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Matchday debuted its new soccer digital card game Matchday Champions in early access today on iOS and Android.
Today, the game is in early access globally, and it is celebrating with the limited-time “Copa Alexia x Céline,” a unique in-game tournament hosted by Spanish football World Cup Champion Alexia Putellas, and the popular Belgian influencer Celine Dept.
Backed by Lionel Messi’s Play Time fund, Alexia Putellas, and other industry legends in sports and games, Matchday Champions said it has a one-of-its-kind experience. The game allows players to collect, craft and manage their own dream squad made up of both men’s and women’s players.
Sebastien de Halleux, Matchday chief gaming officer, said in a press briefing that the company is going after five billion soccer (or, rather, “football”) fans in the world. It sounds ambitious, but in a previous life, de Halleux and his previous cofounder Kristian Segerstrale sold their social gaming company Playfish to Electronic Arts for up to $400 million back in 2009.
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You can mix and match women and men in Matchday Champions.
“Why are we doing this? Well, football, or soccer, is a force that’s bringing more people together than ever before. It is really something that is absolutely universal,” de Halleux said. It’s mind boggling. It’s actually one billion more than the number two sport, which is Cricket. And the best part of this is that it is the growing the football audience is estimated to have grown to five billion.”
De Halleux said, “Of course, video games is also growing and there are about 2.5 billion people playing. What is the commonality between football and video games? Both football and video games are fueled by emotions, and that is really the genesis of Matchday.”
“Football is an emotional experience for its five billion fans worldwide, and now they will be able to experience the drama of the sport in a video game that can seamlessly simulate games based on real players, real stats, and more,” said de Halleux. “Few players have experienced the emotional highs of football like Alexia Putellas, winning a World Cup, three UEFA Women’s Champion Leagues, and 21 domestic trophies, along with all of her incredible individual accolades, so we’re honored that she has joined us not only as a Matchday ambassador but as the host of our first global in-game tournament.”
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Matchday Champions has big name supporters.
He said it delivers the excitement of football using a cutting edge narrative creation engine, ensuring no two matches are ever the same. More than two million people have already pre-registered ahead of launch. Matchday Champions is now available in early access globally for iOS and Android phones.
The goal was also to make a single game for men and women, so one of the characteristics is you can put men or women athletes on the same team. Licensed by FIFA, the game includes 65,000 men and women athletes.
Players who download the game can sign up to participate in the Copa Alexia x Céline, beginning on September 20. Hosted by World Cup champion, two-time Ballon d’Or winner and UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Alexia Putellas and influencer Celine Dept, a football mega-fan with more than 50 million followers on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, Copa Alexia x Céline challenges players to join Team Alexia or Team Celine, squaring off in a virtual tournament for bragging rights and prizes.
“Matchday is elevating two things I am very passionate about: women’s football and inclusivity,” said Putellas, in a statement. “Women’s football has been on the rise for the last decade and Matchday’s co-gender football squads represent this reality in a fun and novel way for fans. I am honored to be a part of and shape a (virtual) football world that gives men and women truly equal footing. I hope the sort of representation we see in Matchday’s games will inspire the women’s football stars and all football fans of tomorrow and help to drive forward conversations around equality.”
Licensed by FIFA and FIFPRO, Matchday offers fans the ability to collect digital player cards from tens of thousands of soccer athletes, and to combine both men’s and women’s players into their ideal squad to go head-to-head with other players’ teams. The FIFA license is interesting considering Electronic Arts dropped the license in favor of its EA Sports FC brand instead.
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How to play
Matchday Champions is in early access globally now.
Matchday players begin by assembling their squad, which they can start upgrading immediately. They then send their starting 11 onto the pitch, and Matchday Champions’ proprietary simulation engine renders exciting in-game narratives.
You can play against rivals and friends while earning resources and recruiting footballers to improve their squad. Matchday Champions authentically captures the euphoria and heartbreak of real life football, and every match unfolds in a unique way.
The game lets you craft your Dream Squad. Your are the manager of your fantasy squad, and you get to choose who goes onto your team. You can put men and women on the same squad. The cards evolve over time as you accummulate more XP in the matches. Real-life stats influence how well a player does in the card game. If that player gets injured, you will see the impact in the game. You can put players on the squad that will complement each other, and the strategy is fairly easy to grasp.
