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GameStop has the Nintendo Switch OLED model in stock for $449

If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your standard Nintendo Switch, now is your chance.

GameStop Canada currently has the white Nintendo Switch (OLED) in stock.

Priced at $449.99, the OLED Switch is available for in-store pickup or you can have it delivered to your doorstep for free. However, GameStop does note that “due to the popularity of this item, we are limiting online and in-store purchases to one per household.” Any orders containing multiple units will be reduced to one and additional orders will be cancelled.

To put the refreshed console’s cost in perspective, it costs $70 more than $379 standard Switch and $190 more expensive than the handheld-only Switch Lite.

Learn more or purchase the Switch OLED from GameStop here. For more on the Switch OLED model, check out our review of the handheld.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links.

Image credit: GameStop

Source: GameStop

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo’s Switch Online N64 and Sega Genesis games cost $64 for 12 months in Canada

After revealing that N64 and Sega Genesis titles were coming to its Switch Online services through an ‘Expansion Pack‘ subscription tier a few weeks ago, Nintendo has confirmed pricing and availability for the service.

An Individual Membership costs $63.99 for 12 months, while a Family Membership costs $99.99 for 12 months. The service officially launches on October 25th. This is a significant jump in subscription pricing from Switch Online’s current $24.99 yearly cost that includes NES/SNES games and cloud saves.

The additional subscription tier gives players access to retro Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles. For example, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Mario Tennis, Super Mario 64 and more are coming to the N64 catalogue. Nintendo has confirmed that games like Banjo-Kazooie, Pokémon Snap, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Paper Mario are coming in the future.

On the Genesis side, notable titles like Shinobi III, Streets of Rage 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Golden Axe, Eco the Dolphin and more are coming to the platform.

While expensive, this moves the cost of Switch Online more in line with Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus.

During its presentation today, Nintendo also confirmed that the Expansion Pack cost includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ upcoming DLC, Happy Home Paradise.

In other Switch-related news, Nintendo’s N64 and Genesis gamepads are now available to order in Canada for $64.99 each.

Source: Nintendo 

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo’s N64 and Sega Genesis Switch controllers are now available

Nintendo’s Switch N64 and Sega Genesis controllers are now available to order in Canada.

The Nintendo 64 gamepad costs $64.99 and Sega Genesis controller also costs $64.99.

In the N64 gamepad’s listings, Nintendo confirmed that the wireless controller includes rumble support and a built-in rechargeable battery. On the other hand, the Genesis controller seems to be a straightforward, faithful recreation of the original console’s gamepad.

If you’re interested in picking up either controller, it’s a good idea to act quickly because Nintendo’s SNES and NES Switch gamepads sold out extremely quickly.

Both controllers start shipping on October 25th, 2021.

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s $99 Xbox Series X mini fridge is coming to Canada

What started as a joke, has somehow actually become a reality.

Microsoft has confirmed that its Xbox Series X mini fridge will launch in December 2021 with pre-orders releasing on October 19th. In an Xbox blog post, the tech giant details that the Series X-shaped fridge will cost $99.99 USD (roughly $122 CAD).

In the U.S., the fridges exclusive retailer is Target, and in Canada, would-be Series X fridge buyers will be able to purchase it online through Target.com (no one tell Zellers).

Target.com currently doesn’t offer shipping to Canada through its website, so it’s strange the company is the exclusive retailer of the mini fridge in Canada.

The fridge will also be sold in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands and Poland.

While undeniably silly, it’s incredible to see Microsoft take the joke that the Series X looks like a fridge joke this far.

Source: Xbox 

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Mobile Syrup

Twitter finally adds support for Android’s system dark mode toggle

I have been waiting for this to happen since 2019.

Twitter has finally, finally added support for Android’s system dark mode. That means I don’t have to manually switch between the app’s built-in light, ‘dim’ and dark options anymore. This is truly a ✨blessed✨ day.

