Technology

Given that the Wii U is no longer in production, it makes sense, although we’re sure that owners of the 3DS system might be a little disappointed. According to Nintendo, “As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos.”

The company also notes, “As of May 23, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a credit card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.” They also add that starting August 29, 2022, users will no longer be able to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds, but download codes can still be redeemed until late March 2023.

One of the interesting features and highlights of Microsoft’s Windows 11 is that it allows users to download and use Android apps on their PC. Prior to this, there was no official way of using Android apps on a PC short of mirroring your phone onto your PC which was also device dependent.

The feature has been in preview for a while now, but the good news is that Microsoft has since announced that all Windows 11 users in the US will now access the preview on their computers. According to Microsoft, “Windows 11 users in the U.S. can access the Amazon Appstore Preview1 in the Microsoft Store, and popular apps like Audible, Kindle, Subway Surfers, Lords Mobile, Khan Academy Kids and many more.”

During Nintendo’s financial results briefing last week, a question was posed to the company in which they were asked what they thought about the metaverse and NFTs. Nintendo acknowledges that the concept of the metaverse has piqued their interest, but it seems that they will be staying away from it for now.

“As a company that provides entertainment, our main emphasis is on ways to deliver fresh surprises and fun to our consumers. We might consider something if we can find a way to convey a ‘Nintendo approach’ to the metaverse that many people can readily understand, but we do not think that is the situation at the present time.”

It’s now 2022 which means that later on in the year, Google will be releasing its next major Android update in the form of Android 13. The good news is that we won’t have to wait too long to find out the changes that Google has made because the company has since released the first developer preview.

Keep in mind that this is just the first of several developer previews that Google will probably release over the coming months. This isn’t a public beta for Android users yet and is aimed more towards developers who need to make sure their apps are compatible and for them to check out what’s new and what kind of features they can take advantage of.

There is a lot to appreciate in terms of modern day infotainment systems. Some come with large touchscreen displays, some support a variety of apps like mapping and music apps, and so on. However, being more advanced also means that it can be vulnerable to bugs which is what some Mazda owners found out.

According to a report from GeekWire, it seems that some Mazda drivers in Seattle were discovering that their infotainment units had been bricked after tuning into local NPR radio station KUOW.

This is especially true for Call of Duty which is available on both Xbox and PlayStation. The good news is that Microsoft has stated that they plan to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation.

According to Microsoft, “To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision. And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.”

It has been quite a while since we last saw a new Mario Kart game. This is because even when Nintendo launched the Switch, the version of Mario Kart that they brought to the console was simply an upgraded version of Mario Kart 8 that was originally released on the Wii U.

Honestly, we can’t say that we mind because at the end of the day, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a pretty fun game to play, but the good news is that if you’re hankering for some new content, you’re in luck as Nintendo has officially announced new DLC that they will be releasing for the game.

It’s probably safe to say that it was largely thanks to Facebook that “reactions” became a popular feature. Instead of simply “liking” a post, users could “react” to it by using laughing emojis, a sad face emoji, heart emojis, and so on. So it’s not surprising that the company is now bringing those features to WhatsApp.

According to a post by WABetaInfo on Twitter, it looks like WhatsApp is getting ready to launch reactions on its messaging platform. From what we can see, it will be similar in concept to what’s already available on Facebook.

One of the features that Apple has built into iMessage are message reactions. These are similar in concept to Facebook’s reactions where instead of replying a “haha” or “ok”, you can simply react to the message instead. This might be better than one-worded replies, which we know some people do not like.

However, these reactions had a problem in which they did not display properly when viewed on an Android device. Back in the past, reacting to a message and viewing the reaction on Android would display a description of the reaction which was a bit silly, but the good news is that Android Messages will now display those reactions properly.

Now in what seems like a rather ironic move, Sony has announced that they will be acquiring Bungie who will now be brought into the PlayStation family. According to the announcement, Bungie is expected to remain an independent subsidiary of Sony, at least for now, and that the company will retain the option to self-publish their own games and reach players regardless of their platform.

This essentially means that unlike back in the Halo days, Bungie will be able to develop games for non-PlayStation platforms if they choose to, which is smart on Sony’s end as the company usually profits more from games rather than from the sales of its consoles. The deal is said to be worth $3.6 billion.

Following Microsoft’s announcement that they will be acquiring Activision Blizzard, many have wondered what this will mean for future Activision Blizzard titles and if they will continue to be available for non-Microsoft platforms.

As far as the Call of Duty franchise is concerned, Xbox boss Phil Spencer had previously stated that they will be keeping Call of Duty on the PlayStation, but it wasn’t clear if this is a temporary thing or if after one title Microsoft will make it an exclusive. Fans of Call of Duty can rest assured that this won’t be the case for the foreseeable future.

It is clear that Microsoft is very interested in the mobile space, but the company has made some questionable choices over the years. The Surface Duo, which would be the first official Microsoft branded smartphone, was announced in 2019 but only released in late 2020 with hardware that was a year old.

Plus, it also launched with an older build of Android despite there being a newer version already available. The good news is that if you were one of the Surface Duo’s original adopters, you’ll be pleased to learn that Microsoft has since announced that they are releasing the Android 11 update for the phone.

Want to buy an iPhone but don’t want to pay full price? We get it, which is why some of you might be aware of Apple’s trade-in program where you can trade-in older iPhones or even Android phones and use that value towards buying a brand new iPhone.

However, if you’re coming over from the Android ecosystem, it seems that it will now be less worth it to trade-in your old Android device for an iPhone. This is because according to a report from MacRumors, it appears that Apple has reduced the trade-in value for a bunch of Android smartphones.

A few days ago, Microsoft announced their intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard. This has raised many questions and some concerns, namely how Microsoft will approach titles that are available on other consoles like the Nintendo Switch or Sony’s PlayStation.

There is cause for some concern because when Microsoft acquired Bethesda, the company suggested that not all games would necessarily be available for non-Xbox/PC devices, such as the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6 which was reported to be an Xbox exclusive.