Android 11 on the Google Pixel vastly improves Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller support

With cloud gaming at the forefront of mobile gaming discussions thanks to the upcoming launch of Microsoft’s xCloud service, we’ve been looking into the state of controller support on Android. Back in Android 11 Beta 1, we noticed that Google added a whopping 84 new controller mappings, meaning that the new Android release can recognize inputs from 84 new gaming controllers. A lot of the newly supported controllers were from third-party gaming accessory makers because Android already supports the original gaming controllers for the big 3 gaming consoles. While Android has supported connecting to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons since 2017 and the Pro Controller since 2019, the latency from both controllers is unbearable. Thankfully, though, Google has finally fixed the major connectivity and latency issues with the Android 11 release for Pixel phones.

Here are two videos I recorded showing off the differences in connectivity and latency when the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are paired with a Google Pixel 4 running Android 10 versus a Google Pixel 3a XL running Android 11. Note how in the video with the Pixel 3a XL, the LEDs for the syncing status aren’t going haywire, my inputs are recognized almost immediately, and the joysticks seem to send inputs in all directions.

The game I’m playing in these two videos is Super Mario Sunshine, a Nintendo GameCube title emulated using Dolphin Emulator. Dolphin Emulator runs better on the Pixel 4 with its Snapdragon 855 versus the Pixel 3a XL with its Snapdragon 670, but you can still clearly see the difference with the improved controller support.

Dolphin Emulator (Free, Google Play) →

The improved Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller support on the Google Pixel isn’t necessarily because of the Android 11 update, though. The Android 11 update for the Pixel just happens to have the necessary kernel driver that improves compatibility. The kernel driver adds proper support for both the Joy-Cons and the Pro Controller, with “little to no user calibration” needed. However, the Joy-Cons are still treated as separate input devices, so you may need to use the Joy-Con Enabler app to get certain apps to recognize them as a single controller.

Thanks to XDA Member bylaws for the tip!

The post Android 11 on the Google Pixel vastly improves Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller support appeared first on xda-developers.

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Download the Google Pixel 4a’s new Eclipse Live Wallpaper on any device

The new Google Pixel 4a should reach the hands of consumers who pre-ordered the phone next week, so there shouldn’t be any surprises left for us to discover. However, there was one small discovery that slipped under the radar until now: the existence of a new live wallpaper called “Eclipse.”

Google Pixel 4a Forums

This live wallpaper was first discovered by Droid-Life earlier this week, and it comes as part of the “Come Alive” section in the Google Wallpapers app. The description of “Eclipse” reads as follows: “Watch the colors ebb and flow as your battery life changes.” “Eclipse” is a pretty simple live wallpaper that shows a blue or purple tint slowly fade from the top of the screen to the bottom as the battery level of the phone decreases. The blue tint is shown when the phone’s system-wide theme is set to “Light,” while the purple tint is shown when the phone’s system-wide theme is set to “Dark.”

Here are two screenshots showing the purple versus blue tints of the “Eclipse” live wallpaper:

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer Pranav Pandey, I installed the Google Pixel 4a’s “Eclipse” live wallpaper on my ASUS ROG Phone 3. Pranav Pandey is the developer responsible for porting the live wallpapers from the Pixel 2, Pixel 3, and Pixel 4, so it’s no surprise to see him return to port the newly discovered Pixel 4a live wallpaper.

Here are Pranav Pandey’s release notes for this live wallpaper port:

Features

• Android 7.0+ support by removing the Wallpaper Colors API introduced in Android 8.1 (API 27). Due to this, System UI color will not change according to the live wallpaper on the supported devices. Please download the separate 8.1+ APK with all the functionality.
• No special arm64 dependency so, I think it should work on most of the devices.
• I found that some features (and a new wallpaper) are under development. I will try to investigate further after future updates.
• Ambient Mode was disabled by default within the APK. So, I think it will not work on Always On display.
• Tested on Xperia Z5 Android 7.1 (API 25).

You can download the Eclipse live wallpaper from the links below. Visit Pranav Pandey’s forum thread on XDA to follow his latest development efforts or to ask questions about this port.

Download Google Pixel 4a Eclipse Live Wallpaper (Ported by Pranav Pandey): For Android 7.0-7.1 ||| For Android 8.0+ ||| Still Images

Wallpapers (Free, Google Play) →

Bonus

Pranav Pandey discovered that Google was working on another live wallpaper for the Pixel 4a called “Pulley.” However, it seems that the Pulley live wallpaper isn’t fully implemented yet as there aren’t any Services or Dex files associated with it. Nonetheless, he has extracted the stills from this unimplemented live wallpaper that you can apply on any device. A preview of the two Pulley wallpaper stills can be found below; to download them in their original quality, click the “Still Images” link from above.

