Monthly Archives: October 2022

Made By Google 2022 Event Everything Announced

Google just wrapped its big hardware event to finally give us the full reveal of the Pixel Watch, the company's first-ever self-made wearable. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were also announced with much fanfare around their enhanced cameras and new styling. And the Pixel Tablet made a surprise appearance with its new functionality as a smart home hub. If you missed the big event, here's everything Google announced today.

Google Pixel Watch

Google kicked off the show by introducing the Google Pixel Watch, the company's first-ever wearable. The Pixel Watch features a round watch face, unlike the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra's squircle-shaped screen. It also features a unique band attachment mechanism without any visible lugs. Instead, you attach the watch band to the top and bottom of the wearable and rotate it to lock it in place, similar to how a camera lens attaches to a camera body.

The Pixel Watch also brings deep Fitbit integration to track your workouts and health data. Google claims it will deliver the most accurate once-per-second heart rate tracking yet. Plus, it features 40 exercise modes and a built-in GPS. For sleep tracking, you'll be able to see your sleep score and stages, and there's an ECG app that can detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation.

The Google Pixel Watch comes in a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi or 4G LTE model priced at $349 and $399, respectively. It also includes six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium. The Google Pixel Watch is available for preorder today and will arrive on October 13.

Google Pixel 7

The Google Pixel 7 is here, and it looks classier than ever with a sophisticated and durable aluminum chassis. It features a slightly smaller 6.3-inch, 1080p display compared to the Pixel 6's 6.4-inch screen, but it also has slimmer bezels. According to Google, the 90Hz display on this new phone is also 25% brighter.

As for internal power, this phone comes rocking Google's new Tensor G2 processor with 8GB of RAM. That new processor helps power faster computations, halving the time it takes to shoot Night Sight photos. Additionally, there are new camera tricks like face unblur and Cinematic Blur in video mode.

The Pixel 7 also has a slightly smaller capacity battery, but it promises 24-hour battery life and 48 hours of usage with Extreme Battery Saver. 30W charging is also supported over wired and wireless.

As for cameras, the Pixel 7 still features a 50-megapixel camera, but no you can use a 2x zoom mode that digitally crops in using the 12-megapixels at the center of the sensor. The selfie camera on the Pixel 7 has also been upgraded to a 10.8 sensor, the same one found in the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 is available for preorder now for $599, and it will arrive on October 13.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

The Pixel 7 Pro has seen quite a lot of changes, especially on the camera front. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro features the same main 50MP camera with the added 2x digital zoom trick. The telephoto has been upgraded to 5x optical zoom, and the 48MP sensor can digitally zoom up to 10x. What's more, you can combine the digital zoom capabilities of both cameras for up to 30x telephoto. Additionally, the ultrawide camera features an even wider 125-degree field of view, plus autofocus and macro-mode shooting.

Also similar to the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro features a 0.1-inch shorter display to make this 6.7-inch device a little less thick. The display features a 3120 x 1440 OLED panel with a maximum 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 7 Pro also features the new Tensor G2 chip plus a bit more memory at 12GB. As for the battery, the Pixel 7 Pro offers 5000 mAh of capacity, which Google claims will offer a 24-hour battery life.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is available for preorder starting at $899 and will ship on October 13.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet popped up during the latest Made By Google event. There's still no new information about screen size or many other internal specs other than it currently runs a Tensor G2 processor. However, we got to see how it can magnetically attach to a speaker base and become a Nest Hub. Google also revealed the Pixel Tablet will come in two colors; off-white and olive green. Google once again confirmed the Pixel Tablet will arrive in 2023.

Made By Google 2022 Event Everything Announced

Google just wrapped its big hardware event to finally give us the full reveal of the Pixel Watch, the company's first-ever self-made wearable. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were also announced with much fanfare around their enhanced cameras and new styling. And the Pixel Tablet made a surprise appearance with its new functionality as a smart home hub. If you missed the big event, here's everything Google announced today.

Google Pixel Watch

Google kicked off the show by introducing the Google Pixel Watch, the company's first-ever wearable. The Pixel Watch features a round watch face, unlike the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra's squircle-shaped screen. It also features a unique band attachment mechanism without any visible lugs. Instead, you attach the watch band to the top and bottom of the wearable and rotate it to lock it in place, similar to how a camera lens attaches to a camera body.

