MishiPay

mishipay

Isha Varshney with Rosette Belesi, Product Marketing Director at Opera, at OpenFi discussing "Building, Scaling & Enhancing MiniPay to Onboard African Users to Web3." Photo by Benjamin Arthur, courtesy of IdOS. During EthCC, I had a chance to catch up with Isha Varshney, Head of Ecosystem at the Celo Foundation, who has extensive experience in decentralized finance and global financial inclusion initiatives. Given the main criticism around EthCC that “there are more side events than dApps,” we focused our conversation on building for the real world and MiniPay, a Celo-based app that has seen significant success in Africa with over 3 million wallet activations across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Isha, how are you enjoying EthCC? Any key themes you’re noticing? EthCC has been incredible. Some of the major themes revolve around Layer 2 solutions. Last Sunday, core contributors cLabs launched the Celo Layer 2testnet, Dango. It's exciting to see the momentum as Celo migrates to join the OP Stack, a modular blockchain architecture. We also participated in several events with Superchain and the OP Stack team, bringing together incredible builders. It's thrilling to see so many talented teams and individuals joining this ecosystem. What are the biggest challenges in bringing Web3 to the mainstream? Is there still a big gap? Yes and no. We're still in the early stages of Web3 and crypto. Much of the technology is highly technical and not immediately relevant to the everyday person—like my mom or friends who might not understand concepts like intents. However, these building blocks are crucial for the technology's development and interoperability. The work we're doing now is laying the foundation for the future. In about five years, we hope to abstract crypto away from everyday users, making it seamlessly integrated into their lives. We're at an exciting juncture where we're building the infrastructure that will soon bring Web3 to the mainstream. Building for users’ current needs and behaviors is a crucial component of this—and that means building for mobile devices. With roughly ¾ of the world’s population owning smartphones, far more than the population that has access to a computer, and financial activity increasingly being conducted by mobile devices, it’s necessary that we build mobile-first. This is what excites me about so many projects in the Celo ecosystem that are developing solutions to everyday challenges that users can incorporate into their daily lives. What are the key elements needed to build the next great decentralized application (dApp)? We're not thinking enough about everyday usability in this space. Interacting with crypto can be complicated and intimidating. For example, using most crypto wallets involves signing transactions and dealing with private keys, public keys, and wallet addresses, which are not exactly user-friendly. One solution to address this is SocialConnect, a primitive developed for Celo that allows users to leverage their phone numbers as their wallet addresses. This kind of simplicity is crucial. We need more technology like that to onboard the next billion users. For crypto and Web3 to go mainstream, it has to be easy and intuitive for users. When you talk to people who aren't in Web3, they often find it speculative and scary. What we need next is to remove these frictions and make it easy to understand. We're working on it and making progress in this space. MiniPay has seen amazing growth. Can you share its journey and what it does? The collaboration between Celo and Opera is fascinating. Opera, a browser with 100 million users across Africa, is pre-installed on every Android device. In Africa, Android devices are ubiquitous, and people primarily interact with technology through their phones. Opera initially gained popularity by providing some free data, which is costly in many African regions, enabling anyone to browse the internet for one or two hours daily, opening up access for many users. Celo’s ecosystem has always focused on real-world applications in these markets, so partnering with Opera was a natural fit. With their extensive distribution network, we integrated a wallet into the existing mobile Android browser used by millions, making it simple and accessible. We launched this wallet in September last year, rolling it out country by country. Starting in Nigeria, we now operate in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. We now have over 3 million users, onboarding a massive number of new users daily. The wallet is designed with a stablecoin-only interface and a user-friendly UI/UX, allowing users to sign in with their Google account, making it incredibly easy to use. Why is the stablecoin aspect important? Are stablecoins the perfect gateway to Web3? Absolutely. Stablecoins are vital because they offer a consistent value in contrast to the often volatile nature of other cryptocurrencies. In emerging economies, where local currencies can be deflationary, people are familiar with and trust the value of the US dollar. Stablecoins provide this reliability, making them an ideal entry point into Web3. They give users confidence that their money will hold its value, which is crucial in markets where per-wallet volumes aren't large and financial security is paramount. We started with the Celo Dollar (cUSD) in the wallet and recently expanded to include USDC from Circle and Tether’s USDT. The wallet's Pockets feature displays USDC, USDT, and cUSD in a simple, clean interface. Users can easily swap between these stablecoins by dragging and swapping from asset to asset—one of the only 1:1 stablecoin swap features on the market. The ease of use enhances accessibility while also bringing the experience of transacting with multiple stables to users who might be unfamiliar. What advice do you have for builders trying to create for the people? My experience with the Opera team has been incredible. They execute like no other team. They have over 1,000 ambassadors on the ground across all these markets and are constantly engaging with their ambassador network. This network helps onboard and troubleshoot with users, ensuring a smooth experience. Opera takes feedback and builds on it really well. For example, we started with only cUSD, and the feedback was that users were familiar with other stablecoins and wanted to be able to use them in MiniPay. So, we added those to the product, meeting users where they are. That's my message to builders: meet people where they are. If they're familiar with something, leverage that. It's already challenging enough, so let's not reinvent the wheel. With Celo, from day one, we've built for real-world use cases. Every step of the way, we've focused on building for practical applications, like microcredit in emerging markets with EthicHub or Haraka. We're committed to meeting users where they are and will continue to do so with MiniPay and all other projects. What’s one app you’d really like to see built next? Hmm, that’s a good one! I would love to see an all-in-one app similar to WeChat in China, which covers everything from payments to utilities. MiniPay is moving towards that vision for Africa with the inclusion of a Discover Page for the growing roster of integrated dApps. Imagine a single platform where you can handle all your needs using stablecoins or a corporate-backed currency. For instance, as frequent travelers, we constantly switch SIM cards. What if we could abstract that concept, not just for SIM cards but for all forms of payment? It would be fantastic to have a seamless payment experience, no matter where you are. If I’m in Brussels and from New York, I should be able to pay for everything with the same app. It would make managing finances and daily activities so much simpler and more convenient. Isha Varshney with Rosette Belesi, Product Marketing Director at Opera, at OpenFi discussing "Building, Scaling & Enhancing MiniPay to Onboard African Users to Web3." Photo by Benjamin Arthur, courtesy of IdOS. Isha Varshney with Rosette Belesi, Product Marketing Director at Opera, at OpenFi discussing "Building, Scaling & Enhancing MiniPay to Onboard African Users to Web3." Photo by Benjamin Arthur , courtesy of IdOS. Benjamin Arthur During EthCC, I had a chance to catch up with Isha Varshney, Head of Ecosystem at the Celo Foundation, who has extensive experience in decentralized finance and global financial inclusion initiatives. Given the main criticism around EthCC that “there are more side events than dApps,” we focused our conversation on building for the real world and MiniPay, a Celo-based app that has seen significant success in Africa with over 3 million wallet activations across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. During EthCC, I had a chance to catch up with Isha Varshney, Head of Ecosystem at the Celo Foundation, who has extensive experience in decentralized finance and global financial inclusion initiatives. Given the main criticism around EthCC that “there are more side events than dApps,” we focused our conversation on building for the real world and MiniPay, a Celo-based app that has seen significant success in Africa with over 3 million wallet activations across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. During EthCC, I had a chance to catch up with Isha Varshney , Head of Ecosystem at the Celo Foundation , who has extensive experience in decentralized finance and global financial inclusion initiatives. Given the main criticism around EthCC that “there are more side events than dApps,” we focused our conversation on building for the real world and MiniPay , a Celo-based app that has seen significant success in Africa with over 3 million wallet activations across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Isha Varshney Isha Varshney Celo Foundation Celo Foundation MiniPay MiniPay over 3 million wallet activations over 3 million wallet activations Isha, how are you enjoying EthCC? Any key themes you’re noticing? Isha, how are you enjoying EthCC? Any key themes you’re noticing? EthCC has been incredible. Some of the major themes revolve around Layer 2 solutions. Last Sunday, core contributors cLabs launched the Celo Layer 2testnet, Dango. It's exciting to see the momentum as Celo migrates to join the OP Stack, a modular blockchain architecture. We also participated in several events with Superchain and the OP Stack team, bringing together incredible builders. It's thrilling to see so many talented teams and individuals joining this ecosystem. What are the biggest challenges in bringing Web3 to the mainstream? Is there still a big gap? Yes and no. We're still in the early stages of Web3 and crypto. Much of the technology is highly technical and not immediately relevant to the everyday person—like my mom or friends who might not understand concepts like intents. However, these building blocks are crucial for the technology's development and interoperability. The work we're doing now is laying the foundation for the future. In about five years, we hope to abstract crypto away from everyday users, making it seamlessly integrated into their lives. We're at an exciting juncture where we're building the infrastructure that will soon bring Web3 to the mainstream. Building for users’ current needs and behaviors is a crucial component of this—and that means building for mobile devices. With roughly ¾ of the world’s population owning smartphones, far more than the population that has access to a computer, and financial activity increasingly being conducted by mobile devices, it’s necessary that we build mobile-first. This is what excites me about so many projects in the Celo ecosystem that are developing solutions to everyday challenges that users can incorporate into their daily lives. What are the key elements needed to build the next great decentralized application (dApp)? We're not thinking enough about everyday usability in this space. Interacting with crypto can be complicated and intimidating. For example, using most crypto wallets involves signing transactions and dealing with private keys, public keys, and wallet addresses, which are not exactly user-friendly. One solution to address this is SocialConnect, a primitive developed for Celo that allows users to leverage their phone numbers as their wallet addresses. This kind of simplicity is crucial. We need more technology like that to onboard the next billion users. For crypto and Web3 to go mainstream, it has to be easy and intuitive for users. When you talk to people who aren't in Web3, they often find it speculative and scary. What we need next is to remove these frictions and make it easy to understand. We're working on it and making progress in this space. MiniPay has seen amazing growth. Can you share its journey and what it does? The collaboration between Celo and Opera is fascinating. Opera, a browser with 100 million users across Africa, is pre-installed on every Android device. In Africa, Android devices are ubiquitous, and people primarily interact with technology through their phones. Opera initially gained popularity by providing some free data, which is costly in many African regions, enabling anyone to browse the internet for one or two hours daily, opening up access for many users. Celo’s ecosystem has always focused on real-world applications in these markets, so partnering with Opera was a natural fit. With their extensive distribution network, we integrated a wallet into the existing mobile Android browser used by millions, making it simple and accessible. We launched this wallet in September last year, rolling it out country by country. Starting in Nigeria, we now operate in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. We now have over 3 million users, onboarding a massive number of new users daily. The wallet is designed with a stablecoin-only interface and a user-friendly UI/UX, allowing users to sign in with their Google account, making it incredibly easy to use. Why is the stablecoin aspect important? Are stablecoins the perfect gateway to Web3? Absolutely. Stablecoins are vital because they offer a consistent value in contrast to the often volatile nature of other cryptocurrencies. In emerging economies, where local currencies can be deflationary, people are familiar with and trust the value of the US dollar. Stablecoins provide this reliability, making them an ideal entry point into Web3. They give users confidence that their money will hold its value, which is crucial in markets where per-wallet volumes aren't large and financial security is paramount. We started with the Celo Dollar (cUSD) in the wallet and recently expanded to include USDC from Circle and Tether’s USDT. The wallet's Pockets feature displays USDC, USDT, and cUSD in a simple, clean interface. Users can easily swap between these stablecoins by dragging and swapping from asset to asset—one of the only 1:1 stablecoin swap features on the market. The ease of use enhances accessibility while also bringing the experience of transacting with multiple stables to users who might be unfamiliar. Pockets feature Pockets feature What advice do you have for builders trying to create for the people? My experience with the Opera team has been incredible. They execute like no other team. They have over 1,000 ambassadors on the ground across all these markets and are constantly engaging with their ambassador network. This network helps onboard and troubleshoot with users, ensuring a smooth experience. Opera takes feedback and builds on it really well. For example, we started with only cUSD, and the feedback was that users were familiar with other stablecoins and wanted to be able to use them in MiniPay. So, we added those to the product, meeting users where they are. That's my message to builders: meet people where they are. If they're familiar with something, leverage that. It's already challenging enough, so let's not reinvent the wheel. With Celo, from day one, we've built for real-world use cases. Every step of the way, we've focused on building for practical applications, like microcredit in emerging markets with EthicHub or Haraka . We're committed to meeting users where they are and will continue to do so with MiniPay and all other projects. EthicHub EthicHub Haraka Haraka What’s one app you’d really like to see built next? Hmm, that’s a good one! I would love to see an all-in-one app similar to WeChat in China, which covers everything from payments to utilities. MiniPay is moving towards that vision for Africa with the inclusion of a Discover Page for the growing roster of integrated dApps. Imagine a single platform where you can handle all your needs using stablecoins or a corporate-backed currency. For instance, as frequent travelers, we constantly switch SIM cards. What if we could abstract that concept, not just for SIM cards but for all forms of payment? It would be fantastic to have a seamless payment experience, no matter where you are. If I’m in Brussels and from New York, I should be able to pay for everything with the same app. It would make managing finances and daily activities so much simpler and more convenient.

