Author: Anna Galvez

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Crypto Games News

Blockchain Gaming: Ubisoft Leads The Blockchain Games Alliance to Implement Blockchain Technologies in The Industry

The Blockchain Games Alliance announced the affiliation of a total of 8 members to the project, with the aim of developing crypto and blockchain technologies in the video games industry. The French company Ubisoft is leading the Blockchain Games Alliance which also enjoys the presence of ConsenSys.

Ubisoft to lead the Blockchain Games Alliance in implementing blockchain technologies in the video games industry

The announcement was made at the Blockchain Games Summit that took place in the French city of Lyon during the last days of September. Ubisoft, together with ConsenSys and the startups Enjin, Fig, Alto, Ultra, EverdreamSoft, and Gimli have become the first members of this alliance, thus inaugurating the project at international level.

The project aims to develop a set of common standards and practices with a view to integrating crypto networks and blockchain technologies into the video games industry, thus accelerating innovation in this ecosystem. “We offer an open forum for all stakeholders to share knowledge and collaborate on research that fosters new ways of creating and playing games,” said the Blockchain Games Alliance.

“The Blockchain Game Alliance advocates a universal standard in the blockchain gaming space to create a more interoperable and transparent ecosystem that benefits stakeholders by promoting innovation and ensuring economic viability,” said Nicolas Gilot, Ultra startup CEO.

The renowned games developer, Ubisoft, is not new to blockchain gaming

Ubisoft becomes one of the most outstanding members of this blockchain gaming alliance due to its enormous history in the video games industry. Sagas such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, among others, are some of its most famous products.

The firm has been working for several months now on the Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Laboratory to develop and implement crypto and blockchain technologies in its games, achieving this goal in the HashCraft game with the help of its blockchain department director, Anne Puck.

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Tech

iOS 12.1 To Bring 70 New Emojis To Spice Up Your Messages

Apple announced 70 new emojis in iOS 12.1. Among the new emoticons, we’ll have new redhead characters, as well as others with gray or curly hair. Also, a new emoji for bald people would be available. The catalog also welcomes new animals, sports, and foods emojis. As for the smiling faces, we’ll have new emoticons, as well.

Emojis have become in recent years one of the most loved elements in instant messaging apps around the world. They are used by people all over the world to transmit their reactions without having to type.

With these 70 new emojis in iOS 12.1, which Apple has already announced during the World Emoji Day, it will be easier to find the right emoji to represent you better, as well as your favorite activities and your reactions. In iOS 12.1 you would have more emojis where to choose from, such as new clothes, symbols, food, new expressions, and mythical creatures, among others.

iOS 12.1 to bring 70 new emojis to spice up your messages as never before

The new emoji designs, created based on characters approved in Unicode 11.0, include even more hair options to better represent people with red hair, gray hair and curly hair, a new emoji for bald people and new smiling faces that give more expression to your messages, including cold appearance, party face, pleading look, and face with hearts.

The sports fan would also be happy with the new emojis in iOS 12.1, as Apple added emojis for softball, frisbee, and lacrosse. For their part, adventurers and nature lovers will enjoy new icons such as the compass and mountain boots.

In this new set of emojis, there are also animals such as a llama, a swan, a raccoon and a mosquito that join the kangaroo, lobster, parrot, and peacock already presented by Apple during the World Emoji Day. The bagel and the salt shaker join the new food emojis along with cupcakes, mango, and a green leafy vegetable, although it is hard to tell if it’s either lettuce, chard or spinach.

The new emojis in iOS 12.1 would also be available in the first iOS 12.1 Public Beta.

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Games Tech

New Nintendo Switch Rumored For 2019 – Here’s Everything We Know About It!

According to the online media The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is preparing a new Nintendo Switch console for 2019. It would be the same console but updated and with an improved display. According to the before-mentioned news portal, that would be an effective way for Nintendo to boost its sales for the console.

While it is more likely for Nintendo to use LCD technology, there is a small chance that an OLED display will be introduced. Thus, using an improved display, the screen thickness would be lowered, battery consumption would be improved, and weight would be reduced.

However, Nintendo did not offer any details, so we can’t know just yet what kind of hardware the rumored Nintendo Switch 2019 console would include. It might not even be a whole new generation of Nintendo Switch, but it could be only a hardware-upgraded version of the current Nintendo Switch console.