This game has an AI-powered engine, and it dissects the game into 10 or so moments which are narrated and in your local language, with a lot of passion. And then each action is actually displayed using the cards themselves. Each card has special tricks.
“We try to take users through the reality of football, which is to the highs and the lows, and try to really connect your choices as you are building your squad to what’s happening on the pitch with some recommendation in the post match report,” de Halleux said.
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Your goal is to lead your club to glory. You can play a game in two to five minutes. The game also has a lot of social elements. There’s a store that enables you to buy more cards, more packs, and a transfer window that highlights certain players during a week based on different events that are happening in the football season.
An accessible game
You can collect and trade players with Matchday Champions.
In Matchday Champions, players build and strengthen their squad, competing against others to move up through divisions and grow their club, competing with friends and Matchday’s vibrant global community, already numbering in the millions.
Custom squads can be set up with ease through Matchday Champions’ intuitive and accessible interface, allowing players to experiment with their team formation, as well as buy, sell and share cards with friends. Players hone their team in single player mode, then step on the pitch for a friendly match or an epic league competition with fans from all over the world. They can also join fans on the official Discord in discussing everything football, participate in weekly contests, participate in AMAs with football celebrities and follow real-world football matches.
Matchday continues to push the boundaries of digital ownership with Matchday Champions, which is part of a new category of sports games wherein fans build virtual squads by collecting digital cards of their favorite footballers. Players have true ownership of their cards and other digital items within Matchday Champions as they collect, trade and grow their dream team. These officially licensed cards can be utilized in all games within the Matchday ecosystem as it continues to grow.
Matchday previously launched the trivia and match prediction game Matchday Challenge: FIFA Women’s World Cup AU∙NZ∙2023 Edition, which ran during FIFA Women’s World Cup and was played by millions of players all over the world.
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Matchday is incubated by Leo Messi’s Play Time and backed by leading investors, with teams in San Francisco and Barcelona.
De Halleux said that the company’s values including building distinctive soccer games, driven by people who are passionate about video games and soccer. They also focused on making the game “charmingly playful.” It’s not a hardcore game.
“We wanted to bring this joy back into the adult game. It’s about fantasy. It’s about having fun. We wanted the love of football, the love of game, to really shine through the experience. We wanted authenticity, which is really important.”
In addition to using licensed FIFA player likenesses, the team also used modern AI tools. The entire game engine is infused with AI. It’s also embracing Web3.
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“We wanted to treat our gamers as true fans, and when they get to match the card, we wanted to put forward the concept of ownership, that all players own their cards forever,” he said.
He showed a demo of the gameplay where players like Messi square off against a goalie on a penalty kick. There’s some dramatic cheering and then the result of the penalty kick shows. There are animated scenes but it’s not a 3D or 2D action game.
“The esthetic is delightfully crafted and charmingly playful. And we are very, very proud about how this game looks and feel. We think it’s a completely different experience for football fans, one that they have not been able to experience before,” de Halleux said.
Messi incubated the idea and became an early investor and ambassador for the game through his fund called Playtime. The team is split across 22 countries.
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Compared to rival hardcore soccer games, de Halleux said the “difference is that we are trying to address an audience that is not playing those games. We are trying to address an audience who is already passionate about football but isn’t hasn’t found the right casual football game that they can connect with.”
The company is a FIFA official licensed partner. The company previously launched a game that was available only for two weeks during the Women’s World Cup, and it was played by over two million people. It was called Matchday Challenge.
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No sooner has the Phone 16 lineup arrived than the folks at iFixit start taking them apart, a process made easier this time around by the day-one release of repair manuals from Apple. The disassembly process shows the Camera control is a real button that moves, along with a flex cable that likely measures force, and the heat sink that appears positioned to keep the A18 chip’s Neural Engine cool while it handles AI workloads.
After disconnecting the battery from the board, you apply electric current from a power source (a 9-volt battery for 90 seconds will do it), and the previously glued-in battery slips out easily enough that gravity alone can do the job. Then to make the adhesive stick for the new battery, it just needs pressure.
