BIG Admin
Ukrainians displaced due to the war and arriving in Canada will now receive a prepaid Chatr mobile SIM card in their welcome kit and information about how to activate it.
Rogers is also waiving long-distance and SMS charges to Ukraine and roaming charges for any Canadian customers currently in the country.
Additionally, Rogers donated $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross and launched a text-to-donate campaign to offer support to the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis.
Source: Rogers
Niantic has revealed its next mobile game, Peridot. The augmented reality (AR) title will enter a soft-launch phase on iOS and Android soon.
Revealed via a quick teaser, Niantic showed off a few of the creatures found in Peridot. Many of them share similarities to Pokémon and the game itself looks very much like what we’ve come to expect from Niantic.
Players collect creatures and raise them as their own. These creatures as referred to as Peridots and each have their own individual personality traits. Players must identify their likes and dislikes before breeding them with other Peridots. This then creates new generations of creatures to interact with.
In some ways, Pokémon Go’s DNA is very apparent here. However, there doesn’t seem to be an emphasis on catching Peridots. Instead, gameplay traits from Tamogatchi or Pikmin seem to be more present in the title. Players must play with their Peridots and feed them. Peridots are also able to learn new tricks along the way.
As Peridots are captured, each one is catalogued in the game. Once different species are bred, those new archetypes are discovered and shared in the game’s catalogue of creatures.
As an AR game, players can use their iOS and Android devices to bring their Peridots with them on the go. You’ll be able to take pictures and videos of the creatues in the real world using the game’s AR capabilities.
As for how the game’s UI looks or how players capture Peridots, those questions remain unanswered. Given Niantic’s previous work, it’s safe to assume that there will be a fairly streamlined gameplay loop. Peridot looks to be a title geared towards players of all ages and its gameplay will likely reflect that.
Niantic has opened up pre-registration to players. Those who want to stay up to date on the Peridot development and release can find out more on the website.
The studio says that Peridot’s soft launch will be limited to specific markets, but didn’t reveal launch regions.
Image credit: Niantic
Source: Niantic
Amazon held its inaugural Prime Video Presents Canada on April 13th, an upfront-style event to spotlight many of the streamer’s upcoming Canadian originals.
At Toronto’s Massey Hall, Prime Video executives and partner talent took to the stage to unpack the TV shows and films that they’re working on here in Canada.
Prime Video Presents Canada showcases at Massey Hall in Toronto on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Left to Right:
Back Row: Nathalie Bibeau, Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith; Liem Vu, event host; Magda Grace, head of Prime Video, Canada; Nav Saini, head of content, Canada, Prime Video; Julian Doucet, The Lake; Madison Shamoun, Julia Stiles, and Jordan Gavaris, The Lake; Brent Haynes, head of scripted originals, Canada, Amazon Studios; Jasmine Sky Sarin and Anthony Timpano, Sugar.
Front Row: Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, Dave Foley and Scott Thompson, The Kids in the Hall. (Image credit: Amazon)
See below for a chronological breakdown of everything that was shown off. Note: not every announcement has official media yet, but we’ve embedded official trailers where applicable.
As previously announced, Amazon is developing a revival of the iconic Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall’s eponymous sketch comedy series. Group members Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson (Kevin McDonald was absent) appeared to debut the first trailer for the show.
Premiere date: May 13th, 2022
Additionally, Blue Ant Media’s two-part docuseries, The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, will hit Prime Video on May 20th. The series will feature a look at the group’s earliest years through archival footage and new interviews with all five members.
Mark Little, co-creator, writer and star of the animated comedy series Gary and his Demons, here to promote Season 2 of the show. @PrimeVideoCA pic.twitter.com/cABwoLjk3c
— Brad Shankar (@bradshankar) April 13, 2022
From Canadian actor-comedian Mark Little (Mr. D) comes Gary and his Demons, an animated comedy about a grouchy old demon slayer with nothing left to lose.
Premiere date: The previously released Season 1 and the newly produced Season 2 are both coming to Prime Video in September 2022
Image credit: Amazon
Amazon’s first scripted Canadian original series follows a gay man who seeks to reconnect with the teenage daughter he gave up for adoption while at the family cottage, which is now owned by step-sister.