Successful dApps Make Web3 Invisible to Users, Says Celo’s Isha Varshney

সফল dApps Web3 ব্যবহারকারীদের কাছে অদৃশ্য করে তোলে, সেলোর ইশা ভার্শনি বলেছেন

Erfolgreiche dApps machen Web3 für Benutzer unsichtbar, sagt Isha Varshney von Celo

Las dApps exitosas hacen que Web3 sea invisible para los usuarios, dice Isha Varshney de Celo

Les dApps réussies rendent le Web3 invisible pour les utilisateurs, déclare Isha Varshney de Celo

सेलो की ईशा वार्ष्णेय का कहना है कि सफल dApps वेब3 को उपयोगकर्ताओं के लिए अदृश्य बना देते हैं

CeloのIsha Varshney氏は、成功したdAppsはWeb3をユーザーから見えなくする、と語る

Celo의 Isha Varshney는 성공적인 dApp으로 인해 Web3가 사용자에게 보이지 않게 된다고 말합니다.

DApps bem-sucedidos tornam a Web3 invisível para os usuários, afirma Isha Varshney da Celo

Успешные dApps делают Web3 невидимым для пользователей, говорит Иша Варшни из Celo

Celo'dan Isha Varshney, Başarılı dApp'lerin Web3'ü Kullanıcılara Görünmez Hale Getirdiğini Söyledi

Isha Varshney của Celo cho biết các dApp thành công khiến Web3 trở nên vô hình đối với người dùng

