This week, making video calls with Amazon’s Fire TV Cube, gamers are playing more games, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a welcome return to story. But first, the amazing Jabra Elite 85t wireless earbuds.

The Jabra Elite 85t wireless earbuds are unmatched

I’ve been trying out lots of different wireless earbuds this year, and I’ve just discovered my favourites. The Elite 85t from Jabra ($300) are amazing. The earbuds are oval, and fit nicely into my ear canals without feeling like they are penetrating my skull, and they are light, so they don’t feel like they’re falling out all the time.

The sound quality is excellent and people who I’ve called have said my voice comes through clearly, so the microphones – there are six of them; three on each bud – are doing a good job.

The Elite 85t also have active noise cancelling, and with the Jabra app on your smartphone you can adjust the level. That app also gives you full control over the sound so you can equalize it however you want.

All of that is great, but there are two things that Jabra does with these that I’ve not experienced with other earbuds I’ve tried. The first is that the controls are more responsive than anything else I’ve tried. There’s a button that depresses when you tap it, so you know it’s responding to your taps.

The second is that the Elite 85t can be connected to two devices at the same time. That means I can be watching a movie on my iPad, and when I get a call on my iPhone the playback on the iPad will pause when I answer the call, and then start up again after the call is complete.

The Jabra Elite 85t will give you over five hours of listening with ANC on and come in a charging case that has five full charges in it. The case can be charged wirelessly.

Now you can make video calls with Amazon’s Fire TV Cube

If you’ve got a Fire TV Cube attached to your television, you’re going to be able to make video calls to other Alexa-enabled devices.

You’ll need to connect a webcam that captures a minimum resolution of 720p and 30 frames per second, but once you’ve done that you can use the voice commands to make or receive calls on your television.

The Fire TV Cube comes with an Alexa Voice Remote, can display up to 4K video, and comes with many streaming services preloaded.

The update has started to roll out to customers in North America.

There is additional functionality rolling out to all Fire TV devices, including the three configurations of the Fire TV Stick available.

You can query Alexa and have your response on a screen overlay and you can get Ring doorbell camera notifications on your television and even have the security camera video streamed to your TV set.

Gamers playing more during pandemic, says ESA Canada

A new study shows that 61 percent of Canadians said they’d played a video game in the past month, and they also say that they’ve been playing more games during the pandemic. In all, 23 million Canadians are playing video games regularly.

The Entertainment Software Association of Canada is the trade organization for the industry in Canada, and in a release, president and CEO Jayson Hilchie said that, “Canadian gamers recognize the power of play and they are engaging more and more in the immersive and connected experiences that our industry creates.”

While adults tend to play on mobile devices, kids and teens have been playing more on consoles.

Kids and teens have been getting more involved with streaming, both watching others play and sharing their own play.

And parents who game are sharing the experience with their kids, with 69 percent playing with their younger children and 60 percent playing with their teens.

In a study released last year, the ESAC reported that the Canadian video game industry “directly contributed an estimated $2.6 billion to GDP in Canada in 2019.”

New Call of Duty game brings the Black Ops narrative back to the Cold War

By giving us a single-player campaign and a narrative that is tied to historical events, Black Ops Cold War is the best Call of Duty game in years.

I was a teenager in the ’80s, and anything that takes me back to that time – book, movie, or game – immediately gets my attention.

Black Ops Cold War opens with a digital Ronald Reagan – he was the U.S President at the time – authorizing the creation of a cover ops team. The fictional storyline is triggered by the siege of the U.S. embassy in Tehran which ended violently in early 1981.

It’s called Cold War for a reason. The bad guy is a Soviet agent and you’ll be chasing him through time, including a flashback mission in Vietnam.

You play as cover operative codenamed Bell, and you can configure Bell any way you want, even selecting a backstory for the character. You work with a team of other agents, operating out of a safehouse base where you can choose missions that progress the story forward.

There are also side missions you can embark on that have an increased likelihood of success if you’ve collected intelligence in the story missions.

Black Ops Cold War provides the usual crazy set pieces, like the taking down of a cargo plane with a remote control car loaded with explosives, alongside exploits behind enemy lines.

It’s a welcome return; there was no story campaign at all in the last Black Ops game, which focused on multiplayer modes instead.

Cold War’s multiplayer integrates with Activision’s free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone so progression and weapons unlocked in Cold War will carry over with you, and you’ll be able to use the gear from Warzone and Modern Warfare (2019) in the Cold War multiplayer.

You can also use those multiplayer loadouts in the popular Zombie mode which has players facing waves of enemies.

