Author: Mobile Syrup

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Here are the winners from the 2022 Canadian Game Awards

The 2022 Canadian Game Awards streamed on April 8th, doling out awards across 21 categories, including ‘Best Game Design,’ ‘Best Indie Game,’ and the coveted ‘Game of the Year.’

As in years past, the CGAs put a spotlight on incredible games made in Canada, as well as on the people that made those games.

Winners were selected by a Judging Committee, which included MobileSyrup’s own Brad Shankar along with a host of other Canadian-based media professionals.

Now, let’s get into the winners, starting with the big one: Game of the Year.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy took home the CGA’s Game of the Year award. Developed by Eidos-Montréal, the action-adventure game released in October 2021 to generally positive reviews. Players take control of Peter Quill/Star-Lord and lead other members of the titular team (including Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax the Destroyer) through harrowing adventures in the Andromeda galaxy.

Below, you can find the rest of the winners from the 2022 CGAs:

Best Art Direction

WINNER: Wytchwood
Also nominated: Far Cry 6, Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stag, Winds & Leaves, Age of Empires IV

Best Game Design

WINNER: Inscryption
Also nominated: Far Cry 6, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Moonglow Bay, LEGO Star Wars: Castaways

Best Score/Soundtrack

WINNER: Age of Empires IV
Also nominated: Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Echo Generation, The Big Con

Best Performance

WINNER: Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo, Far Cry 6
Also nominated: Jon McLaren as Star-Lord – MGOTG, Alex Weiner as Rocket – MGOTG, Jack Black as Mote of Light – Psychonauts 2, Dominic Monaghan – Dark Threads

Best Narrative

WINNER: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Also nominated: Echo Generation, Moonglow Bay, Wytchwood, Boyfriend Dungeon

Best Audio Design

WINNER: The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Also nominated: Echo Generation, Chivalry 2, Age of Empires IV, LEGO Star Wars: Castaways

Best Esports Player

WINNER: Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
Also nominated: Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, Alex “scuwry” Scala, Jasmine “Jazzyk1ns” Manankil, Mirna “athxna” Noureldin

Best Esports Host

WINNER: Parker “Interro” Mackay
Also nominated: Alex “Vansilli” Nguyen, Brody “Liefx” Moore, Camille “Camco” Salazar-Hadaway, Conner “Scrawny” Girvan

Best Esports Organization

WINNER: Luminosity Gaming
Also nominated: OverActive Media, Parabellum Esports, Lazarus, Mirage

Best Esports Event

WINNER: Red Bull Campus Clutch – Canada National Finals
Also nominated: Jack Link’s $100k Canada Cup Powered by Toronto Ultra, Pinnacle 2021, Bell Esports Challenge, Get On My Line 2021

Best Esports Coach

WINNER: Raymond “Rambo” Lussier
Also nominated: Kyle “OCEAN” O’Brien, Thomas “Trippy” Schappy, Joshua “Jatt” Leesman, Gabriel “Invert” Zoltan-Johan

Best Content Creator/Show

WINNER: Evan Fong
Also nominated: Nick Amyoony, Autumn Rhodes, HappyConsoleGamer, Andre Rebelo

Best Streamer

WINNER: Imane “Pokimane” Anys
Also nominated: Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang, Danny “Shiphtur” Le

Best Personality

WINNER: Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey
Also nominated: Camille “Camco” Salazar-Hadaway, Autumn Rhodes, Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang, Imane “Pokimane” Anys

Best PC Game

WINNER: Age of Empires IV
Also nominated: Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Inscryption

Best Console Game

WINNER: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Also nominated: Far Cry 6, Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age, FIFA 22, Echo Generation

Best Mobile Game

WINNER: LEGO Star Wars: Castaways
Also nominated: Goose Goose Duck, RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar, Big NEON Tower VS Tiny Square, Hotel Hermes, Grindstone

