Microsoft explains why Red Dead Redemption is missing on Xbox One

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 22, 2015 8:34 PM CST

The Xbox One's backward compatibility feature was heralded with much fanfare when it was announced, but when it actually started rolling out, the games library was quite underwhelming. Instead of the heavy-hitting Xbox 360 titans like Red Dead Redemption, we were delivered a slew of Kinect and Xbox LIVE Arcade games. Now Microsoft has stepped forward to explain why key games are missing from the lineup.

Microsoft explains why Red Dead Redemption is missing on Xbox One

"It's really up to publishers to approve [backward compatible] games," said Microsoft engineer Richard Irving in a recent interview with Eurogamer. "Publishers are super engaged and responsive to that stuff, the response was overwhelming from fans. It's just that some of the content takes longer than others to organise, so we weren't able to get all of the top 50 or 100 games, but we have a good number of them."

Irving also said that Microsoft has to "re-engage" publishers and effectively show incentive to convince games-makers to fork up the licensing to a new console. "It didn't seem fair to ask our partners to go off and find licenses for all this Xbox 360 content so what we opted to do instead was to give fans the opportunity to prioritise which games they want. So then we can re-engage with publishers and ask about specific games and say, 'please let us know if this is something you can do'. As you can imagine, publishers have cut very specific deals on some of that content. For example Madden--you can imagine how many licenses go into a game with the players, the NFL, sponsors, and so on. And there's over 1000 games at this point on Xbox 360."

Continue reading: Microsoft explains why Red Dead Redemption is missing on Xbox One (full post)

Xbox Two and PS5 expected in 2018, powered by AMD with 4K support

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Nov 22, 2015 7:26 PM CST

We knew they were coming, but according to the latest rumors the next-gen consoles should be released in 2018 - much earlier than the roadmaps Microsoft and Sony had before the current gen consoles were released.

Xbox Two and PS5 expected in 2018, powered by AMD with 4K support

Before the Xbox One and PS4 were released, 4K gaming wasn't really solidified - but now it is. It's getting cheaper and cheaper to get on the 4K bandwagon, and over the next year or two, the current-gen consoles are going to look very aged next to mobile, VR and PC gaming. The Xbox One and PS4 are barely capable of 900p let alone 1080p (and then let alone 60FPS), with AMD set to beef up the APU powering the Xbox Two and PlayStation 5 consoles.

The biggest thing that we need to think about is VR. Sony is already onboard with PlayStation VR, but the PS4 is underpowered to really push 1080p (or higher) at 90FPS (or higher). This is where the PS5 and Xbox Two will be better equipped, but another thing to consider is backwards compatibility. Thanks to the new consoles being powered by AMD technology again, and an x86 architecture, the Xbox Two and PS5 should be backwards compatible with the Xbox One and PS4, so you won't lose your game library like you did from the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Continue reading: Xbox Two and PS5 expected in 2018, powered by AMD with 4K support (full post)

NVIDIA collaborating with Stanford University on a VR headset for 2018

It should come as no surprise to hear NVIDIA is working on a VR headset, but according to the latest rumors, the GPU giant is working with Stanford University on the next generation of VR headsets, according to Fudzilla.

NVIDIA hopes that its collaboration with Stanford University will provide a unique take on its VR HMD, with the Senior Director of Research at NVIDIA, David Luebke, saying that most VR headsets are uncomfortable to use if they're within arm's reach because of depth cues like stereo and accommodation. Luebke said: "This is because of the vergence-accommodation conflict, which is how much the lens of your eye has to change to bring sharp focus to your retina".

The issues with the 3D side of things is still a problem for some users, especially when people get headaches or see double images with a VR headset strapped to their head. This is why NVIDIA decided to work with Stanford University, as it sees a way out of this. Gordon Wetzstein, the Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Stanford University said they created a new display technology that's called light field stereoscope, which fixes the vergence-accommodation issues. Wetzstein explained: "It provides a much richer and more natural visual experience than conventional head mounted displays and has the potential to reduce nausea, eyestrain, and also increase visual comfort".

