Good morning! I have lots of things to say about Google’s event and the Pixel 4 ahead of the review (coming soon!), but some of that will need to wait for later in the week. That’s because I spent much of last night at a Vox Media Podcast Network event, where we announced that I’ll be hosting an upcoming season of the Land of the Giants podcast, focused on Google. This is a self-plug but also not because it won’t be out until next year — in the meantime I am asking you to subscribe because the first season about Amazon is completely posted and binge-able. It’s hosted by Recode’s Jason Del Rey and it’s excellent. I think you'll like it and I guarantee you'll learn a lot from it.
Okay, one small note about Google because I can’t help myself: that was the most un-keynote tech keynote in a long time, with actual un-announcements where Google executives just casually mentioned new products without ever having a traditional “we are announcing this this now, here it is, we are unveiling it” moment. I am sure that strategy was driven in large part because every damn thing had leaked ahead of time, but it still felt like a different vibe.
- Dieter
Video game news
+ Why it took a decade for Riot to follow League of Legends with a new game
It might not grab as much attention as Fortnite, but Riot has made some really big moves here. Andrew Webster explains:
There are multiple League spinoffs, including a fighting game, digital card game, and animated series. There’s also a mysterious, in-the-works shooter codenamed “Project A” that takes place in a brand-new universe. If the first 10 years of Riot were defined almost entirely by a single game, it looks like the next decade will be about building on that foundation.
+ Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service will launch on November 19th
With xCloud and this, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Sony finally opened up remote play for the PS4 to all Android phones. Competition! It’s good!
+ Hands-on with Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming service
There are the kinds of bugs you’d expect from an early preview, Tom Warren notes, but it does work if you have a good connection. Hopefully Microsoft is thinking through the whole experience, though, because stuff like the below is a bummer:
You also can’t use xCloud if you’re signed into an Xbox One console and it’s in use. So if your family is watching Netflix using your Microsoft Account on a physical console then xCloud will require you to log out of the console or turn it off to be able to stream games from Microsoft’s cloud. It’s a bizarre requirement, and hopefully it’s just a limitation of this early preview.
More from the Google event
+ How Google’s Pixel 4 compares to other popular flagship phones
+ Google Pixel 4 buyers won’t get unlimited photo uploads at original quality
Google is absolutely trying to drive people into Google One subscriptions. I think Google One is a reasonably priced cloud storage service, for the most part, but Google is positioning it like some sort of amazing multi-benefit service. It’s cloud storage with random perks from time to time -- if Google really wants to differentiate it, it needs to ...differentiate it.
+ The Pixel 4 doesn’t include any headphones, or even a 3.5mm adapter in the box
This seems like a really stupid thing to do for a phone that ought to be better positioned than any previous Pixel at pulling in some iPhone users. None of them have USB-C accessories.
+ Google is discontinuing the Daydream View VR headset, and the Pixel 4 won’t support Daydream
“There hasn’t been the broad consumer or developer adoption we had hoped, and we’ve seen decreasing usage over time of the Daydream View headset,” a spokesperson said. Although the system had potential, “we noticed some clear limitations constraining smartphone VR from being a viable long-term solution,”
More from The Verge
+ NASA unveils future Moon spacesuits that should be ready by 2024
Loren Grush went to check them out in person:
During a demonstration at NASA headquarters on Tuesday, a spacesuit engineer showed off the flexibility of the suit, proving it can twist and bend at the waist, unlike suits of the past. The suit’s legs are also pliable, allowing wearers to walk on another world — a capability astronauts don’t currently need in Earth orbit.
+ Facebook’s new Portal has a refined design but familiar limitations
The most important new hardware detail is the three-position sliding switch on the top of the Portal that lets you block the camera and mute the always-listening microphone. You can opt to block just the camera, which gets hidden behind a physical shutter, or both the mic and the camera for the full privacy treatment. It’s a much better solution than the little plastic camera cap the original Portal had, which felt like an afterthought.
+ Beats announces Solo Pro on-ear headphones with noise cancellation
I love that Apple announced these just as Google’s hardware event was getting started. I think it backfired on them, which is interesting! Usually Apple is more successful when it tries to insert itself into the conversation. It is a validation point for Google's hardware, in a weird way.
Anyway, it's almost too bad, because these headphones are way more important than they first appear. Noise cancelling headphones that use Apple's proprietary Bluetooth improvements and carry the Beats brand is a combo that could do really well.
Bluetooth headphone ecosystem lock in is so real. Pixel Buds are coming, Galaxy Buds and AirPods are here. We are fast approaching a world where you can only have the best experience if your headphones are made by the same company that makes your phone.
The headphone jack wasn't an ideal thing for a phone -- it required a wire and took up too much space, but it was an open interconnect that meant anybody could compete on an even playing field for your ears.
I am going to convince my pal Nilay Patel to go into a side business with me. We are going to make little tiny circular stickers that go on your phone and look exactly like a headphone jack. Except they'll be like those Warranty Void If Removed stickers so when you peel them off, they'll say "I Told You So."
