This week, how Fortnite got sucked into a black hole, only to be reborn. Plus, Facebook’s Libra non-profit is official and Tile has some new tracking devices available. But first, all the new hardware coming from Google.

Pixel 4, Pixelbook Go, and more new stuff coming from Google

In a media event in New York this week, Google announced a host of new devices, including two new smartphones, a tablet, wireless earbuds, and more. You can watch the entire event below.

The Pixel 4 (starting at $999) and Pixel 4 XL, which are available for pre-order now and will be in your hand before the end of the month, don’t set a new standard for smartphone cameras, like the previous generation of Pixel devices.

Instead, Google has focused on improving its handset in other areas. They have face identification, for one, so you can simply look at the device to unlock it.

More interesting is Motion Sense, which lets you control the device with a gesture without having to touch your phone. This is achieved with a radar chip built into the phone.

There are high quality cameras, of course, a 12 MP and 16 MP telephoto on the back, and a 8 MP front camera. And they are supported by Google’s outstanding photo-taking software.

The Pixel 4 devices do not come with headphones or earbuds, but pre-ordering a handset from Google will get you $150 towards accessories from the Google Store. Which could be the new Pixel Buds, which look slick. They are very small and will work not just with Android devices but also iOS. But they won’t be coming until the spring.

Google also showed off the new Pixelbook Go ($879 to $1,849 depending on configuration) a Chromebook with a touchscreen that weighs less than three pounds.

There were also revelations about what Google is doing with the Nest brand.

Formerly known as the Google Home Mini, the speaker with Google Assistant built in is now the Nest Mini ($69) and it comes with better speakers.

Nest Wifi is the new router/Wifi extending devices (two pack for $269, three pack for $349) are backwards compatible, so they’ll work with any Google Wifi devices currently in your home.

Canada is also getting the Nest Hub Max, the speaker with a screen that replaced the Google Home Hub. It’s priced at $299.

Finally, Google is launching a new subscription service for its suite of Nest devices. Nest Aware is, essentially, a cloud-based video solution. Any videos that are captured by your various Nest devices are viewable online, you can get notifications for certain triggering events, and the video is archived for between 30 ($8 a month) and 60 days ($16 a month).

The state of Facebook’s new Libra concept

Paypal is out. So are Mastercard and Visa. As is eBay. With all the major payment processing companies getting out of the Libra project, what happens next?

The companies dropped out last week, just days before the first meeting of the Libra Association to elect a board and formalize the new cryptocurrency organization. That happened yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, where the non-profit is to be headquartered.

Russell Brandom, who covers cryptocurrency for the Verge, suggests that the departures were a result of the grey areas around how Libra will deal with the regulatory requirements that governments have in place to prevent things like money laundering.

New Tile devices will help you keep track of your stuff

Tiles are clever devices that use Bluetooth technology to help you find things you misplace. The concept is simple: Attach a Tile to the object you want to keep track of, and when you want to find it, simply use your smartphone to ping the device and make it start ringing.

The company has been around since 2014, and just recently announced the latest Tile products.

The Tile Mate ($30 or a four pack for $90) now has a range of 60 metres (200 feet) and a replaceable battery. It has a hole in the top corner of the device so you can attach it to your keys, a backpack, or even a pet collar.

The Tile Slim ($35) is the size of a credit card for a reason. It’s perfect for wallets and purses, and also has a 60-metre range.

The Tile Sticker (two pack for $50, four pack for $75) is a waterproof dot with an adhesive back and a weight of only five grams. Stick one of these on your TV remote control or even a bicycle.

You don’t need to use your smartphone to use the Tile finding, either, as the various devices will integrate with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri.

Fortnite world gets sucked into a black hole before being reborn with all new stuff

After more than 35 hours staring at blank screen, Fortnite players finally found out what they’d all been waiting for.

More than 5 million player watched as Fortnite: Chapter 1 came to an end, with a black hole consuming everything, including player avatars, and leaving an image of the black hole, animated and with some music playing. Every once in a while, numbers would emerge from the event horizon.

And at one point nearly 500,000 people were just watching this. Waiting.

Early Tuesday morning, Epic Games, which develops and publishes Fortnite, pulled the veil back on Chapter 2, Season 1 of the game.

There’s a new world, new vehicles and mechanics, and a new weapon that you can use to heal your teammates.

Plus: Fishing.