Best VR/AR Game

WINNER: Pistol Whip: Smoke & Thunder
Also nominated: Doom 3 VR, Dark Threads, Winds & Leaves, Arcadia.tv

Studio of the Year

WINNER: Ubisoft Toronto
Also nominated: EA Sports, Motive Studios, Relic Entertainment, Ubisoft Montreal

Best Indie Game

WINNER: Echo Generation
Also nominated: Moonglow Bay, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Boyfriend Dungeon, The Big Con

Fans’ Choice Award

WINNER: Super Animal Royale
Also nominated: Goose Goose Duck, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Chivalry 2, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Image credit: CGA

Source: CGA

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Xplornet’s fibre network is now available to hundreds of homes in PEI

Xplornet’s fibre network is now available to hundreds of homes and businesses in Vernon Bridge, PEI and surrounding communities.

The move is part of the rural service provider’s commitment to connecting 3,700 residents to its high-speed network.

Plans start at $99.99 a month and include download and upload speeds of 100Mbps.

The network is available to 270 homes in Vernon Bridge and surrounding communities, including Millview, Vernon River, Pownal, Mount Mellick, Alexandra, Alberry Plains, Belfast, Summerville and Eldon. Xplornet will announce more communities over the year.

“Access to high-speed internet unlocks opportunities for online work and learning, drives economic development, and helps rural communities participate in the digital world. We’re eager to deliver these benefits and connect rural Islanders,” Allison Lenehan, president and CEO of Xplornet, said.

Xplornet is laying down 600 kilometres of optic cable across the province, which connects to the company’s fibre network across the Maritimes.

The company is also upgrading wireless towers across PEI for faster upload and download speeds for thousands of homes and businesses by the end of 2023.

Xplornet has also made similar announcements in Sundre, Alberta and various rural Ontario communities.

Source: Xplornet

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Prototype Essential Home spotted on eBay

Essential went out of business back in 2020 because 0ne smartphone with mixed reviews wasn’t enough to keep the company going.

However, the startup smartphone maker had other devices in the works, including the GEM smartphone and the Essential Home smart speaker. Now, the Essential Home has been spotted on eBay.

Keep in mind that this speaker is a prototype, so you likely won’t want to actually buy it.

This smart speaker offers a different design compared to other home devices from the likes of Google and Amazon. The display is round with small bezels and a large speaker. Further, the screen is taped to the speaker and definitely looks like a prototype compared to devices currently on the market.

The speaker runs an OS based on Android 8.1 Oreo, according to the eBay listing.

The prototype speaker is available for $900 USD (roughly $1,133 CAD), which is incredibly expensive for a smart speaker, though this is definitely more of a collector’s item.

Source: eBay, Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Chinese hackers use VLC to launch malware on Windows: report

Chinese hacking group ‘Cicada’ is reportedly using popular media player VLC to launch malware on Windows machines.

As reported by cybersecurity researchers at Symantec (via Android Police), the hacking group targeted governments and related organizations, legal and non-profit businesses, and organizations with religious connections. The group hit targets in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Turkey, Israel, India, Montenegro, and Italy.

Symantec explained that Cicada — which also goes by Stone Pandar or APT10 — exploits legitimate versions of VLC by launching a “custom loader” via the software’s ‘Exports’ function. Then, it uses the ‘WinVNC’ tool to gain remote control of the victim’s machine.

Once Cicada has remote control, it can deploy a hacking tool called ‘Sodamaster’ to evade detection and scan systems, download more malicious packages, and conceal communications between compromised systems and the hackers’ command-and-control servers.

Symantec believes the VLC attacks may be ongoing, and that they began in 2021 after hackers exploited a known vulnerability with Microsoft Exchange.

The best thing for users to do to protect themselves is to keep software up-to-date, use strong passwords, and back up important data.

Source: Symantec Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

PlayStation games are on sale at Walmart, The Source and Best Buy

If your PS4 or PS5 accepts physical discs, this is the sale for you.

