When it comes to Assassin’s Creed games it’s no longer a matter of if it’s going to be released. Instead, it’s become where and when (both in real life and in-game). Although we were certain that there would be another Assassin’s Creed game after 2017’s extremely successful Origins, it wasn’t until the leak of a keyring and a subsequent confirmation from Ubisoft that we can now say we know it’s going to be called Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Information on Odyssey is thin on the ground at the moment and although we think it’s a safe bet that the game will take players back to Ancient Greece, we can’t really be sure of anything. Here we’ve gathered everything we’ve heard about the game so far, before its big reveal at E3 2018. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise 
• When can I play it? Most likely late 2018 or early 2019 
• What can I play it on? Expect PS4, Xbox One and PC 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey release date

After the Assassin’s Creed series took a year out between Syndicate and Origins, there’s been a question around whether the game will return to its annual release cycle or move to a more spaced out release cycle. 

We don’t yet have an official release date for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey but according to Kotaku, sources have said that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released in the 2019 fiscal year. This would put the release date at March 31 2019 at the latest. Given the series usually opts for an October/November release window this would suggest that we’ll see Assassin’s Creed return to its annual cycle and release later this year. 

We can’t be sure of this, of course, without official confirmation. Given Ubisoft had said it was pleased with Origins‘ reception and attributed much of the success to the extra time taken in development, we’d be surprised by the release of another game only one year later. But we’re sure we’ll hear more about Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s release date during Ubisoft’s presentation at E3. 

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey trailers

The only kind of footage we have from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is from the trailer Ubisoft used to confirm the game’s existence before E3. It’s a short clip that shows what appears to be a Spartan soldier 300-ing another soldier from a cliff. It’s hard to say which army this second soldier represents. We wouldn’t want to be them anyway.

See you at E3! pic.twitter.com/03NTPhCkCfMay 31, 2018

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey news and rumors

It’s likely to be set in ancient Greece

Before the teaser for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was revealed, there were already rumors that the next game would be set in Ancient Greece. The Spartan helmet and Spartan symbol at the end of the official trailer certainly seems to say this will be the case.

What this leaves us wondering, though, is when in Ancient Greek history the game will take place. Reports suggest that this will be a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed Origins, yet the Ancient Greek empire and the Spartans at their strongest greatly pre-date the time setting of Assassin’s Creed Origins. 

According to Kotaku, sources have said that this game will be set hundreds of years before Origins. But given Origins was supposed to be the founding of the Hidden Ones, the precursor to the Assassin’s brotherhood, and there are also reports this is a direct sequel, things don’t quite add up.

It could be possible that the game will span several timelines – one which takes us to a time before Origins, one which directly continues the Origins story, and one which will carry on the storyline in the modern day. The name Odyssey would certainly suit that kind of narrative structure as well as a Greek setting. 

Considering Aya gives Bayek a hidden blade in Origins that once belonged to Darius, who assassinated the Persian King Xerxes during the Greco-Persian wars hundreds of years earlier, we could go back to a time that pre-dates even the Hidden Ones. This would at least offer a thematic sequel, rather than a narrative one. 

The Spartans may be involved

The game’s short trailer certainly suggests that the Spartans will be involved in Odyssey in some capacity. Not only does the soldier in red kicking the other soldier from the cliff practically scream ‘This is Sparta’, the symbol above the game’s title is the iconic Spartan helmet and symbol that’s frequently used on their shields.

Interestingly, this upside down V looks like it could be an early version of the blade-like official Assassin’s insignia. Which makes us wonder even more about the idea that this game will tell a story of the brotherhood that pre-dates even the Hidden Ones. We saw where the origins of where the term Eagle Vision came from with Bayek, which could make up the wing-like base of the symbol, now we could see the origins of the hidden blade which tops it. We’ve explained our thoughts on this a little more. 

New heroes

According to Kotaku reports, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will feature entirely new heroes. Not only that, they’ll be male and female, and players will be able to choose which protagonist they play. It’s not clear whether or not Bayek and Aya will make a reappearance in this game but if it is a direct sequel, we’d expect to hear about them in some form. 

Being able to choose between a male and a female protagonist would certainly suit a Spartan setting since it seems that women had a lot more freedom in ancient Sparta compared to other Greek states of the time. 