But it’s the single-player narrative that sets Black Ops Cold War apart. It’s like playing an action spy novel, full of conspiracy and plot twists, and there’s delight in having the narrative unravel as you move through the story.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now for PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Rated mature.

This week on The Shift, Shane Hewitt and I talked about Cyber Monday, Google’s Pixel 4a 5G, the Canadian team that won runner up in the James Dyson Award international competition, Microsoft’s new Xbox Series S/X consoles, and Destiny 2: Beyond Light.

With Beyond Light, Destiny 2 enters what amounts to its fourth iteration since being released in 2017.

The core gameplay of the third-person shooter, which revolves around exploring varied environments and getting into firefights with alien enemies, remains the same. But there have been enough changes to other elements of the game as to make Beyond Light something different.

The resounding sense here is that Bungie is trying to keep fans interested in the game they’ve been playing for years, while providing enough of a reset that it’s a good entry point for new players.

So many familiar things are now gone. Five of the locations that players had been visiting have disappeared: Mercury, Mars, Io, Titan, and the Leviathan ship. All quests and activities, including strikes, that were based on those locations have been removed from the game.

Likewise, many of the exotic and legendary weapons from the first two years of Destiny 2 have also been put into the archive, although players who have this equipment in their inventory or personal vault can still use it, and Bungie has come up with a way for people to acquire that gear.

But all of the old stuff is having its power capped. You’re welcome to be nostalgic about that Bad Juju pulse rifle but if you want a more powerful weapon, you’ll look to acquire No Time to Explain instead.

Removing all of this streamlined the Beyond Light experience, making way for the addition of Europa as a new location and the starting point for a new narrative that suggests that the darkness is not necessarily bad; it’s just a state and a tool that can be used by the Guardians.

That brings us to Stasis, which joins Arc, Solar, and Void as a new elemental power that draws on the darkness to give Guardians control over cold and ice. Each of the three classes wields Stasis in its own way. Warlock Shadebinders fire freeze from a Stasis staff, Hunter Revenants have Kama blades that explode when thrown, and the Titan Behemoth forms a crystal gauntlet for punching.

If there’s a danger for Bungie’s attempt to lure new players its that there are a few aspects of the game that are perhaps more complicated than they need to be. For one, there are multiple different in-game currencies that are used different ways to improve your Guardian and your gear.

But Europa is a compelling new destination. Stasis is a cool new mechanic. And I still find it easy to lose myself in the basic Destiny mechanics of running and gunning and collecting loot.

And those other amazing locations that have gone into Bungie’s vault aren’t gone forever, but will be brought back in time. The moon and a region of Russia were part of Destiny but not Destiny 2. The moon was reworked and reintroduced in year three of Destiny 2, and in Beyond Light, the Cosmodrome, which was where the original game started, makes its return.

There’s also an updated version of the first set of missions that launched the game, which is perfect for new players who want the whole story, and for long time fans who want to remember where it all started in the first place.

Bungie is releasing an update for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on December 8. In the meantime, you can play the PS4 and Xbox One versions on the new consoles.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now on PS4, PS5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Rated teen.

There’s something new on the shelf in my office. It’s a solid black rectangle of a box, and when I turn it on, a familiar green glow emanates from it.

It’s the new Xbox Series X ($600), and it’s so much more than just a black box.

This is high-powered hardware that will deliver 4K images (and will be able to give you 8K when the time comes) and up to 120 frames per second, and while the console is large it runs quiet.

You can stand the Series X up on end, or orient it horizontally, and using the Xbox app on your smartphone you can get the console configured with your gamer profile in a matter of minutes.

Some things haven’t changed as much

One thing you won’t need to do is learn how to use the interface because the Series X system is exactly the same as what we’ve been using on the Xbox One X for the past few weeks.

And the new controller is also very similar, adding a textured grip, a new disc-based directional pad (borrowed from the Elite controller), and a button for sharing content to social networks.

In fact, you can use the Xbox One controllers with the Series X, so you don’t have to run out and purchase all new gamepads for when you’re playing with friends and family.

No waiting when switching between games

The killer feature on the Series X is “Quick Start,” which is enabled by the console’s solid-state drive and some clever programming that keeps the games you’re playing in a buffer so you can switch between games in a matter of seconds.

In our house, that meant that when I turned over the system to my kids for a couple of hours, they stepped right back into Minecraft Dungeons, and I was able to tap a button to return to Gears 5 when it was their bedtime.

Managing your game library

With the exception of some games designed for the Kinect motion sensing interface, the Series X is fully backwards compatible, so you can instantly play hundreds of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games on the new console (and even a few original Xbox games).