Epic is well aware that many Fortnite players are in the space just hanging out with friends. They’ve created a new space that players can explore and have loaded it up with things that encourage the having of fun.

Looks like a winner.

This week on The Shift with Drex, I talked about the new Surface devices coming from Microsoft in the next while (and the next year), what Apple’s new macOS Catalina means for users, details of the PlayStation 5 console, and Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince.

This week, Apple releases Catalina, the new operating system for Macintosh computers, Sony reveals that the PS5 will launch holiday 2020, and Trine 4 reunites the wizard, the thief, and the knight. But first, all the new hardware announced by Microsoft last week.

Microsoft reveals 7 new Surface devices, including two with dual screens

At a press event in New York last week, Microsoft announced that it is bringing five new devices in the Surface lineup to market before the end of the year. The company also revealed two dual-screen devices that will be coming in 2020.

The Surface Laptop 3 is the base notebook computer. It comes in two touch screen configurations, 13.5-inch and 15-inch, and is priced starting at $1,350.

There are also two new Surface Pros, the two-in-one tablet-laptop design. The Surface Pro 7, starting at $999, has a 12.3-inch touchscreen and up to ten hours of battery life.

The Surface Pro X looks to be sleek and powerful, with a new processor and a secret compartment that holds a flat stylus. It has a 13-inch screen and connects to LTE mobile networks. The Pro X starts at $1350.

Microsoft also has Surface Earbuds coming, but while they are listed at the U.S. site, they are not currently showing on Microsoft’s Canadian website.

The book-like Surface Neo has two 9-inch screens that are connected with a hinge. Microsoft says it will be supported by a stylus that attaches to the Neo magnetically, and a Bluetooth keyboard makes it easier to type.

I’m not the only one to notice that the Neo is very similar to the Courier concept device Microsoft was working on nearly ten years ago.

The other dual-screen device is the Surface Duo, which is a mobile phone using the Android operating system. The Duo is also a hinged device with two 5.6-inch displays.

The Surface Neo and Duo devices are coming in 2020. No pricing details have been announced.

New macOS Catalina released, heralds a new approach for Apple

Apple this week released the latest version of its macOS operating system for Macintosh computers. Catalina (version number 10.15) is a free update that sets up a bunch of changes for Mac users.

Primary among them is that iTunes has been replaced by three separate apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. This is a welcome approach, as iTunes had become bloated and difficult to manage as different content streams were added to what started out as a music manager.

There have been hiccups with the transition, though, with Apple acknowledging that some music professionals, such as DJs, would be affected by their other software not automatically working with the new Apple Music program.

Apple also faces a challenge by having a software service and a piece of hardware with the same name: Apple TV. It may get even more confusing for some customers when the video streaming service, Apple TV+, launches on November 1.

Other changes coming with Catalina include Sidecar, which allows users to extend their desktop to an iPad, Voice Control, which enhances your ability to operate your computer by voice, and Screen Time, which is already a feature on iOS that makes it easier to understand and manage the time spent on screens and monitors.

Catalina also introduces Apple Arcade to Macintosh computers, which expands the subscription service, enabling you to play your games across all Apple devices. Within the next couple of months, Apple expects to have 100 games available on the service.

PlayStation 5 console will launch “holiday 2020”

Sony announced yesterday that its next generation video game console would be called the PlayStation 5 (PS5) and would be released during the holiday season next year.

Pricing was not part of the announcement, but it did include the revelation of a new game controller, which replaces the rumble functionality of the PS4’s DualShock4 with one with haptic feedback that provides “a broader range of feedback”.

The new controller will also have triggers with adaptive resistance that can be configured by game developers to provide unique and contextual experiences.

Earlier this year, Sony revealed that the PS5 would have a solid-state drive for storage and would support ray tracing, which Mark Czerny, who is designing the hardware, revealed to Wired will be happening in the graphical processing unit.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince a puzzle platformer with style

Whether the thief, the knight, and the wizard get along in the Trine games depends on a couple of things. If you’re playing alone, switching between the three characters when you need to in order to progress through the puzzles, they’ll have to get along.

If you’re playing with others, though, you can choose to cooperate. Or you can choose not to. And that, sometimes, is the most fun of all.

Developed by Frozenbyte, and available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a delightful blend of platforming, puzzling, and role-playing set in a 2.5-dimensional world that is bright and resplendent.

