Atar VCS owners will soon be able to make their own classic old-school arcade games and share them with other players.

After decades in the shadows, Atari has big plans for its gaming future. The company is making a bunch of new games, including titles with "meaningful singleplayer campaigns." One part of this strategy takes a play from Nintendo's playbook.

Atari is working on its own Mario Maker-like tools that will let VCS owners create, share, and play their very own retro games. The idea is to let users generate organic platform-wide engagement with interesting and fun old-school mini-games. Think of it like creating your very own Atari 2600 game during the industry's golden heyday and being able to share them with friends or other random users online.

We just got a decent information dump on Intel's next-gen Xe-HPG graphics card, the upcoming gaming GPU that will pack 16GB of GDDR6 and performance that should target the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card. But what about a DLSS competitor?

Now we're hearing about Intel XeSS which has been mentioned as an internal codename for Intel's upcoming NVIDIA DLSS competitor, which is already magic in itself. XeSS makes sense and I actually love the name, so I'm hoping that Intel keeps this XeSS codename for its upcoming Xe-based graphics cards for gamers.

We don't know anything else about Intel XeSS apart from its codename reveal today by Tom @ Moore's Law is Dead, but if it's anything like DLSS (and more specifically like NVIDIA's newer DLSS 2.0 technology) then that is going to be a great thing for Intel to have going forward as it moves into the graphics card market (again).

IO Interactive is still working on a brand new wholly-owned IP, company CEO Hakan Abrak re-confirms.

We've known about IO Interactive's new IP since 2017. In 2019, the developer opened a new studio in Malmo, Sweden to help work on new the franchise; since then Malmo has helped with a myriad of projects, including pre-production phases of the new IP.

Then in late 2019, IO signed a publishing deal with Warner Bros. Interactive to publish the new IP.

Intel's upcoming Xe-HPG gaming graphics card is back in the spotlight with Tom at Moore's Law is Dead posting a new video with some juicy new information. Check it out:

In the video we're told that Intel's upcoming Xe-HPG graphics card will have a 512 EU (Execution Units) model that is "initially designed" for TSMC's N6 node -- this could be changed, however -- packing 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit memory bus. As for power, Tom reports that his sources tease Intel Xe-HPG's top model will have a 225-250W TDP but they have "since pushed it harder" up to 275W.

As for performance we're looking at somewhere between NVIDIA's new Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3070 and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards with Tom pointing out that his sources said "Top Xe should be treated like an RTX 3070 Ti. That is where the majority of samples are performing". As for 3DMark TimeSpy benchmark results the new Intel Xe-HPG in early samples is throwing out scores that are between the GeForce RTX 2080 and the flagship GeForce RTX 3090.

Deathloop, the stylish grindhouse Groundhog Day shooter from Dishonored developer Arkane, has been delayed to September.

Bethesda's new Deathloop FPS has been delayed a second time and will now be pushed back by four months. Instead of releasing in May, as previously planned, the game will now launch on September 14, 2021. Arkane doesn't want to alter their vision for the game, which is a distinct-looking psychological FPS where two assassin's try to kill one another in increasingly creative ways, but they don't want to sacrifice their team's wellbeing either.

"At Arkane we have a strong vision for Deathloop, and we don't want to compromise on that. But we also need to do everything we can to ensure the health and safety of everyone at the studio," said Deathloop Game Director Dinga Bakaba.

Yesterday Danish indie studio Blue Box Games announced a PS5 horror game called Abandoned. It didn't take long before gamers somehow associated the project with Hideo Kojima.

Abandoned isn't the next Hideo Kojima game. Blue Box Games put up a post confirming that they have nothing to do with the Japanese auteur. Yes, Kojima wants to make a new horror game, but Abandoned apparently isn't it.

So how did we get here? Why did gamers think Kojima was responsible? 2013's old P.T. demo is partly to blame. Back then, Kojima used the pseudonym 7780s Studio to publish P.T., the playable teaser demo for the cancelled Silent Hills game. People figured it out in short order and soon everyone knew P.T. was Kojima's creation. Kojima also did the same thing with The Phantom Pain. Gamers thought the same thing could be happening with Blue Box Games.

For many years, astronomers have been questioning some of the fundamental parts of the universe, and now we have discovered the key component that can answer those questions.

According to a report from the BBC, scientists have collided atoms together and have found sub-atomic particles called muons. Researchers found that these sub-atomic particles don't behave under the current theory of sub-atomic particle physics, which leads researchers to believe that there is another force of nature influencing this sub-atomic particle.

