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SEOUL, Aug 25 (Reuters) – A South Korean parliamentary committee voted early on Wednesday to recommend amending a law, a key step toward banning Google and Apple from forcibly charging software developers commissions on in-app purchases, the first such curb by a major economy.

After the vote from the legislation and judiciary committee to amend the Telecommunications Business Act, dubbed the “Anti-Google law,” the amendment will come to a final vote in parliament.

That vote could come on Wednesday, although South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that parliament would act at a later date. read more

A parliament official told Reuters the office had not yet received an official request not to hold the meeting on Wednesday.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google have both faced global criticism because they require software developers using their app stores to use proprietary payment systems that charge commissions of up to 30%.

In a statement on Tuesday, Apple said the bill “will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections”, hurt user trust in App Store purchases and lead to fewer opportunities for South Korean developers.

Wilson White, senior director of public policy at Google, said “the rushed process hasn’t allowed for enough analysis of the negative impact of this legislation on Korean consumers and app developers”.

Legal experts said app store operators could work with developers and other companies to create secure payment methods other than the ones they provide.

“Google and Apple aren’t the only ones that can create a secure payment system,” said Lee Hwang, a Korea University School of Law professor specialising in competition law. “I think it’s a problem to try to inspire excessive fear by talking about safety or security about using different payment methods.”

Based on South Korean parliament records, the amendment bans app store operators with dominant market positions from forcing payment systems on content providers and “inappropriately” delaying the review of, or deleting, mobile contents from app markets.

It also allows the South Korean government to require an app market operator to “prevent damage to users and protect the rights and interests of users”, probe app market operators, and mediate disputes regarding payment, cancellations or refunds in the app market.

This month in the United States, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would rein in app stores of companies that they said exert too much market control, including Apple and Google. read more

Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Joyce Lee. Editing by Gerry Doyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Crusader Kings III, a game entirely about buttons and menus and likely the last thing you’d ever expect to make the jump from the PC to consoles is doing just that, with a version announced earlier today for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.

Your reaction to this news might be laughter like that headline up top, or perhaps fear at what this could possibly look like, but there’s actually precedence for this, and pretty promising precedence at that.

For starters in 2019 Paradox released another of their games, the intergalactic 4X Stellaris, on console, and it was fine. Granted Stellaris isn’t as complicated as Crusader Kings, but still, it shows Paradox know a thing or two about swapping keyboards and mice for controllers.

Next up is Civilization VI’s console release, also in 2019, which I said was “fine” because while it had its problems with stuff like game speed, the actual thing folks would have been concerned about with the port—namely how the interface would work—was nothing to worry about.

And finally, remember that while Crusader Kings III lost none of its depth and complexity moving on from II, it did clean up its interface, and so navigating its menus and priority items was made a lot easier, which means flipping through them using a controller should be a lot easier as well.

The game’s console trailer below shows some of that in action; while some menu screens will work just like they did on PC, other systems are making some changes better suited to a controller, like using radial dials, or pressing face buttons to reveal more information about something that’s current on screen. The PS5 version will even get some haptic feedback related to the game’s stress systems, while Xbox users “will be able to quickly switch between gameplay and consulting a YouTube tutorial on how to quell a peasant revolt”.

Like Civilization, though, taming a sprawling interface is only half the battle, and it remains to be seen just how well these consoles can handle the rest of the Crusader Kings experience, including its performance. Limiting its release to next-gen systems is a promising start, though, and I guess we’ll all find out together when the game is out whenever it’s out (sorry, no release date as of yet).

Trebuchets — “the ultimate medieval siege weapon,” not the sans-serif typeface created by Microsoft — are coming to Age of Empires 4 and players will be able to learn all about them in the game’s “Hands on History” segments, developers World’s Edge and Relic Entertainment announced at Gamescom 2021 on Tuesday. Adam Isgreen, creative director at World’s Edge, offered a (very) deep dive into the fan-favorite, highly memed trebuchet during Xbox’s Gamescom stream, as a way to teach players about medieval history.

Age of Empires 4 will include 28 unlockable Hands on History videos, each of which was “filmed on location with experts around the world.” In the case of ye olde trebuchet, mechanical engineer Dr. Shini Somara explained how the don’t-call-it-a-catapult works at Warwick Castle in England during a three-minute-long segment shown at Tuesday’s livestream.

