Modern Warfare's battle royale mode Warzone possibly leaked

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 11, 2020 9:19 PM CST

A new leaked image purportedly shows Modern Warfare's new battle royale mode, Warzone, and it might be free-to-play.

Modern Warfare's battle royale mode Warzone possibly leaked

It looks like some internal promo images for Modern Warfare's Warzone BR mode have leaked out, punctuating the recent battle royale hints from Infinity Ward. Users speculate Warzone could be a standalone free-to-play version that won't require Modern Warfare.

This seems iffy to me, especially given the recent update's additions, but it's possible we could see Warzone offered within Modern Warfare as well as outside of it too, complete with bonuses for season pass holders. This would promote maximum engagement and reach via two of gaming's most potent moneymakers: free-to-play and cross-play. Right now Activision-Blizzard is doubling-down on live services and "new engagement models," and this cross-synergy could be big for the brand.

Continue reading: Modern Warfare's battle royale mode Warzone possibly leaked (full post)

Samsung Galaxy S20: super-slick 120Hz display, but 60Hz out of the box

Samsung ships each one of its new Galaxy S20 smartphones with a gloriously smooth 120Hz display, with the new Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra packing Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O displays.

Samsung Galaxy S20: super-slick 120Hz display, but 60Hz out of the box

But one thing Samsung wasn't too clear on was the native resolutions of the displays, and what you'll get out of the box. Out of the box Samsung is configuring the Galaxy S20 family of smartphones with its native 3200 x 1440 resolution -- but at 60Hz. If you want that slick 120Hz goodness you'll need to drop down to 2400 x 1080.

Not only that, but Samsung has bumped up the touch response on the Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra to a much higher 240Hz. This means you'll feel the phone feeling faster, as well as it being at a much faster 120Hz refresh rate.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S20: super-slick 120Hz display, but 60Hz out of the box (full post)

Samsung's new Galaxy S20 offers easy-to-shoot 8K video abilities

Samsung has finally unveiled their family of Galaxy S20 smartphones, including the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra -- all of which can shoot 8K video.

Samsung's new Galaxy S20 offers easy-to-shoot 8K video abilities

Underneath the Galaxy S20 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 12GB of RAM (16GB on the Galaxy S20 Ultra), and an insane array of cameras (64-megapixel on the Galaxy S20/S20+ and an even more insane 108-megapixel snapper on the Galaxy S20 Ultra). All of which allow for 8K 30FPS video support.

Samsung explains: "Pro-Grade Filming Capability: The Galaxy S20 offers stunning 8K video shooting, so users can capture their world in true-to-life color and quality. When you are done shooting, stream your video to a Samsung QLED 8K and enjoy its best-in-class viewing experience3 or grab a still from an 8K video and turn it into a high-res photo. And, even the bumpiest videos look like they were shot using an action cam, thanks to Super Steady and its anti-rolling stabilization and AI motion analysis".

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Samsung and Netflix team up for exclusive content for Galaxy S20

Samsung has just unveiled their family of Galaxy S20 smartphones at its own Unpacked event, where Netflix walked up on stage to announce it had partnered with Samsung on some new exclusive content for Samsung's new smartphones.

Samsung and Netflix team up for exclusive content for Galaxy S20

Netflix Chief Marketing Officer, Jackie Lee-Joe, said: "The mission of this partnership to make the Netflix viewing experience on Samsung mobile the absolute best it can be". Netflix has now become Samsung's entertainment partner, with Netflix announcing that "product integration will be improved".

What does this mean exactly? It means that Samsung's virtual assistant will be capable of searching for, and playing content on Netflix. Not only that, but the dedicated bonus content for Samsung's new smartphones will hopefully be announced in the near future. Samsung explained: "Users can also discover Netflix's best-in-class content through improved integration with Galaxy devices, enabling ease of content discovery and accessibility via Samsung Daily, Bixby, and Finder".

Continue reading: Samsung and Netflix team up for exclusive content for Galaxy S20 (full post)

Gears of War dev Cliff Bleszinski almost made an Alien FPS game

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 11, 2020 5:42 PM CST

At one point Cliff Bleszinski's now-closed studio, Boss Key Productions, was in talks to make a brand new shooter based in the Alien franchise...and it sounds pretty damn cool.

Gears of War dev Cliff Bleszinski almost made an Alien FPS game

Games are constantly cancelled, delayed, or put in cold storage for years. Most of the time we don't get to hear about these projects, but sometimes we get slivers of info that give us an idea of what could've been. Gears of War and Unreal developer Cliff Bleszinski just gave us an a glimpse at an interesting-sounding Aliens shooter that could've been absolutely huge.

Before Boss Key Productions shut down, Bleszinski wanted to make an FPS based around the Alien franchise. The game would've starred a grown-up (and fairly bad-ass) Newt from the 1986 Aliens film and took place on Earth. Ripley would show up, but she'd be a kind of mother that guided you through the game. Newt would also have her own android sidekick just like Ash or Bishop.

Continue reading: Gears of War dev Cliff Bleszinski almost made an Alien FPS game (full post)

The Last of Us Part II is in final stages of development

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 11, 2020 4:45 PM CST

A new progress report from Naughty Dog confirms The Last of Us Part II is in the last leg of development.