The Pixel Watch also brings deep Fitbit integration to track your workouts and health data. Google claims it will deliver the most accurate once-per-second heart rate tracking yet. Plus, it features 40 exercise modes and a built-in GPS. For sleep tracking, you'll be able to see your sleep score and stages, and there's an ECG app that can detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation.

The Google Pixel Watch comes in a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi or 4G LTE model priced at $349 and $399, respectively. It also includes six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music Premium. The Google Pixel Watch is available for preorder today and will arrive on October 13.

Google Pixel 7

The Google Pixel 7 is here, and it looks classier than ever with a sophisticated and durable aluminum chassis. It features a slightly smaller 6.3-inch, 1080p display compared to the Pixel 6's 6.4-inch screen, but it also has slimmer bezels. According to Google, the 90Hz display on this new phone is also 25% brighter.

As for internal power, this phone comes rocking Google's new Tensor G2 processor with 8GB of RAM. That new processor helps power faster computations, halving the time it takes to shoot Night Sight photos. Additionally, there are new camera tricks like face unblur and Cinematic Blur in video mode.

The Pixel 7 also has a slightly smaller capacity battery, but it promises 24-hour battery life and 48 hours of usage with Extreme Battery Saver. 30W charging is also supported over wired and wireless.

As for cameras, the Pixel 7 still features a 50-megapixel camera, but no you can use a 2x zoom mode that digitally crops in using the 12-megapixels at the center of the sensor. The selfie camera on the Pixel 7 has also been upgraded to a 10.8 sensor, the same one found in the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 is available for preorder now for $599, and it will arrive on October 13.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

The Pixel 7 Pro has seen quite a lot of changes, especially on the camera front. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro features the same main 50MP camera with the added 2x digital zoom trick. The telephoto has been upgraded to 5x optical zoom, and the 48MP sensor can digitally zoom up to 10x. What's more, you can combine the digital zoom capabilities of both cameras for up to 30x telephoto. Additionally, the ultrawide camera features an even wider 125-degree field of view, plus autofocus and macro-mode shooting.

Also similar to the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro features a 0.1-inch shorter display to make this 6.7-inch device a little less thick. The display features a 3120 x 1440 OLED panel with a maximum 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 7 Pro also features the new Tensor G2 chip plus a bit more memory at 12GB. As for the battery, the Pixel 7 Pro offers 5000 mAh of capacity, which Google claims will offer a 24-hour battery life.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is available for preorder starting at $899 and will ship on October 13.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet popped up during the latest Made By Google event. There's still no new information about screen size or many other internal specs other than it currently runs a Tensor G2 processor. However, we got to see how it can magnetically attach to a speaker base and become a Nest Hub. Google also revealed the Pixel Tablet will come in two colors; off-white and olive green. Google once again confirmed the Pixel Tablet will arrive in 2023.

One Piece Red’s English Voice Cast Revealed, Includes YouTube Star AmaLee

Crunchyroll has unveiled the English voice cast for its highly-anticipated One Piece Film Red, featuring American YouTube star AmaLee as the voice of Uta.

AmaLee has amassed over two million subscribers on YouTube, but she will be sharing her voice with a different kind of audience in One Piece Film Red. Her character is described as "the most adored singer in the world whose identity has been concealed" as "the daughter of the legendary pirate Shanks." According to the film's synopsis, Uta will finally reveal herself at a live concert, where her songs will be performed by Japanese singer Ado.

Other cast members include Colleen Clinkenbeard Carroll as Monkey D. Luffy, Jim Foronda as Gordon, Brandon Potter as Shanks, Micah Solusod as Koby, Tyson Rineheart as Bartolomeo, Sonny Strait as Usopp, Luci Christian as Nami, Matt Mercer as Law, Eric Vale as Sanji, Brina Palencia as Chopper, Christopher R. Sabat as Roronoa Zoro, Ian Sinclair as Brook, Stephanie Young as Robin, Rachel Robinson as Brulee, and Jason Marnocha as Oven.