World’s Edge and Relic showed off the Age of Empires 4 trebuchet in action in-game last week, in a trailer that offers a short but satisfying burst of projectile lobbing and castle sieging.

They’ve also shown off other weapons of war coming to Age of Empires 4, including the Nest of Bees, which I only learned about today and was crestfallen to discover does not shoot actual bees.

Age of Empires 4 launches on Oct. 28, on Windows PC via Steam and the Windows Store. It will be available for Xbox Game Pass for PC on launch day.

SEOUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) – South Korea is likely to bar Google and Apple from requiring software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases, the first such curbs on the tech giants by a major economy.

The parliament’s legislation and judiciary committee is expected on Tuesday to approve the amendment of the Telecommunications Business Act, dubbed the “Anti-Google law,” that takes aim at app store operators with dominant market positions.

If the bill gets the committee’s approval, it will be put to a final vote on Wednesday. Lawmakers in South Korea have pushed the issue of the commission structure since mid-2020.

In a statement, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said the bill “will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases.”

The iPhone maker said it believes “user trust in App Store purchases will decrease as a result of this proposal — leading to fewer opportunities for the over 482,000 registered developers in Korea who have earned more than KRW8.55 trillion to date with Apple.”

Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google was not immediately available for comment.

Both companies have faced global criticism because they require software developers using their app stores to use proprietary in-app payment systems that charge commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases.

“For gaming apps, Google has been forcing app developers to use its own payment system … and it wants to expand its policy to other apps like music or webtoon,” said Kwon Se-hwa, a general manager at the Korea Internet Corporations Association, a nonprofit group representing Korean IT firms.

“If the new bill becomes the law, developers will have options to use other independent payment systems,” Kwon said.

The European Union last year proposed the Digital Markets Act, taking aim at app store commissions. The rules are designed to affect large companies, but some European lawmakers are in favour of tightening them to specifically target American technology giants, Reuters reported in June. read more

Earlier this month in the United States, a bipartisan trio of senators introduced a bill that would rein in app stores of companies that they said exert too much market control, including Apple and Google. read more

In South Korea, the home market of Android phone maker Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS), Google Play Store earned revenue of nearly 6 trillion won ($5.15 billion) in 2019, according to a government report published last year.

Earlier this year, Google said it would lower the service fee it charges developers on its app store from 30% to 15% on the first $1 million they earn in revenue in a year. Apple has made similar moves. read more

For Apple too, commissions from in-app purchases are a key part of its $53.8 billion services business, and are a major expense for some app developers.

In May, an antitrust lawsuit filed by the maker of the popular game Fortnite against Apple revealed that the game maker paid $100 million in commissions to Apple over two years. read more

($1 = 1,165.1800 won)

Reporting by Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco
Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Samsung unveiled two new smartwatches—Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic—this month. They succeed the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and the Galaxy Watch 3, respectively, and they bring various improvements in terms of hardware and software.

The new smartwatches are available for pre-order in various markets around the world. In our review, we found them to be excellent new products that reinvent the Android smartwatch, and to further help you decide if you should buy the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, we’ve rounded up what we think are their best features.

Galaxy Watch 4 series runs Wear OS 3

The biggest upgrade that Samsung is bringing with its new smartwatches is on the software front. The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are the company’s first smartwatches to run Wear OS 3, which is co-developed by Google and Samsung. The new platform is said to be fast, cohesive, and power-efficient.

On top of Wear OS 3, the new wearables run Samsung’s own One UI Watch 3 interface that includes additional features, including the ability to automatically install watch versions of apps that are installed on your connected smartphone. One UI Watch will also sync settings between phone and watch versions of the apps.

Wear OS also brings access to thousands of popular apps and watch faces via the Play Store. It has already been revealed that Spotify and YouTube Music will support offline music playback directly via the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Other apps such as Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Pay, and Nike Run+ will be available as well.

Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic feature brand-new Exynos processor, higher memory

Samsung has made a brand-new Exynos processor for the Galaxy Watch 4 series. The two new smartwatches come equipped with the Exynos W920 chipset that is made using the extremely power-efficient 5nm process. It features two Cortex-A55 CPU cores and the Mali-G68 GPU. The Exynos W920 makes the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic much faster and power-efficient than any other Wear OS smartwatch.