The Last of Us Part II is in final stages of development

A bit ago, Naughty Dog delayed their grisly post-apocalyptic sequel to May 2020 because they needed more time to polish and refine. Now the studio says the game is right on track for its new revised launch. Of course there was no talk of the intense crunch the studio is known for, or discussions about how difficult it may have been to make The Last of Us Part II run on the base PS4, the PS4 Pro, and optimize it for the upcoming PlayStation 5 (the latter of which probably inspired the three-month delay).

"We are thrilled to say that we've entered the final stretch of production and are putting the finishing touches on The Last of Us Part II as you read this. The end of development puts us one very large step closer to launch. We know all of you have been so patient over the last few years, so it's been thrilling to see our game taking on its final shape and knowing that means it will be in your hands soon," Naughty Dog director of communications Arne Meyer said in a PlayStation Blog post.

Continue reading: The Last of Us Part II is in final stages of development (full post)

Modern Warfare gets 68GB update with season 2 and battle royale?

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 11, 2020 3:52 PM CST

Modern Warfare's new 1.14 patch update is as big as a full AAA game, and may include assets for the upcoming battle royale mode.

Modern Warfare gets 68GB update with season 2 and battle royale?

Today Infinity Ward rolled out Patch 1.14 for Modern Warfare's big second season, and it's a doozy. The update clocks in at 51GB on PS4, 68GB on Xbox One, and 67GB on PC. A lot of the update replaces existing files in the game while also adding new season 2 content like maps (Rust is coming back), operators (Ghost is back!), weapons, modes, and more.

What's particularly interesting is the disparity between the 1.14 patch notes and the update file size. There's really no reason for it to take up this much space...unless it also includes Modern Warfare's anticipated (and leaked) battle royale mode. Infinity Ward placed several BR hints in the game, and there's a new section marked classified in the startup menu.

Continue reading: Modern Warfare gets 68GB update with season 2 and battle royale? (full post)

Samsung Galaxy S20 family revealed: 120Hz screens, 5G, so much more

Samsung has finally unveiled its new family of Galaxy S20 smartphones, with the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra -- all of which are joined with the exciting new foldable Galaxy Z Flip smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S20 family revealed: 120Hz screens, 5G, so much more

All of the new Galaxy S20 smartphones roll out with a super-slick 120Hz refresh rate and OLED HDR+ capable display, 5G connectivity, and ridiculous camera rigs. Starting with the new Galaxy S20 we have a 6.2-inch OLED HDR+ display, while the S20+ gets bumped up to a 6.-inch display, and the S20 Ultra has a much larger 6.9-inch display.

The camera systems on each phone are unique, with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ having identical camera rigs with triple-camera setups that boast dual 12-megapixel snappers (1 x wide, 1 x ultra-wide) while you get a larger 64-megapixel telephoto snapper and 10-megapixel selfie camera.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S20 family revealed: 120Hz screens, 5G, so much more (full post)

Call of Duty vet working on new IP multiplayer game for 2K Games

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 11, 2020 3:01 PM CST

Today 2K Games finally revealed Michael Condrey's new studio, 31st Union, and gives brief details about the team's upcoming game.

Call of Duty vet working on new IP multiplayer game for 2K Games

2K's Silicon Valley studio has re-branded to 31st Union, a new games studio that ex-Sledgehammer dev Michael Condrey took over in February 2019. While not explicitly outlined in the press release, we know that 31st Union's first game is a multiplayer-driven project (2K loves engagement and monetization, after all).

The announcement confirms what we already know. The Call of Duty and Dead Space vet is making a brand new IP for Take-Two Interactive's 2K Games label, but job listings from June 2019 frame the dimensions of the new IP. "Our first effort is to build a multiplayer and multiplatform AAA action game which will thrill a diverse community of gamers and have fun while doing it," reads a now defunct listing.

Continue reading: Call of Duty vet working on new IP multiplayer game for 2K Games (full post)

First time seeing Earth from the ISS was 'Meh', says NASA astronaut

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Feb 11, 2020 4:20 AM CST

If you are a fan of space, then it's most likely one of your dreams to be able to see Earth from space. You'd imagine that the first moment you gaze out at our blue planet would be incredible, right?

First time seeing Earth from the ISS was 'Meh', says NASA astronaut

Garret Reisman, a former NASA Astronaut and currently a Professor of Astronautical Engineering at USC and a Senior Advisor at SpaceX, sat down with Joe Rogan on his podcast to explain just what that's like. Reisman was asked by Joe, "the first day you actually got up there, was that the first time you have been in space? So your first view of the Earth from above? What is that like?" Reisman then began to describe what that was like, and what kind of experience it was to see everyone's home from space.

Here's what Reisman said, "Wow. Well, I didn't see it right away cause I was in the mid-deck the downstairs of the shuttle, and there's only one window down there, and it's in the corner, ok, so it's in the hatch and it's like the size of a dinner plate. You had a lot of work to do as soon as you get up there, so I'm working like crazy, and after about 30 minutes I see this pale blue glow coming from that window. I was like, "that's the Earth... I should have a look at that". I was super excited for this, ya know? So I wanted to be ready, so I paused, closed my eyes, meditated -- call it whatever you want, I just got ready."

Continue reading: First time seeing Earth from the ISS was 'Meh', says NASA astronaut (full post)