PlayStation games at Best Buy, The Source, and Walmart are on sale, likely to go alongside the PlayStation Store’s current Spring Sale.

At Best Buy, the sale ends on April 14th, at the Source, it ends on the 21st and while Walmart’s website doesn’t say, it likely ends around then as well.

Grab games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart at a discounted rate.

Here are some of the notable games on sale

Image credit: PlayStation

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google partners with iFixit so you can fix Pixel devices yourself

Google is partnering with iFixit to provide official parts for Pixel phones later this year so that you can fix your device yourself. You’ll be able to order parts randing from the Pixel 2 all the way to the Pixel 6 Pro and later.

iFixit’s parts include batteries, cameras and displays. You can use the parts alongside iFixit Fix Kits or with your own tools.

The initiative will be available in the U.S., U.K, Australia, Canada and EU countries where the Pixel handsets are sold. Additionally, Google says it will partner with independent repair providers like uBreakiFix to offer more Pixel repair options.

In 2021, Apple launched a DIY repair program for iPhone and Mac and started selling official parts to third-party repair shops. Samsung also recently launched a similar program, but it’s not currently available in Canada.

Source: Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Don’t miss this week’s top deals at Best Buy Canada

We’re back with another list of the top tech deals from Best Buy Canada. This week we have deals on Sony TVs, HP laptops, and Samsung smartwatches.

Check out the full list of deals below:

TVs and monitors

Samsung 58″ 4K UHD HDR LED Tizen Smart TV: $799.99 (save $50)

Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 65″ 4K UHD HDR OLED Smart Google TV: $2499.99 (save $100)

LG 23.8″ FHD 75Hz 5ms GTG IPS LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor: $129.99 (save $20)

PCs and laptops

HP OMEN 25L Gaming PC (AMD Ryzen 7 5700G/512GB SSD/16GB RAM/RTX 3070): $1999.99 (save $400)

Acer Aspire 3 15.6″ Laptop (Intel Core i5-1035G1/512GB SSD/8GB RAM/Windows 11): $649.99 (save $100)

Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ Touchscreen Laptop (Intel Core i3-1115G4/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Windows 10 S): $549.99 (save $200)

Headphones and speakers

Skullcandy Jib True In-Ear Sound Isolating Truly Wireless Headphones: $39.99 (save $10)

JBL Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker: $149.99 (save $20)

JBL Bar 550-Watt 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer: $699.99 (save $150)

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) Smart Speaker with Alexa & Clock: $54.99 (save $25)

Smart home

Google Nest Doorbell (Wired) Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: $219.99 (save $80)

Google Nest Wire-Free Video Doorbell: $199.99 (save $40)

Google Nest Wifi 5 Router with Point – 2 Pack: $259.99 (save $90)

Smartwatches

Fitbit Versa 3 Smartwatch with Voice Assistant, GPS & 24/7 Heart Rate: $229.99 (save $70)

Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic 42mm Smartwatch w/ HR Monitor & Extra Strap: $299.99 (save $120)

Tablets

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021) 10.1″ 32GB FireOS Tablet with MTK/MT8183 Processor: $159.99 (save $40)

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that help fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

‘Dancing with the Stars’ to air exclusively on Disney+ in Canada this fall

Dancing with the Stars made a stunning leap to streaming, and will launch its next two seasons exclusively on Disney+ in Canada and the U.S.

The 31st and 32nd seasons of DWTS will debut on Disney’s streaming platform, making it the first live series to debut on the service (and likely one of the first live-streaming reality shows in the U.S.).

In a press release sent to MobileSyrup, Disney said the series would air this fall on Disney+.

“Dancing with the Stars’ has entertained fans for 16 years on ABC, and we are excited to bring this beloved show exclusively to Disney+ as the platform’s first-ever live series,” said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and entertainment distribution, in the release.