The company’s new smartwatches also feature 1.5GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. That’s 3x more RAM and 2x more storage compared to the Galaxy Watch 3. Higher RAM means smoother multitasking, while higher storage offers you a way to store thousands of music tracks offline so that you can listen to them while running or cycling and space for installing more apps.

The Galaxy Watch 4 series also features 4G LTE (in some variants), dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC. You can also take calls, check notifications, and make mobile payments using the new smartwatches.

Samsung’s new smartwatches can accurately track your activity and fitness

Both new smartwatches come equipped with the latest sensors, including an accelerometer, barometer, compass, ECG, gyro, and a heart-rate monitor, to track your physical activity and fitness. Thanks to the inclusion of GPS, they can also track your outdoor activities like cycling, running, and swimming. The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 can also track your body fat composition, sleep quality, SpO2 levels, and stress levels.

They are built tough, thanks to IP68 rating and MIL-STD-810G design

Despite packing such powerful hardware and an elegant design, the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are built extremely tough. They are IP68 certified for dust and water resistance (up to 5 ATM). The watches are also MIL-STD-810G-compliant for shock resistance. You can take them swimming as well.

Yes, the rotating bezel is still here

Samsung knows that people love the rotating bezel on their Galaxy smartwatches, and the company has included the feature on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. It not only makes the watch look good but also makes navigating through the UI a breeze. The Galaxy Watch 4 lacks the rotating bezel, though, and suits those who like more compact smartwatches.

Galaxy Watch 4 series is extremely customizable

Both smartwatches offer high levels of customizations so that you can make them your own. You can replace the bundled 20mm watch straps with any third-party ones to match your style. You can also choose from thousands of watch faces that are available on the Play Store. As usual, Samsung has made multiple new watch faces for the Galaxy Watch 4 series, and you can customize them by changing the color scheme and adding complications.

Galaxy Watch 4 last long and offer wireless charging

Samsung claims that its new smartwatches can last up to 40 hours on a single charge. The 40mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 and the 42mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are powered by 247mAh batteries, while the 44mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 and the 46mm version of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic come packed with 361mAh batteries. They also support Qi wireless charging, which means that you can also charge them via your high-end Galaxy smartphone with Wireless PowerShare.

They let you play music, take calls, and make payments on the go

The LTE variants of the new smartwatches feature an eSIM, which means that you can take calls, stream music on Spotify, and even make payments (via Google Pay or Samsung Pay) even when you’ve left your phone at home. The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic feature Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC.

• Model: SM-R860
• Dimensions: Watch: 40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8 mm
• Display: 1.2 inch / 30.4 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos W920
• Camera:

• Model: SM-R880
• Dimensions: Watch: 41.5 x 41.5 x 11.2 mm
• Display: 1.2 inch / 30.4 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos W920
• Camera:

Alleged cases for the iPhone 13 series reveal larger camera modules and thicker bodies

All 2021 models will use Sensor-Shift technology to stabilize videos and counter the shaky hands that some users have. Unlike OIS which adjusts the lens to make up for the jitters, Sensor-Shift adjusts the sensor to deliver improved stabilization. Reliable TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo sees the 13 Pro models offering improved Ultra-wide cameras with autofocus with six elements instead of five.

Bigger batteries are coming to all four 2021 iPhone models

What might help reduce some of the heavy energy consumption usually associated with faster refresh rates is the LTPO backplane that will allow the rate to drop from the peak of 120 updates per second depending on the content found on the screen. For example, iPhone 13 users playing a video game with stunning animations will probably see their screen refresh at 120Hz. On the other hand, if the same user is reading an email or a text, that static content will bring down the refresh rate and save the handset’s battery life.

The iPhone 13 series will be the first handsets from Apple to employ the ProMotion displays. Apple has already employed 120Hz ProMotion screens with its top-of-the-line IPad Pro tablets. The gang in Cupertino really had no choice but to debut a 120Hz refresh rate on the new iPhone models as 90Hz, 120Hz, and higher refresh rates have been seen on Android phones.

Twelve Minutes is, or at least should be, a game about trauma. It is, but it isn’t.

It is but it isn’t? What does that even mean? Start the story over.

Twelve Minutes is a game about a man stuck in a time loop. That time loop gives him the opportunity and impetus to do terrible things to his wife. There are moments where it made me feel sick.

Getting there, but not enough context for a real thesis. Try again.

