Tag: Android apps

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Microsoft expands Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 to Canada

Microsoft unveiled the Windows 11 2022 Update on Tuesday, which is set to bring several new features to Windows 11 PCs. However, one announcement that flew a little under the radar was that Microsoft was expanding the Amazon Appstore to Canada and other countries.

“Today, we are excited to share that within the next few weeks, the Amazon Appstore will expand to 31 countries – including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, United States and more,” reads a line from one of the many announcement blog posts released on Tuesday. Moreover, you can view the full list of countries where the Amazon Appstore Preview is available here.

The expansion means that Windows 11 users in Canada will soon be able to access Android apps and games on Windows 11 through the Microsoft Store.

As part of the change, Microsoft says it made it easier to discover Android apps and games by adding them to editorials and search results on the Microsoft Store. Plus, you’ll be able to share links to your favourite Android apps too.

Moreover, Microsoft improved the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), which powers Android apps on Windows 11. Thanks to the improvements, users should get two or three times faster graphics performance with hardware accelerations, DRM video support, improved input handling for touch, mouse, and keyboard, plus network and security improvements.

To make use of Android apps on Windows 11, you’ll need to download the Amazon Appstore Preview first (unless you’ve got the technical know-how to install Android apps without it). You can do that by opening the Microsoft Store and searching for ‘Amazon Appstore.’

However, there’s a good chance that it won’t be available just yet. As mentioned up top, the Amazon Appstore will be available in the “next few weeks.” Moreover, you’ll need the latest Windows update and the right PC hardware. You can check the former by heading to Settings > Windows Update and checking for the Windows 11 2022 Update, while the latter can be verified by checking the system requirements on the Amazon Appstore page (you’ll need at least 8GB of RAM and either an 8th Gen Intel Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3000, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c or better chip).

Header image credit: Microsoft

Source: Windows Experience Blog

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Bluestacks X allows you to experience Android games on the big screen

The staple Android emulator for PC, Bluestacks, has been around for the better part of the last decade, allowing users to run Android apps and games on PC seamlessly.

I remember using it to run a modded Pokémon Go version (yeah I’m not proud of it, but catching and showing off Pokémon that weren’t available in my country was cool at the time), playing Flappy Birds on a big screen and even using WhatsApp for messaging when it wasn’t available as a web version.

Since then, I’ve been out of the Bluestacks loop and recently realized that the company launched a new free-to-use ‘Bluestacks X’ service with cloud gaming.

The emulator allows you to sign in to your Google Play account and virtually download any applications or games you like and run them on your PC. Additionally, since Bluestacks is an Android emulator that can run games via the cloud, it doesn’t require a beefy PC.

Bluestacks X is available on the web and as a downloadable emulator that lives on your PC. The former allows you to play titles on the cloud, without having to download any files or software on your PC, whereas the latter stores data on your machine, and doesn’t offer cloud gaming, while offering a larger selection of applications.

For the web version of Bluestacks X, the company partnered with now.gg and hosts the service on Amazon’s AWS Graviton servers. At the time of launch, the web Bluestacks X featured about 15 games, though that number has grown to over 60 titles, with new ones added every week.

Some of the games featured include Grand Mafia, Nova Empire: Space Commander, PUBG: Mobile, State of Survival, Guns of Glory and many more.

It’s worth noting that I initially thought the games would run the way I’m used to playing PC games, with a high resolution and a fast refresh rate, though I was quickly disappointed. This has less to do with Bluestacks and more to do with the games. Considering these are mobile titles, they only run on the maximum settings they’ve been designed for, which might feel smooth on a smartphone, but isn’t satisfying on a PC.

Regardless, if you’re an Android gamer and want to experience the games you play on a bigger screen with more range of controls (Bluestacks supports both keyboard & mouse and controllers), without having to download an application and save those games on your device, the Bluestacks X web service is worth trying. Oh, and it’s free to use.

On the other hand, if you’ve got space on your machine and aren’t particularly interested in cloud gaming, but still want to experience Android titles on the big screen, the Bluestacks X emulator is your go-to.

