VR Tech Times

The MT-03 is Yamaha’s first twin-cylinder naked bike in India since the OG MT-01. In fact, that’s where its name comes from, but the abbreviation MT translates to something a little different on the smaller current-gen 03, which we will come back to. Instead, let's start with the way this bike looks.   Yamaha MT 03 design The design language is clear to see, and while the MT-07, MT-09 and MT-10 have all taken different approaches, the 03 is quite similar to the MT-15 we have here. You’ve got the same theme with a central projector headlamp flanked by a set of sharp LED DRLs. But to my eyes, this bike has a sleeker, angrier look, and there’s a small spoiler on either side of the projector that adds to the dynamic look.   The rest of the silhouette is similar to the MT-15, but the 03 has broader shoulders and a nice wide fuel tank. This tank effectively makes up for the big difference in how the MT feels next to the R3 and it comes across as larger and wider, but still h...

Jusant is all about climbing a mountain, and Don’t Nod’s superb execution of this premise has propelled this small, meditative adventure to stand among the year’s finest titles. In my review , I wrote that the game’s “ingenious climbing system, beautiful art direction, and intriguing world-building, inching toward the top is worth the effort.” That effort can be attributed to Don’t Nod honing in on the game’s central mechanic, climbing, and building a fascinating world and lore around it. I spoke to the game’s lead designer, Sofiane Saheb, and art director, Edouard Caplain, to better understand how Don’t Nod spent over three years bringing Jusant to life.  Caplain statesJusant’s development began after Don’t Nod finished work on Life is Strange 2. After releasing another narrative-heavy experience with heavy, often depressing themes, the small team was eager to tackle something more lighthearted, smaller, and, most of all, different from the studio’s usual output. Don’t Nod turne...

We found out last August that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024, but a new teaser gave us another glimpse at its newest star: Shadow the Hedgehog. I saw “another” because Shadow briefly appears during Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ’s mid-credits scene, setting him up as presumably the antagonist of the third film. While we still don’t know his exact role or who will voice him, today’s image, posted above, provides a good look at Shadow below the neck (does he have a neck?), namely his signature air shoes.  Off and RUNNING. #SonicMovie3 Only in theatres December 20, 2024 pic.twitter.com/BUIlurNIC0 — Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) November 29, 2023 Production on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had stalled due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, and today’s update confirms that work has resumed following the strike's suspension. Jeff Fowler remains in the director’s chair, and the returning cast includes Ben Schwartz (Sonic), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Tails), Idris Elb...

Remakes tend to be more exciting than remasters because the improvements often go beyond mere bumps in resolution or framerate. At best, studios reimagine classic experiences in exciting new ways, sand away rough edges, and somehow retain the intangible x-factors that made fans fall in love with these titles in the first place. At the very least, remakes offer a great way to play antiquated or less accessible experiences on modern hardware.  The remake boom has been in full swing in recent years to the point that it’s starting to get tough to keep track of all the projects in the works. Thankfully, we’ve gathered as many of the announced remakes ( not remasters ) that we could find and gathered them in one neat list, arranged chronologically by release window. This will be an evolving list that will be updated as new remakes are announced and released, so be sure to keep an eye on it over the coming months.  Persona 3 Reload Release: February 2 Persona 3 is t...

With the  C3  and  C3 Aircross ,  Citroen  in India has tried its hand at core mass segments – the hatchback and the midsize SUV. The French automaker’s forthcoming product, however, will be a bit of a niche one. The  upcoming C3X  will be a notchback sedan sporting a high-riding stance and SUV-like design cues, and it has once again been spied testing, though draped in heavy camouflage. Citroen C3X to measure nearly 4.3 metres in length Will be offered with brand’s familiar 1.2 turbo-petrol motor Will spawn an EV derivative as well Citroen C3X to stand out among rivals The C3X's most distinctive element will be its styling, as no mass-market model currently has a notchback body style, let alone one that is combined with SUV-like design traits. Seen mostly with luxury cars such as the  Mercedes-Benz EQS  or  Porsche Panamera , this body style was first introduced in India in the early 2000s, with models such as the Hyundai A...

Crossover skins are extremely commonplace for in-game stores in 2023, and Among Us is no different. Their latest collaborative effort introduces skins from a list of popular indie games ; Undertale, Celeste, A Hat in Time, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Untitled Goose Game, Alien Hominid Invasion, and Castle Crashers. The cosmetics from all seven games will be included in a Cosmicube, which can be purchased with 7000 beans. The crossover includes 25 hats, 18 skins, 12 nameplates, 9 visors, and 6 pets. You can see a gallery of the featured skins below.   The update will also include a series of patches ( which you can read right here ) and will notably deprecate 2021 versions of the game, pushing players to use updated versions instead. "We’ve been supporting a lot of older versions of the game, and as it continues to grow and get new features, it gets harder to keep up," the patch notes read. "We have to remove older versions so we can focus on improvin...