But while the Series X is equipped with a 1 TB hard drive, only 802 GB is available. You can get a proprietary 1 TB expansion card developed by Seagate which plugs into the back of the Series X, but it’s pricey ($299).

While games developed for the Series X must run from the internal drive or the Seagate expansion card, you can also use standard external USB 3.1 drives for previous generation games and there are three of those ports on the system.

Getting next-gen versions of the games you already own

While there aren’t many games from Xbox Game Studios that are launching with the Series X – Gears Tactics, which has its console debut, is the exception – there are a number of games from publishers like Activision, Bungie, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Ubisoft that have editions intended for the new console.

And with the Smart Delivery program from Xbox, you’ll automatically get the Series X version of the game if and when you upgrade to the new system. This means you don’t need to repurchase your favourite games.

Even better, if you’re playing an Xbox One version of a game on your Series X and the game gets an update for the new console, your system will replace the version on your hard drive so you don’t have to manually manage your storage.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the difference

While I was disappointed when Halo Infinite – originally planned to be a launch title – was postponed, there’s no lack of games to play on the Series X. You can bring nearly all of your earlier Xbox games to the new console, and the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription gives you some 200 more games to play.

A one-month subscription costs $17 and provides access to Xbox Game Studio games both old and new, including series like Elder Scrolls and Fallout, which are now part of the vault because of Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Bethesda.

And the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also includes games from EA Play, the subscription service from Electronic Arts.

The Xbox Series S option

In addition to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft also released the Series S ($380), which has no disc drive and is digital only. Compared to the monolith that is the Series X, the white Series S is svelte and streamlined – about half the size.

It’s a less costly system, but you’re giving up processing and graphics power – 4 teraflops instead of over 12 – so your upper resolution is only 1440 (at 60 frames per second).

It also has a smaller hard drive, only 364 GB of storage space available, so if this is the Xbox for you, be prepared to have an external USB on hand to manage those downloads.

Microsoft’s Xbox payment plan

While stock of the two Xbox Series consoles is limited in this launch period, Microsoft developed the “Xbox All Access” program to make it easier for gamers to upgrade their system.

In conjunction with EB Games, you can pay for either of the consoles over a two year period. The price, which is interest-free, includes an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for the full 24 months.

With no upfront cost – there is a credit check requirement – you can get the new Xbox Series X for $40 a month. The Xbox Series S is $30 a month.

This week, hands-on with Google’s Pixel 4a 5G handset and a team from the University of Waterloo nabbed a prize in the international competition for the James Dyson Award. But first, is Cyber Monday relevant anymore?

What to expect from Cyber Monday this year

Cyber Monday is struggling to be relevant these days.

Originally conceived in 2005 as a way to encourage online shopping after the in-person craziness that is Black Friday (which is so called not because of its accounting reference, it turns out, but because it is a terrible day to have to work), Cyber Monday doesn’t really have the same meaning today, when so much of our shopping happens online.

Especially when we’re being encouraged to stay home because of covid-19.

So while some retailers use Cyber Monday as a way to promote online shopping, most of the larger operations blend Black Friday and Cyber Monday into one event.

With Black Friday yet to happen, few retailers are saying much about plans or pricing for Cyber Monday, but there are web pages in place at Amazon and Best Buy.

Google’s Pixel 4a 5G is ready for next-gen wireless

Not everybody wants an iPhone, and not everybody wants a smartphone that costs a fortune because it’s loaded with so many features.

The Pixel 4a ($479) from Google is a great choice for a budget Android handset that benefits from the clean operating system install that Google provides, free from the bloat that often plagues Android devices from other manufacturers.

The cost saving comes courtesy of the plastic case and lack of wireless charging.

The Pixel 4a 5G ($679) will cost you an extra $200 but the upgrade comes with a better chipset and a handset that is ready for 5G, which is available in some areas.

The 4a 5G is bigger, too, with a 6.2-inch screen, and it also adds a second ultrawide camera lens. The Pixel also gives you great photography in a smartphone, and the 4a 5G has a new feature that gives you control over lighting in portrait photos both when you’re taking the shot and also when you’re making adjustments to the image in the Google Photos app.

If you want a reasonably priced Android device that is ready for 5G, the Pixel 4a 5G is an easy choice.

Canadian invention tapped as international runner-up in James Dyson Award competition

In September, I wrote about the three Canadian teams that were recognized as the Canadian winners and runners-up of the annual James Dyson Award.

One of the groups was recently announced as an international runner-up.

The Scope team, based at the University of Waterloo, have come up with a way to deliver lossless zoom on lenses by applying an electric current to a liquid crystal lens.

The international winner was Judit Benet, from the University of Barcelona, for her invention that allows for at-home breast cancer screening using a urine sample.