype design.
Potential color scheme for the new TASBot
A look inside TASBot's innards
TASBot's upcoming LED eyes can show multiple colors and emotions.
An alternate color design for the Yettee TASBot shirt.
New logo design.
That bit about lawsuits isn't a theoretical concern, either. "There are a number of situations in the past where Nintendo's lawyers have been overly aggressive and we can't predict what they might do or how they might respond," Cecil said. "We're mitigating this risk by ensuring we're doing everything offline and in full compliance with their terms of service, but they could still pursue legal action against us if they chose to."
(The threat of legal complications has also led the TASBot team to redesign the robot's public-facing shell, which is built off a repurposed NES R.O.B. controller. A new prototype design retains the same general feeling while being distinct enough for independent trademarking by the charity-focused TASBot L3C, Cecil said. The new design is also featured on an exclusive Yetee t-shirt, with proceeds going to the Prevent Cancer Foundation).
Who to tell
Cecil, who works as a security consultant at Bishop Fox, said the team discussed reaching out to Nintendo before publicizing its Switch-control method, but it "chose to not poke the bear." That's in part because controlling the Switch with a robot—using completely unmodified Switch hardware and software and standard controller input signals through the USB port—doesn't completely match the usual definition of a "security vulnerability."
"Nintendo has a vulnerability disclosure program, but the methods we're using don't fall under the category of issues that can be reported," Cecil said. "We're using Nintendo's hardware in a fully standards-complaint way and there is no way for them to prevent what we are doing without disabling all external devices. In other words, most companies don't have a big enough imagination to contemplate something so out-of-the-box, and there is no way for them to do anything about it even if we did provide a disclosure. So we have to take other precautions."
Cecil said he and the TASBot team have gone back and forth over whether to even show TASBot controlling the Switch at AGDQ (or last week's similar MAGFast speedrun marathon). Now, though, Cecil says he thinks there are enough precautions in place to "keep low effort script kiddies and copy and paste trolls from ruining the fun for everyone else." AGDQ management initially pulled the Switch demo due to time constraints, Cecil said, but the event recently added it back in as a donation incentive following the standard Super Mario Maker 2 demonstration on Saturday night.
Not everyone is convinced the TASBot team's efforts at operational secrecy will be enough, though. "Lots of 'fake' input devices have been made that have the possibility for [Switch] TASing, but none (that we've seen) have used [that potential]," TASBot team member Britmob said. "Frankly, I'm surprised no one else came up with it. But I don't expect people to be very far behind us, especially if they see if it's possible, regardless of us not disclosing methods."
"We will not be discussing the abuse concerns we have during the presentation because we do not want to draw attention to them," Cecil said. "But we do want to be open about the risks we face. Pretending the risks don't exist will not help us.
"We want to continue to show what we consider art at charity events and it's important to us to find the right balance of openness even on content designed for newer consoles," he added. "The TASBot community has become so much larger than anything I could have hoped for or done on my own and I truly feel like I've been given a wonderful opportunity to live beyond myself."
Microsoft is set to launch its next-gen gaming console, the Xbox Series X, this holiday season, and surprisingly, it's not going to have any next-gen exclusives, at least first-party ones. That means that all of the Xbox Game Studios games that launch when the Series X does will also be playable on older Xbox One consoles.
Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty spoke to MCV Develop, saying, "As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices. We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content."
While a surprising move for any next-generation console, it does make sense given Microsoft's recent strategy. The firm worked hard to bring well over 500 Xbox and Xbox 360 games to the Xbox One, and Xbox Play Anywhere provided a platform where gamers could buy once and play between their console and their PC. The strategy has been clear for years now: if you buy a game on a Microsoft platform, you don't have to throw it away to upgrade your experience.
This could be an issue for Microsoft, as it could make it hard to get gamers to go out and buy the new console. Or the firm might not care; an Xbox gamer is an Xbox gamer. You're still playing on its platform, and that's what matters. But without next-gen exclusives, that doesn't mean that there won't be a value proposition to the new console.
Of course, games will be better on the Xbox Series X. One of the games that Microsoft will focus on is, obviously, Halo Infinite. The Xbox Series X will support things like higher resolutions, higher frame rates, ray tracing, and more, so expect to see those things as the differentiation between the different generations.
Could Samsung’s next foldable phone be named the Galaxy Bloom?
That’s what Korean outlet Ajunewsis reporting, showing a blurry photo of what it claims is an early marketing image for the Bloom. The outlet’s story (which we spotted via SamMobile) says that Samsung told partners at a closed-door meeting at CES that their next foldable is modeled after a makeup compact and intended to appeal to female customers. According to the same report, the upcoming S11 will actually be named the S20.
As ever with such rumors, it’s not possible to completely trust what we’ve read, but the report does line up with what we’ve previously heard about Samsung’s next foldable and the names of its upcoming flagship smartphones.
A teaser image for the Bloom matches the design of purported leaked handsets, and Koh reportedly told partners that the phone would use foldable glass instead of a plastic polymer for its display — a key spec that’s also previously been hinted at.
What’s new is the name and marketing for the Bloom. Ajunews says Samsung wants the device to appeal to young women, and says its clamshell design is easy to hold in one hand. Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh reportedly told one partner: “We designed Galaxy Bloom with the motif of compact powder from French cosmetics brand Lancôme.”
Hardware specs for the Bloom are still mostly a mystery, but Ajunews gives us two new snippets: it’ll be able to record 8K video, and a 5G version will be released in South Korea.
Other news from the meeting concerns Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S line. Matching previous reports we’ve seen, the company’s next big smartphone will not be called the S11, as many expected, but the S20, perhaps as a nod to the new decade. It’ll reportedly launch with three variants: a regular device, a lower-spec option, and an “Ultra” version.
Bear in mind these are all still rumors, but we expect to hear much more about the S20 and the Galaxy Bloom at Samsung’s big unpacked event next month on February 11th.
Bethesda’s has given its re-releases of Doom 1 and 2 from last year a pretty hefty update that improves performance, adds new features, and gives access to a huge amount of content in the form of free community-made add-ons. At the top of the list of performance improvements is an increase in framerate, from 35fps originally to 60fps now, but the company has also added new features like support for quick saves, different aspect ratios, and a new quick-weapon-select feature.
These performance improvements are welcome, but if you’ve already had your fill of the original Doom levels then you’ll probably be far more interested in the new add-ons that are being offered as free downloads from the main menu. Sigil, an unofficial Doom sequel from the game’s original co-creator John Romero, is available, as are TnT: Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment from 1996’s Final Doom release. In a blog post Bethesda says that it’ll soon be looking for suggestions for more community-made episodes to include in the future.
Bethesda’s Doom re-releases didn’t get off to a good start last year when they launched with a frustrating online log-in requirement that Bethesda was forced to quickly remove. Now, with the numerous fixes and new content included in the latest patch, it sounds like they may have quietly become the definitive way to play these classic games.
The new patch will be available for all the platforms the games were re-released on, which includes PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and, of course, PC.
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