The emulator, unlike the web version of the application, doesn’t have any limitations when it comes to titles or applications. It features a built-in Google Play Store and can run all applications available on it, from Netflix, Instagram, Spotify, Pinterest, Duolingo and TikTok to EA’s FIFA Soccer, NBA 2K: Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact, Among Us, Final Fantasy VII and even Apex Legends Mobile.

The emulator acts as an Android device, with a dedicated home screen with your downloaded applications available in one place.

The emulator also allows you to set up macros, clear memory, install APKs from third-party websites like APKMirror, take screenshots, change the orientation of the application (portrait and landscape), set shortcuts, and more.

Heading to settings allows you to set the maximum frame rate of the emulator and games, however, no matter how high you set it, the game will only run on the frame rate that it allows. Additionally, all audio, controller and performance-related setting can be adjusted depending on your machine.

In my experience using the emulator the past week, I can say that this is a big upgrade from the old Bluestacks I know and used to love. The UI is way more polished and doesn’t freeze unnecessarily, like back in the day. The ability to custom-set resolutions and frame rate is a big addition. When you first launch the application and jump into a game, controls would feel all over the place, though they can easily be fixed to set as your regular PC gaming keybinds.

That being said, playing mobile games feel best when you’re playing it on a — you guessed it — mobile, but having the option to experience your favourite titles on the big screen is always a plus.

If you want to check out Bluestack X’s cloud gaming service, head here. If you want to download the Bluestacks Android emulator, head here. The service is available for both Windows and Mac users.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Here’s what was announced at the ‘Google for Games Developer Summit’

At its Google for Games Developer Summit, Google launched several tools, upgraded old ones and added new features and resources to help support developers and their endeavours, including game development and audience growth.

According to Google, Android usage on ChromeOS grew by 50 percent since 2021 and was mostly led by games. The company’s Google Play Games beta allows you to play Android games on a tablet or Chromebook, and is now releasing its beta for Windows PC.

Last year, Google released its Android Game Development Kit, allowing developers to produce better apps and games. Since then, Google has updated the kit on several occasions, based on developer feedback. The Android Game Development Extension allows native PC developers to build for Android directly from Microsoft’s Visual Studio, in addition to a new Memory Advice API that can let developers know how much memory their apps and games are consuming on a given device.

Further, to analyze and differentiate between CPU and GPU bottlenecks, the Android Game Development Kit now also includes an Android GPU Inspector that can help developers identify performance issues and achieve better frame rates and battery life.

To continue supporting developers, Google has launched a new Google Play Partner Program for Games. The new program “will provide larger game developers and studio the resources they need to maintain and scale their games (including faster releases, additional tools to help fight scaled abuse, and more),” said a Google spokesperson.

Additional tools to support developers include ‘Reach and Distribution,’ which allows developers to understand on which device the majority of their userbase sits, helping them make better decisions about what to build for.

A resource that has been available for developers is Google’s Android Vitals. It helps developers monitor and improve their game/app’s stability on Google Play. Today, Google added a new Developer Reporting API to the already-available resource to enable developers to fetch information about their crashing, ANR (app-not-responding) rates, clusters, and stack traces.

Lastly, a feature Android users globally have been waiting for. Google announced that the Android 12-introduced Play as you Download feature will soon be widely released for all Android 12 users. Play as you Download allows users to start playing a game while its assets are being downloaded in the background.

Learn more about everything introduced at today’s Google for Games Developer Summit here.

Image credit: Google

Source: Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Microsoft is beta testing Android apps on Windows 11

A new preview build of Windows 11 currently making its way to beta testers finally allows users to try out Android apps in Windows 11.

If you’re running the latest Windows 11 beta software, you can download apps from the new Microsoft Store app. However, these apps are actually sourced from Amazon’s App Store. Android apps reportedly function well in Windows 11 and integrate with ‘Alt+Tab’ and ‘Task View.’

The report also mentions that Windows has added 50 apps to the beta for people to try out. Amazon’s App Store features 600,000 apps in total. It’s unclear if Microsoft plans to bring all of the store’s apps to Windows 11 once the feature officially launches.

Being able to run Android apps is one of the highlights of Windows 11 that Microsoft has yet to deliver on. Hopefully, the feature rolls out soon.

Via: The Verge