Canadian Julian Doucet (Hudson & Rex) wrote the series, which stars Caledon, Ontario’s Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black) and Americans Julia Stiles (Hustlers) and Madison Shamoun (Black-ish). The series was shot in Northern Ontario.
Premiere date: June 17th, 2022
Welland, Ontario filmmaker Nathalie Bibeau (The Walrus and the Whistleblower) directs this four-part docuseries about the unsolved 1974 murder of a 22-year-old woman in Oshawa, Ontario.
Premiere date: May 6th, 2022
Sugar is an Amazon Original film based on two influencers from Montreal who get caught up in crime. Also filmed in Montreal! pic.twitter.com/hAezCGTV8V
— Brad Shankar (@bradshankar) April 13, 2022
Indian-born Canadian filmmaker Vic Sarin (Partition) directs Amazon’s first Canadian feature film based on the real-life “Cocaine Cuties,” two Montreal influencers who become the centre of a drug-trafficking case. The movie stars Americans Kat McNamara (Arrow), Vancouver’s Jasmine Sky Sarin (Partiton) and and was filmed in Montreal
Premiere date: TBA 2022
A brief video message from Patrick Huard about LOL: Qui Rira Le Dernier, Amazon’s first Quebecois production and an all-French Canadian cast of comedians, hosted by Huard. He poked fun at Jay Baruchel, who hosted Prime’s LOL Canada. Qui Rira Le Dernier coming later this year. pic.twitter.com/j0PpMFq69p
— Brad Shankar (@bradshankar) April 13, 2022
Montreal’s Patrick Huard (Bon Cop Bad Cop) appeared via pre-recorded video to talk about his excitement for Amazon’s first Quebecois production. Hosted by Huard, it’s an offshoot of Amazon’s Last One Laughing series (which just got a Jay Baruchel-hosted Canadian version earlier this year) and features an all-French cast.
Premiere date: TBA 2022
Image credit: Amazon
Prolific English actor Alfred Molina (Spider-Man franchise) popped up in a pre-recorded video to promote his crime drama series Three Pines. Filmed in Quebec, the series follow Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Molina) as he investigates a string of murders in a small Canadian village.
The show is based on Toronto author Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache novels and co-stars Vancouver’s Roussif Sutherland (Reign) and Cardston, Alberta’s Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Night Raiders).
Premiere date: Early 2023
Veteran American actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) showed up via video to announce a new comedy series based on the true story of The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.
Curtis is executive producing the series alongside Toronto’s Kathryn Borel (Corked: A Memoir), who also serves as co-showrunner. Amazon promised “big-name” casting news will come later this year, but it did confirm that the series will shoot in Quebec.
Premiere date: TBA
The Tragically Hip are here! They’re working on a Prime Video documentary. 🎶 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/4p8YZZ7mB9
— Brad Shankar (@bradshankar) April 13, 2022
And finally, members of the Tragically Hip and filmmaker Mike Downie (brother of the late Hip member Gord Downie) took to the stage to announce a new untitled multi-part documentary series. Mike Downie says the series will explore the history of the group and, of course, his brother’s legacy.
Premiere date: TBA 2024
That’s everything from the Prime Video Presents panel. Of course, these are all new Canadian originals; the streamer also began the presentation highlighting some of the other 25-plus originals that were filmed here. These include the Toronto-shot The Boys (featuring a video message from star Karl Urban), Upload (filmed in Vancouver and starring Toronto’s Robbie Amell) and the recently released Reacher (filmed in North Pickering, Ontario).
Following a recent price increase, an Amazon Prime membership, which includes Prime Video, costs $9.99 CAD/month or $99/year.
Disclaimer: The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks and Gary and his Demons are produced by Blue Ant Media, the parent company of MobileSyrup.
Header image credit: Shutterstock
Though Google hasn’t officially confirmed the feature yet, it looks like ‘Look and Talk’ could help users more easily launch Google Assistant on the Nest Hub Max.
As first uncovered by 9to5Mac, code spotted in the Google app beta (13.14) outlines a new Look and Talk feature that would allow users to “look at the display from up to 5ft away to talk to Google.” This means you don’t need to say the usual “Hey Google” or “Ok Google” wake words to activate Google Assistant.
