I wouldn’t say I like Nintendo’s Amiibo, and I think the company selling $15-$20 toys that lock gameplay elements behind them is borderline robbery.
The worst offenders are the Loftwing character that allows you to fast-travel in Skyward Sword HDand the Wolf Link exclusive dungeon in Twilight Princess HD. I understand some people like miniature statues, but I wish Nintendo offered all Amiibo in cheaper card form as it did withAnimal Crossing.
You could argue that the two examples above are $15 DLC add-ons, but that’s only at launch. Since Amiibo are often sold in batches, the prices rise considerably as they become rarer. For example, many Zelda-affiliated characters are in the $70 range on Amazon. Therefore, if you didn’t buy that character at launch, you need to pay reseller pricing.
To get around all of this, I decided to buy third-party Amiibo cards. These aren’t official Nintendo products, but in my experience, they work great and cost way less than rare Zelda Amiibos.
You might be wondering how there are 36 cards in the set when there are only 25 Zelda Amiibo, and I don’t have the answer to that. The cards are mainly meant for Breath of the Wild since they unlock special weapons and armour sets. For instance, the Majora’s Mask Amiibo offers the chance to unlock the ‘Fierce Deity‘ outfit and sword. Still, the card collection comes with both a Majora’s Mask Link and a Fierce Deity Sword, which unlock the same items and are both sub-labelled as ‘Link | Majora’s Mask.’
Both can be used on the same day, and as far as I can tell, they represent the same Amiibo. I’m not complaining since the game is only supposed to allow you to use each Amiibo once per day, so this is a useful advantage the cards offer if you’re trying to unlock rare items.
Each card offers a list of what it unlocks on the back. This makes it easy to see what a card unlocks without memorizing it or looking it up online every time. The final plus is that the cards are the same size as a Switch game card. This makes it easier to pack a few into your travel case and take them on the go, compared to an Amiibo statue.
I’ve verified that each card is tied to an Amiibo and scanned them into Breath of the Wild; confirming that every card represents the statue printed on it is a more challenging task. Scanning these characters in the game triggers a lottery for the rare weapons and clothing tied to each Amiibo, and in my tests, I only unlocked the Wind Waker boomerang, the Cap of Twilight and one ancient helm. I also got the Wolf Link companion and Epona. On top of that, all the Toon link/Wind Waker Links dropped fish along with an item, so I’m fairly confident that they all work.
You can find the third-party 36-card set Amiibo set here.
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Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ are mentioned when relevant. Premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms are also fair game as movies continue to come to digital early.
Finally, we’ll highlight shows or movies that are made by Canadian companies, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Amazon Prime Video
Perfect Addiction [Amazon Original]
Amazon Prime Video Canada premiere date: March 24th, 2023 Genre: Sports drama Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes
After discovering that her fighting champion boyfriend has been cheating on her with her sister, an MMA trainer seeks revenge by coaching the one person who can beat him.
Perfect Addiction was directed by Castille Landon (After We Fell) and stars Mississauga, Ontario’s Kiana Madeira (Fear Street trilogy), Matthew Noszka (Let It Snow) and Ross Butler (13 Reasons Why).
An Amazon Prime Video subscription is included at no additional cost with an Amazon Prime membership, which is priced at $99/year.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Apple TV+
My Kind of Country [Apple Original]
Apple TV+ Canada premiere date: March 24th, 2023 (first three episodes, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Reality competition Runtime: Eight episodes (around 45 minutes each)
From Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show) and Kasey Musgraves (Golden Hour) comes this new reality competition series about up-and-coming country artists vying for a $100,000 prize and Apple Music support. Jimmie Allen (“Best Shot”), Mickey Guyton (“Black Like Me”) and Vancouver’s Orville Peck (Pony) serve as talent scouts.
Original theatrical release date: September 13th, 2022 (limited release) Crave release date: March 24th, 2023 Genre: Comedy Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
After surviving a massive heart attack, Randal Graves teams up with fellow clerks to make a movie about the Quick Stop Convenience store.
Clerks III was written and directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks) and features returning Clerks stars Brian O’Halloran (Dante), Jeff Anderson (Randal), Trevor Fehrman (Elias), Rosario Dawson (Becky), Jason Mewes (Jay) and Smith (Silent Bob).
Crave release date: March 26th, 2023 (first episode at 9pm ET, new episodes every Sunday at 9pm ET) Genre: Comedy-drama Runtime: 10 episodes (around one hour each)
In the series’ final season, the looming sale of Waystar Royco leaves the Roy family to confront a future where their culture and political weight is severely curtailed.
Succession was created by Jesse Armstrong (Fresh Meat) and features an ensemble cast that includes Brian Cox (Manhunter), Jeremy Strong (Masters of Sex), Sarah Snook (Pieces of a Woman) and Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down).