It’ll bring even more gameplay changes than Origins

It’s also been reported by Kotaku that Odyssey will take the RPG changes made in Origins even further, aiming for more Witcher-like gameplay. As we’ve said above, it’s being said that players will have a choice of two protagonists but it’s also suggested that dialogue options will come to the series for the very first time 

What we want to see from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

More naval battles

There are rumors that naval battles will make a return to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and we’d love to see that happen. If the game is set in ancient Greece then any kind of naval warfare would be very different from what we saw in Black Flag, but that would make it feel far more fresh. 

More varied missions

Assassin’s Creed Origins did a better job of giving us reasons to explore its open map than any other Assassin’s Creed game thanks to its side quests, but we’d love to see a little more variety in the next release. While Origins made the effort to introduce these quests with more interesting and varied characters, we’d also like to see a little more variety in the mission design. Often the side quests in Origins had different stories behind them, but the solution was one of a small range of things, from invading an enemy camp to rescuing someone.

We’ve heard that Ubisoft is trying to be a little more Witcher-like with this release and that suggests we might just get what we’re wishing for. 

Refined combat

Assassin’s Creed Origins overhauled the series’ combat for the better, but we’d like to see it refined a little more for Odyssey. If the game does revolve around the highly militarized Spartans, we’re hoping we’ll see a combat style that’s a little tighter and more controlled than the more loose movements we saw in Origins. 

http://www.techradar.com/news/assassins-creed-odyssey-release-date-news-and-trailers

The Samsung Galaxy S10 has the potential to be the most exciting phone of 2019, but only if the company makes some changes.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 range is strong, but not 5 stars strong, and we’re going to need to see some big changes for the brand to stay on top, especially in the face of fiercer competition from the likes of Apple and Huawei.

We don’t know much about the Galaxy S10 yet, but we are starting to hear a few rumors, all of which you’ll find below.

And below that you’ll find a wish list of the main things we want from the phone, including an in-screen fingerprint scanner and a new design. The good news is that if early rumors are to be believed we might get at least one of those things.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Samsung’s next main flagship
• What will it cost? It’s sure to be very expensive
• When is it out? Probably early 2019

Samsung Galaxy S10 release date and price

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is likely to launch in early 2019. More specifically we might see it in January at CES 2019, if one rumor is to be believed. That takes place from January 8-11.

Failing that, it might land at MWC 2019, as Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 range at MWC 2018.

Next year’s show takes place from February 25-29, so mark it in your calendar if you’re eager to see what’s next from the S range.

Samsung doesn’t always announce its Galaxy S flagships there, but recent models have all been announced in the first few months of the year, so we’d be surprised if we don’t see the Samsung Galaxy S10 by the end of March 2019. Of course, whenever it is announced you might not be able to buy it straight away.

When it does go on sale it’s sure to cost a lot. There aren’t any price rumors yet but the Galaxy S9 launched at $719.99 / £739 / AU$1,199, while the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus went on sale for $840 / £869 / AU$1,349, so we’d expect the Galaxy S10 range will cost at least that much.

Samsung Galaxy S10 news and rumors

We haven’t heard much about the Samsung Galaxy S10 yet, but one thing that we have heard is that it might have an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

A report claims that it will use an ultrasonic Qualcomm scanner, and that Samsung has felt pressured to include one due to the fact that Vivo and Huawei both now have phones on the market with in-screen scanners.

That’s in line with an earlier rumor, stating that while an in-screen scanner wouldn’t be ready in time for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, it would be ready by sometime next year, making the Samsung Galaxy S10 a candidate for one.

But Samsung might go even further and also put the speakers in the screen, as just such a display has been shown off by Samsung Display, according to OLED Info.

Another change could be the camera, as an analyst reckons Samsung is considering a triple-lens one for the Samsung Galaxy S10, along with a 3D sensor for augmented reality content. 

Analyst chatter isn’t always that reliable, but it would make sense if Samsung wants to compete with the Huawei P20 Pro and the rumored triple-lens iPhone.

We’ve also heard talk that Samsung might rename the range, launching the next model as the Samsung Galaxy X rather than the Galaxy S10. That might sound unlikely, but Koh Dong-jin, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, has been quoted as saying that “we have been thinking about whether we need to maintain the S moniker or the numbering system” so it’s possible.

We also have an idea of what might be powering the Samsung Galaxy S10, as it’s reportedly going to use the unannounced Snapdragon 855 (at least in some regions). This is said to be a 7nm chipset, which is smaller and likely both more powerful and more efficient than the Snapdragon 845 found in many of 2018’s flagships.

The 855 is also said to be capable of supporting theoretical download speeds of up to 2Gbps, up from 1.2Gbps on the Galaxy S9 – though don’t expect to get speeds anywhere near this in the real world. Still, it could be a big upgrade.