At the moment, researchers agree that there are four fundamental forces of nature; gravity, electricity, magnetism, and two nuclear forces. All of these forces of nature help us measure and understand the universe. If researchers can prove the existence of a fifth force of nature, then it may explain some burning questions in many different scientific fields. If you want to watch a quick video on this topic/discover, check out this link here.

A week ago, there was quite a lot of controversy surrounding Lil Nas X's new "Satan Shoes", and now that the shoes have been recalled, people that own the shoes are listing them on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Nike has managed to get a judge to order a recall of the "Satan Shoes", and the court has ruled a temporary order to halt MSCHF, the company behind the shoes, production. Since production has been ordered, people who have already managed to get a hold of the shoes now have a pair of shoe worth considerably more than what they purchased them for.

Prices on eBay from early buyers that are looking to now sell the shoes for profit are ranging between $2,000 to $9,000. One listing, in particular, was quite shocking as an eBay user is attempting to size 10.5 Air Max 37 for $9,000 plus a $10 shipping fee. You'd think if you were buying $9,000 shoes that the owner of the shoes would pay for your shipping. Apparently, that isn't the case. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

Two days an image from NASA went somewhat viral as thousands of people were interested in how Mars produced a "rainbow" with no water in its atmosphere.

The above image shows what seems to be to the normal eye a perfect rainbow hovering in the martian sky. This was quite puzzling to some people, as there shouldn't be any rainbows on Mars considering the lack of raindrops in the sky and how thin the atmosphere is. So, what are we looking at if it isn't a martian rainbow?

The answer is a bit of a mood-killer if you get excited about space things. Since there were so many people questioning the image that NASA released, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab gave an accurate answer to Futurism. JPL media relations specialist Andrew Good confirmed, "What you're seeing there is a lens flare. We have sunshades on the front Hazcams, which were considered mission critical (since we need them for driving forward, and we're usually driving forward)."

The Halo Master Chief Collection's new Season 6: Raven update (full patch notes here) adds a ton of new features and cosmetics, including the often requested mouse and keyboard support.

After many long years, Xbox gamers can finally play Halo with a mouse and keyboard. The option is included in the new Season 6 update (a mighty 50GB download) and offers secondary key binding as well. We haven't tried out the M&KB options just yet so we can't comment on how well they support high DPI mice or specific gaming-oriented keyboards.

Season 6 also makes some other fundamental gameplay tweaks including new FOV and crosshair-position options. One of the most flavorful additions is the myriad of cosmetics; 343i has added Mjolnir armor suits from Fireteam Raven (the Halo arcade game) and Halo Online, the previously Russian-only Halo shooter.

EA could use AI to automatically scale a game's difficulty based on your play habits and make it easier or harder depending on your skill.

EA has published a patent that could eliminate the need for difficulty options in its games. The concept is simple: The publisher wants to use AI-based machine learning to collect info on how users play games, and use those metrics to scale a game's difficulty. If you die multiple times on a boss, for example, the game will automatically adjust itself so you have a better chance.

The idea here is to keep users engaged with a product for longer periods of time. As EA has said in the past, long-term engagement is more important than game sales. EA makes a myriad of games with live services and microtransactions, and this technology could be used to scale games in real-time.

In the 1970s, Atari dominated the video games market. 50 years later, the company only just now surfaced from the red. Now it wants to revitalize its games division with a host of new games based on old-school franchises.

Today Atari announced it will split its business into two parts: Gaming and blockchain. The former has big implications for Atari's current background presence in the games industry. The company promises to work on new games set in classic IPs that will be resurrected for the current gaming market. Atari says these new titles will branch out to include consoles and PC across the full spectrum, complete with games with "meaningful singleplayer campaigns."

"In addition, new development will be shifted to console and PC, with an emphasis on revitalizing classic Atari intellectual property for the modern era. These new releases will share the classics' instant enjoyability, while introducing a meaningful single-player campaign, couch co-op/multiplayer, and online play," the company said in a recent press release.

Crytek just released a new next-gen Crysis Remastered upgrade on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles that boosted frame rates across the game's myriad of modes.

Crysis Remastered now targets up to 4K 60FPS on Xbox Series X in quality mode, and 1080p 60FPS in performance mode. The new FPS boost released today as a free update on PS5 and Series X/S hardware, but the ultra-demanding shooter still can't hit its designated perf targets.

According to DigitalFoundry's findings, Crysis Remastered aims at the following perf targets:

Death Stranding made over $27 million in sales revenues on PC, new earnings reports from 505 Games confirm.

According to the latest financial reports from Digital Bros, the parent company of 505 Games, the PC port of Death Stranding generated $27.8 million (23.192 million Euros) in combined sales revenues on the Epic Games Store and Steam. Remember, this is only the cash that 505 Games received as payment for publishing the game on PC, and doesn't represent the game's actual sales earnings.