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Launch Your Career as a Web Developer and Master JavaScript With This Huge 69-Hour Training Bundle

With thousands of startups launching every day, there has never been a better time to work as a web designer or developer. If you would like to launch a career in this industry, the 2020 Ultimate Web Developer & Design Bootcamp Bundle should be your starting point. This huge learning library includes 69 hours of content on HTML5, Python, JavaScript, and other popular tools. You can get the bundle now for just $39.99 at the XDA Developers Depot.

Whether you want to build an online business or find work, learning web design and development is a smart move. Experienced pros can earn over $100k working as full-time coders, and many recruiters in other industries are now looking for these skills.

Through 745 video tutorials, this bundle shows you how to craft amazing websites from scratch. The beginner-friendly courses start with the basics of HTML5 and CSS3, before diving into the world of programming.

Along the way, you will complete multiple fun projects using popular frameworks and plugins, including SASS, Flexbox, and Grid. The training also shows you how to code in JavaScript and Python, and connect to APIs.

Your instructor is Kalob Taulien, who has been a professional web developer since 1999. He is rated at 4.5 stars on Udemy, and he has helped over 232k students.

These courses are worth $2,200 in total, but you can grab them now for just $39.99 with this deal.

 

The 2020 Ultimate Web Developer & Design Bootcamp Bundle – $39.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change 

The post Launch Your Career as a Web Developer and Master JavaScript With This Huge 69-Hour Training Bundle appeared first on xda-developers.

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Samsung Game Launcher update adds new sections for Instant Games and in-game notifications

Earlier this year in May, OnePlus released a major update for the OnePlus Game Space app. The update introduced a couple of new features, including new sections for Instant Games and Game Statistics. Now, Samsung is rolling out a similar update for its Game Launcher app, which adds a new tab for Instant Games and a section for in-game notifications.

The feature was recently spotted by @testingcatalog on Twitter, who shared the following screenshots. The screenshots reveal that the Samsung Game Launcher now has a new section that lists down all the Instant Games available on the app. These games require no installation and can be played immediately by just tapping on the Play button next to them.

Samsung’s Game Launcher got updated. Now it has a new section for instant games and separate tab for in-game notifications. pic.twitter.com/EtkPDAKT3E

— TestingCatalog (@testingcatalog) August 13, 2020

A vast majority of the new Instant Games in Samsung’s Game Launcher are provided by FRVR Games, including titles like Drag Race FRVR, Basketball FRVR, Hex FRVR, Gold Train FRVR, and more. As of now, it isn’t clear if the app hosts Google Play Games’ library of Instant Games.

Most of instant games are provided by @FRVRGames platform pic.twitter.com/f5fGzyJ22e

— TestingCatalog (@testingcatalog) August 13, 2020

The Samsung Game Launcher has also received a new tab for in-game notifications. You can access the tab by tapping on the menu button in the top right corner and then selecting the new Game notifications option.

A new notification section requires a separate system permission and can filter by date or by the game pic.twitter.com/3uMALH2yV6

— TestingCatalog (@testingcatalog) August 13, 2020

The tab lists down all the notifications pushed by the games installed on your device. The notification section requires separate system permissions to work and it gives you the option to filter notifications by date or by game.

The post Samsung Game Launcher update adds new sections for Instant Games and in-game notifications appeared first on xda-developers.

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HTC Desire 20 Pro available for pre-order in EU for €279

The HTC Desire 20 Pro was announced in June with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC and a quad rear camera setup. The Taiwanese OEM initially launched the phone only in their domestic market, but they also left a subtle hint for a more wide scale release across the globe. And now, months after the official announcements, the HTC Desire 20 Pro is finally available for pre-order in Europe.

HTC Desire 20 Pro XDA Forums

According to a recent tweet from the company, the mid-ranger is on sale in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands through HTC’s own website. The smartphone has been priced at €279/£269 for the sole 6/128GB model, which is a bit higher than the Taiwanese pricing according to current exchange rates. The expected day of shipping is August 24.

It’s official, the #Desire20Pro is coming to the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and Netherlands! The powerful device packs in premium features, like a 5-lens camera system, 5,000 mAh battery, 6.53″ display, and 128 GB of memory. Pre order now at https://t.co/JFTzcv85PP. #htc pic.twitter.com/GYj94yRQaT

— HTC (@htc) August 12, 2020

HTC Desire 20 Pro Specifications

Specification	HTC Desire 20 Pro
Dimensions and Weight	162 x 77 x 9.4mm 201g
Display	6.5″ FHD+ LCD; 19.5:9 aspect ratio Punch-hole display
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC
RAM and Storage	6GB + 128GB Expandable through microSD card slot
Battery & Charging	5,000 mAh battery Quick Charge 3.0
Rear Camera	Photo: Primary: 48MP, f/1.8 Secondary: Wide-Angle Camera, 8MP, f/2.2, 118° FoV Tertiary: Depth Sensor, 2MP, f/2.4 Quaternary: Macro, 2MP, f/2.4 Video: 4K video recording
Front Camera	25MP, f/2.0
Other Features	3.5mm headphone jack Rear fingerprint scanner Multi-function NFC Dual-frequency GPS Bluetooth 5 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz)
Android Version	Android 10

It is worth mentioning that HTC allows this phone to be bootloader unlocked without fiddling with any kind of unlock token generation. If you are one of HTC’s few remaining fans and planning to pick up a smartphone that features the 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a microSD card slot, feel free to opt for the HTC Desire 20 Pro.