Celo 的 Isha Varshney 表示，成功的 dApp 让 Web3 对用户来说变得不可见

Author:
(1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com);
(2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com);
(3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com);
(4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction
Background and Related Work
Method
Results and Failure Cases
Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References 5 LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSION We have introduced a matte extraction approach using the deep image prior. The algorithm is simple, requiring only a few tens of lines of code modification to an existing U-net. Our approach is training-free and is thus particularly suitable for the diverse, few-ofa-kind subjects in entertainment video production. It also may be of intrinsic theoretical interest in terms of the nature and solution of the matte extraction problem. A further potential use would be to produce ground-truth mattes to be used for DL training. As is the case with many matting algorithms, it assumes coarse guidance in the form of a trimap or similar constraints. This can be created by the artist using readily available semi-automatic tools. Computational cost is the major limitation of the method, in common with classic methods [Levin et al. 2008]. Compute times for the examples shown in the paper are measured in minutes (but not hours) on a single previous generation Nvidia Volta GPU. This restricts the use of our algorithm to high-quality offline applications where extensive non-real-time computation is the norm, primarily movies and videos. On the other hand, the computation can take advantage of support for multiple GPUs provided in deep learning frameworks, and intermediate results can be visualized. Our method can produce temporally consistent matte extractions from video by warm-starting the optimization from the previous frame (see accompanying video), however in our experience this requires that the trimaps have smooth motion from frame-to-frame. A topic for future work is to consider recurrent or other network architectures that might make the trimap choice more forgiving. This paper has focused on introducing the DIP matting algorithm. There was relatively little architecture and parameter exploration, and further improvements may be possible. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS G.G. Heitmann, Peter Hillman, and Kathleen Beeler gave helpful insights and feedback. REFERENCES Adobe 2018. How to use Select Subject in Photoshop for One-Click Selections. https: //www.photoshopessentials.com Yagiz Aksoy, Tae-Hyun Oh, Sylvain Paris, Marc Pollefeys, and Wojciech Matusik. 2018. Semantic soft segmentation. ACM Trans. Graph. 37, 4 (2018). Godzilla vs. Cat 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7GsKFepDg. Mikhail Erofeev, Yury Gitman, Dmitriy Vatolin, Alexey Fedorov, and Jue Wang. 2015. Perceptually Motivated Benchmark for Video Matting. In British Machine Vision Conference. Yossi Gandelsman, Assaf Shocher, and Michal Irani. 2019. "Double-DIP": Unsupervised Image Decomposition via Coupled Deep-Image-Priors. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition Kaiming He, Christoph Rhemann, Carsten Rother, Xiaoou Tang, and Jian Sun. 2011. A global sampling method for alpha matting. Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition Kaiming He, Jian Sun, and Xiaoou Tang. 2010. Guided Image Filtering. In European Conf. Comp. Vision. G.G. Heitman. 2020. Communication from technical artist, Weta Digital Diederik P. Kingma and Jimmy Ba. 2015. Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization. In Int. Conf. Learning Representations. Anat Levin, Dani Lischinski, and Yair Weiss. 2008. A Closed-Form Solution to Natural Image Matting. IEEE Trans. PAMI 30, 2 (2008). Shanchuan Lin, Andrey Ryabtsev, Soumyadip Sengupta, Brian Curless, Steve Seitz, and Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman. 2020. Real-Time High-Resolution Background Matting. arXiv (2020). Y. A Mishima. 1992. Software Chromakeyer Using Polyhedric Slice. In NICOGRAPH. Christoph Rhemann, Carsten Rother, Jue Wang, Margrit Gelautz, Pushmeet Kohli, and Pamela Rott. 2009. A Perceptually Motivated Online Benchmark for Image Matting. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Olaf Ronneberger, Philipp Fischer, and Thomas Brox. 2015. U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation. MICCAI (2015). Mike Seymour. 2020. Art of LED Wall Virtual Production. fxguide.com. Yanan Sun, Chi-Keung Tang, and Yu-Wing Tai. 2021. Semantic Image Matting. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Dmitry Ulyanov, Andrea Vedaldi, and Victor Lempitsky. 2018. Deep Image Prior. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Jue Wang and Michael F. Cohen. 2007. Image and Video Matting: A Survey. Found. Trends Comput. Graph. Vis. 3, 2 (2007). Yong Xu, Baoling Liu, Yuhui Quan, and Hui Ji. 2022. Unsupervised Deep Background Matting Using Deep Matte Prior. IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol. (2022). This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. Author: (1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com); (2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com); (3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com); (4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Author: Author: (1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com); (2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com); (3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com); (4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction Background and Related Work Method Results and Failure Cases Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References Abstract and Introduction Abstract and Introduction Background and Related Work Background and Related Work Method Method Results and Failure Cases Results and Failure Cases Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References 5 LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSION We have introduced a matte extraction approach using the deep image prior. The algorithm is simple, requiring only a few tens of lines of code modification to an existing U-net. Our approach is training-free and is thus particularly suitable for the diverse, few-ofa-kind subjects in entertainment video production. It also may be of intrinsic theoretical interest in terms of the nature and solution of the matte extraction problem. A further potential use would be to produce ground-truth mattes to be used for DL training. As is the case with many matting algorithms, it assumes coarse guidance in the form of a trimap or similar constraints. This can be created by the artist using readily available semi-automatic tools. Computational cost is the major limitation of the method, in common with classic methods [Levin et al. 2008]. Compute times for the examples shown in the paper are measured in minutes (but not hours) on a single previous generation Nvidia Volta GPU. This restricts the use of our algorithm to high-quality offline applications where extensive non-real-time computation is the norm, primarily movies and videos. On the other hand, the computation can take advantage of support for multiple GPUs provided in deep learning frameworks, and intermediate results can be visualized. Our method can produce temporally consistent matte extractions from video by warm-starting the optimization from the previous frame (see accompanying video), however in our experience this requires that the trimaps have smooth motion from frame-to-frame. A topic for future work is to consider recurrent or other network architectures that might make the trimap choice more forgiving. This paper has focused on introducing the DIP matting algorithm. There was relatively little architecture and parameter exploration, and further improvements may be possible. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS G.G. Heitmann, Peter Hillman, and Kathleen Beeler gave helpful insights and feedback. REFERENCES Adobe 2018. How to use Select Subject in Photoshop for One-Click Selections. https: //www.photoshopessentials.com Yagiz Aksoy, Tae-Hyun Oh, Sylvain Paris, Marc Pollefeys, and Wojciech Matusik. 2018. Semantic soft segmentation. ACM Trans. Graph. 37, 4 (2018). Godzilla vs. Cat 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7GsKFepDg. Mikhail Erofeev, Yury Gitman, Dmitriy Vatolin, Alexey Fedorov, and Jue Wang. 2015. Perceptually Motivated Benchmark for Video Matting. In British Machine Vision Conference. Yossi Gandelsman, Assaf Shocher, and Michal Irani. 2019. "Double-DIP": Unsupervised Image Decomposition via Coupled Deep-Image-Priors. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition Kaiming He, Christoph Rhemann, Carsten Rother, Xiaoou Tang, and Jian Sun. 2011. A global sampling method for alpha matting. Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition Kaiming He, Jian Sun, and Xiaoou Tang. 2010. Guided Image Filtering. In European Conf. Comp. Vision. G.G. Heitman. 2020. Communication from technical artist, Weta Digital Diederik P. Kingma and Jimmy Ba. 2015. Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization. In Int. Conf. Learning Representations. Anat Levin, Dani Lischinski, and Yair Weiss. 2008. A Closed-Form Solution to Natural Image Matting. IEEE Trans. PAMI 30, 2 (2008). Shanchuan Lin, Andrey Ryabtsev, Soumyadip Sengupta, Brian Curless, Steve Seitz, and Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman. 2020. Real-Time High-Resolution Background Matting. arXiv (2020). Y. A Mishima. 1992. Software Chromakeyer Using Polyhedric Slice. In NICOGRAPH. Christoph Rhemann, Carsten Rother, Jue Wang, Margrit Gelautz, Pushmeet Kohli, and Pamela Rott. 2009. A Perceptually Motivated Online Benchmark for Image Matting. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Olaf Ronneberger, Philipp Fischer, and Thomas Brox. 2015. U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation. MICCAI (2015). Mike Seymour. 2020. Art of LED Wall Virtual Production. fxguide.com. Yanan Sun, Chi-Keung Tang, and Yu-Wing Tai. 2021. Semantic Image Matting. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Dmitry Ulyanov, Andrea Vedaldi, and Victor Lempitsky. 2018. Deep Image Prior. In Comp. Vision and Pattern Recognition. Jue Wang and Michael F. Cohen. 2007. Image and Video Matting: A Survey. Found. Trends Comput. Graph. Vis. 3, 2 (2007). Yong Xu, Baoling Liu, Yuhui Quan, and Hui Ji. 2022. Unsupervised Deep Background Matting Using Deep Matte Prior. IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol. (2022). This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

Training-Free Neural Matte Extraction for Visual Effects: Limitations and Conclusion

