A new Xbox Series X update is available that lets you switch between watching TV and playing a game simply by hitting the Xbox button on the controller.
The feature means that you can watch TV while waiting for an update or game to download, and switch straight back to your Xbox input using the controller. If you’re someone who has a habit of misplacing the remote, this should solve that problem.
The new Xbox Series X feature can be enabled by heading to ‘Settings’, ‘TV & A/V power options’, ‘Devices’, and enabling the HDMI-CEC setting ‘Switch TV input when using controller’.
The latest Xbox Series X update means that the console now includes a variety of HDMI-CEC features that can help you forgo the use of a TV remote almost entirely. You can have the Xbox Series X turn your TV on and off when you boot it up or shut it down, turn off your Xbox Series X using other devices, and you can also allow the console to send volume commands to your AV receiver .
What is HDMI-CEC?
HDMI-CEC is short for HDMI Consumer Electronics Control and allows devices that are connected to your TV through HDMI ports to communicate with each other. This can enable a number of quality of life features such as switching TV input when using the Xbox Series X controller or the ability to navigate your Xbox using your TV remote.
HDMI-CEC features are also available on PS4 and PS5 . Your TV can automatically switch to the console’s input when you come out of rest mode, for example.
Not every display supports HDMI-CEC, however, though the vast majority of modern TVs do. Unfortunately for Xbox One owners, HDMI-CEC features are only available on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S , but those who owned Kinect could use the console’s AR blaster functionality to perform similar functions like turning on the TV and console at the same time.
One caveat with HDMI-CEC is that it can cause your devices to communicate by accident on occasion. While not everyone experiences issues, if you notice your TV changing inputs on its own or you get frustrated that your console turns your TV off every time it shuts down, you can always disable these features – most of which are off by default.
The more updates the merrier
Microsoft continues to release new system updates for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in a timely fashion, many of which add new features and functionality for players to enjoy. A new update recently allowed the console to download and install game and system updates while in Energy Saver mode – something that will literally save gamers money , as well as the environment.
Changes were also made to the Xbox consoles’ audio options , allowing users to see how their audio setup will behave when gaming, and we’ve seen improvements to Quick Resume as well as Microsoft implementing some of the best PS5 features .
Updates like these also encourage Microsoft's competitors to follow suit. We've recently seen PS5 adopt a number of Xbox Series X features, such as auto low latency mode (ALLM) and soon, VRR .
A recent Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl update has added two mythical pocket monsters from Pokémon Legends Arceus to the remakes, including the legendary title creature.
Software update version 1.3.0 sees Arceus and Darkrai added to the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes , both of whom are available for trainers to catch - if you think you're up to it.
The update is available to download now, if you haven't already downloaded it, but to take on (and hopefully catch) these mythical Pokémon you will need to do a few things first.
How to get Arceus and Darkrai in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Firstly, you need to have a Pokémon Legends Arceus save file already on your Nintendo Switch with all the missions completed (so you need to own Arceus as well as Diamond and Pearl). Once you've done that, go to the Hall of Fame in Diamond and Pearl and obtain the National Pokédex, then head back to your room and pick up the Azure Flute.
Take the Azure Flute and go to the Spear Pillar at the top of Mount Coronet. Arceus should reveal itself, allowing you to battle and catch it.
To catch Darkrai, you need to obtain the Member Card item (which is available between the new moons) via Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's Mystery Gift feature, a time-limited event that will run from April 1 to April 30. As with Arceus, you'll need to go into the Hall of Fame and get the National Pokédex. After that, head to Newmoon Island where Darkrai should be waiting.
Opinion: a tasty crossover
It's pretty much always good news when Pokémon games have crossovers and this time is no different. The inclusion of Darkrai and Arceus gives trainers a new challenge to take on in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl - not to mention the bragging rights if you do manage to capture them.
But it's not just these mythical Pokémon that the recent Diamond and Pearl remake update adds. The update also sees The Global Wonder Station (GWR) finally opened, allowing you to trade with trainers online from all over the world - without being their friend - though you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to do so. The GWR has been unavailable since the remakes' release back in November 2021, until now.
While the recent Diamond and Pearl remakes update gives us a reason to jump back into the Sinnoh region, there's not too long to wait until we get our hands on the next mainline Pokémon games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet , which are due to release in late 2022.
Google Cloud is expanding into the data lake storage business through a new product called BigLake, which is based on its BigQuery service.
While the name might not be the most creative, the service is a very interesting expansion for Google as it chases Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in the cloud market.
BigLake, available now in preview , helps companies unify their data warehouses and data lakes without having to worry about compatibility between all of the sources. The service works with Amazon S3, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, and Google Cloud Storage.
"The biggest advantage is then you don't have to duplicate your data across two different environments and create data silos," Google's Sudhir Hasbe told Protocol .
Data lakehouse
Google is describing BigLake as a "data lakehouse", an expansion on a data lake that incorporates other services, including data management and optimization, machine learning, and governance tools.
The ultimate aim for Google is to offer these services more cheaply than its competitors, something that bundling them together can help achieve.
"We have tens of thousands of customers on [BigQuery], and we invested a lot in all the governance, security and all the core capabilities, so we're taking that innovation from BigQuery and now extending it onto all the data that sits in different formats as well as in lake environments – whether it's on Google Cloud with Google Cloud Storage, whether it's on AWS or whether it's on Azure," said Hasbe.
According to Google, BigQuery processes over 110 terabytes of data every second on average.
Cloud supremacy
The race to become the ultimate cloud services provider has been hotting up in recent years.
Leading is AWS, the behemoth from Amazon that created whole new categories of services and dominates the market.
But Microsoft and Google are hot on its heels, especially when it comes to some specific applications. Azure, for example, has managed to leverage Microsoft's historical connections with enterprises very successfully.
Exactly how all of this plays out remains to be seen, but Google ramping up its utilities shows the hard-fought nature of the battle.
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