The film is executive produced by One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, with Goro Taniguchi directing from a script written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa. Taniguchi will take to the stage for NYCC's Toei Animation & Crunchyroll Presents: One Piece Film Red Panel on October 8, where he will be joined by producers Hiroaki Shibata and Shinji Shimizu, Crunchyroll's Kyle Cardine, and voice actors Chris Sabat, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Ian Sinclair, Luci Christian, and Sonny Strait.

Tickets are now on sale for One Piece Film Red ahead of its theatrical rollout in Australia and New Zealand on November 3, and the United States and Canada on November 4.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

One Piece Red’s English Voice Cast Revealed, Includes YouTube Star AmaLee

Crunchyroll has unveiled the English voice cast for its highly-anticipated One Piece Film Red, featuring American YouTube star AmaLee as the voice of Uta.

AmaLee has amassed over two million subscribers on YouTube, but she will be sharing her voice with a different kind of audience in One Piece Film Red. Her character is described as "the most adored singer in the world whose identity has been concealed" as "the daughter of the legendary pirate Shanks." According to the film's synopsis, Uta will finally reveal herself at a live concert, where her songs will be performed by Japanese singer Ado.

Other cast members include Colleen Clinkenbeard Carroll as Monkey D. Luffy, Jim Foronda as Gordon, Brandon Potter as Shanks, Micah Solusod as Koby, Tyson Rineheart as Bartolomeo, Sonny Strait as Usopp, Luci Christian as Nami, Matt Mercer as Law, Eric Vale as Sanji, Brina Palencia as Chopper, Christopher R. Sabat as Roronoa Zoro, Ian Sinclair as Brook, Stephanie Young as Robin, Rachel Robinson as Brulee, and Jason Marnocha as Oven.

The film is executive produced by One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, with Goro Taniguchi directing from a script written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa. Taniguchi will take to the stage for NYCC's Toei Animation & Crunchyroll Presents: One Piece Film Red Panel on October 8, where he will be joined by producers Hiroaki Shibata and Shinji Shimizu, Crunchyroll's Kyle Cardine, and voice actors Chris Sabat, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Ian Sinclair, Luci Christian, and Sonny Strait.

Tickets are now on sale for One Piece Film Red ahead of its theatrical rollout in Australia and New Zealand on November 3, and the United States and Canada on November 4.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

High on Life: Meet the Voice Actors in Justin Roiland’s Comedy FPS – IGN First

High on Life, the upcoming comedy-FPS from Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and his Squanch Games development studio, has revealed its voice cast, and it features Rick & Morty alums, stand-up comedians, sketch comedy legends, prominent video game voice actors, and many other funny and talented people.

Roiland plays your first talking gun, the pistol-like Kenny (who sounds quite a bit like Morty). Curb Your Enthusiasm's JB Smoove voices the shotgun-esque talking gun Gus. Comedian Betsy Sodaro plays Sweezy, the Halo-Needler-like gun you can see in our exclusive 12-minute gameplay video from earlier this week. Tim Robinson, from Netflix's I Think You Should Leave, plays Creature. The Sarah Silverman Program costar Laura Silverman voices Lizzie, while MadTV alum Dave Herman plays Gene, the alien at your house who gives you your bounty-hunter missions. The bloodthirsty Knifey is played by YouTube cartoonist Michael Cusack. Other notable names in the cast include Kids in the Hall troupe member Kevin McDonald, stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, Nathan Drake voice actor Nolan North, Solar Opposites costar Thomas Middleditch, prominent video game voice actresses Jennifer Hale and Tara Strong, and more. Get a look at some of these characters in the concept art gallery below.

High on Life will be released on December 13 for PC and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, including day-one availability in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. We got our first proper look at gameplay back in August at Gamescom – where it totally blew up. We'll have more exclusive coverage all October long as our IGN First "cover story" on High on Life continues.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

High on Life: Meet the Voice Actors in Justin Roiland’s Comedy FPS – IGN First

High on Life, the upcoming comedy-FPS from Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland and his Squanch Games development studio, has revealed its voice cast, and it features Rick & Morty alums, stand-up comedians, sketch comedy legends, prominent video game voice actors, and many other funny and talented people.