Author:
(1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com);
(2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com);
(3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com);
(4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction
Background and Related Work
Method
Results and Failure Cases
Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References 2 BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK The alpha-compositing equation is where 𝑖 ∈ {𝑟, 𝑔, 𝑏}, 𝐼𝑖 are red, green, and blue values at a pixel of the given image (given), 𝐹𝑖 are the foreground object color (unknown), 𝐵𝑖 are the background object color (unknown), and 𝛼 ∈ [0, 1] is the (partially unknown) "alpha matte", representing the translucency or partial coverage of the foreground object at the pixel. Typical images contain large areas that are relatively easily estimated to be solid "foreground" (𝛼 = 1) or "background" (𝛼 = 0), as well as smaller regions where the alpha value is fractional. The matte extraction problem requires finding the these fractional alpha values. The problem is underconstrained because there are only three known values 𝐼𝑟, 𝐼𝑔, 𝐼𝑏 but seven unknown values. Hair is the prototypical challenge for matte extraction due to its irregular coverage and translucency, though fractional alpha also generally appears along all object edges due to the partial coverage of a pixel by the foreground object. It is also necessary to estimate the unknown foreground color in the fractional alpha regions, since without this the foreground cannot be composited over a different background. Many methods assume that approximate demarcations of the solid foreground and background are provided, e.g. in the form of artist-provided "trimaps" [Rhemann et al. 2009] or scribbles [Levin et al. 2008]. While the research literature generally considers the problem of matte extraction from arbitrary natural backgrounds, in industry practice matte extraction from a greenscreen background is far from a solved problem and often requires an artist-curated combination of techniques to obtain the required quality [Erofeev et al. 2015; Heitman 2020]. LED walls remove the need for greenscreens in some cases, and are well suited for fast-paced television production, however they also have drawbacks: computationally expensive physical or character simulations are not possible due to the need for real-time playback in a game engine, bright backgrounds may introduce challenging light spill on the foreground physical objects [Seymour 2020], their cost is prohibitive for smaller studios, and the effects must be finished at the time of the principle shoot thus excluding the creative control and iterative improvement available in traditional post production. Progress on matte extraction algorithms has been greatly facilitated by datasets that include ground truth (GT) mattes [Erofeev et al. 2015; Rhemann et al. 2009]. The GT mattes have been obtained by different means including chroma keying from a greenscreen and photographing a representative toy object in front of a background image on a monitor (Fig. 1 (a)). Failure to closely approximate these GT mattes indicates a poor algorithm, but an exact match may be unobtainable for several reasons: 1) the chroma key itself involves an imperfect algorithm [Erofeev et al. 2015], 2) light from multiple locations can physically scatter though (e.g.) translucent hair to arrive at a single pixel; this cannot be simulated in a purely 2D matte extraction process, 3) the image gamma or color space used in the benchmarks is not always evident and using a different gamma will produce small differences. The underconstrained nature of matte extraction has been approached with a variety of methods [Wang and Cohen 2007]. One classic approach estimates the unknown alpha at a pixel based on similarity to the distributions of known foreground and background colors in solid regions [He et al. 2011; Mishima 1992]. Another prominent principle finds the unknown alpha value by propagating from surrounding known values [Aksoy et al. 2018; Levin et al. 2008]. These approaches often require solving a system involving a generalized Laplacian formed from the pixel affinities in the unknown region, which prevents real-time or interactive use. Deep learning (DL) approaches are used in recent research e.g. [Lin et al. 2020; Sun et al. 2021]. Much of this work focuses on providing alternate backgrounds for video meetings, and training databases consist of mostly forward-facing human heads. A state of the art method [Lin et al. 2020] demonstrates high-quality matte extraction on HD-resolution images at 60fps. Many DL methods adopt a combination of techniques, e.g. separate networks for overall segmentation and for fractional alpha regions, or other hybrid approaches. 2.1 Deep Image Prior The Deep Image Prior (DIP) [Ulyanov et al. 2018] demonstrates that the architecture of an untrained convolutional network provides a surprisingly good prior for tasks such as image inpainting and denoising. The key observation is that while a powerful DNN can fit arbitrary image structures such as noise, it is "easier" to fit natural image structures, as reflected in faster loss curve decay. Most experiments [Ulyanov et al. 2018] optimize the weights of a U-net [Ronneberger et al. 2015] that maps fixed random noise to a single output image. Uncorrupted features of the image are fit earlier in the optimization process, so early stopping results in a corrected (denoised or inpainted) image. The DIP has been successfully applied to other problems in image processing. Unsupervised coarse binary segmentation is demonstrated in [Gandelsman et al. 2019], based on a principle that it is easier (in terms of loss decay) to fit each component of a mixture of images with a separate DIP rather than using a single model. Concurrent with our work, [Xu et al. 2022] formulate a DIP approach to background matting. This problem scenario differs from our work in that it requires a clean plate, and hence is unsuitable for many VFX applications such as those that are filmed outdoors with a moving camera. Our work also uses the DIP. We focus on high-quality estimation of fractional alpha mattes and, in contrast to previous work, undertake the challenging case where no clean plate is available, instead relying only on trimaps that can be easily created during post-production. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. Author: (1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com); (2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com); (3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com); (4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Author: Author: (1) Sharif Elcott, equal contribution of Google Japan (Email: selcott@google.com); (2) J.P. Lewis, equal contribution of Google Research USA (Email: jplewis@google.com); (3) Nori Kanazawa, Google Research USA (Email: kanazawa@google.com); (4) Christoph Bregler, Google Research USA (Email: bregler@google.com). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction Background and Related Work Method Results and Failure Cases Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References Abstract and Introduction Abstract and Introduction Background and Related Work Background and Related Work Method Method Results and Failure Cases Results and Failure Cases Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References Limitations and Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References 2 BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK The alpha-compositing equation is where 𝑖 ∈ {𝑟, 𝑔, 𝑏}, 𝐼𝑖 are red, green, and blue values at a pixel of the given image (given), 𝐹𝑖 are the foreground object color (unknown), 𝐵𝑖 are the background object color (unknown), and 𝛼 ∈ [0, 1] is the (partially unknown) "alpha matte", representing the translucency or partial coverage of the foreground object at the pixel. Typical images contain large areas that are relatively easily estimated to be solid "foreground" (𝛼 = 1) or "background" (𝛼 = 0), as well as smaller regions where the alpha value is fractional. The matte extraction problem requires finding the these fractional alpha values. The problem is underconstrained because there are only three known values 𝐼𝑟, 𝐼𝑔, 𝐼𝑏 but seven unknown values. Hair is the prototypical challenge for matte extraction due to its irregular coverage and translucency, though fractional alpha also generally appears along all object edges due to the partial coverage of a pixel by the foreground object. It is also necessary to estimate the unknown foreground color in the fractional alpha regions, since without this the foreground cannot be composited over a different background. Many methods assume that approximate demarcations of the solid foreground and background are provided, e.g. in the form of artist-provided "trimaps" [Rhemann et al. 2009] or scribbles [Levin et al. 2008]. While the research literature generally considers the problem of matte extraction from arbitrary natural backgrounds, in industry practice matte extraction from a greenscreen background is far from a solved problem and often requires an artist-curated combination of techniques to obtain the required quality [Erofeev et al. 2015; Heitman 2020]. LED walls remove the need for greenscreens in some cases, and are well suited for fast-paced television production, however they also have drawbacks: computationally expensive physical or character simulations are not possible due to the need for real-time playback in a game engine, bright backgrounds may introduce challenging light spill on the foreground physical objects [Seymour 2020], their cost is prohibitive for smaller studios, and the effects must be finished at the time of the principle shoot thus excluding the creative control and iterative improvement available in traditional post production. Progress on matte extraction algorithms has been greatly facilitated by datasets that include ground truth (GT) mattes [Erofeev et al. 2015; Rhemann et al. 2009]. The GT mattes have been obtained by different means including chroma keying from a greenscreen and photographing a representative toy object in front of a background image on a monitor (Fig. 1 (a)). Failure to closely approximate these GT mattes indicates a poor algorithm, but an exact match may be unobtainable for several reasons: 1) the chroma key itself involves an imperfect algorithm [Erofeev et al. 2015], 2) light from multiple locations can physically scatter though (e.g.) translucent hair to arrive at a single pixel; this cannot be simulated in a purely 2D matte extraction process, 3) the image gamma or color space used in the benchmarks is not always evident and using a different gamma will produce small differences. The underconstrained nature of matte extraction has been approached with a variety of methods [Wang and Cohen 2007]. One classic approach estimates the unknown alpha at a pixel based on similarity to the distributions of known foreground and background colors in solid regions [He et al. 2011; Mishima 1992]. Another prominent principle finds the unknown alpha value by propagating from surrounding known values [Aksoy et al. 2018; Levin et al. 2008]. These approaches often require solving a system involving a generalized Laplacian formed from the pixel affinities in the unknown region, which prevents real-time or interactive use. Deep learning (DL) approaches are used in recent research e.g. [Lin et al. 2020; Sun et al. 2021]. Much of this work focuses on providing alternate backgrounds for video meetings, and training databases consist of mostly forward-facing human heads. A state of the art method [Lin et al. 2020] demonstrates high-quality matte extraction on HD-resolution images at 60fps. Many DL methods adopt a combination of techniques, e.g. separate networks for overall segmentation and for fractional alpha regions, or other hybrid approaches. 2.1 Deep Image Prior The Deep Image Prior (DIP) [Ulyanov et al. 2018] demonstrates that the architecture of an untrained convolutional network provides a surprisingly good prior for tasks such as image inpainting and denoising. The key observation is that while a powerful DNN can fit arbitrary image structures such as noise, it is "easier" to fit natural image structures, as reflected in faster loss curve decay. Most experiments [Ulyanov et al. 2018] optimize the weights of a U-net [Ronneberger et al. 2015] that maps fixed random noise to a single output image. Uncorrupted features of the image are fit earlier in the optimization process, so early stopping results in a corrected (denoised or inpainted) image. The DIP has been successfully applied to other problems in image processing. Unsupervised coarse binary segmentation is demonstrated in [Gandelsman et al. 2019], based on a principle that it is easier (in terms of loss decay) to fit each component of a mixture of images with a separate DIP rather than using a single model. Concurrent with our work, [Xu et al. 2022] formulate a DIP approach to background matting. This problem scenario differs from our work in that it requires a clean plate, and hence is unsuitable for many VFX applications such as those that are filmed outdoors with a moving camera. Our work also uses the DIP. We focus on high-quality estimation of fractional alpha mattes and, in contrast to previous work, undertake the challenging case where no clean plate is available, instead relying only on trimaps that can be easily created during post-production. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

Training-Free Neural Matte Extraction for Visual Effects: Background and Related Work