Crave release date: March 24th, 2023 (first episode, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Thriller Runtime: Eight episodes (around one hour each)
After barely surviving the summer, the Yellowjackets have to contend with hunger and desperation in the winter.
Yellowjackets was created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson (The Originals) and features an ensemble cast that includes Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men), Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear), Christina Ricci (The Addams Family) and Lauren Ambrose (Servant). It’s worth noting that the series is filmed in Vancouver.
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month, with Starz costing an additional $5.99/month. A mobile-only subscription is also available for $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
Netflix
Love is Blind (Season 4) [Netflix Original]
Netflix Canada release date: March 24th, 2023 (first five episodes, new episodes every Friday) Genre: Reality Runtime: 12 episodes (around one hour each)
A new group of singles looks for love and engagement before actually meeting in person.
Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) and spouse Vanessa (NCIS: Hawaiʻi) co-host the series.
Netflix Canada release date: March 23rd, 2023 Genre: Action-thriller Runtime: 10 episodes (45 to 56 minutes each)
An FBI agent gets pulled into a deadly conspiracy involving a mole at the White House.
Based on Matthew Kirk’s novel of the same name, The Night Agent was created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and stars Gabriel Basso (Super 8), Luciane Buchanan (Filthy Rich) and Hong Chau (The Whale).
Netflix Canada release date: March 21st, 2023 Genre: Interactive comedy special Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes
From the creators of Pinky Malinky comes this interactive animated special that tasks viewers with helping pet siblings Pud (Parks and Recreation‘s Ben Schwartz) and Ham (Big Mouth‘s Ayo Edibiri) travel the multiverse to save humanity.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Netflix Canada this month can be found here.
Paramount+
Rabbit Hole [Paramount+ Original]
Paramount+ Canada release date: March 26th, 2023 (first two episodes, new episodes every Sunday) Genre: Spy thriller Runtime: Eight episodes (around one hour each)
Toronto’s Keifer Sutherland (24) returns to the spy world as a corporate agent who finds himself framed for murder by mysterious forces.
Rabbit Hole was created by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (Focus) and co-stars Rob Yang (Succession), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Meta Golding (The Hunger Games series). It’s also worth noting that the series was filmed in Toronto.
Bell customers subscribed to Fibe TV experienced a service outage earlier this week. While service resumed hours later, the company didn’t share what caused the outage.
Eastlink will increase the costs of its roaming services by $1 on April 20th, following similar action from Telus and Bell.
The increase in roaming rates has led to further exploration by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). In a letter to Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, the Commission confirmed it had been investigating the issue and would further study the matter.
SpaceX successfully launched Starlink’s second-generation satellites in February. But now, the satellites are facing unknown issues.
The CRTC has launched a new consultation to examine how it could improve the Broadband Fund.
The Commission has ordered Bell and Rogers to share details on network-sharing agreements. Bell’s order is in relation to EBOX, and Rogers’ refers to Vidéotron’s acquisition of Freedom Mobile.
After announcing a partnership that would see Bell sell its services in Staples retail locations earlier this year, Staples says it’s looking to fill 800 positions.
The federal government has committed $37 million for high-speed internet projects in Saskatchewan.
Such funding agreements have contributed to high-speed internet access now being available to 90 percent of homes in Canada, according to Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development.
Infrastructure
Bell is expanding pure fibre internet to Essex Centre and Harrow. The expansion is part of the company’s capital expenditure program.
Deals
Public Mobile is offering a 15GB plan for $40 a month for a limited time. The plan typically has a $60 price tag.
Bell has released a 15GB for $60/month plan option, matching an offer Rogers previously rolled out.
Over the past couple of months, you might have heard some buzz about a movie called Tetris. As the name suggests, it’s based on the iconic decades-old block-stacking video game.
But unlike HBO’s The Last of Us, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehogor even Netflix’s Arcane, Tetris isn’t an adaptation of an existing gaming universe. Instead, the Tetris film is actually inspired by the real high-stakes legal battle surrounding the rights to the massively popular game. Directed by Jon S. Baird (Filth), the film stars Taron Egerton (Rocketman) as Henk Rogers, the Dutch game designer and entrepreneur who helped bring Tetris to gaming consoles.
So far, the movie has garnered positive reviews as it’s screened at film festivals and the like. The trailers have also given the movie an amusing Cold War, political thriller-style vibe.
With all of this in mind, you might be wondering when and where you can watch it for yourself. Thankfully, it’s quite simple. As an Apple Original film, Tetris will begin streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ worldwide, including Canada, on March 31st. Apple TV+ is available on several platforms, including iPhone, Apple TV, Samsung and LG smart TVs and more, for $8.99/month.