Roiland plays your first talking gun, the pistol-like Kenny (who sounds quite a bit like Morty). Curb Your Enthusiasm's JB Smoove voices the shotgun-esque talking gun Gus. Comedian Betsy Sodaro plays Sweezy, the Halo-Needler-like gun you can see in our exclusive 12-minute gameplay video from earlier this week. Tim Robinson, from Netflix's I Think You Should Leave, plays Creature. The Sarah Silverman Program costar Laura Silverman voices Lizzie, while MadTV alum Dave Herman plays Gene, the alien at your house who gives you your bounty-hunter missions. The bloodthirsty Knifey is played by YouTube cartoonist Michael Cusack. Other notable names in the cast include Kids in the Hall troupe member Kevin McDonald, stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, Nathan Drake voice actor Nolan North, Solar Opposites costar Thomas Middleditch, prominent video game voice actresses Jennifer Hale and Tara Strong, and more. Get a look at some of these characters in the concept art gallery below.

High on Life will be released on December 13 for PC and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, including day-one availability in Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. We got our first proper look at gameplay back in August at Gamescom – where it totally blew up. We'll have more exclusive coverage all October long as our IGN First "cover story" on High on Life continues.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Overwatch 2: Blizzard Apologizes for Shaky Launch, Promises Fixes for Queues and More

Between server errors, broken account merges, and a strange SMS requirement that locked some players with prepaid phone plans out of the game, Overwatch 2's launch on Tuesday became fairly controversial. Now, Blizzard is apologizing and working to fix some of these issues.

In a post on Blizzard's forum, community manager Jodie apologized for the game's launch and detailed some of the ways the team is working to fix these issues.

"First, we want to apologize to our players. We expected the launch of Overwatch 2 to go smoothly," the post reads. "We hold ourselves to a higher standard and we are working hard to resolve the issues you are experiencing."

Overwatch 2 introduced a requirement for players to connect a phone number, which oddly doesn't allow prepaid phone plans. The post explains that Overwatch players with connected Battle.net accounts won't need to provide a phone number starting on Friday. However, it doesn't apppear that Blizzard has entirely removed this requirement.

Blizzard is also working to improve server stability — after countless players dealt with crashes, lengthy queues and difficulty logging in, it's now working on numerous ways to stabilize these servers, including patching the login server and adding nodes to the player database to lessen the load.

Finally, some players who merged multiple accounts dealt with missing inventory items. To combat this, Blizzard is now rolling out a UI fix to prompt more players to merge their accounts. The company is also assuring players it hasn't lost any of their data — in many cases, it's just taking a long time to merge over to Overwatch 2.

It's been a rough launch, including multiple DDoS attacks on release day, but the game itself remains more than solid. We gave Overwatch 2 an 8/10 in our review, calling it a "very fun team-based FPS, packed full of charm and love for the world it takes place in."

Overwatch 2: Blizzard Apologizes for Shaky Launch, Promises Fixes for Queues and More

Between server errors, broken account merges, and a strange SMS requirement that locked some players with prepaid phone plans out of the game, Overwatch 2's launch on Tuesday became fairly controversial. Now, Blizzard is apologizing and working to fix some of these issues.

In a post on Blizzard's forum, community manager Jodie apologized for the game's launch and detailed some of the ways the team is working to fix these issues.

"First, we want to apologize to our players. We expected the launch of Overwatch 2 to go smoothly," the post reads. "We hold ourselves to a higher standard and we are working hard to resolve the issues you are experiencing."

Overwatch 2 introduced a requirement for players to connect a phone number, which oddly doesn't allow prepaid phone plans. The post explains that Overwatch players with connected Battle.net accounts won't need to provide a phone number starting on Friday. However, it doesn't apppear that Blizzard has entirely removed this requirement.

Blizzard is also working to improve server stability — after countless players dealt with crashes, lengthy queues and difficulty logging in, it's now working on numerous ways to stabilize these servers, including patching the login server and adding nodes to the player database to lessen the load.

