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Apple details 3D maps rollout plan for iOS 15
The 3D view is now available in London, NYC, San Francisco and LA, with more cities coming soon.
Uber reaches its last major city in North America
Uber has been available in every major North American city for a while, but not Vancouver, British Columbia -- the city has refused to bow to pressure and even used undercover agents to make sure companies weren't flouting the law. However, even that last holdout has changed its ways. The province's Passenger Transportation Board has cleared Uber and its rival Lyft to operate in Vancouver, giving you two more options when you need a ride home from the Canucks game. Uber and Lyft were both quick to seize the opportunity, making service available as of January 24th.
Canada's first 5G network starts rolling out in four cities
Canadians won't have to look on with envy as Americans get 5G. Telecom giant Rogers has started rolling out the country's first 5G network in the downtown cores of four large cities (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver). You'll have to wait until devices are available later in the year to use the network, but it'll be ready to go when that happens. It should reach more than 20 additional markets before 2020 is over.
First commercial electric airplane completes test flight
An aircraft designed in 1946 might become the first commercial electric plane, following a short but successful test flight. Vancouver-based Harbour Air's took its "eBeaver" on a ten-minute hop on the Fraser River in Richmond, BC, with CEO and pilot Greg McDougall at the controls. "Today, we made history," he said in a statement. Harbour Air expects the eBeaver to go into commercial service in 2022.
Overwatch League adds teams from Toronto, Vancouver and Paris
Activision Blizzard has rounded out the Overwatch League ranks for the second season of Overwatch's top-level professional competition. The company confirmed that eight more teams will compete, including new additions Toronto and Vancouver (the first Canadian teams in the league), along with Paris, which is the second European squad after the 2018 champions London Spitfire. Teams from Washington, DC, and Chinese cities Chengdu and Hangzhou are also part of the 2019 lineup. They join the previously announced Atlanta and Guangzhou teams as the number of rosters rises to 20 this time around.
Canada's first eSports stadium comes to Vancouver in 2019
The US has a few dedicated eSports arenas, but what about its northern neighbor? Don't worry, you're covered there, too. Myesports Ventues has announced that it's opening The Gaming Stadium, billed as Canada's first eSports stadium, in Vancouver (specifically Richmond) sometime in 2019. It won't be a massive location, but it will have room for 250 fans, 40 gaming stations and broadcasters. You can expected food and drinks, of course, as well as an open casual gaming space. The creators are promising competitions at "all skill levels" as well as coaching for those looking to boost their talents.
Microsoft closes Victoria studio, moves development to Vancouver
Microsoft has shuttered its Victoria, British Columbia studio after two years of operation, affecting at least 30 positions. Microsoft told British Columbia's Times Colonist the decision was made to "centralize development" in its Vancouver studios. "This was not an easy decision, but one guided by our desire to centralize development in our Vancouver studios. We are working closely with all employees affected by this change to identify open positions in other studios, and we remain committed to doing business in British Columbia." Microsoft's Vancouver studio, Black Tusk, is currently working on the next "big" Micosoft game. The formation of the Victoria, BC office was part of a $1 billion investment in Xbox One. This initiative saw Microsoft forming multiple studios across the globe – London, Victoria and Washington – and securing 15 exclusives for the Xbox One's first year of existence. In a statement to Polygon, Microsoft said the studio's closure would not cause the cancellation of any projects the studio was working on, whatever they may be. "We did not cancel any projects rather we centralized our development efforts in BC to our Vancouver offices."
Massive Xbox One reveals regular sized consoles within, and zombies
This evening Vancouver residents found out what was inside that Kaiju-sized Xbox One: a marketing stunt. Meant to promote the console and launch title Dead Rising 3, Kotaku has posted a picture of the demo stations within, as well as a Vine of the "zombies" outside. NeoGAF poster Jotamide reported a tent offering zombie makeup for free, and demonstrations of DR3 (developed by Capcom Vancouver), Killer Instinct, Ryse and Forza 5.