Last month, something odd happened in the streets of Gotham. With no prior announcement or fanfare, people booting up Batman: Arkham Knight were greeted with a skin from 2022's The Batman starring Robert Pattinson . But then, as quickly as it appeared, it was removed, all without comment from the developers. While we still don't know exactly why the skin was added accidentally, we know exactly why it was created: it's a timed-exclusive suit launching with the Batman: Arkham Trilogy on Switch. The collection brings Rocksteady's beloved trio of Batman games to Nintendo's hybrid console, complete with all previously released DLC. The trilogy will also include the aforementioned suit from The Batman,  but it won't be limited to the Switch forever – other platforms will get access to the suit "at a later date." Game Informer , much like the rest of the gaming community, is a big fan of the trilogy, with all three games appearing on our  list of best su...

The current subsidy framework for electric two-wheelers needs to be revamped as it distorts the demand pattern, said Eric Vas, president of Bajaj Auto's EV division. This was while speaking at the India EV Conclave organised by our sister publication Autocar Professional with the government of Tamil Nadu.  Vas feels subsidy is a ‘very slippery slope’ and is ‘extremely dangerous’ to the industry for a couple of reasons. "As Bajaj Auto, I would say, the earlier they remove it, the better. Let water find its level. The way the FAME subsidy is currently structured is around the battery size. It has forced too much development of a particular kind. Is this good or bad, I think time will tell. There is no way of proving it right now," Vas said. The government provides a demand subsidy for electric two-wheelers under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-II) scheme. The subsidy amounts to Rs 10,000 per kWh, capped at 15 per...

Since premiering in late October, Five Nights at Freddy’s has become a big box-office success. It’s already the highest-grossing horror film of 2023, and it has now become horror production company Blumhouse’s highest-grossing film of all time. The film adaptation of the popular 2014 horror game hit theaters on October 27, grossing a strong $80 million in its opening weekend, the best for any horror film this year. That’s even more impressive given that it premiered on the streaming service Peacock the same day it was released in theaters (becoming the most-watched title on Peacock during its first five days).  Five Nights At Freddy’s has   continued to gain traction over the past few weeks and has now grossed over $295 million ($136 million domestically, $160 million overseas) during the month it's been in theaters. That ranks it at the top of Blumhouse’s highest-performing films, a record previously held by M.Night Shyamalan’s Split , while also climbing over top perfor...

Chinese company ByteDance is best known for its ownership of TikTok, the international video platform, but it owns a number of other companies as well. One of those companies is Nuverse, a game publisher best known in the West for its work on Marvel Snap. Fans of the superhero card-battler had reason for concern this morning, as an article from Reuters reported that ByteDance had plans to leave the gaming space entirely, with intentions to "divest from titles already launched." This seemed to spell doom for Marvel Snap. However, the official Marvel Snap X account issued a statement today that this would not be the case. Dear SNAPPERS, Some of our players have expressed their concerns regarding reported structural changes at Nuverse. We wish to thank you for your concern and assure you that regardless of any changes at Nuverse, SNAP will continue to operate and flourish in the future! — MARVEL SNAP (@MARVELSNAP) November 27, 2023 Dear SNAPPERS, Some of our players ha...

In a race that saw one-third of the field crash out, Francesco Bagnaia stood on the top step of the podium and retained his World Champion status as title rival Jorge Martin crashed out. Qatar GP winner Fabio Di Giannantonio finished second on track, but a three second post-race penalty for a tyre pressure infringement demoted him to fourth place. This promoted Johann Zarco to second and Brad Binder to third. Bagnaia first Ducati rider to win back-to-back world titles Martin 39 points behind Martin crashes out of Valencia GP and title battle After a three-place grid penalty pushed poleman Maverick Vinales down to the second row, Bagnaia was promoted to the front of the grid. Starting the race from pole position, he managed to get a good start and keep Martin behind him. In an incident similiar to what we saw just last week at the Qatar GP, Martin got sucked in at the end of the start/finish straight and ran wide, which dropped him outside of the top five. Martin was quick to ...