At the buzzing EthDenver, which attracted from 120+ countries, I had the pleasure of speaking to , the co-founder of and President of the Celo Foundation. We delved into the latest advancements at Celo, notably its ongoing transition from an EVM-compatible Layer 1 to an Ethereum Layer 2. over 20,000 attendees Rene Reinsberg Celo Celo is recognized for its initiatives that extend beyond technology, such as empowering builders in the Global South and contributing to regenerative finance (ReFi) projects, which reflect its broader mission for social impact within the blockchain ecosystem. This is what we talked about. Rene, we’re at EthDenver! How are you feeling? The energy is fantastic. What I really enjoy about events, and I find this particularly true in Denver, is the random encounters. I make it a point not to schedule my day too tightly so I can spend time at the booth and meet builders who come up to say hello. That's always a highlight. I've seen a lot of newcomers here this year who are just coming into the Web3 space. At some of the conferences last year, it felt like we saw the same group of people sticking it out through the bear market. Now, there seems to be a new wave of builders bringing fresh ideas, which is exciting! Do you see the narratives around blockchain and impact evolving, too? Absolutely! There are two main directions: enhancing existing solutions within the traditional financial (TradFi) system and introducing entirely new ideas. So, first, with real-world assets (RWAs) and tokenized on-chain assets, many innovations that might have seemed more hypothetical a few years ago are now feasible. For example, one idea is to create a better market infrastructure to fund carbon removal projects. Web3 is great for this because it's transparent and leverages decentralized markets. It's somewhat similar to traditional infrastructure but also improves upon it. Then, some ideas look not just at replicating existing systems but also trying something completely new. For instance, Celo uses a portion of transaction fees for positive climate action. This concept, which we call “ ,” wasn’t possible before web3. Now, we can build positive climate action into each transaction on the network. Ultragreen Money How has everything been going for Celo since its announcement to transition to layer two on Ethereum? This was a proposal that the core team at put forward last summer, and it was met with huge excitement—more than anyone had anticipated. It was discussed within the community over the years, but it finally became feasible for Celo to retain its unique benefits like low transaction fees, which are crucial for micropayments, and to support the use cases we have on Celo, such as community currencies and credit. cLabs It’s a great chance to bring the “magic of Celo” to the broader Ethereum ecosystem and be a much more active collaborator and contributor. Many of our projects either originate from the Ethereum community or align closely with its values, so there's a lot of enthusiasm for bringing these worlds closer together. On top of that, I see Celo as an engine for integrating more users, particularly mobile users, into the Ethereum ecosystem and introducing them to web3. It has been a win for both parties and an incredibly fun journey! Could you share some strategies Celo employs to foster financial inclusion globally? Absolutely! The first step is creating accessible infrastructure, aiming for a world where everyone can easily access a web3 wallet on their phone without using much bandwidth. The goal is to enable easy cash-in and cash-out options to local currencies through mobile money or preferred methods, ideally at no cost. This foundational infrastructure is vital for enabling various use cases on top of Celo and has been a core focus not only for the team at the Celo Foundation but for the entire ecosystem. There's still much work to be done with on- and off-ramping, which is a massive undertaking. But it’s very encouraging to see around 100 projects across the globe all contributing different pieces of the puzzle. From companies facilitating mobile money onramps in the Philippines to those working on local stablecoins (e.g., ), these efforts are crucial for providing the basic infrastructure, ideally on mobile and with low fees, like the tenths of a cent seen on Celo. Mento What's happening now is people recognizing this infrastructure, realizing they can launch microcredit protocols, provide loans in local currency thanks to local currency stablecoins, and so on. This can be connected to the global financial system, still largely dominated by dollar stablecoins, through a series of DeFi primitives that facilitate this end-to-end flow. For example, a financial institution in the US or Europe could deploy capital that becomes a loan in local currency in someone's noncustodial wallet—a concept we could only dream of a few years back, but it's now becoming a reality. The challenge ahead is scaling this from thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of individuals to millions or even billions. Each transaction carries the potential for positive climate action—almost seamless for the user. This regenerative aspect is something we're keen to amplify as the platform grows, and I believe it will soon be reflected in the data showing the significant impact of transactions on Celo across various use cases like commerce, payments, and lending. Regenerative finance had its moment last year, but then people moved on to other shiny things. I think it’s going to come back, though, not just because it’s a great concept but because we’re starting to see real results. Celo is currently at 6,445 tons of CO2 offsets, and with more economic activity in our network, that number could grow significantly. We can now really tap into the collective power of web3, where everyone can participate and work together on these big, important goals. So, how else does Celo measure its success in terms of impact? Ultimately, a chain's success boils down to the economic activity it facilitates, which is a function of the transactions being processed. But it’s also about how the overall economic activity aligns with the use cases we value. We're particularly thrilled about use cases like microcredit protocols, but at the end of the day, Celo is permissionless, so anyone can build anything. And even a game on Celo can have a positive impact. But I do see our focus evolving. We're here at the EthDenver BUIDLathon, and we run our own virtual “Build With Celo” hackathons. Often, someone will come up and say, “I really want to build this thing, but I'm missing this piece or that.” This then leads to a conversation around, “Okay, maybe we know someone who can help with this, or we can connect the dots and make some of these things happen faster.” So, can we empower the ecosystem to build what they want to build? That’s our key measure of success. I’m based in Colombia, where the Celo community is huge! You've done a great job establishing a presence in some of the emerging economies. What has that been like? Colombia is a prime example! There's currently a proposal for a in the forum. Just yesterday, I was talking to , a community member here, who was explaining how this could unlock a lot of local activity, especially in terms of credit, since people are looking to take out loans in their local currency. Colombian peso stablecoin Juan There's also , a credit protocol on Celo in Colombia that's quite impactful. It's facilitating loans for individuals to finance motorbikes, enabling them to generate income as Rappi delivery drivers. Roda At the end of the day, it's all about engaging with community members and understanding their needs to unlock further growth. Starting small and iterating is key, but eventually, you encounter certain barriers at the ecosystem level. Overcoming these can significantly scale the impact and take things to a much larger scale. That's beautiful! On a personal note, what are you most proud of with Celo? Honestly, getting into web3, it’s tough to fully grasp the power of open collaboration. We knew we wanted to create an open, permissionless infrastructure for others to explore and collaborate with us. But it's not something you can just plan out. You can't say, “We're going to launch a protocol and then expect thousands of builders to come and do their thing.” It just doesn't work like that. Looking back six, seven years ago, if you had asked me what Celo would look like in 2024, I would have significantly underestimated the variety of products and their impact because I would have based my assumptions on what a single company could achieve. So, I'm most proud of the rich ecosystem that has emerged, filled with ideas, some of which I wasn't even aware of, but all made possible by Celo. If I had to highlight a more recent example, it would be Opera’s . They've done an incredible job and developed this product in-house, integrating a wallet into the browser that requires very low bandwidth. MiniPay It's really easy to use—you don't need to know anything about crypto. What I'm most proud of is that it was enabled by a series of ecosystem projects that, over the last few years, have created the conditions for this product to exist. This is partly due to Celo's distinct features. For example, gas abstraction allows gas fees to be paid in stablecoins, simplifying transactions. Tools like and let users send payments to phone numbers in a secure, trustless way, streamlining the process of entering and exiting the markets where Opera is active. SocialConnect FiatConnect So, it's fair to say Minipay benefits from the collective efforts of the entire ecosystem, standing on the shoulders of what might be considered “tiny giants.” This is exciting because, in the spirit of web3, each successful product not only stands on its own but also elevates other products or protocols it's integrated with. Minipay’s growing popularity has had a ripple effect, significantly boosting engagement with some OG Celo protocols, such as , which has seen a huge inflow of new users. impactMarket Looking into the future, what are you most excited about? I would come back to web3 as a toolkit for mass coordination, particularly around some pressing problems like financial inclusion and climate change. But its potential extends to many other areas. For example, people in the ecosystem are now thinking about decentralized science (DeSci). Imagine if millions of people are connected through a wallet in a certain country. Could you leverage that to bootstrap development funding for a drug specific to that community? Big pharma today might ignore this because it is a small market or is not worth the investment. The infrastructure is there, and it enables a whole set of new use cases far beyond what we could ever imagine. So, in short, I’m excited about the things I don’t know yet. Every day, every week, every step we take, we get further along in having an infrastructure that is just so widely useful for coordinating people around these issues that would otherwise be hard to solve.