Nintendo plans to release a new Nintendo Switch in 2019

According to Wall Street Journal, the new Nintendo Switch console would come out around mid-2019, even though Nintendo didn’t offer an exact date. This information has been revealed by a group of experts close to Nintendo’s suppliers, who shared the rumors with the before-mentioned news portal.

The problem we think about right now is whether or not the currently Nintendo Switch games would be compatible with the new Nintendo Switch 2019 variant. In case they’re not, as it happens with PlayStation or Xbox games when a new console arrives, Nintendo might not register as many sales as they expect. Therefore, according to the fans, Nintendo should opt for an upgraded version but still compatible with the current Nintendo Switch games.

However, many Nintendo fans expect a Lite/Slim version of the Nintendo Switch console that would still be compatible with the games of the current console and that, at the same time, is cheaper. But, almost unanimously, most Switch gamers agree that the new Nintendo Switch 2019 variant should boast a better battery for higher autonomy.

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Tech

Amazon To Launch New Fire TV Products for Canadian Markets

As it’s expanding its services in Canada, Amazon plans to roll out new Fire TV products for Canadian markets later this month. According to the official announcement, Amazon would release the new Toshiba Fire TV Edition TVs, Fire TV Stick 4K, and the Alexa Voice Remote. Also, Alexa functionality would be added to all the Fire TV devices across Canada.

Toshiba Fire TV Edition TVs

Toshiba Amazon Fire TV Edition smart TVs come with 4K UHD, 1080p, and 720p resolutions at 32-inch, 43-inch, 49-inch, 50-inch, and 55-inch display sizes, depending on the resolution you choose.

However, regardless on which model you opt for, you’ll have pre-installed Amazon Fire TV and Alexa Voice Remote.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Compared to the regular Fire TV stick launched in 2017, the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K boasts a higher resolution and also supports both HDR10+ and DolbyVision HDR standards.

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K turns your TV with an HDMI input into a streaming station for Netflix, Amazon Prime Movies, and Hulu.

Alexa Voice Remote

Alexa Voice Remote provides you with voice control over your Amazon Fire TV device. Besides its TV-related functions, such as launching, playing, pausing, and stopping movies, music, TV shows, and so on, Alexa Voice Remote relies on your voice commands to help you place orders on Amazon or check the weather.

Prices of the new Fire TV products for Canadian markets

As we speak, the new Amazon Fire TV products for Canadian markets are only in their pre-order phase. The Toshiba Fire TV Edition TVs are already available for pre-order on Amazon at prices starting from $549.99. Shipments would commence on October 19th.

On the other hand, the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and the Alexa Voice Remote bundles are available for pre-orders at $69.99m, while they would be delivered to customers starting with October 31st. Alexa Voice Remote alone costs only $39.99.

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Tech

iPhone XS and XS Max Charging Issue To Be Fixed In The Upcoming iOS 12.1 Update

We reported a few days ago that some iPhone XS and XS Max users complain about a charging issue affecting the before-mentioned Apple devices. According to the initial reports on this problem, there are no viable solutions to solve it out entirely. However, now Apple decided to tackle this issue which seems to be software-related. In that regard, iPhone XS and XS Max charging problem would be solved out in the upcoming iOS 12.1 update.

Recently, right after Apple released its three new iPhone 2018 models, users reported an intriguing charging issue affecting iPhone XS and XS Max. According to the reports coming from users, these two models present the problem only when connected to a wall power outlet with the screen off. On the other hand, wireless charging works flawlessly.

However, the issue has been related to a software error, so Apple found the bug and fixed it. The new version of iOS 12.1 would tackle this issue on iPhone XS and XS Max phones.

The Upcoming iOS 12.1 Update will fix the iPhone XS and XS Max Charging Issue

Apple rolled out its new iOS 12 along with the release of iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. The new Apple OS, however, seems to be the culprit for the XS and XS Max charging issue. Luckily, Apple announced that the upcoming iOS 12.1 version would fix that problem. But the Cupertino-based tech giant did not announce when the new iOS update will hit the market.

What’s certain is that Apple will release an iOS 12.1 Beta soon which comes out with a fix for the charging issue on iPhone XS and XS Max. But a beta, as we already know, is just a testing version of the final product and, although it contains some improvements and bug fixes, it may also come out with other issues and unstable behavior.

So, to be sure your experience with a new iPhone XS and XS Max is maximized, you should wait for the final iOS 12.1 version to roll out.

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