This week, webcams are a hot ticket item, Bocelli’s Music for Hope, exploring an alien ocean In Other Waters, free games for your PS4 from Sony, and the DualSense controller for the upcoming PS5 console. But first, Apple’s announced the second generation iPhone SE.

Apple announces new iPhone SE packed with power and affordability

Today, Apple revealed the second generation iPhone SE.

The SE model is Apple’s more affordable iPhone, and while it doesn’t have all of the fancy features of the iPhone 11 line, it’s still equipped with Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, the same one that’s in the iPhone 11 Pro, which brings power and battery life to the handset.

And for many people, the iPhone SE is more than enough. It’s equipped with Touch ID, wireless charging, and a 4.7-inch Retina display. It’s got a 12-megapixel camera and can shoot 4K video with high dynamic range (HDR).

There are three hard drive sizes to choose from: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.

The smartphone will be available in three colours: white, black, and (Product)Red. Preorders for the iPhone SE begin on Friday.

Where, oh where, have the webcams all gone?

Have you been trying, unsuccessfully, to buy a webcam?

Industry analysts at NPD Group report that sales of home office computer equipment spiked, of laptops and monitors in particular.

Webcams have also been selling well, up to 179 percent better.

This is presumably because of all the videoconferencing that has become the norm, and because not everyone has a computer with a decent webcam built in.

The Verge has reported on the gouging by third-party resellers that has a US$25 webcam selling for more than $130 on Amazon.

Easter Sunday concert by Andrea Bocelli a moving performance for our time

On Sunday, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli performed Music for Hope.

The incredible performance took place at the Duomo cathedral of Milan. The stunning gothic church was empty save for Bocelli and an organist. He sang four songs inside the building, and the production was excellent.

The 25-minute performance ended with a rendition of “Amazing Grace”. Bocelli walked down the main aisle of the empty cathedral to stand on the front steps so he could sing to the world. The last segment included haunting footage showing the empty streets of New York and Paris.

In Other Waters turns you into a scientist on another planet

New to the Nintendo Switch is this curious game, In Other Waters (Jump Over the Age). It’s set on an alien planet, and your job is to assist a scientist who is in a dive suit and at the bottom of an ocean.

The game is all played through an interface that is like something you’d find in a Star Trek tricorder. You use the various tools to navigate through the ocean, collect samples, and come to know and classify a new world of living creatures. Just like a real scientist.

Along the way you will get to know the scientist you’re helping, Ellery Vas, her story, and the larger story of the planet you’re on.

In Other Waters is unique and compelling, providing an unforgettable experience of exploration.

Play At Home with Sony means free games and funds for indie developers

Sony announced this week the Play at Home initiative in response to worldwide physical distancing due to COVID-19.

Starting today and until May 5, you can download four PS4 games for free, and to keep:

• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Journey

The first three games are all packaged in the Nathan Drake Collection from Naughty Dog. (If you’re a Playstation Plus subscriber, you can also get Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.)

The last game comes from Thatgamecompany, an indie developer that also created Flower.

This initiative also includes a $10 million fund to support other independent video game developers survive the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

First look at Playstation 5 controller, the DualSense

While The Last of Us Part II and Marvel’s Iron Man VR have been delayed, we’re still hoping that the PS5 console is on track for release this holiday season.

And to keep us excited, Sony has shared the design and features of the controllers that will ship with that console.

While bigger in size than the DualShock – there’s a lot more tech in this controller – the DualSense has a more streamlined look to it, while preserving the same button, trigger, and joystick configuration of earlier Playstation controllers.

What’s been added is haptic feedback to deliver more nuanced experiences, including adaptive triggers which are able to make it feel like it’s more difficult to pull the trigger as your in-game avatar draws a bow.

The DualSense also has a built-in microphone so you don’t have to plug in a headset if you don’t want to (or don’t have to!).

The controller also has a slick two-tone colour scheme, black on white, with LED lights surrounding the touch pad.