An Interview With Rene Reinsberg: On EthDenver, Regenerative Finance, and Celo Ecosystem Growth

The Tekken 8 reveal trailer has arrived. In it, we’ve got a look at the story mode and the Tekken 7 story mode. But what else can we expect from the upcoming fighting game? The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC, and Steam. However, the trailer didn’t give us any details about the release date or other characters. It's time for a next-gen grudge match! 🥊 Take the fight to a new level with . #TEKKEN8 Watch it in 4k: https://t.co/0ac3QyZiOz pic.twitter.com/hUulkqPdoU — TEKKEN (@TEKKEN) September 13, 2022 Tekken 8 gameplay video The Tekken 8 reveal trailer has been released and it is a great first look at the new game. At under two minutes, it gives you an inside look at what the game will be like. The trailer has some interesting details, such as the use of real-time PlayStation 5 graphics. The trailer also shows the characters battling and uses cinematic camera angles. However, Bandai Namco has yet to announce the release date for Tekken 8. Watch the Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/07FdDRbdurg Tekken 8 is coming to the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The gameplay video shows Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama battling in a rainy battle. The game will be a return to Tekken’s storied history, and this trailer promises to deliver plenty of action for fans of the franchise. Tekken 8 is a 3D fighting game with a complex combat system. It has quickly become one of the most popular fighting game franchises. Its latest installment is expected to launch sometime in the next few months. Since Tekken 7 was a breakout success, Tekken 8 is a much-anticipated sequel. A new camera system is introduced in Tekken 8, giving players a better look at how the game plays. It also shows more of the battlefield than in previous games, including weather effects and Rage Moves. The latter mechanic was introduced in Tekken 7 and is returning in Tekken 8. The gameplay video also shows the use of Rage Moves, which are super arts that enable players to perform attacks in a unique way. Tekken 8 story mode vs Tekken 7 The Tekken 8 reveal trailer is here, and it’s a great first look at what the new fighting game will look like. While it’s under two minutes long, it gives you a glimpse of what’s to come. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, the trailer was filmed on a PlayStation 5 while running at 60 frames per second. It also features the same character models and backgrounds as the in-game version. A father and son showdown will be the highlight of the Tekken 8 story mode. It’s not clear when the game will be released, but it is expected to be available for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The trailer features a scene from the main story. Tekken 8 was unveiled during the September State of Play event by Sony, and the reveal trailer showcased a short gameplay demo. In it, Kazuya and Jin were fighting on a cliffside in the rain. The storyline looks to continue from the Tekken 7 game, which was released in 2015. Tekken 8 is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as well as PC via Steam. The reveal trailer didn’t show the game’s release date, but it did reveal the names of some of the characters, including Ryu, Jin, and Kazuya Mishima. It will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but won’t be coming to the Nintendo Switch, which was announced last week. Tekken 8 teaser trailer The Tekken 8 teaser trailer is not quite cinematic but it gives us a glimpse into what to expect. It shows some of the game’s characters in a rainy battle, which is promising. It also shows a story mode in development. However, this trailer doesn’t reveal much in terms of other characters and release date. Tekken 8 is a fighting game with some pretty impressive graphics. It looks like a pre-rendered movie, but it is actually real-time footage from the PlayStation 5 version of the game. This means that the background effects and skin textures are more detailed than in previous Tekken games. Tekken 8 is very different from Tekken 7. The first installment of the series was released in arcades and was eventually made available for PC. The gameplay is much improved and the visuals are much more advanced. This is a major step forward for the series. However, there are still a few things we should look out for. The main focus of the game’s story mode is the rivalry between Jin and Kazuya. While the previous game featured dynamic battles between the two characters, Tekken 8 could benefit from some more substantial story scenarios and endings for characters who aren’t in the main campaign. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features 59 different characters, including classic characters and newcomers. This makes it the largest roster in the series. Not only does the game feature new characters, it also provides an array of new moves and encourages experimentation and creativity. Whether you want to play competitively or with your friends, you can find a new style for the game. Players choose two characters to participate in a match and can switch between them anytime. The character with the lowest life bar in a match loses that round. The game’s mechanics are refined, with each character able to perform an amazing variety of moves and combos. Fans love the tag team format and the ability to mix and match fighters to form tag teams. The gameplay is similar to the first Tekken game, but this sequel takes it to the next level with a wide variety of new characters. Unlike its predecessor, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 introduces a new tag combo, which allows the player to attack multiple opponents simultaneously. The Tekken Tag Tournament series has been an absolute hit with fans for years. This PlayStation 2-exclusive title introduced the Tekken tag mechanic and improved it even further. In addition to the new tag mechanic, players can now manage fighters’ health and tactics. The Snoop Dogg stage is another new addition to the franchise. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 features an extensive roster of 61 characters. With new additions such as Mushroom Battles and Exclusive Costumes, the game brings a new and improved experience to fans of the series. In addition, it features multiplayer and multi-player match options. The game also includes new stages and modes. The Tekken series has a long history and is no stranger to update cycles. Its next installment, Tekken 8, has been in development for over a decade. It has received a huge fan following and has been a hit with millions of players worldwide. The Tekken series also has a strong storyline. The first part of Tekken featured a father and son battle. In Tekken 7, the son killed his father, but the father survived and later jumped over him to kill him. Kazuya’s fate isn’t clear at the moment, but we can expect more details in Tekken 8. Tekken Mobile If you love the Tekken series, you’ll love Tekken 8 Mobile. This fighting game lets you take the fight to a whole new level. The game features a father-son showdown, which will test the skills of both father and son. Watch the trailer to get a preview of how the game plays and how you can take the fight to a whole new level! Each Tekken Mobile fighter has a set of 9 Waza cards that he can use to inflict more damage than his opponents. These cards are found in the lower right corner of the screen, and you can tap them to use special attacks. The Waza cards include guard break cards, which break the defense of your opponent, and strike cards which deal maximum damage. Tekken 8 is one of the most beloved fighting games in history. The game has been adapted to mobile platforms by Namco, the maker of the popular arcade game. While the arcade version was shut down earlier this year, Tekken is back for a grand comeback on mobile. Tekken 8 Mobile features four game modes, including a story mode and multiplayer modes. The game also features a Dojo mode, which lets players participate in asynchronous PvP matches. Each chapter of the game includes three “attackers” – the best two “defenders” and the strongest “attackers.” The players can also change fighters after a few matches. However, players must leave the current chapter in order to change their fighters, or else their progress will be reset. Tekken 8 Mobile features incredible lighting effects and cinematic sequences. The game also sports a cast of redesigned characters with finer graphical details. The game also features a storm-like stage, with realistic rain effects and dynamic lighting. Tekken 8 Mobile has received positive reviews from critics and gamers alike, and a new version of the game was recently announced by developer Bandai Namco. The game is a sequel to Tekken 7, which was released on PC and consoles during the previous generation. Character customization Tekken 8 is a highly anticipated game. This new fighting game has some great new features including character customization. Players will now be able to make their characters look as if they were from a different era. This is a welcome addition for fans of the Tekken series, as it provides a new way to play the game. The last Tekken game, Tekken 7, featured great character customization. The game even offered an outfit creator, allowing you to build outfits for each character. Character customization is a great way to express yourself and make your own unique character. You can even customize your characters online – if you can find people who want to play your character. Tekken 8’s roster should include a great mix of returning fighters and unique new faces. While the game has been teased at EVO last month, it has yet to receive a formal release date. In the meantime, fans can expect the game to be available on PlayStations, Xbox Series XS, and PC via Steam. Tekken 8 is set to be one of the biggest fighting games of all time, so expect it to be highly anticipated. Story Mode Tekken 8 is a fighting game with a new story mode that focuses on the story of Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama. They go up against each other in a game that takes place on a new world with a new set of environments. The game features dynamic arenas and new backgrounds, which are sure to give the game’s fights a whole new look. The Tekken 8 trailer shows off these visual effects in a way that is not possible with a typical trailer. It also shows off some of the new playable characters, including Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama, and Heihachi. The story mode in Tekken 8 isn’t the first game to use a story mode, but it’s a welcome addition. The previous games in the series featured this mode, but it never felt like the main event of the game. It was mainly used to drive merchandising and advertising. But Tekken 8’s story mode is a must-have for Tekken fans. The story mode in TEKKEN 8 includes several characters who are unplayable outside of the story mode. You can play as Kid Kazuya, the younger version of Kazuya Mishima. You can also play as Kunimitsu II, the daughter of Kunimitsu from the previous Tekken games. She has inherited her mother’s vendetta against Heihachi. Another new character is Lucky Chloe, a freestyle dance fighter that uses a kitten-themed costume. Tekken 8 is still in development, but it has already been confirmed that it will be available on PC. The game’s engine is pushing the feeling of power even further, with more realistic waves, storms, and tornadoes. In addition, this game is said to be the longest-running story in a video game. It’s still unclear when Tekken 8 will come out, but we’ll know more once the game is out. Tekken 8’s story mode continues the story from Tekken 7, which has focused on the defeat of Heihachi Mishima. Now, Kazuya Mishima and Jin are on a journey to achieve world dominance. Also Published On: Tekken 8 Reveal Trailer Official Review – All You Need to Know About the New Fighting Game - MashRadar

