News

Saudi Arabia Plans To Swap Oil Production For Gaming

The Kingdom is going all in with a massive new game development program.

Published

2 years ago

April 8, 2023

Nour Nasir

saudi arabia plans to swap oil production for gaming

Gamers8

As Saudi Arabia rapidly transitions from an oil-reliant economy, the government has begun investing in several tech-centric and sustainable projects. With a disproportionately young population, 21 million of which are gamers, officials have recently decided to stake $38 billion on building a local gaming industry from scratch.

The Savvy Games Group — a subsidiary of the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — will help Saudi Arabia develop and publish its game titles while building a home-grown gaming ecosystem in the capital, Riyadh.

Also Read: DDoS Attacks Are A Growing Threat In Gaming

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has already invested billions of dollars into the likes of Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and Tencent. In a recent interview with Bloomberg News, the CEO of Savvy, Brian Ward, said that the company would look for opportunities to “work together on publishing in (the Middle East and North Africa), run their Esports businesses, or develop new IP together”.

The PIF’s recent round of acquisitions and an extensive portfolio of investments suggest that Saudi Arabia will continue on its aggressive mission to play alongside industry giants such as Microsoft and Sony.

News

Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent

According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.

Published

2 days ago

December 4, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung smart glasses teased for january software reveal imminent

Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.

As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.

Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.

Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024

The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.

A Collaborative Software Effort

Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.

Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.

Feature Set And Compatibility

The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.