The post HTC Desire 20 Pro available for pre-order in EU for €279 appeared first on xda-developers.

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OnePlus confirms that RAM Boost and DC Dimming won’t be coming to its older phones

OnePlus usually does a decent job of bringing some of the new features it launches with its latest flagships to older devices. Over the last year, however, the company has failed to release a few such features, even though it publicly announced that the features will be made available on older devices. Our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, recently reached out to the company inquiring about the features that were promised, but not released, for older phones, and here’s what he learned:

RAM Boost for OnePlus 5/5T

Back in May 2019, the company announced that a bunch of new OxygenOS features from the OnePlus 7 series would be released for the OnePlus 5/5T/6/6T. A forum post from the time clearly states that the RAM Boost feature, which increases RAM utilization to improve performance, would be released for the OnePlus 5 and 5T. However, over a year since the announcement, the feature hasn’t been released on the devices. When asked about the feature, the company said that it won’t be released to the OnePlus 5/5T due to a hardware compatibility issue.

Caller identification for OnePlus 3/3T

Early last year, OnePlus debuted an India-exclusive caller identification feature for the OnePlus 6/6T. In a forum post regarding the feature, the company’s Global Product Operations Manager, Manu J., revealed that the feature would be released to the OnePlus 3/3T as part of the Android Pie update for the devices. But user reports suggest that the feature wasn’t released with the stable Android Pie update for the devices. The company has now confirmed that the feature won’t be released for the devices since these devices have passed their maintenance period. For the unaware, the last update for the OnePlus 3 series was pushed out last year.

DC Dimming for the OnePlus 6/6T

The OnePlus 6/6T received DC Dimming support with OxygenOS Open Beta 2315 back in July last year. But while the feature has been available on the beta channel for over a year, it hasn’t been released on the stable channel. Since the company has ended Open Beta releases for the two devices, some users are wondering if the company even plans to release the feature on the stable channel. As it turns out, the OnePlus 6/6T won’t be receiving DC Dimming on the stable channel due to a hardware compatibility issue.

Along with the features mentioned above, OnePlus also hasn’t released one such feature on its latest flagship — the OnePlus 8. If you scroll down to the OnePlus 8 product page on the company’s website, you’ll find a note that says, “upgrade for 5G or 4G dual SIM support will be implemented via OTA update.” However, in the five months since its launch, the OnePlus 8 still hasn’t received an OTA update that enables dual SIM support in the US. When asked about the feature, the company revealed that Dual SIM support for the OnePlus 8 will be enabled via an OTA update in the fourth quarter of this year.

Additionally, Mishaal inquired about the one-handed mode for the OnePlus 7 and 7T series, which rolled out in an OxygenOS Open Beta update earlier this year. The rollout was said to be a mistake, with a staff member claiming that it was “unintentionally mentioned in the changelog” and that it would be added “in the next build.” However, the feature hasn’t been made available since then in any OxygenOS update or on a new device. In response, the company confirmed that its Android 11-based software release, HydrogenOS 11 in China or OxygenOS 11 globally, will feature one-handed mode, even though it’s not available in the current beta release.

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OnePlus Gallery adds support for editing 4K60fps videos

Ever since OnePlus opened up a beta program for the OnePlus Gallery app, the app has received a ton of new features with each new update. Most recently, OnePlus released update 3.12.33 of the app which introduced a new Google Cast button to help users easily beam their photos to TVs or smart displays. Now, the company is rolling out another major update, which brings 4K60fps video editing support to the app.

Over the last couple of years, OnePlus has released several devices that support 4K60fps video capture. However, the devices don’t offer native editing capabilities for the high-resolution footage, and users have to rely on third-party apps to edit their videos. With the latest update for the OnePlus Gallery app, users will now be able to edit their 4K 60fps footage within the app.

As you can see in the attached screenshot, the OnePlus Gallery app now lets you trim 4K60fps video, and add filters and music to the video. Along with the new 4K60fps video editing support, the latest update for the gallery app brings support for photo projecting to OnePlus TVs and a few bug fixes. Here’s the full changelog for the latest OnePlus Gallery update:

• Fix issues including sharing photos from gallery, red color, and photo missing
• Fix slow-motion video editor
• Add photo projecting to OnePlus TV
• Add 4K60fps video editing

The update has started rolling out to supported devices via the Google Play Store. In case you haven’t received the update yet, you can head over to the OnePlus Gallery Play Store listing from the link below and tap on the update button.

OnePlus Gallery (Free, Google Play) →

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