2021 - Looking Ahead: The future is here

High-speed, 5G Internet and Hitman in VR, 2021 promises a lot of upgrades in technology and games

Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon was one of those classic games that you just needed to play on the PS4. This year, we will see the next installment in the series. We once again join Aloy as she explores the Forbidden West. You will encounter new tribes and heal the world which is heading into another extinction. The Open World for this game will be bigger than the last. It will feature lush forests, sunken cities and new dangers that will challenge Aloy every step of the way.

Hitman 3

Our favourite assassin Agent 47 will be back this year with some ingenious ways to kill his target. This is the conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy, and it promises to be better than the previous two games. Not only that, players can play all the locations from Hitman 1 and 2, provided they have the game. You can even carry forward your progress from Hitman 2 directly into the new game. There is also talk of being able to play the entire game in VR, which should be interesting if you have the requisite gear.

Snapdragon 888

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 will be the powerhouse of choice for most flagships this year. It comes with several nifty features. In the camera department, it can support 4K recording and playback at 120FPS, it could also capture 4K footage from up to three cameras on the phone at the same time. For gaming, the chip will support 144hz at 144fps. Not to mention 5G support, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. All this, while improving battery life.

Starlink

Starlink is Elon Musk's Internet venture that will provide high-speed Internet to you via satellite, no matter where you are. The service is capable of providing speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. Of course, there is no word on the pricing structure for India. For North America, where it is being rolled out in phases, the price is $99 a month with an upfront payment for the necessary equipment. There are reports that they will be rolling out the service to the rest of the world next year. Musk is already in talks with the Indian government to get regulatory approval by the middle of this year. Fingers crossed, that it will happen and the pricing is a little more aggressive here, than it is in the US.

Gran Turismo 7

The beautiful car simulation will come out with its seventh edition this year, bringing its 22 years' experience to the game with hyperrealistic classic vehicles and tracks from its rich history in this version. You can tune, customise and improve your driving skills through this entire game. Bonus points to you if you also have a force feedback steering set.

Hogwarts Legacy

Potterheads will love this one, though your chances of encountering Harry will be slim at best. Hogwarts Legacy is a new RPG that will have you playing a student wizard in the 1800s. You are, of course, special because you are one of the rare people that can use ancient magic. Will you use this for good or for sinister purposes? That decision rests on you. You will get to participate in everyday life at Hogwarts, craft potions, cast spells and battle dark wizards.

Under display cameras

The ZTE Axon 20 phone last year hid the camera behind the screen. This year, be prepared for more phones letting go of the ugly notches in favour of under-screen cameras. I, for one, am happy to see it go. The technology behind the disappearing camera is pretty neat. There is a highly transparent display, some software magic and a specialised chip that controls the screen and camera to function while the screen runs as usual.

5G

Expect most of the crop of new cellphones to rock 5G. This is probably for the best because in a recent news report, JIO revealed plans to roll out its 5G services in the second half of this year. So, what does 5G mean to us mere mortals? For us, it means faster internet while on the move, 5G is supposed to be 20 times faster than 4G. Think 20Gbps as opposed to 1Gbps 4G offers. The new spectrum will have the capacity for more devices, which means fewer call drops and greater connectivity, even in a crowded place. This much bandwidth will also allow for autonomous vehicles and drones.

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite will have players stepping into the shoes of Master Chief again as he battles his most deadly foe. The game will serve as the starting point for the next series of Halo games. This one will have a brand-new game engine that will not only provide a better-looking game, but a much bigger campaign to explore. From the gameplay videos shown off last year, the game certainly seems like it will deliver on its promise.

AMD's answer to Apple's M1

Apple threw a curveball with its Apple Silicon for computers this year. With their energy-efficient M1 doling out great performance while sipping on power. Apple achieved this performance by integrating all the components of a computer, RAM, processor and graphics on a single system on a chip design (SOC). Other chipmakers not to be left behind, will soon announce their SOC, possibly in the next few months. Rumours are that AMD is already ready to showcase these chips, both with and without integrated RAM. It should be interesting to see what the results are, and especially interesting to see if Windows will rise to the occasion and give us some alternatives.

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