Xbox One sales hit 41 million

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 9:30 PM CST

Microsoft's family of Xbox One consoles has sold through about 41 million consoles worldwide since 2013, says Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Xbox One sales hit 41 million

While Microsoft doesn't release console sales any more, estimates see the Xbox One trailing behind the PS4 by some 47 million units. The current figure sits at about 41 million sales worldwide, which aligns with last month's reports. But for Microsoft, hardware sales are just part of its billion-dollar gaming business. The lion's share goes to software and digitally-delivered services.

"Xbox One had a good year all things considered. Hardware was up YoY thanks to the release of the Xbox One X. Software remains healthy and I really need to stress how large the digital shares are on Xbox compared to other platforms. Global installed base now around 41m," Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad wrote on ResetERA.

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Antec announces budget GX202 mid-tower case

Derek Strickland | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Jan 24, 2019 7:32 PM CST

Today Antec announced the GX202, an entry-level mid-tower case with a budget-friendly cost.

Antec announces budget GX202 mid-tower case

Antec's new GX202 chassis is a good for a first time build, and features two built-in 120mm fans on the front and one 120mm for exhaust, a transparent side window, and a mesh filter on the front and a dust filter on the bottom.

The case has ample clearance for components and can fit a full size GPU up to 375mm in length, and a power supply of up to 200mm in size. The GX202 can seat ATX, micro-ATX, and ITX motherboards. Antec's GX202 is now available for $43.99 on Newegg.

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EA on Anthem's cosmetic unlocks: Shards or Coins, not both

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 5:43 PM CST

Contrary to recent reports, EA confirms that Anthem's cosmetics won't have a dual hybrid-currency cost.

EA on Anthem's cosmetic unlocks: Shards or Coins, not both

Anthem has two currencies: Coins, which are earned for free by completing objectives and missions, and Shards, a premium currency that can be purchased with real money. Previous reports say gamers would have to spend both Coins and Shards to unlock cosmetics like skins, decals, and emotes in the game. But EA says otherwise, confirming that gamers can spend either Shards or Coins to get new cosmetics--not both. This means users can buy Shards to directly unlock new customizations, and that Anthem will be monetized in a similar way as most live games.

"While there are indeed two currencies in the game (Coins and Shards), you can buy cosmetic items with either Coins or Shards. You don't need to spend both. Each item has a Coin price and a Shard price, and you'll only use one currency or the other to purchase them," EA told us in a statement, correcting our article about what we hoped was a new disruptive monetization method.

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Anthem has a social space separate from Fort Tarsis hub

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 5:27 PM CST

Anthem's new social space is kind of like the Tower from Destiny.

Anthem has a social space separate from Fort Tarsis hub

Anthem will have an interactive social hub that's separated from the central story-driven Fort Tarsis, BioWare's Mike Gamble confirms. The space, which was added at the behest of fans, is called the Launch Bay and allows gamers to group up with friends or randoms. Players can also identify items at the forge and unlock new missions to tackle while out in the wilderness. There's probably a storefront to buy cosmetics in this area, too.

This honestly shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Every big live game like Anthem needs a social space outside of red zones where players can interact, chat, and most importantly, show off the snazzy new cosmetics they unlocked. Of course there's also the strong social elements that push Anthem's engagement, especially since it's PVE-only. When Destiny's cosmetic microtransactions were switched on, the Tower became a high-tech fashion show and I have no doubt the Launch Bay will be the same way.

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Anthem shifts EA's monetization strategies

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 2:59 PM CST

UPDATE: EA's PR contacted us to clarify that cosmetics can be bought with either shards or coins. Items sold in the store do not require both.

Anthem shifts EA's monetization strategies

Every live service game needs a layered, multi-faceted engagement strategy. Most online games of this nature have lots of little "hooks" such as artificial-feeling grind mechanics thrown in, requiring players to spend hours accumulating materials, resources, EXP, etc. to build up their characters. Keeping players busy is an important part of the live service cycle, and BioWare's big new IP Anthem will employ these mechanisms in droves.

Today lots of Anthem preview articles went up. Some of them, like GameSpot's and Variety's coverage, delved into the heart of what makes Anthem tick: engagement. We know Anthem has cosmetic microtransactions, but even this monetization avenue isn't a shortcut.

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New law firms suing Activision over Bungie split-up

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 9:52 AM CST

Law firms are eager to snap up potential million-dollar payouts from the Activision-Bungie breakup.

New law firms suing Activision over Bungie split-up

Activision's recent split-up with Bungie caused stock to dive nearly 10%, a sharp decline that shook investors' pocketbooks and sent shares in wild fluctuations. Law firm Pomerantz LLP started investigating Activision for possible fraud at the behest of shareholders, and now other firms are jumping in.