Tekken 8 Reveal Trailer and All You Need to Know About the New Fighting Game

Tekken Trilogy (PS1) Retro Game Review

The PlayStation 1 made Sony a name to watch out for in the video game industry. It was a , plus it had in the form of Tekken 3, Metal Gear Solid, and Crash Bandicoot. commercial success amazing games Its successor, however, would take the company to even further heights. Not only would the PlayStation 2 be Sony’s best-selling console, but also the ever. best-selling console Its video game catalog played no small part in that feat. Just like the PS1 had fantastic games, so did the PlayStation 2. Plenty of these games sold millions of copies, and their popularity would lead to more people buying the console. So, here are the best PS2 games of all time ranked by sales. The Best PS2 Games 10. Dragon Quest VIII 9. Kingdom Hearts 8. Final Fantasy X-2 7. Final Fantasy XII 6. Tekken 5 5. Metal Gear Solid 2 4. Final Fantasy X 3. Gran Turismo 4 2. Gran Turismo 3 1. GTA: San Andreas 10. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed Kingdom - 4.9 Million Copies Sold Since the 80s, the Dragon Quest franchise has been going strong. This RPG series follows a hero and his friends as they try to save the day. In Dragon Quest VIII, the inhabitants of a castle are turned into various creatures by a spell. It’s up to one of the guards of the castle to form a party to try to reverse the spell, included in this party are the king and the princess. Along the way, they will come face to face with villains such as Dhoulmagus and Rhapthorne. Like the rest of the Dragon Quest games, the eighth installment features an RPG, turn-based gameplay. The player can attack, defend, or choose to skip their turn, and then the enemy is given a chance to make a move. The interesting story and the compelling gameplay of Dragon Quest VIII made it one of the best ps2 games, and it would go on to sell . 4.9 million copies 9. Kingdom Hearts - 5.2 Million Copies Sold When it comes to video games, it’s always good to see collaborations between companies. However, one of the more unusual collaborations came when Disney and Square came together to create the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The game sees aspects of Disney films and Final Fantasy games come together spectacularly. The first game in the series sees protagonist Sora join Donald and Goofy as they go on an adventure to find their friends. Sora is looking for his friends Riku and Kairi. Donald and Goofy on the other hand are looking for King Mickey. Opposing them is the villain Maleficent from the Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. This unique collaboration intrigued players and it sold millions of copies; to be exact. 5.2 million 8. Final Fantasy X-2 - 5.5 Million Copies Sold On the topic of Final Fantasy, it consistently sells well. The franchise especially did well on the PS2, with their games selling millions of copies. One of these games is Final Fantasy X-2, which was released on the console in 2003. It’s a sequel to Final Fantasy X, and it features some of the same characters and continues the story. Final Fantasy X-2 follows Yuna, Rikki, and Paine as they try to navigate life on the planet Spira. After the events of the last game, Spira’s people have split into different groups that have different philosophies. On top of that, Yuna is searching for Tidus, the protagonist of Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy X-2, like its predecessor, was a big hit, and it sold . 5.5 million copies 7. Final Fantasy XII - 6.1 Million Copies Sold The Final Fantasy hits kept on coming with Final Fantasy XII. The game follows the group of heroes as they try to free the Dalmasca Kingdom from the control of the Archadian Empire. Some of the heroes include Vaan and Ashe. Vaan is a kid who has big dreams of being a sky pirate one day, and Ashe is the former princess of Dalmasca. Final Fantasy XII was a success and sold . However, the story of Final Fantasy XII doesn’t end there. The game would get a sequel a year later on the Nintendo DS. 6.1 million copies It follows Vaan who has achieved his dream of being a sky pirate. Vaan isn’t the only returning character; Penelo, Balthier, and Fran all return for the sequel. 6. Tekken 5 - 6 Million Copies Sold Tekken has never been afraid to change, and they did it again with Tekken 5. After seemingly killing off the main antagonist Heihachi and freeing his father Jinpachi during the opening scene, Tekken appeared to head into its next chapter. The game also featured a handful of new characters that include Asuka Kazama, Feng Wei, and Devil Jin. The majority of the roster includes returning characters such as Kazuya Mishima, King II, Nina Williams, and Yoshimitsu. The final boss of the game is Jinpachi, and whoever beats him takes control of the Mishima Zaibatsu corporation. With a new boss and the stakes higher than ever, fans of the series loved Tekken 5 and it went on to sell . 6 million copies 5. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - 7 Million Copies Sold The first Metal Gear Solid game was immensely popular on the original PlayStation, and its sequel would share the same fate on the PlayStation 2. Taking place after the first game, it follows Raiden and Solid Snake as they try to save the United States President from terrorists. Along the way, they’ll uncover a conspiracy concerning the entire nation. The first Metal Gear Solid game sold , and sold the same; making it one of the best PS2 games of all time. 7 million Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty The Metal Gear Solid series would continue to have success with its latest release, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain releasing in 2015. The most recent installment in the franchise, Metal Gear Survive was released in 2018. 4. Final Fantasy X - 8.5 Million Copies Sold Before Final Fantasy X-2, the first Final Fantasy X was a juggernaut on the PlayStation 2. It sold on the console, and it’s the best-selling Final Fantasy game on the PS2. 8.5 million copies For fans who weren’t able to play them on the PS2, both Final Fantasy X and X-2 are available on modern consoles like the and the . Xbox One PlayStation 4 With its good story and gameplay, Final Fantasy X still stands the test of time. It follows Tidus, Yuna, and their friends as they try to defeat Sin. Sin is a monster that terrorizes the world that they live in, but he won’t be easily defeated. Sin has a mysterious past and it’s up to the heroes to figure it out how to stop the monster for good. 3. Gran Turismo 4 - 11.7 Million Copies Sold Gran Turismo has consistently been a gigantically popular franchise for PlayStation. A lot of their games sell millions of copies, and that’s never made more clear than during the PS2 era when their games were sold by the boatload. Gran Turismo 4, which was released in 2004, sold on the PS2. 11.7 million copies Gran Turismo 4 was a hit and it’s easy to see why; they had an abundance of cars and courses available in the game. According to the Gran Turismo , the game offered 100 courses and 700 cars. website Some of the cars available in the game the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR, the 1999 Nissan Skyline, and the 1999 Toyota GT-One. include 2. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec - 14.8 Million Copies Sold Although Gran Turismo 4 had fantastic sales numbers, it failed to reach the height that its predecessor, Gran Turismo 3, achieved. That’s not a knock on the game, however, because Gran Turismo 3 surpassed all games on the PS2 except for one. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec sold copies, making it the best-selling game in the series. 14.8 million Like every Gran Turismo game, Gran Turismo 3 had a wide selection of cars available. Some of the cars in the game the Toyota Supra RZ ‘98, the Mazda RX-7 Type RS, and the Dodger Viper GTS ‘98. included The Gran Turismo series is making its debut on the PlayStation 5 soon, with its upcoming game, . Gran Turismo 7 1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 17.3 Million Copies Sold This game needs no introduction. GTA San Andreas isn’t just one of the best PS2 games, it’s one of the best and most influential games of all time. The game sold on the PS2 and sold on other consoles. This cements GTA: San Andreas as one of the most popular games of all time. 17.3 million copies millions of more The game chronicles the story of CJ and his life within San Andreas. He’s on a quest to fix the Grove Street Families gang, but things quickly spiral out of control in ways that CJ would’ve never been able to imagine. The story, combined with the freedom of an open-world gameplay, helped GTA: San Andreas become one of the best PS2 games of all time. The PS2 is the best-selling console of all time, and the selection of games makes it clear why. With games like Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 2, the PS2 couldn’t lose. More in Gaming: 1. 5 Announced Games that Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth 2. The Female Faces of the Esports Industry 3. Monster Hunter Stories 2 Review (Nintendo Switch): Smaller Scale, Greater Story For more lists and articles, make sure to down below! subscribe to our newsletter