“The show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney+ the perfect home for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ while continuing to expand our demographic reach.”

Deadline reports that ABC sent an advisory to affiliate stations this morning, saying that NFL football is part of its plans to occupy that 8-10pm Monday slot DWTS has occupied for the last 15 years.

The DWTS move comes at an interesting time. Several streaming platforms are making plays for live sports, leaving live entertainment as one of the remaining network television staples not taken over by streaming. With DWTS headed to Disney+, we could soon see more live entertainment shows making the leap to streaming.

Via: Deadline

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Meta reportedly working on a virtual currency for its range of products

METAVERSE META FACEBOOK. Silhouette of smartphone with Facebook, Messenger, whatsApp, Instagram, Oculus apps and blurred META logo on background. Rebrand of Facebook. Stafford, UK, October 28, 2021

A new Financial Timesreport suggests that Meta might be looking into adding virtual tokens and cryptocurrencies to its range of apps and products in a bid to attract more users and reward creators.

The move, which is still in its early ‘planning phase’ comes as a result of Meta’s broader goal of popularizing the metaverse, with Meta employees nicknaming the virtual currency “Zuck Bucks” (Zuckerberg Bucks).

Early details of the move suggest that Meta-owned apps and platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and the Meta Quest virtual reality platform would use the virtual token integration for in-app payments, sending money to friends and family, tipping your favourite creators like on Twitter and as an in-app or in-game currency in Quest titles.

According to the Financial Times, the token/currency won’t be based on the blockchain, and instead, will be owned by Meta.  “We have no updates to share today,” Said a Meta spokesperson in a statement given to the Financial Times. “We continuously consider new product innovations for people, businesses, and creators. As a company, we are focused on building for the metaverse and that includes what payments and financial services might look like.”

It’s worth noting that ‘Zuck Bucks’ are still in their early life where they’re nothing more than an idea. At least that’s what the report suggests. Meta might scrap plans for the virtual currency, but considering how adamant ‘Zuck’ is about pushing the metaverse down everyone’s throat, I would expect the virtual currency to be a reality sooner than later.

This comes soon after Zuckerberg announced that NFTs will arrive on Instagram ‘in the near term.’

Source: The Financial Times

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Halo Infinite Season 2 Lone Wolves launches on May 3rd

The second season of Halo Infinite starts on May 3rd, according to an announcement from 343 Industries.

The season, called Lone Wolves, features a fresh Battle Pass, additional maps and new gametypes.

The new maps include traditional-looking arena map ‘Catalyst’ and Big Team Battle map ‘Breaker,’ which features a lava pit separating the map’s different areas. The new modes are a free-for-all elimination gametype called ‘Last Spartan Standing’ and ‘Land Grab,’ a spin on ‘King of the Hill.’

343 Industries has posted several extensive blogs on Halo Waypoint over the last few weeks where the developer outlines its future plans for the beleaguered game, including Battle Pass Progression and additional customization options. Other changes include weapon balancing fixes like nerfing the Mangler considerably 🥲.

In its most recent blog post, 343 Industries said that players will be able to earn Halo Infinite’s paid in-game currency, ‘CR,’ by levelling up their Season 2 Battle Pass.

It’s worth noting that Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign mode isn’t launching alongside season 2. Several weeks ago, the developer revealed that it’s coming at some point during the season but hasn’t revealed a specific date yet, pushing the anticipated mode’s release back even further.

I really like Halo Infinite and have spent countless hours playing the game over the last few months. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that it’s my favourite Halo title ever as far as multiplayer is concerned. That said, issues with ranked progression feeling punishing and unfair, the lack of meaningful progression after completing the Battle Pass and no new game modes/maps have made even me ditch the title for the time being.

However, Season 2 Lone Wolves seems promising at the outset and an answer to many of my issues with Season 1, so hopefully, it lives up to expectations and pulls me back into the game again.

Image credit: 343 Industries 

Source: @Halo