Tekken series debuting on PC with Tekken 7

Sean Ridgeley | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 2:16 PM CDT

E3 2016 - Three months ago, publisher Bandai Namco asked gamers for feedback on Tekken 7. Some of the questions in its survey strongly suggested they were considering a PC port of the game, and it looks like the feedback was strong enough because they decided to go ahead with it.

The port is an especially big deal because Tekken has never been natively available to PC gamers since its series debut in 1994, not counting the Street Fighter X Tekken game from a few years back.

Until Capcom took a chance on Street Fighter 4 in 2009, the PC fighting scene was effectively non-existent. Since then, many popular fighting series have made their way to the platform, including Mortal Kombat, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, King of Fighters, Naruto, WWE, Dead or Alive, and Dragon Ball. Tekken will join those ranks when Tekken 7 launches early next year.

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New Alienware Aurora PC gets a smaller footprint, NVIDIA Pascal GPUs

Jason Evangelho | Computer Systems | Jun 13, 2016 2:10 PM CDT

It's day 0 at E3 2016, and Alienware has unleashed a slew of announcements, including the fact that Aurora, their mid-sized enthusiast PC offering, is getting a Pascal upgrade and a smaller footprint.

The Alienware Aurora is a dual-graphics capable PC with optional liquid CPU cooling, and has the distinction of being Alienware's first tool-less chassis, allowing easy access to your GPU and other peripherals.

Probably the most notable update to Aurora is the availability of NVIDIA's Pascal-based GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, available in single card or SLI configurations. AMD Radeon options are also available, and I have to imagine that once the RX 480 launches, it will be included in their configurations shortly thereafter.

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Gears of War 4 coming to Windows 10 with cross-platform co-op

Sean Ridgeley | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 1:50 PM CDT

E3 2016 - Microsoft confirmed during its Xbox conference today that Gears of War 4 will be coming to PC and will require Windows 10.

A PC release is not unexpected given how many titles Microsoft has been bringing to the platform since launching its latest operating system, but given Halo 5 was confirmed as an Xbox exclusive, there was a bit of a question mark with the next Gears.

The game will feature cross-platform play for the co-op modes; achievements and progression will be shared as well.

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Xbox Scorpio confirmed, rocks 6TFLOPs, 4K gaming, VR, coming in 2017

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 1:09 PM CDT

E3 2016 - Microsoft has officially revealed Project Scorpio, the "monster" next-gen Xbox console with 4K gaming support, 6TFLOPs of performance, and full backward compatibility with all existing Xbox One consoles, peripherals and accessories.

Xbox Scorpio confirmed, rocks 6TFLOPs, 4K gaming, VR, coming in 2017

Microsoft has confirmed all the Xbox Scorpio leaks as 100% correct: the new upgraded Xbox Scorpio is coming in holiday 2017 with full 4K gaming and VR support (likely with Oculus Rift). Microsoft promises that the Scorpio will deliver "the most powerful graphics processor that's ever been put into a games console, with confirmed specs like 6TFLOPs of performance, an 8-core CPU and sports 320GB/s memory bandwidth. Devs affirm the Scorpio will deliver "the highest res at the best frame rates without no compromises."

"So we gave the SoC 6TFLOPs of computing capability to be able to handle 4K resolutions. Gamers are going to get the most powerful graphics processor that's ever been put into a games console to date," said an Xbox engineer. "You get 4K gaming--true 4K resolution. The box we're creating is incredible. It's gonna have 8CPU cores, 320GB/s memory bandwith, 6TFLOPs of GPU power--it's a monster. We can render at 60Hz we can render fully and uncompressed pixels--the highest quality pixels that anybody has seen."

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Titanfall 2's DLC maps and modes will be free

Sean Ridgeley | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 1:09 PM CDT

E3 2016 - A common issue with multiplayer shooters these days is a playerbase divided by paid DLC maps. That won't be the case for Titanfall 2, however, offering further incentive to pick up Respawn's game.

"One of our lessons [from Titanfall] is we're not gonna sell maps anymore," says lead programmer Jon Shiring. "All the modes and maps coming to Titanfall 2 after release will all be free."