The new game is all about moving through the maps by solving environmental puzzles. Each of the three characters is essential to this.

The thief shoots arrows and can attach ropes to objects, the knight deflects things with his shield and can break objects, the wizard can move boxes and other objects, and while the game’s creators may have designed a solution, these various skills provide endless emergent solutions to the game.

You can imagine the chaos when a group of people (up to four) start working on a solution, each trying to exert control over the process.

Knowing this, Frozenbyte modified the puzzles for multiplayer.

All the while you are able to improve the abilities of the three characters which opens up the potential for even more solutions to getting across that chasm.

In addition to Trine 4, publisher Modus Games has also released Trine: Ultimate Collection, which bundles all four games together.

It’s great fun to trip around in the world of Trine. Take some friends with you.

This week on The Shift with Drex, I talked about Amazon’s new Echo devices (there are five of them), OpenTable’s partnership with Uber Eats to deliver food from your fave restos, the dog starring in Halo Infinite, and Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns.

This week, get Alexa on more Echo devices, have Alexa get you a job, and OpenTable moves into food delivery. Plus, the dog starring in a video game and the joy of Puzzle Quest on the Switch.

Amazon doubles down on smarthome hardware

Last week, Amazon revealed five new Echo devices for the modern home, all of which are available for pre-order now and which will be available before the end of the year.

The Echo Studio is a speaker built to play music on, and Amazon says rivals the Apple HomePod for sound clarity. This costs $260.

The Echo Flex fits anywhere you’ve got a wall outlet, and gives you access to Alexa wherever you need it for only $35.

The Echo Dot has been upgraded with a digital clock, making it perfect for bedrooms. It’s $80.

The newest Echo Show sports an 8-inch screen and costs $170.

Amazon is also updating the basic Echo with better sound and design for $130. That means the second generation Echo is only $100 for a limited time.

Along with the new devices, Canadian Alexa users have access to new features from the digital assistant.

The coolest is that when you whisper to Alexa, Alexa will whisper back to you. This is for those moments in the early morning or late night when you want to keep things quiet.

And Alexa can understand and speak in Quebecois. Simply ask a question in French and you’ll get a reply in French.

C’est bonne.

Alexa (and Google) can help you get a minimum-wage job at McDonald’s

Speaking of Alexa, you can now ask the assistant to get you a job.

McDonald’s Canada has built a digital application flow that begins with a job seeker asking Alexa or Google to, “Help me get a job at McDonald’s.”

The service will ask applicants to answer a few questions and will then send a link so the application process can continue online.

Try asking Google for a raise.

Get your restaurant order delivered through OpenTable

Like many people, I’ve often used OpenTable to reserve a spot at a restaurant. I used it last week while visiting Toronto, actually, to get the city’s best Thai food at Pai.

Now when you find a restaurant in your OpenTable iOS app, you’ll see an option to get your meal delivered.

OpenTable has partnered with Uber Eats to provide the service. OpenTable also has an Android app, but at the moment, only the iOS version offers the “Get it delivered” option.

Dog sounds recorded for Halo game

When you play Halo Infinite, hopefully sometime next year, some of the sounds made by the aliens you enounter may have been created by Gyoza the pug.

The pup is the pet of a technical art director with 343 Industries, which is creating the game in metro Seattle. Just listen to the little charmer. He sounds like there’s something trying to get out of him.

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Playing Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns on my Nintendo Switch

I’ve got fond memories of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. It was the first game I ever encountered that took a puzzle game and used it as the core of a bigger, narrative experience.

By matching gems, your character can deal damage to enemies, collect mana for spellcasting, and even gather loot. The mashup of a strategy and role-playing game with the match-three puzzle mechanic is wonderfully satisfying.

I played most of that first game while my wife was in labour with our first kid. It was a long time, but I passed it with my PlayStation Portable and Puzzle Quest. I was hooked.

Now, I’m playing the game again, more than 10 years later, on my Nintendo Switch. And for the $15 cost, you get much more than one game.

Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns includes Challenge of the Warlords, the game that started it all, as well as the sequel, Revenge of the Plague Lord and a new expansion, Attack of the Golem Lord. It’s developed by Infinity Plus 2 (formerly Infinity Interactive) and published by D3 Go!

The new collection includes five new classes of character, too: Blood Mage, Elementalist, Monk, Paladin, and Priest. Each gives you a different approach to the game.