Apple notes that over time, the time to release could get longer, but on these brand-new phones, iFixit found that using 20V current was enough to undo the bond in five seconds, and Apple says you can use up to 30V. iFixit also brought in some microscopic close-ups of the frame that holds the battery and the machined ridges it has to give the battery something to stick to.
24TB storage in a super fast mini PC — HX 370 powered challenger can run three SSDs, has an OCuLink connector and its APU is as powerful as an RTX 3050
We’re beginning to see the arrival of mini PCs running AMD‘s powerful Zen 5-based Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Strix Point processor, the latest of which is Aoostar’s GEM10 370.
First teased on X (formerly Twitter). The AI 9 HX 370 processor features four Zen 5 cores, eight Zen 5c cores, RDNA 3.5 Radeon 890M integrated graphics, and a Ryzen NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS of AI performance.
GEM10 370 supports up to three PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs, offering potentially up to 24TB of storage. There’s also an OCuLink connector, allowing you to connect an external GPU without consuming any NVMe channels.
Glacier cooling
The mini PC offers a variety of connectivity options. On the front, it features two USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, a USB4 port for high-speed data transfer, a microphone jack, and an audio jack for headphones or speakers. There is also an OCuLink port. On the back, there are two 2.5G LAN ports for fast, reliable networking, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and an additional USB 3.2 Gen2 port. Wireless connectivity is provided by WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
GEM10 370’s cooling will be handled by Aoostar’s “Glacier 2.5” cooling system, which offers a default BIOS TDP setting of 35W, adjustable to 28W, 35W, or 45W.
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The new mini PC has the same chassis as the company’s previous Gem10 model, which is powered by a 7840HS processor, and measures 10.7 x 10.7 x 6 cm, with a volume of 0.6 liters.
Aoostar’s GEM10 370 is expected to begin shipping October, around the same time as Beelink’s SER9, which also features the HX 370. That said, according to Videocardz, both companies are awaiting AMD stock before mass production can begin.
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There’s no word yet on pricing for the GEM10 370, but it is expected to be cheaper than Beelink’s offering, depending, naturally, on the configuration.
It can sometimes be difficult to spot AI-generated videos such as deepfakes, in which a person’s facial expression or speech is generated or altered. Deepfakes’ potential to misinform or disrupt democratic processes is huge, especially given we are entering an era where anyone can create them with just a simple text prompt. Andrea Hickerson at the University of Mississippi and Edward J. Delp at Purdue University in Indiana discuss the rising threat from AI-created content and what we can do about it.
It’s been two years since Google burst into the smartwatch market, and that means we’ve seen a few upgrades since Google launched the very first Google Pixel Watch. If you’re still using that watch, you may wonder if now is the time to upgrade and whether the third-generation Pixel Watch 3 is worth it. Or you may be getting your first smartwatch and considering buying either a cheap first-generation Pixel Watch or the latest and greatest of Google’s wearables.
Choosing between these two devices is surprisingly easy. Sometimes, the newest is the best, and this is the case with the Pixel Watch 3. However, there’s a significant price difference, so is the Pixel Watch still worth buying? Let’s examine the differences to help determine which you should pick, and explain why now is the best time to upgrade from the original Pixel Watch.
Put the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch alongside each other, and aside from the size, it’s difficult to tell the difference. Google’s design language hasn’t changed a huge amount in three generations, and the minimalist look is attractive and works with most outfits.
The Pixel Watch 3 is the first of Google’s smartwatches to come in two sizes. The smaller 41mm size is identical to the original but 5 grams lighter, while the bigger 45mm version is just 1 gram heavier than the original. The larger size is ideal if you have bigger wrists or find the original Pixel Watch too small for daily use.
The new AMOLED-LTPO display gives the Pixel Watch 3 display a big upgrade over previous generations. Both sizes get the upgrade, which offers a variable refresh rate of 60Hz and shrunken bezels to maximize the screen real estate.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
The display represents a significant upgrade in legibility, but otherwise, these two watches share the same physical traits. Domed Gorilla Glass displays provide protection, a rotating bezel allows you to scroll and select — a feature sorely missing from the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra — and the same lug-style watch band system lets any Pixel Watch band work with the third-generation model.
Each watch has the same 5ATM water resistance, which provides protection when submerged up to 500 meters, and a suite of sensors on the rear. The Pixel Watch 3’s sensors are improved over the original’s, and they have a different design, but otherwise, these two watches share many similarities.