The feature will also work with the Nest Hub Max’s ‘Face Match’ and ‘Voice Match’ features, ensuring that Assistant matches the appropriate user.
According to 9to5Google, the code specifically says:
“Your device relies on camera sensing and analyzes your video to determine if you want to activate your Assistant. Assistant may activate when you didn’t intend it to, if it incorrectly detects you want its help. Your video is processed on-device and isn’t sent to Google servers.”
Given the Nest Hub Max is the only Nest Hub to feature a built-in camera, it doesn’t look like ‘Look and Talk’ will make its way to the 1st-gen or 2nd-gen Nest Hub. A
s someone who hates saying “Hey, Google,” the prospect of this feature making its way to the Hub Max is exciting. That said, I still just have a 2nd-gen Nest Hub and didn’t bother upgrading to the Nest Hub Max when it launched back in 2019.
Since this is still an in-development feature uncovered in a beta, it’s also important to point out that it may never get a public release. Google has yet to officially announce Look and Talk.
Source: 9to5Google
Meta is serious about dipping its toes in the augmented reality (AR) glasses game in addition to its push into the metaverse, as echoed in a recent report by The Verge.
The glasses, which are currently in development under Project Nazaré, were first talked about by the Menlo Park, California-based company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook Connect 2021. At the event, Zuckerberg outlined the company’s progress in the AR/VR space by mentioning the recently released Ray-Ban Stories. However, those were just small steps “along the path to an embodied internet,” said Zuckerberg. “The ultimate goal here is true Augmented Reality glasses.”
At the time, Zuckerberg had said that Project Nazaré is still “a few years out.” Meta reportedly plans to launch the glasses sometime in 2024, with upgraded versions arriving by 2026 and 2028.
While the report doesn’t talk about how much the AR glasses would cost, it does mention that they will be more expensive than the company’s $459 Oculus Quest 2 headset and more expensive than the $369 Ray-Ban Stories.
The first Nazaré headset is designed to work without connecting to a smartphone and instead will connect to a proprietary “phone-shaped device” that takes some of the computing load off the glasses. A former Meta employee told The Verge that Zuckerberg “wants it to be an iPhone moment,” referring to the initial release of the glasses sometime in 2024.
Zuckerberg has long been adamant about making the company’s push into the metaverse a serious endeavour. However, Meta’s goal to revolutionize and create a connected digital world may not instantly invoke the visions of Steve Jobs unveiling the first iPhone. The glasses merely act as an admission ticket to a movie theatre, and anyone keen to experience Zuckerberg’s full vision of the metaverse will need to purchase them first.
Want to learn more about Meta’s capabilities in the AR/VR space and what might be on the table when Project Nazaré finally drops? Check out our review of the Ray-Ban Stories.
Image credit: Facebook
Source: The Verge
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt studio CD Projekt Red has announced that it’s delaying the release of its next-gen version of the game. Rather than hitting its promised Q2 2022 window, the studio is postponing its launch until further notice.
Fans of The Witcher game series have been patiently waiting for the next-gen upgrades, improving the title’s loading and performance. Sabre Interactive, the studio behind Wild Hunt’s Nintendo Switch port was onboard to complete the update. However, it appears as though CD Projekt Red is now stepping in.
“We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” CD Projekt said in a tweet.
We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice. 1/2
— The Witcher (@witchergame) April 13, 2022
The studio continued to state that it’s “currently evaluating the scope of work to be done.” Therefore, CD Projekt Red is avoiding any mention of a new release window. It’s unclear how far along the next-gen upgrade is nearing completion. Given the delay, it’s hard to theorize whether The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update could be more imminent or further out.
This news comes at a time when CD Projekt Red’s woes surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 continue. Although the studio released its ‘Patch 1.5’ in February, there has not been any major traction on further support. Although the game now features next-gen upgrades, there’s still a lot of work to be done.
CD Projekt Red also recently revealed the next Witcher title is in development. Rather than develop the title with its in-house REDengine, the studio is switching to Unreal Engine 5. CD Projekt Red has been clear that the new game is not The Witcher 4 and is in fact the start of “a new saga.”
