Bloober Team shows off 'Layers of Fear' gameplay

Bloober Team gives us a better look at its reimagined Layers of Fear collection. The bundle comes with the original Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, and all the expansions. There will also be a new chapter that gives a "new perspective" on the first game's story. This collection is coming to the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in June.

The new 11-minute gameplay video focuses on a new character called The Writer. It shows you exploring a gloomy lighthouse. The developer reworked the games in Unreal Engine 5, giving them atmospheric visuals that are both pretty and eerie. The studio used tools like the Lumen system, HDR, ray-tracing, and volumetric lighting to make it look as lifelike as possible. 

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Meta's paid verification program comes to the US

Image: Meta

Meta Verified, the company's paid verification program, goes live in the US. It costs USD 12 (around CAD 16) per month via the web or USD 15 (~CAD 20) on mobile to account for the in-app fees of both Apple and Google. Meta Verified brings features like a blue verification badge for both Facebook and Instagram, "proactive impersonation protection," and direct access to customer support. 

Meta is also giving stars each month (which you use to tip Facebook creators) and extra stickers for Stories and Reels. The US version of this feature won't gain increased visibility in some parts of the app yet. 

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 to land on midrange phones this month

Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm is gearing up to launch its newest midrange chipset later this month. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is expected on devices from Xiaomi's Redmi to Realme. It won't be as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it still gets upgraded from the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Qualcomm promises a 50% performance improvement over its predecessor, with speeds up to 2.91GHz.

GPU performance improves by two times and power efficiency by 13%. On-device AI is "integrated across the entire platform." It's expected to get twice the AI performance compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and 40% better per-watt performance. With AI Super Resolution, it should be capable of upscaling game visuals and photos from 1080p to 4K resolution.

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IKEA launches a new affordable shower-ready Bluetooth speaker

Photo: IKEA

If you want an affordable Bluetooth speaker for the show, IKEA offers a new VAPPEBY portable speaker. It doesn't appear on IKEA Canada's website yet, but it retails for USD 15 (around CAD 20). This silicone-coated speaker is just a three-inch square that's two inches thick. It comes with a lanyard-style cord, so it's easy to carry around or hang in the shower. You can get it in yellow, black or red. It can work as a stereo pair if you buy a couple of these speakers. And most importantly, it's IP67 rated for water and dust resistance.

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