The Pixel Watch 3 shares the same sensors as last year’s Pixel Watch 2, which saw Google improve the accuracy of the data collected. The heart rate sensor is one of the most accurate on any smartwatch and one of the many hardware sensors that are improved over the original.
The Pixel Watch 3 adds a thermometer and skin conductance sensors, which provide valuable insights into your skin temperature while asleep and are used for cycle tracking. There’s also a new light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, and the pulse oximeter used for the new Loss of Pulse Detection feature.
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Joe Maring / Digital Trends
This feature is designed to get you help when you need it most. Most smartwatches offer a fall detection feature that will get you emergency help if you have a fall, but Loss of Pulse Detection takes things much further. If your Pixel Watch 3 fails to detect a pulse, it’ll undergo a further check to rule out a false negative and, failing that, contact emergency services. It’s only available in certain EU countries, but it’s a worthy reason to upgrade to the Pixel Watch 3.
The Pixel Watch 3 also adds new Cardio Load and Target Load features, a Daily Readiness score, and a Morning Briefing that gives you pertinent information on your health and sleep. The two Load features are designed to track your heart’s performance over the day (and longer) and give you a numerical understanding of your cardiac function. The Target Load feature then sets a daily goal to aspire to, ensuring you won’t overtrain or undertrain.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
All of this information is presented in the Fitbit Premium app. Certain features, like the Daily Readiness score, required a Fitbit Premium subscription, but now all users get it included. The Pixel Watch 3 comes with six months of Fitbit Premium for free — just like the original — after which the subscription costs $10 per month or $80 per year.
The Pixel Watch 3 offers significantly more than the original, including hardware improvements and useful wellness features in Wear OS 5. Many of these are powered by Google AI, which analyzes and provides recommendations on achieving and surpassing your goals.
There are also unique features that only work when the Pixel Watch 3 is used alongside a Pixel phone. For example, if you have the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL, you can use the Pixel Watch 3 to control the camera. You can also use it to control Google TV, letting you change volume, inputs, and virtually everything else from your watch.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
You can also see your Nest Cam feed on the tiny screen and either respond using the microphone or send a canned response. Then, there are features like call screening and a smart recorder that can record and analyze audio using AI in real time. There are many Pixel Watch 3 features that will delight anyone who upgrades.
The original Pixel Watch is far more limited. It runs Wear OS 3.5 and offers a fairly standard introduction to the Pixel Watch experience. Many of the Pixel Watch 3 improvements launched on the Pixel Watch 2, and while some of these may eventually come to the original, some will likely remain exclusive to Google’s newer models.
One of our biggest complaints about the first Pixel Watch was its battery life. Simply put, it’s not very good and requires recharging more than once per day. The Pixel Watch 3 solves these problems with a more efficient chipset, a larger battery, and improvements in the operating system.
The Pixel Watch has a 294mAh battery, while the Pixel Watch 3 has a larger 307mAh battery in the 41mm model and a 420mAh battery in the 45mm. The Exynos 9110 processor in the Pixel Watch offers far less efficiency than the Snapdragon SW5100 powering the Pixel Watch 3.
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Our Pixel Watch 3 review found that the battery life on Google’s latest smartwatch is exceptional and routinely exceeds Google’s own estimates. That’s with the always-on display enabled, tracking multiple workouts and sleep overnight, and receiving notifications throughout the day when paired with the Pixel 9 Pro. Simply put, the battery life has been very impressive and is one of the best reasons to upgrade from the original.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
This means you can expect all-day battery life of around 24 hours with the Always On display turned on or up to 36 hours with the Battery Saver mode enabled. Both are large improvements over the original Pixel Watch, which requires recharging to last a full day.
The Pixel Watch 3 is also vastly improved when it comes to charging. The 41mm is rated as recharging to 50% in just 24 minutes and reaching 85% in 35 minutes, while the 45mm is slightly slower at 28 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively. We found that it charges from 12% to 62% in 30 minutes, and a full charge takes just over an hour, but the fast charging is great for those days when you’ve been using it heavily.