For a bit of context, back in 2019, Apple and Google added official dark modes to their respective operating systems. These dark modes were, effectively, just a toggle that changed user interface (UI) elements from light colours (like bright white) to dark colours (like grey, dark blue or black). Both companies hyped up the toggle as a significant new feature, despite embarrassingly few apps supporting the toggle at launch.

That includes Twitter, which long had a built-in dark mode option but didn’t actually support the new toggles. What’s worse, users could also set the system dark mode to turn on and off automatically (such as at preset times or have it follow sunset/sunrise in their area). Apps that didn’t support the system toggle also didn’t support the automated transition.

Twitter users with iPhones didn’t have to worry about this particular problem for long. 9to5Mac reported that Twitter rolled out support for the iOS 13 system dark mode toggle on September 17th, 2019. (I think it may have come to Canadian Twitter users later, because I wrote on the 25th of that month that Twitter still didn’t support the dark mode toggle). Twitter’s support was a new ‘Use device settings’ toggle that told the app to follow iOS.

Android users, however, just started to get that toggle on October 14th, 2021. Not everyone has it yet, however, but it appears to be rolling out quickly.

How to make Twitter for Android follow your device theme

To access it, open Twitter on your Android phone, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner, then tap the lightbulb icon in the bottom-left corner. A menu will slide up from the bottom of the screen with options to turn dark mode ‘Off,’ ‘On,’ or ‘Use device settings.’ Twitter users can still select the ‘Dim’ blue or ‘Lights out’ black dark theme. The option to have Twitter follow sunset/sunrise is gone, which is fine by me since it didn’t work on any phone that tried it on.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Twitter could do a lot more to improve usability and accessibility on its platform. As ecstatic as I am about support for system dark mode, Twitter has glaring accessibility issues that have only gotten worse with the platform’s recent changes to the font and other elements. And don’t get me started on the widespread harassment and other problems.

But, at least now Twitter will match my phone theme.

Source: Lifehacker

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Mobile Syrup

The Apple Watch Series 7 is now available

The Apple Watch Series 7, Apple’s very incremental update to its smartwatch line, is now available in-store and on Apple’s website, starting at $529.

The Series 7 features a design with softer corners and a larger display when compared to the Series 6. It also includes a 70 percent brighter display than the Series 6 and IP6X dust resistance.

Apple sells the Series 7 will be available in five aluminum case finishes: ‘Product Red,’ ‘Refined Blue,’ ‘Midnight,’ ‘Starlight’ and ‘Green.’ Stainless steel Series 7 variants are ‘Silver,’ ‘Graphite’ and ‘Gold.”

For more on the Apple Watch Series 7, check out my review of the smartwatch.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links.

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Is the Apple Watch worth wearing as a necklace?

I finally achieved peak Apple Watch fashion.

A few weeks ago, I attached my Apple Watch to a skull chain from Amazon, and here’s what I learned. But first, if you want to see how I attached the watch to a chain, check out the video below.

After I finally finished the critical build, I actually wore the Apple Watch chain for a few weeks. While it boosted my ego and self-esteem, it also limited the functionality of Apple’s smartwatch.

For example, wearing the Apple Watch around my neck prevented it from working as a functional fitness tracker. It also dangles at an awkward height that makes it bump into every table I sat down at.

Still, the worst part about my creation is that since the Apple Watch isn’t on your wrist, you need to type your passcode every time you want to use it. The Apple Watch is also quite heavy on the end of a chain, so if you’re wearing it inside your shirt you’ll feel it pressing against it if you lean forward.

With all that said, the Apple Watch chain is all about flash, so keeping it visible to show it off is a must.

For more on the Apple Watch Series 7, check out MobileSyrup managing editor Patrick O’Rourke’s review of the Series 7.

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Alienware celebrates 25th anniversary by showing off new Aurora gaming PC

Today marks Alienware’s 25th birth anniversary, and since its inception back in 1996, the company has led the industry in high-performance gaming PCs and peripherals.

