Welcome to Tech Bytes! In this series, we bring you the biggest news hitting the Tech and Gaming fields, putting it into an excellent, simple brief for you to quickly catch up on so you’re up to speed over dinner and drinks.
August 2024 brings us Google’s latest smartphones as well as updates from gamescom 2024, which had a live opening show that featured some big announcements. Read all about what’s been happening this month in our roundup here for Tech Bytes.
Google launches its new Pixel 9 smartphone series
Google’s Pixel smartphones are back with another new line of devices this year, featuring traditional slab options as well as a foldable phone.
Let’s start with the regular Pixel 9 phones, which consist of a base 6.3-inch display version and a Pixel 9 Pro XL with a 6.8-inch screen. But there’s a new addition to the line, with Google giving users the option of a smaller Pro version in the form of the Pixel 9 Pro (the same size as the Pixel 9). They each have new designs with an elongated camera bump and are equipped with the latest Tensor G4 processor and new ultrawide cameras. The Pro editions will carry new 42-megapixel selfie cameras and also more RAM.
As for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, there is much change from its predecessor. It is both taller and thinner than the previous edition, enabling it to have a larger 6.3-inch outer screen and an 8-inch inner screen. Both displays get an increased peak brightness at 2,700 nits as well.
There are new AI features that come alongside Google’s latest smartphones. One is Pixel Screenshots, a dedicated app that lets users search within their list of screenshots more easily. Another is Pixel Studio, a text-to-image generator. And there’s also new AI image editing tools like “Add Me”, which helps to put people into group photos by stitching two photos together, and “Reimagine”, a feature that uses generative AI to replace entire sections of a photo.
Both the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL are available now starting at S$1,199 and Pixel 9 Pro XL respectively, however, the Pixel 9 Pro will only be in stores later. The same goes for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which will retail from S$2,399.
Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 update Google’s accessory line
Phones weren’t the only thing on the agenda for Google’s August 2024 device blowout. The company also featured the new Pixel Watch 3 as well as the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
The Pixel Watch 3 now has a larger 45mm option but if you still prefer the original 41mm model, you’ll get to enjoy the 16% thinner bezels and the brighter 2,000 nit watch display. New features also come to the Pixel Watch 3, such as the ability to detect a loss of pulse and a host of fitness-related features.
Meanwhile, Google’s new earbuds come smaller and lighter but are still able to include 11-millimeter drivers and a new Tensor A1 chip that improves active noise cancellation (ANC), which the company says is twice as powerful. Workout-fanatics will also be glad to hear that the wing fin design returns, enabling a more stable fit during gym runs. Users can expect eight hours of use (with ANC enabled) or up to 30 hours overall.
The Pixel Watch 3 starts at a price of S$529, while the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will cost $345. All three devices will be fully available from September, but you can pre-order them now from the Google Online Store.
Tango Gameworks gets a new life
Earlier this year, we reported that Tango Gameworks was sadly closed as part of cost-cutting measures by Microsoft, but luckily for us, this tale has a happy ending.
Krafton, the South Korean publisher behind PUBG: Battlegrounds and The Callisto Protocol, announced this month that it has acquired the Japanese development studio and is working with Xbox to allow a smooth transition so that the team can “continue developing the Hi-Fi RUSH IP and explore future projects”.
While the rights for Hi-Fi RUSH are confirmed to have been included in the deal, it is still unclear whether Tango Gameworks’ other franchises like The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo have also been bought — Krafton does mention that there will be “no impact on the existing game catalog”.
This news represents a small win for the game industry which has been left reeling with multiple studio closures and layoffs since last year. We hope that we’ll be seeing a lot more from Tango Gameworks for many years to come.
Borderlands 4 announced
Caught the new Borderlands movie and want to forget about it? Well, so does Gearbox Software as they have swiftly announced the next iteration of the popular game franchise at gamescom 2024 — Borderlands 4.
The announcement trailer doesn’t show much in the way of what the new game has to offer, though we can definitely expect to see a new roster of Vault Hunters to play with alongside the popular looter-shooter gameplay. There is one pertinent detail that they did reveal; the game is slated to come out in 2025.
Borderlands 3 was originally released nearly 5 years ago and it is great to hear that fans don’t have to wait much longer to experience the sequel. We look forward to seeing more information about Borderlands 4 as the game gears up for launch.
Mafia: The Old Country revealed
With Borderlands 4 opening gamescom 2024, it was another long-awaited franchise that closed out the event’s live show. It’s a new game in the Mafia series and it will be titled Mafia: The Old Country.
Mafia: The Old Country may be a new game but it isn’t a sequel. Instead, it will take place in 1900s Sicily — 30 years before the setting of the original 2002 Madia game. Publisher 2K teases that it will showcase the origins of the Mafia through “a gritty mob story”.
Likewise, there isn’t much information to go along with the announcement, but the news will surely have pleased fans who have wanted more Mafia action since Mafia III’s release in 2016. No launch date was revealed but we can expect to hear more about the game as we get to 2025.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to PS5
MachineGames’ new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game had a presence at gamescom 2024 with a new trailer showcasing new gameplay elements (we talk about it here) and the release date, but perhaps the biggest reveal from the night is that it will also come to PlayStation 5.
Microsoft had initially planned to maintain the game’s status as an Xbox and PC exclusive, but given the company’s recent switch in strategy to release prior exclusive titles to the PlayStation platform, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the next to join the list.
There is a caveat, it will only come later in 2025. The game is slated for release on 9 November 2024, so it remains an exclusive though only for a few months. No exact date was revealed for its release on PS5 but we should get more information once the game is finally launched in November.
This marks August 2024’s edition of Tech Bytes, and we hope this round-up gives you insight into tech to be excited about. Check with us again in September 2024, as we bring you more byte-sized news every month!
Visuals courtesy of Google Singapore and Bethesda Softworks.
