Month: September 2016

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This year marks the 25th anniversary of Sid Meier’s Civilization. It’s an important milestone for a series that has shaped the strategy genre in countless ways over the last quarter-century. The release of Civilization VI is the next big step, and after 2014’s good-but-not-outstanding Civilization: Beyond Earth, which felt more like a spinoff than a sequel, expectations are high.

The good news is that in the 15 hours and several hundred turns I've poured into a pre-release version of the game—which features all of the structural and mechanical features from the retail release, half of the game’s 20 distinct civilisations, a comprehensive list of different map types, three map sizes, and two game speeds—Civ VI is already very good indeed. It might even be the most in-depth Civilization game to date.

Sure is purdy

Of course, the most recognisable change is the art style. While Civ VI retains the functional hex-grid structure introduced by Civ V, developer Firaxis has dropped the more realistic look, redesigning everything with brighter colours and cartoonish characters more similar to those in Civilization Revolution. The results are absolutely gorgeous, and while I’m sure the visuals will divide opinion, I’d argue Firaxis has picked the better-looking of the two aesthetic approaches. The game has a real sense of flair, and screenshots really haven’t done it justice—it looks beautiful in motion.

(credit: DeclanTM)

A new Ethernet standard that allows for up to 2.5Gbps over normal Cat 5e cables (the ones you probably have in your house) has been approved by the IEEE. The standard—formally known as IEEE 802.3bz-2016, 2.5G/5GBASE-T, or just 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet—also allows for up to 5Gbps over Cat 6 cabling.

The new standard was specifically designed to bridge the copper-twisted-pair gap between Gigabit Ethernet (1Gbps), which is currently the fastest standard for conventional Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, which can do 10Gbps but requires special Cat 6a or 7 cabling. Rather impressively work only began on the new standard at the end of 2014, which gives you some idea of how quickly the powers that be wanted to push this through.

The current mix of Cat 5e, 6, 6a, and 7a Ethernet outlets. (credit: NBASE-T Alliance)

While Cat 6a and 7 are growing in popularity, the vast majority of homes, offices, and institutions use Cat 5e and Cat 6—and upgrading the cabling would be very expensive indeed. A wired 1Gbps connection is still fairly adequate for a single PC user, of course—but over the last few years, with the explosion of high-speed Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet is now one of the bottlenecks. For example, the top end of the 802.11ac spec eventually calls for a total aggregate capacity of around 6.5Gbps; even current consumer 802.11ac gear, which maxes out at around 1.3 or 1.6Gbps, is running up against the limits of GigE.

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Despite its consistency over the years, there's always been something missing in FIFA. Drill past the flawlessly recreated stadiums and the blemish-perfect faces, past the stacks of Ultimate Team cards and officially licensed boots and, no matter how deep you go, you never come across anything close to a footballing soul. There's plenty of opportunity to spend money and ogle celebrity players, but remove the glitz and glamour, and the passion for the sport—the love of the game itself—is sorely missing.

It's often easier to win fans by creating a spectacle than it is by playing the best football, and FIFA 17 continues this tradition with the inclusion of The Journey. An attempt at recreating the kind of athlete-focused narrative that 2K's NBA franchise has had for years, The Journey tells the story of young prodigy Alex Hunter and his bid to become a superstar.

You get to choose what Hunter says to the media, his manager, and a recurring rival. Your choices lead to small alterations in how other characters view you, but the core plot beats remain fixed no matter what you do. As such, there sometimes exists an enormous disconnect between your actions and the resultant outcome. Even if you outscore everyone in the team when you're on the pitch you won't be treated with the kind of respect such a feat deserves until you've hit the relevant narrative milestone.

Video shot/edited by Jennifer Hahn. (video link)

Sony's Xperia X Compact is basically the newest version of the Z5 Compact that hit the US earlier this year. But just because it's a newer version of the (comparatively) tiny handset doesn't mean it's an upgrade in every way. Sony is pushing the camera sensors in the X Compact and the flagship-level XZ, as well as new features like five-axis image stabilization and HDR photo mode. Sony knows cameras, so we know the shooter in the X Compact will at least be competent. However, it has to be good enough to encourage photography buffs to shell out $499 for this unlocked handset while delivering solid performance across the board as well.

Look and feel

The X Compact is cut from the same cloth as the Z5 Compact. It's a little brick-like handset that measures 5.0 x 2.56 x 0.37-inches, and its diminutiveness at first struck me as cute, but then became somewhat frustrating. My daily smartphone is an iPhone 6—not even the big 6 Plus—and everything about the X Compact felt small to me. I became frustrated with things like the onscreen keyboard in particular; my fingers would often miss keys or hit the wrong ones while typing out messages at my normal texting speed. But size is a matter of taste, and the X Compact's smallness is part of the point—I like something a little bigger, but if you want a smaller Android phone, this is still one of just a few options.