As previously reported, leaks indicate Titanfall 2's maps will be more expansive than before, and the player count will be higher as a result.

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Alienware and AMD teamed up for a VR Backpack

E3 2016 -- Only a few months into the new generation of virtual reality and tether-free VR backpacks seem to be the new hotness. We've seen one from ZOTAC and one from MSI, but now some heavy hitters are getting in on the portable VR action: AMD and Alienware.

I'm writing this before E3 begins since Alienware sent me a note under embargo, and all I know is that they've developed a "super rare concept design" with AMD and are showcasing it at their booth (#747 for my fellow E3 attendees) in the South Hall of the LA Convention Center beginning Tuesday. Rest assured I will get up close and personal and attempt to steal it gather any information I can.

Alienware is also showing off a VR backpack powered by the new version of their Alpha PC. More details as soon as we know it. Keep an eye on our Facebook feed for any breaking E3 info.

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Serious Sam VR is a gory shooting gallery for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

E3 2016 - Games like The Brookhaven Experiment proved that the classic shooting gallery (think games like House of the Dead) is back and better than ever in virtual reality. Croteam is tapping into that with Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope. Get ready to shoot millions of bullets into thousands of demons when it launches to Early Access this summer.

In true, blisteringly fast FPS style, Serious Sam has always thrown mobs of fast monsters at you, forcing you to rely on reflexes and skill to survive. Much of that involved a constant forward momentum, but that's not exactly something we can do comfortably in VR yet. That's why Croteam has adopted the shooting gallery angle, which will put you in a standing position, using the Oculus Touch or HTC Vive motion controllers to fend off wave after wave of bad guys, likely with a narrative tying it all together.

And gore. Lots and lots of bloody gore.

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Prey has been rebooted, with Dishonored devs making the game for 2017

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 12:05 PM CDT

E3 2016 - Surprise! Bethesda has not only announced Fallout 4 and DOOM receiving VR support through the HTC Vive in 2017, but they've teamed with developer Arkane Studios - known for Dishonored, on Prey.

Prey is a first-person sci-fi action game that has been rebooted from its original state from the 90s, and recently - but it now has an added psychological twist. The developers tease: "You are Morgan Yu, the subject of morally dubious experiments designed to improve the human race. You awaken aboard the Talos 1 in the year 2032 and must uncover the secrets hiding in the depths of the space station while being hunted by the mysterious alien force that has taken over. You'll have to rely on the tools you find on the station - along with your wits, weapons and mind-bending abilities - to combat the growing threat and, hopefully, survive".

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Microsoft announces new Xbox and PC cross-buy and cross-play program

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 11:52 AM CDT

E3 2016 - Microsoft today announced the Play Anywhere initiative that brings cross-buy to Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One consoles.

Microsoft announces new Xbox and PC cross-buy and cross-play program

When a game is marked with a "Play Anywhere" sticker, gamers can buy one version of the game and play it both on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One systems. Gears of War 4 will be one of the first games launched under the initiative, with full cross-buy and cross-play support across the two systems.

We know that Microsoft would tighten its focus on cross-platform gaming with Project Helix so this isn't really a surprise. I'm thinking that most of the high-profile exclusives will be marked with Play Anywhere, meaning the Xbox brand is now a service that bridges both PC and console. Microsoft also unveiled the new Xbox One S, the fabled Xbox One Mini console that's 40% smaller than traditional Xboxs, sports up to a 2TB HDD, full 4K UHD video playback, and a new Xbox One controller--all for $299.

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$299 Xbox One S coming in August with 4K playback and HDR

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 13, 2016 11:42 AM CDT

UPDATE: As predicted the $299 Xbox One S is just the 500GB model, and the 1TB Xbox One S is $349 with the 2TB Xbox One S priced at $399.

E3 2016 - Microsoft today announced the Xbox One S, a slimmer console with 4K video playback and HDR support.

The Xbox One S is priced at $299 and releases this August, Xbox division head Phil Spencer revealed at Microsoft's E3 event. The Xbox One S is 40% smaller than the current Xbox One console, and features up to 2TB HDD storage, an integrated internal power supply, and most notably, 4K UHD video playback. The Xbox One S also supports HDR for improve visuals.

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