Latest News - Page 1473

ASUS will be launching its next-gen ROG Strix XG43UQ gaming monitor very soon, with pre-orders already here and costs starting at $1800 and topping out at around $2000.

You can now pre-order the ASUS ROG Strix XG43UQ gaming monitor in Europe for over $1800 but you're getting a huge 43-inch 4K monitor at 144Hz with the new HDMI 2.1 connectivity joining the usual DisplayPort 1.4 connectors. It rocks a 43-inch 1ms VA-based panel that supports DSC (Display Stream Compression) and ALMM (Auto Low Latency Mode).

ASUS has 4 x HDMI ports in total on the ROG Strix XG43UQ with 2 x HDMI 2.1 and 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports. I'm sitting in front of the ASUS ROG Swift PG43UQ which is virtually identical apart from not having HDMI 2.1 and it is amazing, a 43-inch 4K monitor with 120-144Hz is awesome for desktop, workstation use -- and most of all, gaming.

Terraria has sold an astronomical 35 million copies on multiple platforms across the last nine years, which is more than most AAA games achieve.

Terraria has been released on two separate console generations, as well as Nintendo 3DS, Switch, and even the PlayStation Vita handhelds. But the mobile version has actually outsold the console port by 800,000 units. Re-Logic confirms that Terraria has sold 9.3 million copies on iOS and Android, making up 26% of total sales.

PC reigns supreme with a huge 17.2 million copies sold on Steam, which includes both Mac and PC. Terraria is also the number 1 top-rated game on Steam, beating out heavy-hitters like Portal 2 and The Witcher 3.

Developers like Remedy Entertainment aren't thrilled about optimizing their games across separate console generations: "To be blunt, it sucks."

Backwards compatibility is the single most important feature for next-gen hardware and it's great for gamers. But Microsoft's and Sony's insistence on last-gen support is giving developers headaches. Hardware supply limitations are pressuring devs to make their games playable on both the 2013 and 2020 console gens--it's either that or miss out on big sales numbers because there's a lot more last-gen hardware than there is next-gen. Right now, devs have to make their games work on eight separate consoles:

So what is this like? Not very fun.

Recent reports say Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick received a huge $200 million performance bonus. This isn't entirely accurate; he received roughly $41 million worth of shares instead.

A new SEC filing reveals Activision has doled out a substantial performance-based award or 1,335,440 common stock to its CEO, Bobby Kotick. Per Kotick's contract clause, the CEO can receive a significant common stock award if certain metrics are achieved across a four-year period.

During the four-year period from 1/1/17 through 12/31/20, Activision-Blizzard revenues hit their highest point in history, with Calendar 2020 delivering a record all-time high of $8.08 billion. As a result, Kotick received a whopping 1,335,440 common stock (worth over $131 million based on the $98.72 common stock value on March 1, 2021). Kotick didn't keep all of this stock; Activision reserved roughly 65% of the stock, or 878,877 shares, to pay for tax withholdings.

Embracer Group, the parent company of Deep Silver, Gearbox, 4A Games, Saber Interactive, and THQ Nordic, has raised nearly $1 billion to help fund new company buyouts.

Games titan Embracer just sold 36 million Class B shares at SEK 210 ($24.75) a piece, raising roughly $890 million for more strategic industry maneuvers. Embracer says it will use this money to fund everything from new games to acquisitions and IP buyouts.

Embracer is very busy and this new cashflow will fortify its decades-long business model. The company has a very forward-thinking strategy, and its projects stretch from the near to long term. Embracer currently owns a whopping 244 IPs and is working on 193 projects, and 113 of those projects have yet to be announced.

Doom Eternal's latest Ancient Gods Part 2 expansion might be the end of the Slayer's story arc, but it's not the end of Doom.

id Software recently confirmed that Doom Eternal isn't the last Doom game. The ultraviolent bloodfest series will live on. Just like id said in 2018, Doom Eternal is a stepping stone towards a new Doom universe.

So what's next after Eternal? We don't know for sure. id Software has lots of moving parts helps multiple studios work on FPS mechanics in their games--they helped MachineGames with Wolfenstein, helped with Fallout 4's shooter mechanics, and even 2017's Prey reboot--but we do know that Doom isn't on ice. Marty Stratton says the fires of hell will rage on.

A newly published Tencent patent shows the company is curious about handheld-console hybrids hardware.