Continue reading: NVIDIA collaborating with Stanford University on a VR headset for 2018 (full post)

Microsoft's Xbox 360 celebrates its 10th birthday today

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 22, 2015 3:58 PM CST

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is a mighty machine; even today the Xbox One is far eclipsed by the functionality, games library, and general UI setup of its yesteryear predecessor. Today the Xbox 360 celebrates its tenth birthday, signalling that the console's lifecycle is starting to wind down, but the system will forever remain one of Microsoft's crowning achievements.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 celebrates its 10th birthday today

Originally released on November 22, 2005, the Xbox 360 propelled console gaming forward to new heights. I've shared thousands upon thousands of hours with my Xbox 360, and regard it as one of the most momentous gaming systems in my gaming history. I still remember how magical it was playing Oblivion for the first time, taking in the enchanting scenery of Cyrodiil--this was the first time that I really felt like "next-gen" gaming was here.

The Xbox 360 still has one of the best games libraries in gaming; it's so good, in fact, that Microsoft has brought it over to the Xbox One via backwards compatibility. It's rather strange to think about how Microsoft got so many things right with the Xbox 360, and so many things wrong with the Xbox One. The system has served for an entire generation of gaming, spawning a huge assortment of memorable exclusives and amazing experiences that we might never see again.

Continue reading: Microsoft's Xbox 360 celebrates its 10th birthday today (full post)

Here's how to get Fallout 4's secret harpoon gun

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 22, 2015 1:24 PM CST

Like most AAA games, Fallout 4's game code is littered with secrets and hidden gems. Quite often we see dataminers and code-combers unearth buried treasures, and now an intrepid Nexus modder by the name of xxdeathknight72xx has dug up one of the most hilariously fun weapons Fallout 4 has to offer.

Here's how to get Fallout 4's secret harpoon gun

The hidden Fallout 4 weapon is a harpoon gun that uses powerful pressure to propel cruel harpoons into the faces and heads of unsuspecting baddies. Using the harpoon rifle in VATS is quite amusing and honestly I have no clue why Bethesda scrapped the gun. Maybe it's an item that will be unlocked by upcoming DLC? I hope so, because the weapon is so immensely satisfying thanks to its headshot animations, which rips an enemy's head clear off their shoulders and pins it to a nearby object to make a macabre trophy of sorts.

In order to use the hidden gun, you'll need to download an install a special mod. If you plan to start the massive journey that is mod collecting, be sure to pick up the Nexus Mod Manager to keep things organized. To enable mods you'll have to do some tinkering with the game's .ini files. Here's a quick step-by-step walkthrough on how to get started.

Continue reading: Here's how to get Fallout 4's secret harpoon gun (full post)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens pulls in $50 million in pre-sales already

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Nov 21, 2015 6:34 AM CST

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already making bank before it's even hitting cinemas. Variety is reporting that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already the biggest pre-seller in the history of the Fandango, beating out the first Hunger Games movie.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens pulls in $50 million in pre-sales already

It's being reported that Star Wars: The Force Awakens will open with around $208 million in ticket sales, beating out Jurassic World's massive debut. Variety added that "no film has ever opened to more than $100 million in December and the Christmas movie-going season is competitive one. At the very least, "The Force Awakens" seems destined to eclipse the $85 million bow of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" to set a new benchmark for December openings".

Continue reading: Star Wars: The Force Awakens pulls in $50 million in pre-sales already (full post)

Star Citizen alpha 2.0 looks incredible, is being played by backers

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Nov 21, 2015 12:34 AM CST

For the last month or so, the first 1000 or so backers of Star Citizen have been playing around with the alpha 2.0 of the game. Alpha 2.0 provides some big upgrades on the game, fixing countless problems, with improved animations, smoother performance and more.

Star Citizen alpha 2.0 looks incredible, is being played by backers

The video above was shown off at the CitizenCon 2015 presentation last month, where we can see that the ship exploration is improved, and the graphics look much smoother, too. There seems to be some improved lighting and environmental effects, which I'm incredibly excited over. This is a game for the PC, something that simply couldn't be done at this scale on the consoles.

At four minutes into the video, Quantum Drive gets activated, and it gave me goosebumps. Awesome.