Max Verstappen has wrapped up a record-breaking 2023 F1 season with 19 wins from 22 races. While the drivers’ and constructors’ titles had already been decided some time ago, Mercedes and Ferrari headed into the Abu Dhabi GP still battling it out for P2. A penalty for Sergio Perez ended up giving Mercedes enough points to defeat Ferrari in that battle. Verstappen wins, 17.993 secs from Leclerc Mercedes defeats Ferrari by three points Final F1 race for Alfa Romeo Verstappen takes comfortable Abu Dhabi GP win In typical fashion, Verstappen converted pole position into a comfortable victory, 17.993 secs ahead of Leclerc. With this, the Red Bull driver now has the third most wins (54) in F1 history, behind only Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91). “It was a bit emotional on the in-lap, the last time I was sitting in the car that has, of course, given me a lot. I’m very proud to win here and also at the last race. I have to say a big thank you to Red Bull, it’s just be...

The last Audi TT has rolled off the assembly line at the brand’s Gyor plant in Hungary. This marks the end of production of the two-door sportscar, of which 6,62,762 units have been made globally since February 18, 1998. In the over 25-year span, Audi has come out with three generations – the original model was previewed at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show and went on sale in international markets in 1998 – a convertible body style (shown in concept form at the 1995 Tokyo Motor show), and more than a few facelifts, special editions and ‘final’ editions. Last TT produced is a 306hp TTS Coupe TT name derived from legendary Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man Third-gen TT Coupe was on sale in India from 2015-2019 The last TT model to be produced is a TTS Coupe – the one with the 306hp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that used to propel the sportscar to 100kph in 4.5 seconds. Audi had announced the end of production of the TT in February 2023 and has yet to reveal if the nam...

After having run wonderfully well for nearly its entire duration with us, the Ather 450X Gen 3 is unfortunately returning to its maker on the back of a flatbed, having thrown up a rather unusual glitch at the end of its tenure. As described in our previous report, the scooter downloads and installs updates overnight, but only completes the process the next time you turn the scooter on. Having returned from 10 days outside the country, I turned the Ather’s key on to be greeted with a message about the scooter completing an update. However, after remaining on this screen for about 5 minutes, the scooter then delivered a message saying that the update could not be completed, following which the TFT display showed the regular home screen. A glitch during an OTA update has left the scooter immobile. When trying to put the scooter into a forward riding mode, it refused to cooperate. The process to start riding involves simultaneously pressing a brake lever and the starter button. But ...

Google has patented a new feature that will help users to navigate familiar territory easily by tracking regularly visited places and incorporating it into navigation. The app currently supports the personalisation of favourite landmarks and frequently visited locations. But with the patented feature, Google Maps can use these landmarks to help you navigate your way around already territories.  An example could be that once a supermarket that you regularly visit is added as a personalised landmark, the location can be integrated into your navigation instructions with the software saying things like “turn left after the supermarket”. While this additional feature will be able to aid with orientation while navigating, it will only really be useful in places that you already have visited or are already familiar with. Earlier this year, Google updated Android Auto to allow for web browsing and the support of apps like  Amazon Prime Video and Zoom, among others. Source ...

Between the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and BMW X3, which is the better chauffeur-driven SUV? The car will be primarily used within the city for 20km daily. My priorities are a comfortable backseat and good suspension. Monika, Mumbai Autocar India says:  The Volvo's front seats are very comfortable and it is best equipped, whereas the BMW X3 is sportier to drive. But for your usage, the Q5 is the one to consider - its backseat is comfiest, space is plenty and the suspension is on the softer side so it absorbs road shocks rather well. You could also consider the Jaguar F-Pace, which is a bit more expensive but feels larger than all these cars, and offers a pleasant backseat experience too. Also See: 2021 Audi Q5 facelift India review, test drive 2021 Audi Q5 facelift India video review BMW X3 facelift review: Old wine in a new bottle 2022 BMW X3 video review 2021 Volvo XC60 facelift review, test drive 2021 Volvo XC60 facelift video review         from Au...

Favourite – something you always return to. Something you enjoy, over and over and over again. That car for me is Skoda’s Slavia 1.5 TSI. Put simply, it’s a car I always get back to after having driven something else, a car that ticks a large number of my ‘must-have’ boxes. The Slavia ’s always been a car that has super-strong fundamentals. Power, performance, refinement, ride and handling, and a tough build... tick, tick, tick, tick. And what makes it net the ball is that it also comes with a great combination of frills. It gets a class-leading, subwoofer-equipped audio system (a feature I use all the time), crystal-clear phone connectivity, a bright and clear touchscreen and cooled seats. And, of course, the manual gearbox and well-weighted steering elevate the driving experience.   It isn’t panoramic, but it’s big, and in the right conditions, quite a treat. Wish I had an automatic today however. Ahead of me is a long line of cars inching forward, bumper to bumper. To...