Tencent currently helps distribute and release the Switch in mainland China, but a new patent suggests they could eventually make a PC-like handheld console of their own. A recently published patent from August 2020 shows a Windows-powered handheld that's very similar to the AYA Neo. It even has a little kickstand, like the Nintendo Switch.

Unlike the Switch, or Alienware's experimental Concept UFO handheld, Tencent's handheld doesn't have removable controllers. The D-pad is also fused together. The patent makes mention of PC-level hardware, and it's possible Windows would be the central operating system.

Spider-Man is still coming to Marvel's Avengers, and he's still exclusive to PlayStation platforms. But PS4 and PS5 owners will have to wait a bit.

Crystal Dynamics just revealed its plans for Avengers' 2021 roadmap, including various content drops, updates, tweaks, and big new expansions. Spider-Man was noticably absent from the list. The developer had previously announced Spider-Man would be a free playable Avengers hero for all PS4 and PS5 owners in early 2021.

"We can't wait for you to add Spider-Man to your Marvel's Avengers roster in early 2021, and as we've promised before, he will be available at no additional cost to owners of the base game, exclusively on PlayStation," Crystal Dynamics associate art director Jeff Adams wrote on the PlayStation Blog in August 2020.

Crystal Dynamics reveals Avengers' full content roadmap for 2021, including a new Black Panther expansion.

Now that Avengers is on PS5 and Xbox Series X, the team can push towards its most important goal: engagement. "Our focus moving forward is to deliver new content that is compelling to play and replay again while offering better rewards," Crystal Dynamics wrote on its new Avengers blog post. The developer plans to make good on its promise with regular seasonal updates with new activities, cosmetics, rewards, and eventually, new heroes and story arcs. All future content is 100% free for Marvel's Avengers owners.

The roadmap cadence follows most live games, with multiple smaller-scale updates set in between sizable expansion-sized content. Avengers' next-gen port released alongside Operation Hawkeye, the current expansion-level update that adds a new playable character (Hawkeye) as well as a new narrative storyline. The next big expansion-sized update, War for Wakanda, will introduce Black Panther as a playable hero in late 2021.

Cyberpunk 2077's anticipated Patch 1.2 update will make some big fixes like boosted frame rates and visuals on PS4 and Xbox One systems, and now CD Projekt shares more details on the nitty gritty details.

In a recent blog post, CDPR confirms some quality-of-life adjustments coming with v1.2, including reduction of psycho cops and vehicle controls. If you've played Cyberpunk 2077, you know how ridiculous the cops can be, especially when they appear out of nowhere. CDPR is tweaking AI spawns to decrease the likelihood of police instantly appearing behind you. They're also adding in a new drone to help boost immersion (but I think this will just end up being annoying).

Another significant change is improving vehicle steering. Patch 1.2 will add a steering sensitivity control, a much-needed feature considering most cars practically slide all over the road.

In an odd twist of fate, Xbox Game Pass on PC and the Microsoft Store has a better version of NieR Automata, an infamously glitchy PC game.

Xbox Game Pass has had its fair share of issues on PC, but the service is now getting updated and upgraded versions of specific games. Users are reporting that the Microsoft Store and Game Pass PC versions of NieR Automata actually run better than the Steam port. The reason? It technically is a different version.

According to PC Gamer, Microsoft is selling the Become As Gods edition of NieR Automata that previously released on Xbox One. It's not the Game of the Yorha Edition. The newer version unlocks borderless windowed mode by default and so it doesn't have the resolution issues the original had. You can also enable FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening to make the game look better in certain areas.

Starbreeze is saved! The ailing games-maker has finally found a publisher for Payday 3 and solidifies its future.

After years of uncertainty, Payday 3 has finally found a publisher. Starbreeze has teamed up with Deep Silver parent company Koch Media (owned by Embracer Group) to publish Payday 3, which is set to release in 2023 on consoles and PC.

The partnership will be a long-term publishing deal that stretches across 18 months after the game's release, and Koch Media will be responsible for physical and digital distribution. The development and publishing deal is worth 50 million Euros, Starbreeze says.

Warner Bros. Montreal has delayed Gotham Knights to 2022, the developer today announced.

