Facebook acquires Downpour Interactive, the studio behind VR shooter 'Onward'

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Facebook continues to grow its Oculus Studios stable with its latest acquisition. The company has just bought Downpour Interactive, the developer behind the virtual reality shooter Onward. Facebook hasn't revealed the deal's financial terms, but it mentioned that it purchased the entire studio.

According to Downpour and Facebook, they plan to support Onward on all the platforms it is currently available, which includes Steam. Downpour intends to work on new projects, but it won't share any details on what these might be. But its team hopes to "bring those experiences to as many people as possible."

Source: Engadget

iOS 14.6 beta 1 spotted potential Apple Music HiFi support with Dolby Audio mentions

Photo by Thomas Kolnowski on Unsplash

Rumours have been going around that Apple plans to introduce a HiFi plan on Apple Music. And that plan might be in the works. 9to5Mac spotted mentions of "Dolby Atmos," "Dolby Audio," and "Lossless" in the first beta build of iOS 14.6. Apple already has its own HiFi audio codec (ALAC), but the Music app has never offered any support for Dolby Atmos or Dolby Audio. 

As 9to5Mac pointed out, though, the references only showed up in that beta build. It wasn't spotted in iOS 14.5 or iOS 14.6 beta 2, which came out this week. It suggests Apple might be trying to hide something. We hope to find out soon enough.

Instagram Live goes after Clubhouse with options to mute, turn off video

Instagram

We know Facebook is adamant about taking on audio-only chat app Clubhouse, and it looks like the company found a way through its popular app, Instagram. Instagram Live is getting a new feature that will let users mute their microphones or turn off their video while they're on Live. According to Instagram, these features are meant to give hosts "more flexibility" during their live stream while taking off the pressure of having to look or sound some way while broadcasting live. But as TechCrunch observed, it's just one more way for Facebook to use Clubhouse's playbook for its platform.

Right now, hosts can't turn on or off for their guests or mute them as well. But Instagram said it is working on "offering more of these types of capabilities" to broadcasters. And these features are reportedly coming out soon. Instagram tested these new features during a recent Instagram Live between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram Head Adam Mosseri.

Apple: Older Magic Keyboards are 'functionally compatible' with new 12.9" iPad Pro, but may not fit when closed

With the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro extra 0.5mm thickness over its predecessor, there has been concern that it won't work with older Magic Keyboards. But according to a new support document on the Magic Keyboard, it can work. The first-gen Magic Keyboards will be "functionally compatible." But because of the new tablet's thickness, Apple cautions that it's "possible" that it won't "precisely fit" when closed, especially if a screen protector is applied.

So, for iPad Pro users who still have the old Magic Keyboard and don't want to shell out the extra money for a new accessory, at least you have the option to use your existing one. The new 11-inch iPad Pro doesn't have the same issue as it comes in the same size as its predecessor. 

Via: MacRumors