Microsoft employees are pretty confident in the next-gen Xbox Series X, and aren't really worried about the PlayStation 5 dominating the landscape.

Microsoft's teams aren't really ones to crazily ignite the console wars. Yes, they've said things like the "world's most powerful console" in marketing promos, but actual employees are more level-headed and recognize the other side has some pretty big advantages. That being said, some of Team Green's members still think Xbox Series X is a better console.

In a recent Dealer Gaming podcast, Bill Stillwell, a mixed reality exec who worked closely with the Xbox backward compatibility team, says Xbox SX should be the overall better system. "I think what you saw was the unfortunate byproduct of a GDC talk being turned into a marketing event. I liked Cerny's talk, I think they've got some cool tech, I personally think we're going to have a better console. The other side if it is they have great IP, so I do expect they'll have a good experience," he said.

Recent PlayStation 5 mock-ups look pretty nice, but they might be totally off the mark. Sony's next-gen PS5 could look radically different than anything we've seen so far.

Like the Xbox Series X, the PlayStation 5 will require a pretty substantial cooling solution. PS5 architect Mark Cerny says we'll be pretty happy with the console's cooling and that the system's SoC was built from the ground up with proper heat dissipation in mind (the Navi GPU's and Zen 2 CPU's power draw was adjusted to maintain proper cooling).

Cerny also says the PS5 will require a 'noticably larger' fan and power supply, which should transform the overall case design. How Sony designs this array--which is described as a lavish and more expensive option--will dictate the shape of the system itself. Sony has yet to reveal specifics on the PS5's cooling or fan setup, but the Xbox Series X conversely uses a 130mm exhaust fan to pull air from the bottom up in a kind of vortex of airflow alongside a vapor chamber APU cooler. But also remember power is handled differently between the two systems: Xbox SX locks the CPU and GPU frequencies, whereas the PS5 has variable frequencies.

Square Enix's big cash-crop subscription Final Fantasy XIV has been interrupted from worldwide coronavirus lockdowns.

Final Fantasy XIV's updates are currently at a standstill thanks to coronavirus disruption. Game director Naoki Yoshida confirms the MMORPG's planned 5.3 patch has been delayed as the game's worldwide teams are quarantined against COVID-19 spread. Yoshida explains that everything from QA testing, voice acting, and of course asset animation and generation has been affected as workers are stuck at home.

Yoshida affirms the update is still coming, but it won't meet its original June launch date--it could be delayed up to a month. The team is currently rolling out server maintenance from their homes, so don't worry, you won't be abandoned.

Backwards compatibility is one of the Xbox brand's biggest strengths. But Microsoft was faced with lots of resistance when first starting the legacy-supported initiative.

The Xbox One backwards compatibility program had a rocky launch. Developers weren't originally enthusiastic about Microsoft emulating their games and gave explicit instructions not to meddle with their creations. Publishers, developers, and IP holders all had the same sentiment: Don't touch our games and keep them the same. That meant re-creating everything the original game offered, including game-breaking bugs and other issues.

This actually proved to be tough for the Xbox back-compat team. Microsoft got so good at emulating older Xbox 360 games that they had to dial back certain things to reproduce certain errors found in the legacy games. In a recent podcast with Dealer Gaming, Xbox exec Bill Stillwell gives an interesting perspective on what it was like when BC first started, and how developers eventually warmed up to the idea of their old-school games looking and playing better on modern hardware.

Capcom has started early planning phases of development on a Resident Evil 4 remake with M-Two at the helm, sources tell VideoGameChronicle.

It's happening: The medieval-style, ultra-creepy Resident Evil 4 will be remade for current (and probably next-gen) consoles. Sources say the game is being made by Japanese game dev M-Two. Horror maven Shinji Mikami, who directed the original RE4 in 2005, was asked to direct the game, but Mikami declined. The diabolical dev will instead advise M-Two as it works on the game, which is apparently pegged for a 2022 release.

Fans are divided on the idea of a RE4 remake. Many argue that Resident Evil 4 is perfect the way it is and shouldn't be changed or altered. Capcom's remakes typically put a new spin on old concepts, characters, and locations, and the games are usually all the better for it. Right now Resident Evil 4 is regarded as the best in the series thanks to its over-the-shoulder combat, unique and original haunted village locale, and overall departure for the franchise.

The Dreamcast might be dead for good, but Retro-Bit is reviving SEGA's old-school controller for a nostalgic hurrah.

Retro-Bit plans to release its new Dreamcast controller sometime in 2020, complete with wired and wireless options for gamers to choose from. The controllers will mimic the original Dreamcast's weird polygonal peripheral while also packing some new add-ons, including an improved analog stick, a new D-pad, a six-button layout for fighting games, and re-positioned triggers. Retro-Bit's controller also features the original Dreamcast hookup so it can play with your old-school machine, as well as a USB converter for PC play.

There's nothing quite like the Dreamcast controller. If you ever held one in the 90s, you know what I'm talking about. They're just so...weird but oddly satisfying at the same time. Using one now would be awkward since it doesn't have a second joystick, but for the time, it was quite unique.

Cyberpunk 2077 will follow in The Witcher 3's footsteps with a huge arsenal of free DLC packs, complete with sprawling post-launch expansions that carry the story forward.

CD Projekt RED's overall gameplan will continue with Cyberpunk 2077. The team plans to deliver a massive game that spans, oh, probably 100 hours, complete with a bunch of free DLC to boot. We'll also see sizable expansions that rival Witcher 3's titanic Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone.

In a recent interview with Polish investors, CD Projekt RED president Adam Kicinski says not to expect anything less than what The Witcher 3 delivered.

Doom Eternal's Carmack Reshade mod gives a neat overhaul to the graphics, but some areas don't look as good as others. We toned down the default settings a bit (removed bloom entirely) to see how some of the more basic effects stack up against the vanilla version.

Reshade mods can really make a game pop, or they can diffuse everything in darkness. The general settings in Carmack's Eternal Reshade kind of ride the border between making the game look amazing, and somewhat unplayable. We tweaked a few of the settings--there's a ton of them, so you can mix and match and create some really amazing setpieces--in early experiments to see what we could pull off. We used more basic presets like tweaked Fake HDR, LevelsPlus, LUT, and Adaptive Sharpen. I also recommend messing around with Monochrome too.

Square Enix reveals the latest Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer footage was captured on PC. This could be for disclosure (the graphics are obviously beyond what a PS4 Pro can deliver) or it could hint at a PC port. We're betting on both.

To no one's surprise, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is probably coming to PC. Square Enix previously confirmed the game is only debuting first on PS4 and isn't a full-on exclusive. This indicates FF7R will come to other platforms after FF7R's one-year PS4 exclusivity runs out. That means we won't see FF7R cross over to Xbox One or PC until April 10, 2021 at the earliest.

"The highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will debut first on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on March 3rd, 2020," read a press release from 2019.

Doom Eternal's new Carmack Reshade mod adds a whole new dimension of depth, vibrancy, and brutality to your favorite demon-slaying shooter.

We just tried out the Carmack Eternal Reshade mod from Nexus Mods, and the results are pretty crazy. The mod itself is basically a Vulkan effects editor that lets you adjust various graphics, lighting, and visual settings in the game, including ambient light, simulated HDR, monochrome black-and-white filters to make everything into a 1950's gorefest, godrays, bloom--the works.

You can download the Reshade mod and customize everything yourself and experiment with all the awesome effects, or just use the presets designed by the mod's uploader. Either way, the game will look even better than it already did...which is saying a lot.