Given all of the video game movies and shows in recent months, it’s interesting to get a title that offers more of a behind-the-scenes at the medium instead. It’s also not the only movie taking this kind of approach. On August 11th, Sony will release a film called Gran Turismo — based on a fan of its popular PlayStation racing game franchise — that follows a gamer who tries to become a real race car driver.
Android users have been able to use live wallpapers since the release of Android 2.0 Eclair in 2009. However, despite the capability to set a separate static wallpaper for the home screen and lock screen, Android only lets users set a single live wallpaper for both. This limitation might be changing with Android 14.
Android 14’s latest Developer Preview holds clues regarding the requested feature. According to XDADevelopers, while digging through the source code for the Developer Preview, code changes that suggest Android 14 will enable an “independent lock screen live wallpaper” feature were discovered.
One of the code changes adds a new method to Android’s WallpaperManager class called setWallpaperComponentWithFlags(). This new method allows system apps that hold the SET_WALLPAPER_COMPONENT permission, such as Android’s Live Wallpaper Picker app, to set the live wallpaper for the home screen, lock screen, or both screens.
Currently, the “independent lock screen live wallpaper” feature is not enabled in the Android 14 Developer Preview, so the lock screen in current builds only supports showing static wallpapers.
XDADevelopersspeculates that the feature is being added for new devices like the Pixel Tablet, which will double up as a Nest smart display. While there’s no guarantee that this feature will be released, it’s still exciting to see the possibility of setting a separate live wallpaper for the lock screen in Android 14. It’s a small but important feature that can add more personalization and customization to users’ Android experience.
In other Android 14-related news, Pixel users might get separate ring and notification volume settings with the new OS. Read more about it here.
For one weekend only, PlayStation Canada has opened a pop-up inspired by the hit franchise in the city’s bustling Union Station. There, visitors will see an infected person stuck in the wall in a creepy, zombified outgrowth. Other imagery, including materials from the game’s fictional Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), is also featured.
BREAKING NEWS – A Cordyceps outbreak has hit Toronto with one infection already reported. Reports indicate they were a fungi. Experts link this to the increase in players experiencing The Last of Us on PS5. #livefromPS5pic.twitter.com/sFV5lDzzOH
Interestingly, though, the pop-up is inspired by The Last of Us Part I, the PS5 remake of the original The Last of Us PS3 game, rather than the HBO series, specifically. It’s part of the gaming giant’s “Live from PS5” campaign, a series of live-action skits in which fictional reporters cover events from PS5 games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI.
Those interested in attending The Last of Us pop-up in Toronto can do so at the following times:
Friday, March 24th (2pm to 10pm ET)
Saturday, March 25th (10am to 10pm ET)
Sunday, March 26th (12pm to 10pm ET)
The pop-up comes right before the March 28th PC launch of The Last of Us Part I, and just a couple of weeks after the finale of the hit HBO series.
Every month, Amazon adds several new series and movies to its streaming service, Prime Video, and April 2023 will be no different.
Below is everything set to hit and leave Prime Video in Canada. Amazon also shared several featured titles coming to Prime Video Channels, which are add-on channels with additional content for extra subscription fees (they’re noted below):
April 5th
Perder Es Ganar Un Poco (Amazon Original)
Nadie Sabe Para Quien Trabja
April 6th
Lizzy Hoo: Hoo Cares?
April 7th
Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre (Amazon Original)
On a Wing and a Prayer (Amazon Original)
Gangs of Lagos (Amazon Original)
De Viaje Con Los Derbez: Season 3 (Amazon Original)
El Internado: Las Cumbres: Season 3 (Exclusive Content)
Murilo Couto Comedy Special (Exclusive Content)
Code Name Banshee
Praise This
Sniper’s Eve: Fortress
Abandoned
April 12th
True to Love (Exclusive Content)
April 13th
Soltos: Season 3 (Amazon Original)
April 14th
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 5 (Amazon Original)
Salade Grecque (Amazon Original)
Caravana Das Drags (Amazon Original)
Pearl
April 17th
Till
April 18th
Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits (Amazon Original)
Neeyat
April 21st
Dead Ringers (Amazon Original)
Judy Blume Forever (Amazon Original)
LOL: Chi Ride È Fuori: Season 3 (Amazon Original)
Wild Isles: Season 1 (Exclusive Content)
Fabio Rabin Comedy Special (Exclusive Content)
Vendetta
Con Los Años Que Nos Quedan
April 22nd
Nasha (Exclusive Content)
ONEFC: One Fight Night 9
April 24th
Crank
April 28th
Citadel (Amazon Original)
LOL: The Last One Laughing (De): Season 4 (Amazon)
Prime Video Channels
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies on Paramount+ (April 6th)
Blindspotting S2 on STARZ (April 14th)
Grace S3 on BritBox (April 20th)
From on Paramount+ (April 23rd)
Scott’s Vacation House on STACKTV (April 24th)
Fatal Attraction on Paramount+ (April 30th)
Leaving Prime Video April
War With Grandpa (April 1st)
Bad Boys II (April 2nd)
Aamhi Doghi (April 5th)
Amazon Riders (April 5th)
Gretel and Hansel (April 6th)
Minari (April 11th)
The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town (April 14th)
The First 48 (April 14th)
Chaos Walking (April 14th)
The Looming Tower (April 18th)
Stowaway (April 21st)
The First 48 (April 28th)
Prime Video is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV and more and costs $99 per year alongside your Amazon Prime subscription.