Shareholders say Activision didn't clearly outline how the Bungie split would affect its stock, and weren't aware how its relinquishment of the Destiny IP would trigger a negative impact on share value. Complaints allege that Activision's statements were "materially false and misleading" and shareholders are encouraged to sue the billion-dollar publisher for damages. Now both the Rosen Law Firm and the Schall Law Firm have opened securities class action lawsuits against the company.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 'The More the Merrier' event

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 5:00 AM CST

Right on queue Nintendo have announced their next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Board event, this time round players will be rewarded with two heads instead of one, thats always better right?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: 'The More the Merrier' event

This weeks Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit board event is based around characters from different games that come in sets of two or more. Not only will players be be rewarded with the completed spirits for fighting them in their respective franchises, but also this week players will get bonus snacks to buff up whatever spirits they so choose.

Nintendo will be debuting the "More the Merrier" spirit board event on January 25th. If you want to catch up on the news regarding last weeks event, check out the invasion of the Fire Emblem characters here. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is currently available to purchase and is exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

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Nintendo showcase top indie titles, 'Indie Highlights' video

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 4:00 AM CST

Nintendo have shown some support to indie titles and developers in their newly released "Indie Hightlights" video. The 16 minute long video gives us a quick synopsis of each title and reveals some previously unannounced release dates.

Nintendo showcase top indie titles, 'Indie Highlights' video

The video begins with the title 'Wargroove', a turn-based strategy game developed by publisher and developer Chucklefish. Firstly, compliments to the developers for the game's art style, it has been done exceptionally well in my opinion. Gameplay wise, Wargroove pits players in the shoes of a selected commander who will battle foes in a full-story campaign, as well as online multiplayer and local multiplayer. Players will also have the option of designing and sharing their own maps and levels. Wargroove will be released on the Nintendo eShop February 1st.

Nintendo continues throughout the video and gives small descriptions like the above for the following titles: Double Kick Heroes, When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, Forager, Goat Simulator: The GOATY, Inmost, Unruly Heroes, CrossCode and SteamWord Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. If I was recommend Nintendo Switch owners some interesting indie titles to try and sink some hours into, I'd recommend these games: Goat Simulator: The GOATY, simply because its hilarious, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, Wargroove and CrossCode. Within the entirely of this post I have compiled all of the trailers for each of the titles.

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Leak: Mortal Kombat 11 for Switch scheduled for May 10 debut

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 2:00 AM CST

Mortal Kombat 11 isn't that far away from release, with a scheduled release for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC for April 23rd, a question must be posed; when will the Nintendo Switch version release?

Leak: Mortal Kombat 11 for Switch scheduled for May 10 debut

A recent leak has surfaced via a large video game retailer, the company called 'GAME' lists Mortal Kombat 11 for the Nintendo Switch on their website. What is most interesting about their listing is that they feature a release date, according to GAME Mortal Kombat 11 for the Nintendo Switch "releases on 10/05/2019", or May 10th for short.

Now this is certainly not an official release date for the game, so as per usual with these listings from retailers assume that this date is simply a placeholder. Speculating if this release date could be accurate wouldn't be that far left-field though, as it isn't that far away from the April 23rd release date. The line of thinking for this assumption is that I'd expect both Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios would like their game to launch somewhat unanimously across all platforms. Mortal Kombat 11 for the Nintendo Switch is also being co-developed by Shiver Studios and will feature geometry and graphical reductions, more on that story here.

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Fry Cry New Dawn story trailer - 'The Father' is now an ally

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jan 24, 2019 1:00 AM CST

Based directly after the events of Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn brings a fresh new outlook on the once devastated location of Hope County. Ubisoft have released a new story trailer showcasing some terrains and more importantly a potential partnership that could be quite shocking to Far Cry 5 players.

Fry Cry New Dawn story trailer - 'The Father' is now an ally

Far Cry New Dawn is based 17 years after the worldwide fallout events of Far Cry 5, many of the survivors of the nuclear blast have formed small communities in the post-apocalyptic world and have different rules for their survival. As expected in events as catastrophic as the ones at the end of Far Cry 5, some survivors turn one and another. Players will placed right on the front line of defense in New Dawn as "the vicious Highwaymen, led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou, travel from place to place bleeding people dry of all available resources."

Halfway through the trailer we are introduced to a very familiar face, Joesph Seed, or better known as 'The Father'. Surprisingly enough, The Father doesn't seem to be threat in New Dawn, and more so players will seek out his assistance in-game. This suggests that the Highwayman are a much larger threat than once assumed, so big of threat to everyone with their blind onslaught that players will need help from "New Eden" and more importantly "The Father" himself. Far Cry New Dawn releasing on February 15th, 2019 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

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