Finally, some players who merged multiple accounts dealt with missing inventory items. To combat this, Blizzard is now rolling out a UI fix to prompt more players to merge their accounts. The company is also assuring players it hasn't lost any of their data — in many cases, it's just taking a long time to merge over to Overwatch 2.

It's been a rough launch, including multiple DDoS attacks on release day, but the game itself remains more than solid. We gave Overwatch 2 an 8/10 in our review, calling it a "very fun team-based FPS, packed full of charm and love for the world it takes place in."

CD Projekt Red Is Going to Put Hundreds of Developers on Cyberpunk: Orion

CD Projekt Red appears to be ramping up its development capabilities in a big way as it prepares for Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, codenamed Orion, as it looks to create a new studio and put hundreds of staff on the project.

Speaking during an investors' call after announcing Orion alongside several Witcher games, CD Projekt Red CFO Piotr Nielubowicz said he expects 350 to 500 developers will be necessary to create the game.

It's also creating a brand new, primarily Boston-based studio for Orion, which will combine with its current Vancouver office and be known as CD Projekt Red North America.

Though talent from its Polish studios will also be assisting with the game (including Cyberpunk 2077's lead quest designer Paweł Sasko, who is moving to Boston for it), the Vancouver studio only had around 12 team members when it was acquired by CD Projekt Red last year. It therefore appears the company needs to hire a few hundred new staff to hit the 350 to 500 quota, and it's already advertising dozens of positions on its website.

"The North American studio will consist of teams working from Boston and the team working from Vancouver," Nielubowicz said, and "the project will also be supported by developers from Poland."

He continued: "As for the total headcount required for such a production, I believe the best reference is Cyberpunk 2077, our most recent release and a good reference point when thinking about development headcount and future projects of this scale. I think it’s safe to assume that between 350 and 500 developers should be required."

Given that development hasn't begun yet, CD Projekt Red didn't say too much about Orion, but promised it'll be "the next Cyberpunk game that will fully unleash the potential that this universe offers".

The studio certainly has a busy few years on its hands, as a new Witcher trilogy was announced alongside a Witcher universe game from CD Projekt Red's The Molasses Flood and another "full-fledged" Witcher title from a mysterious third party studio.

The studio is still working on Cyberpunk 2077's long awaited first expansion, Phantom Liberty, in the meantime. It's expected to be released next year, while the next Witcher game could still be years away.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

CD Projekt Red Is Going to Put Hundreds of Developers on Cyberpunk: Orion

CD Projekt Red appears to be ramping up its development capabilities in a big way as it prepares for Cyberpunk 2077's sequel, codenamed Orion, as it looks to create a new studio and put hundreds of staff on the project.

Speaking during an investors' call after announcing Orion alongside several Witcher games, CD Projekt Red CFO Piotr Nielubowicz said he expects 350 to 500 developers will be necessary to create the game.

It's also creating a brand new, primarily Boston-based studio for Orion, which will combine with its current Vancouver office and be known as CD Projekt Red North America.

Though talent from its Polish studios will also be assisting with the game (including Cyberpunk 2077's lead quest designer Paweł Sasko, who is moving to Boston for it), the Vancouver studio only had around 12 team members when it was acquired by CD Projekt Red last year. It therefore appears the company needs to hire a few hundred new staff to hit the 350 to 500 quota, and it's already advertising dozens of positions on its website.

"The North American studio will consist of teams working from Boston and the team working from Vancouver," Nielubowicz said, and "the project will also be supported by developers from Poland."

He continued: "As for the total headcount required for such a production, I believe the best reference is Cyberpunk 2077, our most recent release and a good reference point when thinking about development headcount and future projects of this scale. I think it’s safe to assume that between 350 and 500 developers should be required."

Given that development hasn't begun yet, CD Projekt Red didn't say too much about Orion, but promised it'll be "the next Cyberpunk game that will fully unleash the potential that this universe offers".

The studio certainly has a busy few years on its hands, as a new Witcher trilogy was announced alongside a Witcher universe game from CD Projekt Red's The Molasses Flood and another "full-fledged" Witcher title from a mysterious third party studio.

The studio is still working on Cyberpunk 2077's long awaited first expansion, Phantom Liberty, in the meantime. It's expected to be released next year, while the next Witcher game could still be years away.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.