This week, new gaming laptops from Dell, robot lawn mowers from Husqvarna, MLB The Show 21 debuts on Xbox, and Outriders pushes players into combat. But first, LG is exiting the smartphone business.

LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

LG revealed on Monday that it’s closing its mobile phone business.

In a release, the South Korean tech company said the move would enable it to “focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.”

The company will honour all warranties and support Android upgrades through Android OS 12, and security and software updates for “at least” two years.

In 2013, LG was only behind Apple and Samsung, Reuters reported.

Dell’s updating its gaming laptops, including a new look Alienware

Today, Dell unveiled two new gaming laptops that are both built with AMD Ryzen processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards.

The Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 is a 15-inch delight that has more going on than the new paint job (although it’s a nice paint job). The new m15 sports a new cooling technology to keep the system running smooth, and it’s available with an optional mechanical keyboard.

Specific Canadian pricing is not yet known, but the laptop will likely start around $2,400 CAN. It becomes available here on May 4.

The Dell G15 Ryzen Edition is inspired by the Alienware cousin, but with a few changes to keep the price down a bit (expect it to be about $1,200 CAN). It also ships to Canada on May 4.

Dell’s also releasing four new gaming monitors with fast refresh rates, support for variable refresh rate (VRR) output, and ranging in size from 25- to 34-inches. The Dell 34 curved gaming monitor is a stunner.

Let a robot mow your lawn this summer

We’ve got robots vacuuming and mopping our floors, and now you can have a robot mow your lawn.

Power tools manufacturer Husqvarna has seven different models of residential automowers that are capable of covering more than an acre of turf.

And with the Husqvarna Connect app for iPhones, you can start your robot mower, adjust settings, and park it when it’s all done.

MLB The Show 21 will be playable on Xbox consoles for the first time ever

The singular baseball simulation is coming to Xbox for the first time.

MLB The Show 21, which releases on April 20, will be available on PS4 and PS5, as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S as part of the Xbox Game Pass.

The franchise, which is developed by San Diego Studio, a Sony subsidiary, has been exclusive to the Playstation platform since the first games in 1997. San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr is the cover athlete this year.

MLB The Show 21 will also support cross-platform play and progress, so Playstation gamers can play against Xbox owners, and if you’ve got both systems you can pick up on either system at any time.

Outriders forces players into the combat they love

Outriders, a new third-person shooter published by Square Enix, has the makings of something interesting.

It was developed by People Can Fly and the game shows the influence of earlier titles including Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgment.

Outriders is a mission- and arena-based game, where your particular Outrider goes into a combat situation that is always against-all-odds. You can set the difficulty of the missions before you start and you’re rewarded with better rewards for taking greater risks.

You can play solo or in three-person squads that you can form with friends or with matchmaking. Outriders is available for PS4, PS5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and it supports cross-platform play.

There are four classes to choose from and you have control over the gender and appearance of your Outrider, and while outwardly the game looks like it’s designed for cover as is Gears of War, that’s not really how you’re meant to play.

Whether you’re playing a Devastator, a Pyromancer, a Technomancer, or a Trickster, your health regenerates when you damage and kill enemies. It’s a mechanic that forces players to be aggressive, which is exactly the kind of rambunctious chaos the People Can Fly want in its game.

Unfortunately, the surrounding elements of the game, from the excruciating long and pedantic cut scenes to the stuttering character movement to the banal characters and narrative, sink the experience.

Some may find the arena battles with friends to be fun for a time, but there’s not really enough in Outriders to make it last.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about the new Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde, David Byrne’s Social Distance Dance Club, news that Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red is acquiring a studio in Vancouver, and The Last of Us television series is filming in Calgary. Plus, Steam’s Remote Play Together feature.

This week, a new air purifying fan from Dyson, CD Projekt Red announces the acquisition of Digital Scapes, The Last of Us TV series will film in Calgary, David Byrne’s Social Distance Dance Club, and Steam’s Remote Play Together.

Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher game developer opens studio in Vancouver

Hello Vancouver! pic.twitter.com/1wJottmooU

— CD PROJEKT IR (@CDPROJEKTRED_IR) March 30, 2021

In an online report to investors, CD Projekt Red, developers and publishers of the video games Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher franchise, announced it was acquiring Digital Scapes Studios.

The studio is actually in Burnaby and has been operating as a studio for hire since 2012. Digital Scapes assisted with development on Cyberpunk 2077.

Related: A massive patch for Cyberpunk 2077 is on the brink of release. Details here.

HBO adaptation of The Last of Us shooting in Calgary

A year ago we learned that The Last of Us was going to be an HBO series.

Well, filming is expected to begin in July, According to the production list published by the Alberta chapter of the Directors Guild of Canada.

Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) is the showrunner and the game’s creative director, Neil Druckmann, is also involved.

Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) has been cast as Joel, with Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) playing Ellie.

The list suggests that the production would be in Calgary through next June, which may be because Pascal is quite the busy actor these days.