What we want to see

As good as the Samsung Galaxy S9 is, it’s also rather too similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8, so we hope Samsung changes things up for the S10. Here’s what we want to see.

1. A new design

The Samsung Galaxy S9 looks almost identical to the Galaxy S8, so it’s high time we got a new design from the South Korean company.

Whether that means a notch, a new material or even a foldable phone we’ll leave to Samsung, but we want to see something new.

2. Dual or triple-lens cameras on both models

While the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus has a dual-lens camera, the standard Galaxy S9 only has a single-lens one. For the Galaxy S10 we want both models to have two lenses, or better yet, three. After all, the Huawei P20 Pro has landed with exactly that to stunning effect.

Samsung’s been delivering top smartphone cameras for a while now, but this year it has some real competition from Huawei, so for the Galaxy S10 we want to see it take steps to get ahead.

The good news is that a triple-lens camera has already been rumored, though it’s not clear whether both the normal and Plus versions of the S10 would get it.

3. An in-screen fingerprint scanner

In-screen fingerprint scanners have been rumored for various Samsung phones and the Galaxy S10 is no exception, but now that other companies have launched commercially available handsets with them we might finally see Samsung roll one out.

Having a scanner in the screen means it doesn’t need to take up space on the front or be awkwardly placed on the back, plus it looks high-tech enough to make owners of other phones jealous.

4. More vibrant photos

While the overall quality of photos taken by the Samsung Galaxy S9 is very high, some lack vibrancy and a few are also more washed out than we’d have expected or liked. This is especially true when there’s background light, so we’d like the Samsung Galaxy S10 to be able to cope with this better.

5. Improved AR Emoji

AR Emoji were one of the more hyped features of the Galaxy S9 range, but they were also one of the least impressive aspects of these phones.

There are a few reasons for this. Beyond their inherently gimmicky nature it can also be hard to create one that looks like you, and when recording a video of yourself using the emoji, the camera’s facial recognition isn’t powerful enough to do it justice.

While AR Emoji will probably never be an essential feature, if Samsung’s going to keep using them we’d like to see them at least rival Apple’s Animoji next time around.

6. Better battery life

Battery life is one thing that doesn’t improve with each new phone generation. In fact, sometimes it gets worse. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus you’re only really looking at a day of life.

And while that might generally be okay for anyone who doesn’t mind plugging their phone in every night, it’s worth remembering that the battery will start to wear out over time, so a day of life when you buy the phone means less than a day a year or two on.

As such we really want to see improvements to the battery in the Galaxy S10, whether that’s through a larger unit than the frankly small 3,000mAh one in the Galaxy S9, or just through more efficient hardware and software.

7. A totally bezel-free look

We’ve said already that we want a new design from the Galaxy S10, but what we’d really like is a complete absence of bezels. As in no notch either, just an all-screen front.

We’re not expecting this, not least because it would presumably mean building the camera and sensors into the screen, but it’s possible and would surely be less ambitious than a foldable phone, which we might also get from Samsung in 2019.

http://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s10

Google hasn’t said much about Android tablets for a while now, and as Android Police spotted, it’s now taken the Tablets section off the official Android website. If you want Google’s mobile OS on a tablet-sized device, you’ll have to look elsewhere for now.

Even before Google pulled the Tablets section, it wasn’t getting much attention – the devices listed included older hardware like the Nvidia Shield tablet and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. Now the plug has officially been pulled, at least as far as the Android website goes anyway.

Android will still work on tablets as normal, and you can still pick up some very decent hardware like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 and the Amazon Fire HD 10. Google’s last proper effort at an Android tablet was the Pixel C, launched in 2015.

Chrome OS to the rescue

With Android app support now widely available on Chromebooks, it looks as though that’s where Google sees the future of these bigger mobile devices – this year we’ve seen the first Chromebook tablets appear, like the Acer Chromebook Tab 10.

These devices give you all your favorite Android apps on a tablet-sized screen, with the benefit of a full web browser running underneath, so it makes sense for Google to ditch the Android tablet idea in favor of a Chrome OS/Android hybrid. After a shaky start, Chromebook support for Android apps is now pretty solid.

No reference tablet device has been provided for Android P either, so it looks like the era of the pure Android tablet is over. Google will continue to take on the iPad with Android – it’s just going to use Chrome OS tablets to do it.

http://www.techradar.com/news/googles-website-shake-up-shows-its-giving-up-on-android-tablets