Twelve Minutes released one week after Boyfriend Dungeon, a queer action RPG/dating sim hybrid, which was met with immediate controversy over what some claimed to be inadequate content warnings. Twelve Minutes asks you to drug your wife upwards of a dozen times as you puzzle your way through torturing a man into giving up plot-critical information. The same discourse has not repeated itself, despite a complete lack of content warnings.

Closer, but wordy.

Twelve Minutes is a game about hurting everyone around you as an excuse to process your own trauma. It is, in its most hopeful and generous reading, a game about a bad man trying to be better. I do not think it deserves that reading. It does, however, deserve the quiet storm brewing over its true ending.

Good enough, for now.

The setup for Twelve Minutes is simple: a cop is coming to kill you and your wife, and you will be stuck in a 12-minute time loop until you stop him. To break said loop, you will adventure-game your way through a series of puzzles, uncovering more information about character motivations and relationships each time. The game’s animations are stiff, and its puzzles are obtuse. The star-studded voice cast isn’t given much to work with, and fails to contribute to the experience in any meaningful way. Its ending is terrible. This is the most I can say without spoiling the entire game. Consider yourself warned.

Twelve Minutes has three major twists. First, that your wife killed her father. To learn this, you have to watch her get murdered from the closet. Second, that she failed to kill her father and it was actually you, the protagonist, who killed him. Oh, and you’re her brother. To learn this, you have to drug her and torture a man. And third, that all of this was part of your psychosexual mind palace and the only thing that really happened was the incest. That part was real. The rest has been a fantasy.

And what a gross fantasy it is.

Twelve Minutes makes you watch as your pregnant sister/wife (this was tough to type) is kicked in the stomach, shot in the head, and strangled. Drugging your sister/wife is plot critical, and must be repeated multiple times. To get enough information from the cop, you must zip tie him on the ground and shoot his limbs until he talks. Also, there’s a really graphic animation for stabbing your wife to death in the game for…some reason? No one’s quite sure.

All of this shit sucks, which is compounded by how poorly delivered it is. It’s as if Twelve Minutes was supporting its entire body weight on its nose, and that nose is breaking.

The cop who keeps killing you and your wife is actually the psychosexual representation of your own (shared) father. You can tell because they have the same voice actor, and in the game’s true ending, your father uses the cop’s most oft-repeated line to get you to stop fucking your sister: “Thank you for understanding why it needs to be this way.” He also reminds you that “you can’t just try again,” cementing the game’s time loop narrative as a failed attempt to envision a world where you happily get to continue your relationship with your sister/wife.

The cop’s daughter, who is dying from cancer, then becomes a stand-in for how he sees your sister/wife. See, in the mind palace, the cop is coming to kill your wife for revenge and to steal your father’s pocket watch in order to sell it for his daughter’s cancer treatment. Killing you, your wife, and stealing the pocket watch, thus becomes the metaphorical representation of ending your relationship. To save his daughter, he has to get you to give up on the idea that you two can be together.

All of this Psych 101 writing could be fine if it were delivered with grace, or tact, or care. But it isn’t. It feels pretentious and exhausting, like trauma porn for the sake of itself.

There is a more generous reading to this game. That its depiction of your fucked-up mind palace is a way of centering the fact that the power dynamics inherent in a secret incestuous relationship will always lead to its demise, and to the people therein getting hurt. That the only way to maintain this lie is to be an abusive, violent shitheel. That leaving someone you love will always be hard, regardless of the context. And that good choices rooted in a care for other people are always possible, even for someone preoccupied with violent ideations. The game could earn this reading if it weren’t trying so fucking hard to be smart, from its psychosexual mind palace to its convoluted puzzle design that at one point asks you to show a baby shirt to the man you’re torturing.

This attempt to present itself as smart, and serious, and worthy of intellectual rigor, has seeped into Twelve Minutes’ every pore, including its marketing rollout. Of course it opens with an orchestra tuning, that’s how you know it’s smart. Of course they secured major actors for its voice cast, that’s how you know it’s serious. Of course terrible things happen over and over and over again, how else would you know it is worthy of intellectual rigour? I have heard people call the game’s twist edgy, and I think they’re wrong. Twelve Minutes isn’t edgy, it is desperate.

It seems to have emerged from a previous era. One where the medium had yet to prove itself as art to a wider world, and so instead tried to spin itself into being a shadow of film. It is a David Cage game in miniature, all the way down to its star-studded voice cast, and I wish it had the confidence or capacity to be more.