10 Best PS2 Games of All Time Ranked by Sales

In recent Smash Bros news, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster has gotten a little bigger, with the announcement of a new DLC character. With an initial roster size of 74 characters, that includes all of the characters from the previous games, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the most ambitious video games in recent years. Here are more details on the new DLC character, Kazuya Mishima. Super Smash Bros Ultimate News: New Character Details Jumping out of Tekken, the immensely popular fighting game franchise, is Kazuya Mishima, one of the series’ most iconic characters. After spending most of the time trying to take down his own father in Tekken, Kazuya will be put to the test when he joins the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Along with the character himself, the DLC bundle will come with a new stage based on a classic Tekken arena. In the background of the stage will be Heihachi Mishima, the father of Kazuya. Tekken characters are known for having a lot of moves and combos, with some characters having over in their repertoire. One might think that a Tekken character would’ve been astronomically toned down for Super Smash Bros, but it seems that’s not the case. 100 moves In the Nintendo Direct showcasing Kazuya, they showed that he still has many moves at his disposal. Sure, he doesn’t have dozens and dozens of moves, but it’s wild how many Kazuya still has. And with the inclusion of Kazuya in Smash Bros, he now joins the elite list of fighting game icons that have been included in the game. Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, and Terry from Fatal Fury were previously added to the game as playable characters; with Guile from Street Fighter and Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter also appearing as assist trophies. Kazuya Mishima has been a staple of the Tekken franchise since the beginning, and he will feel right at home with other video game legends. With one more DLC character yet to be revealed, we can’t wait for more Smash Bros. news in the future More in Gaming: 1. What is the Sony PlayStation 5 System Software Beta Program? 2. Top 25 Publications about AI You Have to Read 3. A Plague Tale: Innocence Remastered Arrives in July for Next-Gen Consoles For more Super Smash Bros news, make sure to down below! subscribe to our newsletter

Smash Bros. News: Tekken Character Announced as DLC

For decades, fighting games have been a staple of the gaming industry. Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Tekken have become popular franchises that are pop culture mainstays. For non-fighting game fans, it might be overwhelming to jump into the genre. So, here are the 5 best fighting games on PlayStation’s subscription service, PS Now. Best Fighting Games on PS Now 1. Tekken Tag 2 2.  Tekken 7 3. Injustice 2 4. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix 5. Mortal Kombat (2011) 1. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Released in 2012 to home consoles, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was the sequel to the original Tekken Tag Tournament. The installment sees Tekken characters team up for a 2v2 fight as they fight to be victorious in the tournament. With 59 playable characters, Tekken Tag 2 allowed for a large selection of mix and match options. Some of the characters include the Mishima family, the Law family, and a number of unique fighters including wrestlers, animals, and more. Tekken Tag 2 was well received upon its release. gave it a 7.5, and and both gave it an 8.5. Although it’s only been a few years since its release, we would love to see another Tekken Tag installment. IGN GameSpot Game Informer 2. Tekken 7 The next installment after Tekken Tag 2, Tekken 7 was released in 2015, and it’s still being supported with new characters, stages, and improvements being added. Tekken 7 sees the conclusion of the long standing father-son rivalry between Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya. A bloody feud that spans all the way back to the first game, the rivalry could only end in one way, with one of them dead. Although the story mode isn’t the greatest, it does have some fantastic moments that wrap up the Mishima story in a satisfying way. The game also deserves credit for doing a good job informing new players with the lore of Tekken, and adding weight to the relationship between Heihachi and Kazuya. Where the game shines is in its arcade and online mode. With a large assortment of characters, the game has a good selection of fun and unique fighters. You can change your characters to your liking by customizing their outfits, giving them weapons, and changing their artwork panel. And if you ever get bored of the fighting, you can always turn to the game mode Tekken Bowling. 3. Injustice 2 If you ever wanted to see who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman, Injustice 2 is the game for you. Developed by NetherRealm Studios, the same developers of the Mortal Kombat series, Injustice 2 sees superhero friends and enemies come together as they try to take down Brainiac. A sequel to Injustice, the series takes place in a universe where Superman becomes an authoritarian. The roster is a who’s who of DC characters from well-known icons such as Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Supergirl. They also have lesser-known characters such as Atrocitus, Firestorm, and Black Manta. As a long-time comics fan, it’s incredible being able to control these characters I’ve grown up with. And even if you’re not a comic books fan, the gameplay and story is enough to keep you hooked. Every character feels different as their powers and abilities make them unique. If you’re looking for a gun-toting character, look no further than Deadshot. If professional wrestling is more your style, Bane is the character for you. All of this makes it one of the best fighting games on PS Now. 4. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix One of the most popular fighting games of all time, not to mention an influential video game overall, Street Fighter 2 is still revered to this day. It’s had many iterations since its original launch, including this remake of an iteration, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. Released in 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this title is perfect for nostalgic fans, and for newcomers who never experienced the original. The game offers all of the original characters from Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, including Chun-li, Ryu, and Akuma. Although there’s nothing quite like spending your quarters at the arcade, this title is still special and a fun time. Defeat cpu enemies, or take your skills online and compete against other competitors. 5. Mortal Kombat (2011) Mortal Kombat has had many great titles, but Mortal Kombat (2011) has to be up there as one of the best in the series. A remake/reboot of the franchise, Mortal Kombat retells the story of the first three games. In a final battle between good and evil, the Thunder God Raiden fails to win. In a last desperate attempt, he sends visions to his younger self warning him of events to come. The game features characters from the original three games, and includes new additions such as Skarlet and Freddy Krueger. The game is perfect for long-time fans who love the story and characters, and for new fans who are looking to jump into the Mortal Kombat world for the first time. The game also signified a new era for the franchise. It was the first game developed by NetherRealm studios, and laid the foundation for future installments. Its sequels have been great, but Mortal Kombat (2011) still manages to be one of the best fighting games in recent years. There are quite a few fighting games on PS Now, but these are the best fighting games on the service. There are also other games such as Ultra Street Fighter 4 and the original Injustice that deserve your attention as well. If you’re looking to dive into the fighting genre, you can’t go wrong with any of these games. More in Gaming: 1. How to Make an Interactive Pixelated Game in 30 Minutes Without Coding 2. Blockchain can Create a User-Focused Gaming Industry - Unhashed #5 3. 7 Best Laptops with a Ryzen 7 Processor

The Best Fighting Games on PlayStation Now

To say that Super Smash Bros. has a stacked roster is an understatement. Not only does it include a who’s who of Nintendo stars, but also legends throughout many gaming universes. However, there are still characters who have yet to make an appearance. Although, that doesn’t mean they’ll never be added to the game. In fact, it’s my belief that it’s only a matter of time that we see these 5 characters added to Super Smash Bros. in the future. 1. Zero Zero is already included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but as a trophy, not as a playable character. Seeing how big of a player he is in the Mega Man X series, it’s only a matter of time before Zero gets his own slot. Wielding a sword made out of energy, Zero would fit right in with the other sword wielders. He’s unique enough to bring new elements to the table but familiar enough that players could easily learn his abilities. And he’s already a playable character in the Marvel vs Capcom fighting series. So, it’s not a stretch to assume he would join another fighting series. 2. Chun-Li My mind was blown when I found out Ryu from Street Fighter was joining Super Smash Bros. With Nintendo also adding Ken, it opens the door for more Street Fighter characters to join the battle. And my mind immediately goes to Chun-Li. Not only one of the most popular characters of Street Fighter, she’s one of the most well-known figures in gaming. You don’t even have to be into video games to know who Chun-Li is. The Interlop officer known for her kicks, Chun-Li would fit right in with the other gaming legends. 3. Kazuya Mishima Speaking of fighting game characters, we have yet to see someone from the Tekken series make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. But I never thought I would see Street Fighter characters join the roster. So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. And there are a lot of iconic characters within the Tekken franchise, but it would seem right for Kazuya to be the first to join. The second biggest antagonist of Tekken, only behind his father, Kazuya would be a great addition to Super Smash Bros. Not only a great martial artist, Kazuya has the Devil Gene which means he can transform into a demon-like creature. It would be insane to see Devil Kazuya fighting Pikachu or Daisy. 4. King Boo Similar to Zero, King Boo has made an appearance in Super Smash Bros. as a trophy and as a spirit. But the antagonist of the Luigi’s Mansion franchise hasn’t gotten a chance to fully shine in the fighting series. He’s made appearances in other Mario spin-offs, and is a playable character in the Mario Kart series and in the Mario baseball series. Seeing as how bad guys such as Bowser, King K. Rool, and Ridley have all joined the roster, it seems like an oversight to leave out Luigi’s biggest enemy. I don’t exactly know how he would play, but I have confidence that they would know how to balance such a unique character. 5. Waluigi Now, I’m not a betting man. But if I were, I would put all my money that Waluigi will one day be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. If a Piranha Plant can join the roster, I don’t see why Waluigi can’t. He’s already been a part of the games as a trophy, but that’s not enough for fans. We want to play as him, to fully feel the greatness of Waluigi. With his trusty tennis racquet, long-legged Waluigi strode into our hearts. It started off as a meme, but now I would genuinely be pumped to see him in the game. A man can dream, and hopefully, we won’t have to dream for long. These were the 5 characters we could potentially see in Super Smash Bros. This doesn’t mean that they will be added, but they do have a strong chance. Stay tuned to Hacker Noon for more gaming related content such as: Fuelling Up The Year Of The NFTs: The Biggest Sales Yet This 2021 Pokemon Legends: Arceus Revealed Alongside Diamond and Pearl Remakes 5 Underrated Video Games Everyone Should Try

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