Image credit: CD Projekt Red
Source: CD Projekt Red
Sony has released a new firmware update for the PlayStation 5.
‘Update 22.01-05.02’ is now available to install and provides minor system updates and improvements. Though, unfortunately, long-awaited variable refresh rate (VRR) support for PlayStation 5 is still unavailable.
Taking a look at the patch notes, Sony states right off the top that firmware update 22.01-05.02 “improves system performance.” If you were waiting with bated breath for anything more, you’ll unfortunately, be disappointed.
Update 22.01-05.02 is sadly far less substantial than the previous firmware update. Sony previously overhauled a surprising number of aspects of the PlayStation 5. Trophy cards are now easier to read and look better visually. Voice chats are now referred to as parties and players can set open and closed parties. The PlayStation 5 even includes several new accessibility options. The screen reader now supports six additional languages like Dutch, Polish, and Korean.
The current elephant in the room is VRR support on PlayStation 5. Many players anticipate Sony to add it soon. The company even confirmed that it’s due to arrive shortly. Though, as far as when that will be is anyone’s guess at this point.
VRR support feature many players are calling for on PlayStation 5. It allows for a smoother gameplay experience when playing on an HDMI 2.1-compatible TV or monitor. It can theoretically help negate screen tearing as well as provide better frame rates. Depending on how developers utilize it, VRR can also reduce input lag and improve graphics. As more players adopt HDMI 2.1 displays, support for the feature is increasingly important.
With April now off the table, we’ll have to wait and see if Sony plans to support VRR in May or later on in the summer months. With Sony games like Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 now available, VRR would provide a reason to go back to some of this year’s breakout hits.
Saskatchewan-based technology company SaskTel has committed to investing $337 million in various projects to give residents and businesses access to the services they need.
The crown corporation says they will spend the capital over the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
$82.2 million will go towards the Fibre to the x program, which brings fibre connections to homes and businesses, an area the company has heavily invested in.
The company’s fibre network is known as infiNET and delivers speeds up to 1Gbps.
Here are the details:
An additional $103.6 million will go towards expanding 5G coverage, which is only available in Regina and Saskatoon at this time. A further $7 million will help enhance LTE.
$79.3 million will also grow wireline services and $64.9 million will be spent improving services and operations.
“These investments will further strengthen and expand the networks we rely on today, while also setting the foundation for future technological innovations that will help to drive economic growth, job creation, and improvements in the quality of life for all Saskatchewan residents,” Don Morgan, the Minister responsible for SaskTel, said.”
Image credit: SaskTel
Source: SaskTel
Rogers is hiking the cost of wireless services by $5 for some customers.
A spokesperson confirmed the news to MobileSyrup.
First reported by iPhone in Canada, customers are notified on their monthly statements if they’re impacted by the change. The price hike will help deliver “wireless experiences that make more possible” according to a customer statement posted by iPhone in Canada.
MobileSyrup has been told only “off-contract” customers who use select legacy plans will be notified of the change.
Are you a Rogers customer seeing a price hike? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Via: iPhoneinCanada
It was only a matter of time until this happened.
YouTuber ETA Prime has plugged an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, one of the highest-end graphics cards on the market, into Valve’s Steam Deck handheld — and it works and plays games at 4K with max settings.
According to ETA Prime’s video, though some games run great on the Frankenstein-like setup, the Steam Deck’s slow CPU and PCI-Express bandwidth restrictions result in a bottleneck. The unwieldy setup is possible because the Steam Decks’ M.2 PCI-Express x4 socket works with eGPUs, according to ETA Prime.
Of course, this isn’t something the average Steam Deck owner should attempt because it defeats the purpose of the handheld in the first place. Not only is there a massive desktop-level graphics card attached to Valve’s handheld, but the RX 6900 XT also requires a bulky external power source. There’s also a chance that you mess up the Steam Deck’s internals, rendering the device useless.
That said, it’s cool someone was able to make this happen, and perhaps in the future, we’ll see an official version of the Steam Deck that works with an eGPU.
For more on the Steam Deck, check out my in-depth look at the handheld.
Image credit: ETA Prime (YouTube)
Source: ETA Prime (YouTube)