Namco Bandai opens Vancouver studio to craft social games
A new Namco Bandai studio in Vancouver has opened its doors and will focus on development of social games for mobile and online. The Vancouver office, which Namco chose to open over Montreal and Toronto due to its abundance of digital artists and engineers in the area, currently employs around 30 individuals, the Vancouver Sun reports. Namco Bandai announced intentions to open the new Canadian studio, along with a new SIngapore office, back in April. The Vancouver gaming industry has taken its share of lumps over the last year or so. Ontario and Quebec continue to offer far greater tax breaks to video game companies, while layoffs at EA, Microsoft, Radical and more across 2012 didn't help matters. Still, Vancouver has a vibrant indie scene that continues to soldier on.
iamagamer's first game jam focused on creating female protagonists
From July 12 through 14, Vancouver will play host to game jam organizer iamagamer's first event – a 48 hour jam focused on crafting original games with female protagonists. "This unprecedented event will dispute the prevailing opinion that video games are for guys and that games with strong, female lead characters will not sell," the announcement press release reads. "Such stereotypes are not only incorrect, but have a negative impact on the industry." The jam will take place at Vancouver's Centre for Digital Media, with all attendees commencing to jam at 6 p.m. local time on Friday, ceasing their jam-oriented activities 48 hours later on Sunday evening. Artists, designers, developers and writers are all encouraged to register and participate – so far over 150 people have signed on to take part in the event, either on-site in Vancouver or at one of several satellite events happening concurrently elsewhere.
We're live from SID Display Week 2013 in Vancouver!
The biggest news of the day made its way out of Microsoft's Redmond headquarters a few hours ago, but there's plenty more to see just 150 miles to the north in Vancouver, British Columbia. SID's Display Week exhibition kicked off this morning, giving us an opportunity to get hands-on with some pretty nifty prototypes from LG and Samsung, including that first manufacturer's 5-inch flexible plastic OLED panel and a brilliant 3,200 x 1,800-pixel laptop display from the latter. We'll be scouring the floor over the days to come, on the hunt for similar innovations, many of which will likely find their way into our smartphones, laptops and living rooms later this year and beyond. Protip: Use our "SID2013" tag to see this week's hottest Display Week news!
Daily iPhone app: The Visible City celebrates Vancouver's neon past
In 1953, Vancouver was aglow with nearly 19,000 neon lights. Today, only a few dozen of those historic signs remain. Those interested in the city's glowing, buzzing past should check out The Visible City, an iPhone app from the Museum of Vancouver. This free app offers informative, colorful walking tours (available in English and French) through parts of the Canadian city, making clever use of narration and augmented reality to highlight what once was. There are two tours on the app, and each one is approximately 30 minutes in length. The first explores Granville Street, the city's long-time entertainment district. It's 1.4 km in length and features eight signs. To get started, stand at the designated starting point, which is The Yale Hotel at 1300 Granville St. (the app provides directions if you need them). Then, simply tap I've Arrived At Start to launch the narration and augmented reality. Note that the app warns users not to explore the Granville area alone, due to current crime rates. %Gallery-187942% The second tour explores Chinatown and Hastings Street. It's 1.0 km long and features eight signs. You can mark certain locations as favorites during your tour and even check in within the app, so others can see that you've been there. The app also features more than 40 audio and video stories with memories of the Vancouver that is no more. The augmented reality feature looks like fun (I'm not in Vancouver and was unable to test it). To use it, hold your iPhone aloft during a tour, and you'll see historical images from the 1950s through the 1970s superimposed over the real-time, present day. If you can't take the tours, The Visible City still has plenty for you. Each sign has its own screen complete with photos and a full history. You can also listen to the narration that accompanies the tours while you sit at home, but that's a little weird. The app also lets users to upload their own stories and even vote on their favorite signs and places. The Visible City's implementation of augmented reality isn't a gimmick, but a feature that contributes to the walking tour experience. It puts a fun, educational museum experience in your pocket. The Visible City requires iOS 5.0 or greater and is optimized for the iPhone 5.
Namco Bandai opening Vancouver, Singapore offices in June
Namco Bandai Studios Vancouver Inc. will open its doors to the ever-growing Canadian gaming development scene this June, British Columbia's Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training has announced. The studio will develop "online social games," though nothing else is known regarding the studio's expected output beyond that broad descriptor.The province "provided significant assistance" to Namco Bandai, with government programs such as the "Major Investment Office hosting program" playing an "instrumental" role in bringing Namco Bandai to British Columbia, the announcement said. Meanwhile, a second, unnamed new studio will open in Singapore this June, though the release did not specify what sort of development it will focus on. We're going to go way, way far out on a limb and guess that it'll be called "Namco Bandai Studios Singapore Inc."
'Full Indie Summit' brings Vancouver dev industry together
In the absence of GDC Canada (the first, and last, installment took place in 2010), a group of Vancouver developers have decided to throw their own conference. The Full Indie Summit is a collaborative effort by the Full Indie Group and VBlank's Brian Provinciano (no stranger to taking on massive organizational tasks on his own), to create a one-day event with developer talks and plenty of networking opportunities.Presenters include Klei Entertainment's Nels Anderson, 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal, and more, with both Sony and Nintendo in attendance to help developers learn how to get their games onto consoles. Interested Vancouver or Vancouver-adjacent indies can pick up tickets here. The event takes place April 20.