Continue reading: Star Citizen alpha 2.0 looks incredible, is being played by backers (full post)

Destiny gets 'new' exotics and weapon tweaks in December Update

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 20, 2015 6:11 PM CST

Any veteran Destiny player will tell you that Bungie's open-world social FPS still has its problems. Since it's started to rake in serious cash thanks to Destiny's new microtransactions, Bungie is planning to roll out free content updates in an effort to shore up the game's rough edges and give players enough new gear to keep them going.

In a recent Weekly update, Bungie has revealed its plans for Destiny's immediate future. A new trove of exotics will be bestowed upon Guardians to fuel their interstellar firefights. The bad news is that not all of these "new" exotics will exactly be new, and it's not really a trove. Only two of them will be completely fresh whereas the others are upgraded Year One items like the recently revealed Mida Multi-Tool. Sadly we still don't have any stats for the upgraded Mida Multi-Tool, but Bungie promises that the gear will be scaled to be usable with level 40 characters.

Next up we have yet another weapon rebalance. That's right, the tired old scheme that creates the illusion of depth has returned. Destiny fans have had to re-acclimate themselves to the game many times now, with nearly every weapon "tune-up" phase making a good portion of our favorite weapons nearly useless. I'm all for balancing, except when it's used as a trick to create the illusion of change and "new" content.

Continue reading: Destiny gets 'new' exotics and weapon tweaks in December Update (full post)

Like most Apple products, the iPad Pro makes for tough DIY repairs

Apple has just released its new performance-driven, massively-screened iPad Pro out into the world, and iFixit has promptly cracked open its case to muss around in its mechanical innards. Unsurprisingly, the tech gurus find that the iPad Pro is quite tough to repair, joining its Apple-branded kin in the "nightmare for DIY repairs" category.

Like most Apple products, the iPad Pro makes for tough DIY repairs

For all of its promises of "PC-grade performance" and high-tech hardware upgrades, the iPad Pro has scored quite low on iFixit's repairability scale. The 12.9-inch tablet has been awarded a paltry 3 out of 10, managing to score a whole two points higher than the truly terrible 4K 21.5-inch iMac. It's quite clear that Apple's new hardware wasn't meant to be repaired by its owners.

What makes the iPad Pro so maddening for would-be repair artists? Well, for starters the LCD panel is fused to the front-facing glass, a disconcerting new trend that pretty much ensures costly repairs--and raises the risk breaking while opening the device. Secondly, the iPad Pro uses an inordinate amount of adhesive to keep everything fixed in place. Lastly, the Smart Connector--which connects the iPad Pro to an external keyboard--is extremely hard to remove, meaning DIY repairs are very unlikely.

Continue reading: Like most Apple products, the iPad Pro makes for tough DIY repairs (full post)

G.SKILL's new 8GB Trident Z DDR4 RAM modules hit a blazing 4133MHz

Derek Strickland | RAM | Nov 20, 2015 11:30 AM CST

Back in July we reported that G.SKILL had just broken the 4000MHz barrier with its Trident Z DDR4 RAM. Today the company has one-upped itself with its new line of Trident Z extreme RAM modules that can hit a blistering 4133MHz when overclocked--just 222MHz shy of G.SKILL's world record RAM speed.

G.SKILL's new 8GB Trident Z DDR4 RAM modules hit a blazing 4133MHz

G.SKILL's new Trident Z extreme performance kits come in 8GB modules, with speeds ranging from 3600MHz to the whopping 4133MHz. The ultra-fast 4GHz+ speeds are only available in 16GB DDR4 (8x2) configurations, whereas the 32GB DDR4 configurations max out at 3733MHz.

G.SKILL notes that the latest Trident Z line is specifically optimized to run alongside Intel's 6-generation Core i-7 processors with the latest XMP 2.0 profiles. The overclocked 4133MHz speeds were achieved on a system equipped with an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU with 16GB (2x8) of Trident Z DDR4 RAM fastened to an ASRock Z170 OC Formula motherboard.

Continue reading: G.SKILL's new 8GB Trident Z DDR4 RAM modules hit a blazing 4133MHz (full post)