The game was released in mid-year in July 2020, so the sales earnings were made across a 5-month span. The company has yet to give out exact sales numbers for the PC port.

Starbreeze is contractually bound to pay 505 Games 33% of Payday 3's future revenues, new earnings reports confirm.

While scouting the 2020 earnings reports for Digital Bros, 505 Games' parent company, I noticed something: 505 has a lot of interest and investment into Payday developer Starbreeze. The two companies go way back. 505 Games published Payday 2 way back in 2013, and three years later in 2016, it sold the Payday franchise's publishing rights back to Starbreeze.

The terms of this deal are interesting. According to the report, Starbreeze has promised to deliver 33% of Payday 3's future revenues to 505 Games as part of the transaction. Payday 3 only just recently found a publisher; Payday 3 will come out in 2023 on next-gen consoles and PC thanks to a publishing deal with Embracer Group's Koch Media label (Deep Silver).

The new Mass Effect Legendary Edition gives a big facelift to the classic trilogy. BioWare has put together a side-by-side footage reel showing these changes, including graphical upgrades and gameplay tweaks.

The upcoming Mass Effect trilogy remaster (releasing May 14) effectively upgrades the original games with high-res 4K textures, new shadow and lighting effects, and a myriad of other adjustments. Some of these enhancements are quite impressive and add a new dimension to the game, but others change the tone, ambiance, and overall presentation of specific scenes.

To illustrate how the game will look on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (and on PS5/Series X), BioWare gave IGN a bunch of comparison footage that highlights the updated performance. The results are pretty eye-opening. Apart from the obvious texture and environment boosts, the biggest change has to be loading times; the Legendary Edition loads elevator sequences 73% faster than the original.

An announcement has come from a state health department has urged residents to stay indoors as a possibly serious threat has emerged.

According to an announcement from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Tuesday, a resident of Barry County, Michigan, has been suspected of contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). EEE is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness, and the Michigan resident isn't the only case of the disease, as 22 horses across 10 counties have been confirmed to have contracted EEE.

Due to the spread of the disease, authorities have urged Michigan residents to stay indoors after dark so they are protected against any potential mosquitos that could be carrying the disease. To counter the threat these mosquitos bring, the MDHHS has confirmed it will be spraying pesticide over high-risk areas in the state, which include the 10 counties that have confirmed cases in horses. The distribution of this pesticide is aimed at controlling the population of mosquitos in the respective areas.

While COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed out to millions of people around the country, one top virus expert has warned that the US is about to enter a "new pandemic".

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said on Sunday that in many ways, he believes that "we're almost in a new pandemic", as a result of the new strains of COVID-19 spreading. Dr. Osterholm explains that the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom is of much concern to public health experts for the following reasons.

"This is a virus that is now 50 to 100 percent more transmissible or infectious than the previous viruses. This is a virus that causes 50 to 60 percent more severe illnesses, and so what at one time wasn't as much of a problem-for example, in cases in young adult-are now becoming very serious cases. This is really a fourth wave, you might call it, with somewhat of a different picture than we've seen in the past waves of the pandemic."

Back in late February, NASA's new Mars rover safely touched down on the Red Planet, and now it's hard at work uncovering the mysteries of a new baron world.

Looking at the official Twitter account for the Perseverance rover, we can see that the rover is speaking from a first-person view and that it has recently found a strange rock that has scientists back on Earth puzzled. From the string of tweets that the Perseverance rover has sent, it's apparent that scientists aren't quite sure what or where this uniquely looking space rock has come from.

In one reply from Perseverance, it's stated that the team of scientists has proposed many different hypotheses about the rock, a couple of which are as follows; "is it something weathered out of the local bedrock? Is it a piece of Mars plopped into the area from a far-flung impact event? Is it a meteorite?". At the moment, your guess is as good as NASA's until more research into the strange rock is completed.

Russian researchers found two ancient nematodes (roundworms) in the Siberian permafrost, and now those worms have defrosted and returned back to life.

A new report from The Siberian Times indicates that Russian scientists "defrosted" and subsequently revived two roundworms that had been frozen in the Arctic permafrost for a staggering 40,000 years. Now that these worms have come back to life through a slow defrost, they are now the oldest living animals on the planet.

One research paper suggests that one worm originally came from an ancient squirrel burrow that was in a permafrost wall of the Duvanny Yar outcrop in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River. This worm is around 32,000 years old, and the other worm was found near Alazeya River earlier in 2015 and is around 41,700 years old. To read more on this interesting story, check out this link here for more information.