The Pixel Watch 3 is available now with a starting price of $349, while the original Pixel Watch launched at a similar price and is now available for just under $200. The price difference is significant, but the Pixel Watch 3 represents much better value despite the higher price.
If you want the Pixel Watch 3 in the 41mm size, the Bluetooth-only model is $349, while the LTE version is $449. For the larger size, add $50 to both of those prices.
The Pixel Watch 3 comes in a choice of colors. If you buy the 41mm model, you can choose from Polished Silver, Matte Black, or Champagne Gold, while the larger model ditches the gold option in favor of a more neutral Hazel color. There is a choice of bands, including a striking new Rose Quartz option that matches the colors of Google’s latest phones.
If you have the original Pixel Watch, there’s never been a better time to upgrade. The Pixel Watch 3 offers everything you need from a smartwatch and is one of the most stylish options on our best smartwatch list. Crucially, it also adds features that will make your life easier and potentially even save it one day. If you’re considering which to buy and don’t currently have a Pixel Watch, it’s worth first looking at the Pixel Watch 3.
It is Google’s best smartwatch, but it costs double the original. If budget is a concern, the first Pixel Watch is a decent choice, but keep in mind that there are other smartwatches from the same era that are much better, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. If you’d rather stay with Google, then we’d recommend buying the Pixel Watch 2, which is just $70 more, but a much better smartwatch.
However, if you can stretch your budget or snag a good deal, our Pixel Watch 3 review found that it’s the Google smartwatch we have been waiting for. It’s the best that Google offers and one of the best smartwatches you can buy in 2024. The original Pixel Watch still has some value, but given the vast improvements in the third generation, there’s no doubt that the Pixel Watch 3 is the better one to buy.
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Palworld was once one of gaming’s biggest hits thanks to its blend of Pokémon-like gameplay elements mixed with survival and crafting mechanics, but it was perhaps only a matter of time before Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against the game’s developers. That’s exactly what’s happening as Nintendo officially announced that together with The Pokémon Company it’s filing a lawsuit against Pocketpair.
Palworld saw huge success following its early access launch having sold nearly 5 million copies in just a few days. And it’s this kind of success that seems to have drawn Nintendo’s ire. The possibility of a lawsuit was looming well before now. However, it was also suspected that Nintendo may just let the whole thing go. After all, the game launched in January and it’s been 9 months. Pocketpair at one point also said that it had the game put through a few legal reviews and no issues were found.
But Nintendo seems to have found something, as its lawsuit states that Pocketpair is infringing on multiple patents. This lawsuit also shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as The Pokémon Company confirmed back in January that it intended to investigate Palworld.
The Nintendo lawsuit against Palworld deve Pocketpair doesn’t mention specifics
While Nintendo has confirmed it’s filing a lawsuit against Pocketpair, the statement about the lawsuit doesn’t mention any specific details. As of right now, Nintendo isn’t saying what patents Pocketpair is infringing. However, it’s likely that information will come out in due time. Provided this lawsuit goes to court and the case proceeds.
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So far the only thing Nintendo has said is that its lawsuit is seeking an injunction against Pocketpair for these infringements. However, no information is given in terms of what it’s actually seeking as an end result. “Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; Representative Director and President: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter), together with The Pokémon Company, filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against Pocketpair, Inc. (HQ: 2-10-2 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, “Defendant” hereafter) on September 18, 2024.
This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights. Nintendo will continue to take necessary actions against any infringement of its intellectual property rights including the Nintendo brand itself, to protect the intellectual properties it has worked hard to establish over the years,” the statement reads.
Pocketpair has responded to the lawsuit
Following Nintendo’s statement, Pocketpair has issued its own statement in response to the lawsuit. Stating that at this time, it’s “unaware of the specific patents” that it’s accused of infringing. The developer also says that it “hasn’t been notified of such details.”
Pocketpair is a small indie dev based in Tokyo, Japan. So it’s likely an easy target for Nintendo given the size of the studio and the success of its game. Pocketpair says it will do everything it can to ensure that indie devs are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas. This might suggest that Pocketpair fully intends to fight this lawsuit. As it believes it hasn’t infringed on any of Nintendo or The Pokémon Company’s patents.
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Palworld was launched on January 19, 2024, and was made available to play via GeForce NOW back on May 16.
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