To commemorate the occasion, Alienware is making its beloved Aurora gaming PC “Bigger, Better and Cooler,” with beefier specs and, for the first time, an optional, scratch-resistant, and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) protected transparent side panel.

The new Alienware Aurora features an open-air design with reorganized internal components for better ventilation, less noise, cleaner cable management and ease of accessibility, allowing users to easily swap out or upgrade internal components like the memory, hard drive, graphics card (GPU), etc.

According to the company, the open-air design clears 50 percent extra chassis space, resulting in more efficient airflow and less noise, “all while providing a 5 percent increase in graphics performance.” It’s worth noting that the five percent increase is in comparison to the Aurora R12, with both desktops running Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3090 GPU.

Further, every (new) Aurora PC will ship with two 120mm fans, one for front air intake and one for rear exhaust. However, if you want to spend big bucks, higher-end configurations of the PC will ship with a third and fourth pre-installed fan, taking advantage of the ’50 percent extra chassis space.’

According to Alienware, the new Aurora is up to nine percent quieter than its predecessor during CPU-intensive workloads, and CPU temperatures have been measured as being up to three percent lower.

The new Aurora PC also brings several external changes, including a curvy aesthetic case, which will be available in ‘Lunar Light’ and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ colour options, along with a transparent left-side panel that lets you see inside the gaming PC. AlienFX’s configurable lighting capabilities have more than doubled. The old Aurora R12 desktop could only have four externally facing lighting zones, while the new Aurora will offer up to 8 lighting zones and different internal ambient lighting features.

The case also features tool-less entry from all sides, further making the machine a highly accessible one.

Alienware says the new Aurora’s pricing, configurations and availability will be announced later this fall. The company is also hosting an ‘Alienware Live Stream Event‘ today at 3pm ET/12pm PT, where it will detail the new Aurora PCs.

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Ubisoft Montreal adds new levels and languages to Rabbids Coding

Ubisoft Montreal has rolled out new content to its free educational game, Rabbids Coding.

Developed by the winners of an international student competition, the eight new levels offer kids more ways to learn about programming through Rabbids Coding. Additionally, the game has added support for Arabic, Catalan, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

Ubisoft says winners were picked by a jury of experts from its team, as well as its non-profit partner Libraries Without Borders. Notably, three of these were Canadian:

  • Miguel Antonio Penalver Zayek (Ontario’s George Brown College)
    Murray Smith (Ontario’s University of Toronto)
    Ophélie Foucault (Quebec’s Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)

The other five winners came from Italy, France, Singapore and the U.K.

As the title suggests, Rabbids Coding features Ubisoft’s eponymous mischievous rabbit-like characters as they try to regain control of a spaceship. To help them do that, kids will have to solve coding problems that teach the basics of programming and algorithmic logic. Ubisoft says the game is intended for kids seven and up and requires no prior knowledge of coding to play.

Rabbids Coding can be played on the web by creating a free Ubisoft Connect account or for via free download on Android and iOS.

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Mobile Syrup

Monument Valley 2 ‘The Lost Forest’ chapter launches four years post launch

Monument Valley 2 is a puzzle game that launched back in 2017. Four years later, developer ustwo games has launched a new chapter to the game called The Lost Forest.

The special chapter has been released to help protect trees as part of the company’s contribution to the ‘Playing For The Planet Green Game Jam.’

The Lost Forest brings “four intimate scenes,” as the company hopes that it will inspire folk to sign the Play4Forests petition.

Monument Valley 2′s puzzles were influenced by M.C. Escher and provide complexity as well as a sense of accomplishment after beating each level.

The game has received accolades from a few award ceremonies, including Best Mobile Game at the 2017 Game Awards and Best Puzzle Game at the 2018 Webby Awards.

The game is available on Android and iOS.

Source: ustwo games