Microsoft Vancouver is now Black Tusk Studios, building 'the next Halo'
Microsoft Studios Vancouver has been rebranded as Black Tusk Studios, and the team is tasked with creating Microsoft's "next big entertainment franchise," or as the layman says it, "the next Halo."Black Tusk has 55 employees and looks to double that number within a year; those already there have an average of 12 years experience building AAA games. This includes studio manager and former EA man, Mike Crump."We are working on Microsoft's next big entertainment franchise," Crump tells The Vancouver Sun. "We're not working on an existing franchise; we're looking to build the next Halo here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up."Microsoft laid off a small number of people in Vancouver earlier this year, but said it remains invested in the British Columbia games industry. If it's pouring enough money to build another Halo franchise into Black Tusk, we'd say Microsoft is heavily invested, indeed.
Vancouver's troubled game industry examined
While Montreal and Toronto experience an explosion in game development companies and jobs, thanks to tax breaks (and a successful and growing indie scene), the scene in Vancouver is less encouraging, with layoffs at Microsoft, Radical, EA, and more.CTV summarizes the recent layoffs and company closures in the area in this video report, also speaking with BC minister of community, sport, and culture Bill Bennett to determine if a solution is forthcoming. "It's not an easy decision at a time when the province is trying to balance its budget," Bennett said. "Apparently Quebec and Ontario don't worry as much about that."You can watch it or read the transcript on CTV's site.
Fido hops on the LTE bandwagon, gives Canadians frugal 4G this summer
Rogers was the first with LTE in Canada. Its budget brand Fido has largely been left out of that 4G fiesta, but the gap is closing today with official plans to give the yellow doghouse some LTE of its own. The initial deployment this summer will largely overlap Rogers' fledgling network, starting with benchmark cities Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John's, Toronto and Vancouver. Only a Fido Mobile Hotspot with 10-device sharing will kick off the hardware selection; if you're impatient, though, any compatible and (usually) unlocked LTE device will do with a relevant SIM card. About 20 million Canucks will potentially have the high-speed option by the end of the year -- and with Fido's plan costs expected to stay the same, that coverage could make the provider a de facto choice for fast data in the Great White North. Click past the break for the official word and the full 2012 expansion list.
Microsoft axes Flight development, cuts 35 jobs at Vancouver games studio
Microsoft is laying off staff at its Vancouver studio after it halted development on Flight and "Project Columbia," a Kinect-based virtual storybook for children. A representative speaking to Joystiq said that the 35 people affected would receive help to find new roles within the company, and that it remains invested in the city's industry. In a statement to Kotaku, included after the break, it added that it would continue to support the free title, which was itself a revival of the doomed MS Flight Simulator, and that it would remain available for download.
Report: Microsoft reduces staff at Vancouver studio, cans 'Project Columbia' for Kinect
Microsoft has confirmed that a "small" number of positions at its Vancouver-based development studio have been terminated. According to an official statement, the roles were no longer deemed necessary after development ceased on Microsoft's free-to-play Flight, which was released in February, and an unreleased Kinect project known only as "Columbia."Project Columbia, as described in late 2011, was to be an educational Kinect title meant to engage young players by pairing books with interactive music and illustrations. It was being designed in collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit (and muppet-infused) educational organization.A report on Kotaku brought the layoffs to light earlier today, after several former employees of the Vancouver studio shared the news on Twitter. A Microsoft Studios spokesperson claims "human resources is working with the affected individuals to find new roles within the company," and that Microsoft remains invested in the British Columbia games industry.
Boutique hotel equips guests with iPhones
A lot of individuals are dropping land lines and using an iPhone as their sole telecommunications device, but this is (as far as we know) a first. The Opus hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia has done away with the traditional hotel room phone and is equipping guests with iPhones. The hotel is apparently hoping that foreign visitors, especially those from just south of the Canadian border, will like carrying the phones with them as they won't be hit with international roaming charges. Guests can use the phones anywhere in the Vancouver area to make calls and surf the Internet, perfect for looking up restaurants and tourist attractions. Should guests need to contact one of the hotel departments, the iPhones are pre-programmed with one-touch contacts for those departments. Those calls, as well as any local calls made from the iPhone, are complimentary -- international calls are added to the guest's room tab. When a guest checks out, the iPhone is wiped to ensure their privacy. The Opus is no stranger to Apple technology. Earlier in the year, the hotel installed an iPad 2 equipped with a virtual concierge app in each guest room. [via CNET]
