Gaming News - Page 341

Sony is launching PlayStation Tournaments on PS5 later in 2022 as the console's install base ramps up.

Soon PS5 gamers will be able to sign up and compete in digital games for the chance to win prizes. PlayStation Tournaments was originally launched on PS4 years ago as a way to spark engagement in heavy-hitting live games, especially annualized sports games like FIFA that earn billions ever year. Prizes include in-game currency to be spent on cosmetics and lootboxes as well as actual cash payouts directly from Sony.

"This year we're also planning to introduce a new tournaments feature on PS5," PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said at CES 2022. No details on a possible timeline rollout have been confirmed just yet, but the feature is a welcome addition to the PlayStation 5's admittedly sparse on-console community presence.

E3 2022 will be all-digital again this year, but there's more to the story than coronavirus concerns.

Today the ESA sent out a statement saying E3 2022 won't have a physical venue at the Los Angeles Convention Center because of the ongoing global pandemic, namely the new omicron variant. "Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022," the ESA told Gamesbeat.

While the coronavirus plays a big role in E3 2022's cancellation, it's not the whole reason. According to analyst Mike Futter, the reality is the ESA gave up their booked dates for the Los Angeles Convention Center. A quick look at the LACC calendar shows that E3 is missing for both June and July 2022. A search on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine also shows a clean slate for the month of June.

Konami's new Castlevania NFTs are just small clips of gameplay, animations, and BGM content that isn't really worth buying.

Konami is celebrating Castlevania's 35th anniversary with an NFT auction. Why? Because it's 2022, and everyone wants a piece of the multi-million NFT pie. The sad reality with Castlevania's NFTs is the value simply isn't there. Konami tried to make their NFTs unique but it's a hard sale; some of NFTs are small slices of gameplay where owners can play a singular, small portion. It's like playing an on-demand clickable demo.

The other NFTs are the equivalent of extras that you'd typically find in a old-school retro game, complete with background music samples (yes, really) and digital art posters. Whoa.

MSI has gone all-in with this new collaboration with EVANGELION e:PROJECT with a range of PC components inspired by one of the most popular anime on the planet -- as well as a wicked new case and PSU.

The new MSI x EVANGELION lineup of PC components is inspired by the look and style of Evangelion Unit-01, rocking a gorgeous purple/green/black color scheme. As for the PC components, we're looking at the MSI B660 Tomahawk EVA e-Project, MSI Gungnir 110R EVA e-Project, MSI MAG Coreliquid C240 EVA e-Project & the A650BN EVA e-project.

These new PC components aren't just products available now and re-made again inspired by Evangelion -- but rather brand new components that aren't already available.

Razer unveiled something truly ambitious at CES 2022 this year, with Project Sophia: the world's first true gaming desk concept, with an advanced gaming chair with built-in high-fidelity haptics, and a 65-inch OLED display.

The pandemic has spurred Razer into action, where Project Sophia was born into existence where the company has used a fully modular design that lets the desk work around you, and not the other way around. There's 13 separate modules that allow you to personalize the desk to your exact liking, including multiple displays, system monitoring tools (for Twitch streamers, benchmarkets, etc), touch-screen panels, tablets, mixers, and so much more.

Inside, Project Sophia rocks a customized PCB that has cutting-edge core components that include Intel's latest 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPU and NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 30 series GPU. Razer has built all of the system into a super-slim chassis that magnetically snaps in underneath the glass tabletop -- this is detached easily, so that you can upgrade the internal components -- making the modular desk, even more customizable.

Aya Neo has just unveiled their third-gen Neo Next handheld gaming console, powered by an 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 5800U "Cezanne-U" APU based on the Zen 3 architecture.

The regular Aya Neo Next comes with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the Neo Next Advance comes with 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. From there we have the AYA Neo Next Advance Signature Edition which comes with 16GB RAM and 2TB of storage, with only 300 of these units made. Finally there's the Neo Pro with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.

Each of the units has a 7-inch high-brightness IPS display, hail effect joystick and linear trigger, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, a replaceable joystick, NEXT Handgrip, X axis linar motor, two-channel speakers, and a 47 Wh long battery life. Not too bad at all.

Bethesda teases Elder Scrolls Online's next big expansion and confirms the MMORPG is going to a brand new land that's never been explored in the mainline series.

Elder Scrolls Online's new adventure sees players crossing the seas from the Tamriel mainland to a mysterious new island. A new teaser from Bethesda strongly hints that ESO's new 2022 yearly content will take place in the sea elve's (also known as maormer) homeland of Pyandonea, which lies south of the Somerset Isles.

"Across a vast sea awaits 2022's newest adventure for The Elder Scrolls Online. The coming year will satisfy a desire of Elder Scrolls fans everywhere by introducing a never-before-seen world and a tale that has yet to be told," reads a press release.

SEGA will scrap its NFT and play-to-earn plans if gamers don't approve.

Back in November, SEGA said it was interested in experimenting with NFTs and other emerging technologies. Now the Japanese games-maker says it could halt its R&D initiatives and investments into NFTs if the global gaming audience pushes back. So far gamers have vehemently decried NFTs, blockchain gaming, and play-to-earn despite major publishers like Ubisoft, EA, and Square Enix all evangelizing the new tech.

In a recent management meeting. SEGA CEO Haruki Satomi confirms there's no concrete plans with blockchain, NFTs, or play-to-earn. Lots of things need to be considered, Satomi says, including regulations, implementation, and overall player sentiment.

Ubisoft+ is coming to Xbox platforms, but don't expect to get it free with Game Pass.

Ubisoft's premium all-you-can-play games subscription service is coming to Xbox platforms, the company announced. Everyone assumes Ubisoft will include this free with Game Pass Ultimate, but that's not the case. It'll be an entirely separate subscription.

What's interesting is that Ubisoft+ is technically a Game Pass competitor that quite literally copies Microsoft's game plan. See if this familiar: Ubisoft+ grants access to over 100 games (131 games, to be exact) and new titles are released day-and-date on Ubisoft+. There's also extra bonuses like cosmetics and in-game items.

Months after the PS5 release, Death Stranding Director's Cut is finally coming to PC with a ton of QoL changes.

Holding off on Death Stranding was a wise decision, especially now with the Director's Cut on the horizon for PC. This will be the definitive version that makes big improvements over the original 2020 release. The changes are so significant that the original game is obsolete and there's no real reason to buy the base game now. For more info on the changes, click here.

505 Games and Kojima Productions have announced the Death Stranding Director's Cut is coming to Steam sometime in 2022. There's no release date, price, or details on a possible discount for existing owners available just yet.