Apple’s Vision for February
If the latest edition of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman Power On newsletter is correct — and it usually is — then Apple could be lining up for something big; namely the release of the big fruit company’s heavily anticipated take on augmented reality, the Vision Pro. If things go according to plan, we could see folks double-tapping their way around the place before February closes out.
Unfortunately, we’re referring to the most royal ‘we’ imaginable. Gurman reckons that the Vision Pro is already making the trek across the US to various distribution warehouses, with the potential for enough stock to meet that February deadline.
At the time of writing, Apple has yet to confirm Gurman’s thoughts, though he expects that could be changing as early as this week or next — to “take some of the spotlight away from CES,” which kicks off tomorrow, 9 January, before closing out later this week on 12 January. There’s no word on whether Apple will offer pre-orders for the headset, though considering the need for a face scan to get the band and seal just right, Gurman is guessing pre-orders should go live soon after Apple’s announcement.
As for a broader international release, the Apple analyst isn’t quite as sure. He believes a wider rollout won’t be particularly far behind the US’ February release, however, and that the UK, Canada, and China will be among the next for a chance to play. South Africa on the other hand… We’ll just be glad for an opportunity to see the bloody thing before 2024 is over.
Netflix Games
Two years on, and Netflix’s pursuit into the world of gaming has only gotten better. It’s kept up a steady torrent of games, the quality of which has only risen in that time. The most recent drop included the likes of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, “free” to anyone willing to foot the streamer’s rather extensive bill every month. Value add-ons like an entire suite of mobile games don’t make money, though. We think. That must be why Netflix is looking to stick a whole bunch of ads and microtransactions in there. You know, to make ends meet.
That’s according to a report from The Wall Street Journal (via IGN), which heard the news that Netflix is considering several methods to capitalize on the gaming side of its platform sooner rather than later, from “people familiar with discussions.” Those methods involve the addition of in-game purchases (screw you, Bethesda!), charging more for specific games, or including games with ads into the streamers’ ad-supported tier.
The latter of which sounds… reasonable. The majority of consumers already put up with mobile ads nearly everywhere else, and likely won’t knock Netflix’s decision to start turning a profit. Unfortunately, South Africa isn’t privy to Netflix’s ad-supported tier yet and could be forced to put up with the scummier of the streamer’s ideas; premium-priced games and what sounds an awful lot like microtransactions.
While we don’t doubt that the report’s claims are at least somewhat accurate (this is Netflix we’re talking about), there’s no use in getting your undies in a bunch until Netflix proves the claims correct. When that’ll be, we couldn’t say.
Samsung’s Frame is expanding into Music
Those who consider themselves to be part of the Bourgeoisie have probably got one of Samsung’s Frame TVs hanging around their house somewhere. We’ll save the Proletariat of the world from needing to Google what those are — they’re TVs that’ll transform themselves into works of art when not in use, saving that particular stretch of wall from being duller than the rest. The idea might be new to you, but Samsung’s sold enough of these to expand the line-up to include something new.
Enter the Music Frame, a speaker, not a TV, that’s setting out to solve the same issue: turn a piece of wall into a (small) work of art. We won’t pretend it doesn’t look at least a little bit cool, even if your money could be spent better elsewhere.
“This customizable speaker is compatible with SmartThings and provides surround sound when paired with Samsung TVs and soundbars. Music Frame can either operate as a standalone wireless speaker or pair with a Samsung TV and soundbar via Q-Symphony to augment bass and surround sound. Seamlessly blending into its environment by camouflaging itself inside modern picture frames, Music Frame provides high-quality sound without being an eyesore,” Samsung’s press release reads.
When you’ll be able to hang it on your wall and what it’ll cost remains a mystery. The already-popular wall speaker, born from a collaboration between Sonos and Ikea, currently goes for $260 (R4,900) in the States, so we’re expecting Samsung’s pricing to follow suit.
Hi-Fi Rush is making a Switch
While Microsoft, or more specifically, Xbox, might never stop bleating about PlayStation’s stranglehold on the industry what with its torrent of first-party — both timed and untimed — exclusives, the company doesn’t appear to be trying very hard to fight back. Sure, those larger games like Starfield might be locked to Xbox and Windows (and it can stay that way), but if Nintendo ‘insider’ NateTheHate is right, a certain “high critical acclaim” first-party title won’t be exclusive for much longer.
That game is Hi-Fi Rush, according to an onslaught of fresh rumours that surfaced soon after NateTheHate’s comments on his podcast. The most notable belongs to ResetEra user lolilolailo, who reckons it won’t be coming to PlayStation, Xbox’s largest competitor, but to the Switch, sometime before 2024 is over.
That’s… awesome. Hi-Fi Rush was one of those games that caught our and The Game Award’s attention in 2023, being developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda nearly an entire year ago. It’s a rhythm-based game that didn’t get the broader spectrum of praise thanks to the Xbox Series X’s failing numbers. A port to another console, especially one that’s sold as many as the Switch has might just give the game the boost Xbox is looking for.
