Google’s Veo 3 ain’t cheap (but it’s getting there)
Remember when we all used to point and laugh at the bumbling efforts of generative AI just a little over two years ago? We’re still occasionally visited by Will Smith demolishing a plate of spaghetti in our dreams. But a lot has changed since then, with generative AI inching closer to being indistinguishable from the real thing. A great example is Google’s Veo 3 model, which delivers movie-level visuals from… nothing.
Even more impressive is Veo 3’s ability to generate realistic audio, including dialogue, from nothing. Of course, Google isn’t just dishing this tech out to just anybody. It previously was reserved for those willing to pony up $250/m for access to Google’s AI Ultra tier. A lot sooner than most people expected, Google is already relinquishing access to Veo 3 as part of the AI Pro tier, which costs $20/m or R430/m locally. Kinda.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite the deal it sounds like. Access to Veo 3 comes as part of a ‘trial’ version, which allows users to generate 10, eight-second-long Veo 3 videos that can feature sound. After which, they’ll automatically be bumped back down to Veo 2. Fortunately, newcomers are offered a one-month free trial to the Pro tier in South Africa, enabling you to test out Veo 3’s capabilities before pulling the trigger on the AI Ultra tier.
Despite the drop to the Pro tier, Google now allows more people to sign up for the Ultra tier globally, and South Africa is included in the very long list.
Apple tries its hand at gaming (again) with a dedicated Steam-like app
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is right around the corner, and the Big Fruit Company is once again attempting to get its dedicated fan base excited about the prospects of gaming on Apple devices. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has plans to unveil a “dedicated gaming app” that “will serve as a launcher for titles and centralize in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications and other activity.”
Apple has a monumental task ahead if it hopes to be taken seriously in the gaming space. The company has recently helped port over some big AAA titles for its hardware in recent years, including Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, but adoption rates have been slow. Most folks tend to side with Windows devices and dedicated gaming consoles, but a dedicated launcher may help position Apple as a contender.
The new app, expected to be officially unveiled at WWDC on 9 June, will replace the existing ‘Game Center’ app and is headed to the company’s phones, though a Mac version is also planned. It’ll feature “editorial content from Apple about new titles,” content from the App Store’s gaming sector, and the company’s subscription-based ‘Arcade’ offering, all in one place.
While unlikely to garner much attention at first, the Mac app may have a shot at stealing the show. Gurman mentions that the Mac version can “tap into games downloaded outside of the App Store,” meaning it may allow users to link up their Steam and/or Epic Games accounts to play their games on Apple’s hardware.
Instagram’s headed to the iPad. Finally
Just days after WhatsApp finally found its way onto iPadOS, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Meta isn’t finished just yet. The company is supposedly gearing up to bring a dedicated version of Instagram, its image-sharing social media platform, to the iPad as well — nearly fifteen years after the app hit mobile app stores.
To use Gurman’s words, Meta is now “full steam ahead” where Instagram’s development for the iPad is concerned, despite the inexplicable years-long delay in bringing the app to one of Apple’s more prominent devices.
“I’m told that employees on the Meta Platforms Inc. campus are actively testing Instagram for the iPad and that development work is full steam ahead. I would expect it to be released this year if all goes to plan.”
Twitch goes vertical
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. In a bid to cash in on the attention spans dedicated to TikTok and Instagram Reels, Twitch has announced that it’ll soon introduce vertical game streaming, in addition to the more traditional widescreen streams it became popular for. Announced at TwitchCon Europe over the weekend, CEO Dan Clancy also confirmed higher quality “2K” streams were headed to the platform.
Vertical streams aren’t a completely foreign concept to Twitch. The platform previously only allowed users to watch content vertically if that content was a clip — a short highlight that streamers can share — or an “IRL stream.” Streams involving gameplay, however, were not privy to the format.
If you’re hoping to catch some League of Legends action in the vertical format, the creator you’re watching will need to enable the orientation before they go live, a setting that will only be available to a small number of channels as Twitch beta-tests the feature over the coming year.
1440p streams, on the other hand, began rolling out to all partners and affiliates over the weekend. Twitch has adopted a newer HVEC codec (also called H.265) that offers better compression and image quality while using a lower bitrate. The feature is still in beta for the time being, meaning it may be a while before you can see your favourite creators in a higher resolution than you’re used to.