HBO has yet to put the show on its schedule.

Dyson’s got a new fan that will filter formaldehyde out of your air

Just in time for spring, and all the pollen floating around in the air, Dyson’s got a new air purifiers (which is also a fan) for you.

The Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde ($900), provides further protection by capturing and destroying the chemical, which is used in the production of many products and is in our air because of off-gassing.

The HEPA filters in the Dyson Purifier Cool ($700) and Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool ($800) capture “99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns” that includes the nasty pollen, but also other allergens, bacteria, and spores.

Have a dance party with David Byrne

David Byrne wants to dance with you.

The musician and artist is collaborating on Social! The Social Distance Dance Club, which is taking place in New York City’s Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall.

The event cum performance art exhibition will have participants dancing in “socially distanced spotlights” while Byrne gives instructions on what to do.

The event is already sold out (not that any of us are getting to New York anytime soon), but keep an eye open for the instructional video and welcome message from Byrne that was sent out to people who purchased tickets, and for video of the event itself. It’s a singular affair.

Social Distance Dance Club – teaser from Social Distance Dance Club on Vimeo.

SOCIAL! at the Armory April 9 – 22, 2021 from Social Distance Dance Club on Vimeo.

Steam lets your friends play your games with you

I talk a lot about playing games on consoles, but lots of people play on computers, and now it’s even easier to share games with friends from your Steam account.

Steam Remote Play now allows you to share a web link to get someone into your game with you.

Only games that support Remote Play Together have this new functionality, but for games that do, such as Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes and Resident Evil Revelations 2, your friend can play with you on any device with a browser (and, possibly, a controller).

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about the Facebook Live Q&A by Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Theresa Tam, Jade Raymond’s new Haven Studios, working on a new game for Playstation, Sony’s purchase of the Evolution Championship Series, the new Playstation VR controller, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry on Apple TV+, U2’s Virtual Road concert, and the SXSW Gaming Award winners.

This week, Sony had lots to talk about last week, some online music experiences to enjoy, and the winners of the SXSW video game awards. But first, Theresa Tam is going on Facebook Live to answer questions about the covid-19 vaccine.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam to answer questions from the public on Facebook Live

Next Wednesday, March 31, Theresa Tam is going to appear on Facebook Live to answer questions about covid-19 vaccines. The Chief Public Health Officer of Canada will be joined by scientist and science communicator, Samantha Yammine, known as Science Sam, and Danielle Nadin from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, who will moderate the discussion.

The thirty minute online event starts at 10 a.m. PT (11 a.m. MT and 2 p.m. ET).

The event is part of an initiative by the Public Health Agency to ensure that accurate and truthful information about vaccine effectiveness and safety is being shared on social channels.

Facebook Canada is also providing Canadian health organizations with free advertising on the channel to facilitate the distribution of accurate information.

Sony’s three big announcements from last week

Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios

Canadian video game executive Jade Raymond has created Haven Studios, a new operation in Montreal, that is working on a game for Sony’s Playstation platform.

Raymond, who helped create the Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs franchises for Ubisoft, was most recently head of Google’s game development division, which was closed down earlier this year.

Sony buys fighting esports company

Sony Interactive Entertainment and RTS acquired the Evolution Championship Series.

EVO was cancelled last year because of consequences of the CEO being fired after accusations of sexual misconduct.

What the implications are for competitions for games that aren’t playable on Playstation – Super Smash Bros, for example – remains to be seen.

New VR controller revealed

The ergonomic controller has the shape of an orb. It’s got adaptive triggers, it can detect your fingers without you needing to press, and it will be trackable by the new VR headset, which we still haven’t seen.

Music experiences continue to move online

Streaming music services are making bank even though musicians may not benefit.

And because of the pandemic, performances have also moved into the digital space. Here are two to watch.

Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry

The extraordinary singer-songwriter is the subject of this Apple TV+ production directed by R.J. Cutler (The War Room). It’s more documentary than concert, but it includes clips of performances as well as a behind the scenes look at how the music is made.

Watch U2’s Virtual Road concert on YouTube

From the more aged end of the spectrum is U2, which is making available on its You Tube channel four concerts from the band’s forty years in the business.

It started, reasonably enough, on St Patrick’s Day with the Irish band’s performance at Slane Castle in Dublin from 2001.

On March 25, the 1983 concert from Red Rocks debuts, followed by the PopMart tour stop in Mexico City (1997) on April 1 and 2015’s Innocence and Experience tour in Paris.

SXSW Gaming Award winners

Hades, the clever rogue-like game from Supergiant Games, was the big winner at the SXSW Gaming Awards, which were handed out last weekend.

The indie game, which was just released in a boxed copy for the Nintendo Switch, won game of the year and for excellence in game design. Hades is also available for macOS and Windows computers.

Other winners included Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx, for VR game of the year, Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch) for excellence in animation, art, and visual achievement, and The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog) for excellence in narrative.