Prime Video is also supporting the Canadian Women’s Foundation with its ‘Watch to Give Back’ initiative this month. Prime Video will donate all proceeds from Watch to Give Back title rentals and purchases to the Canadian Woman’s Foundation from March 1st to 31st.
These are the titles:
9 to 5
Bend it Like Beckham
Hidden Figures
Turning Red
Waiting to Exhale
Wild
Eighth Grade
Hustlers
Lady Bird
Akeelah and the Bee
Girl’s Trip
Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris
She Said
Woman King
A League of Their Own
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Julie & Julia
Little Women (2019)
Return of Tanya Tucker ft. Brandi Carlile
Sense And Sensibility
Mad Max: Fury Road
Miss Congeniality
Wonder Woman 1984
Find out what came to Prime Video Canada in March here.
Apple’s iPhone 15 will reportedly upgrade the Dynamic Island by moving the proximity sensor inside the phone’s housing.
Ming-Chi Kuo reports that the iPhone 15 models will feature a Dynamic Island design similar to the iPhone 14 Pro’s, but with the proximity sensor placed within the cutout.
The iPhone 14 Pro’s proximity sensor is hidden under the display outside of the Dynamic Island. Despite the iPhone 15 models including the proximity sensor within the Dynamic Island, there will be no change to the island’s size.
Kuo reports that the iPhone 15 will offer a 940nm wavelength instead of the 138nm featured in the current iPhone 14 Pro. Further, Kuo says it’s unclear why Apple plans to make this change. It’s possible that this could make the phone more affordable to manufacture, but it’s unclear.
Recent leaks indicate the iPhone 15 Pro Max is reported to feature the smallest bezels yet on any smartphone. Apple will likely reveal its iPhone 15 series this coming fall.
Google’s Camera app has received a new update that brings exciting features to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro as part of the March Feature Drop.
The update includes the required code needed to enable faster Night Sight on the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, as shared by 9to5Google. Additionally, the latest version of the Camera app doesn’t only offer updates for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are also receiving a revamped zoom UI with the update.
The update is now rolling out on the Play Store, and the new zoom controls are only available on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The new UI features light blue line segments, replacing the white dots used in the previous version, to indicate the different zoom levels. Additionally, the font for the zoom level indicator is now larger and easier to read, and it uses the same light blue colour as other areas of the Camera app.
We’re uncertain why the new zoom interface is limited to the latest Pixel flagship. It’s also unclear if the UI will roll to older Pixel devices as well.
You can find the latest version of Google Camera on the Play Store. The update is rolling out now, so you might not see it immediately.
After the F-150 Lightning, Ford is ready to produce a second all-electric truck.
The upcoming truck, codenamed Project T3, was revealed at Ford’s recent press conference held at its $5.6 billion ($7.7 billion CAD) BlueOval City EV mega-campus, where construction is on track to begin vehicle production in 2025.
The new electric truck comes on the heels of Ford’s successful introduction of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, which became the best-selling electric truck since its launch, with 15,617 units sold through December. The Mustang Mach-E also led Ford’s electric vehicle sales with nearly 40,000 units sold last year, making Ford the second-largest EV maker in the U.S., behind only Tesla.
The T3 in Project T3 stands for “Trust The Truck.” The truck is equipped with cutting-edge technology and can handle a wide range of tasks, including towing, hauling, generating power, and numerous other innovations.
“Project T3 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America’s truck. We are melding 100 years of Ford truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software and aerodynamics talent. It will be a platform for endless innovation and capability,” said Ford CEO, Jim Farley. He added that Project T3 is a platform for endless innovation and capability, like the Millennium Falcon with a back porch attached.
Ford’s BlueOval City is designed to be Ford’s first carbon-neutral campus, as the automaker aims to power all plants globally with renewable and carbon-free electricity by 2035. The BlueOval City mega-campus is expected to produce 500,000 electric trucks per year once fully operational.