Gotham Knights, the new Batman game without Bruce Wayne, will no longer release in 2021. The game has been pushed back to an undetermined date in 2022 on PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC:

"Gotham Knights will no launch worldwide in 2022. We are giving the game more time to deliver the best possible experience for players. Thank you to our amazing fans for your tremendous support of Gotham Knights. We look forward to showcasing more of the game in the coming months."

Ubisoft just gave away a bunch of free Assassin's Creed Valhalla gear, including an Altair armor set. Too bad it's not actually worth using unless you're at the very beginning of the game.

Right now, all Valhalla players can download the so-called Godly Reward set for free on the Animus Store. The pack includes a bunch of nifty items, including the Modraniht set, some tattoos, settlement decorations, and a throwback to the franchise's roots with an Altair armor. Sadly, this awesome nostalgic gear isn't really that good and simply doesn't hold a candle to any gear you'll have equipped if you're in the mid- to late-game.

There's a few reasons why Altair's armor isn't that good. It's superior quality, the second tier of armor, so don't expect any amazing stats. The armor also can't be upgraded so there's no boosting the stats or even changing the appearance in any way. It only has one rune slot, and no extra bonuses or synergies, so it won't magically replace any set-based chest gear you have equipped.

Many people would love to take a spacecraft to the Moon for a quick holiday, but with that trip comes significant cost, especially if you own a lunar home.

According to an article by Money.co.uk, financial experts factored every aspect of what it would cost to build a home on the Moon. The experts looked at energy costs and food costs and communicated with experts to get the most accurate idea about how much it would to own a home on the Moon. They found that a lunar mortgage will cost a buyer around $326,000 per month for 25 years, bringing the total cost of the loan to be over $62 million.

The financial experts say that the lunar mortgage loan price would fall considerably after the first lunar home is built due to the knowledge gained on how to build more lunar homes effectively. This would bring the lunar mortgage loan down from $62 million to $52 million. As far as land prices go, the Moon is incredibly cheap due to there being absolutely nothing there. Land prices cost roughly $20, according to recent price estimates. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

AMD has just released their new Radeon Adrenalin 2020 21.3.1 BETA drivers, which not only include support for the new Navi 23-based Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics cards but there's a new built-in Performance Tuning Stress Test feature.

The new drivers also have support for the just-released DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part Two, which will go well with that new Radeon RX 6700 XT (if you can find it). There are a bunch of fixed issued as there always is with new drivers, across the board between Radeon Software using too much CPU resources, to VR improvements, and everything in between.

You can download the new AMD Radeon Adrenalin 2020 21.3.1 BETA drivers here.

Intel is unleashing its next-gen 11th Gen Core CPUs and while that is all happening, the company decided to unleash its new -- and first public demo of their new 11th Gen Core H-Series processors codenamed Tiger Lake-H.

We should be looking at Intel's new flagship Core i9-11980HK processor, with Intel teasing the 8-core, 16-thread CPU with GPU clocks of up to 5.0GHz. The 5GHz claim was confirmed by VP and GM of Intel, Roger Chandler, during his GDC Showcase 2021 event.

Inside, Intel is using its new Willow Cove architecture and its new 10nm fabrication process -- it is a worthy note here is that these new 11th Gen Core H-Series CPUs are the first non-14nm high-end CPUs from the company. Inside of the laptop on show was the new flagship -- yet named -- Core i9 Tiger Lake-H processor.

Newly published patents from Valve Corporation reveal some of the design ideas that Valve has been toying with for future VR headsets. The company has been working on improving comfort and cutting cords.

Hat tip goes out to RoadtoVR for discovering a patent application from Valve Corporation that was just published on March 18. The patent was initially filed in September of last year, which indicates these are design ideas that came after launching the Index in 2019.

The patent application primarily focuses on head strap design. The patent depicts several head strap designs that incorporate a mechanical actuator adjust for the upper strap. There's a design with a dial on top of the upper strap, which replaces the Velcro strap found on the Index headset. That design also incorporates a new rear cushion that features a hinge to better conform to the shape of the wearer's head.

It looks like Intel will be kicking off some of the marketing hype for its upcoming Xe-HPG gaming graphics card on March 26, with a teased Intel Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt.

Intel's upcoming Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt will reportedly kick off at March 26, 2021 @ 9AM PST -- with 'duckofdeath' on Wccftech noticing the cryptic message hidden inside of the Intel Xe-HPG teaser video. Hell, it takes place just 3 days after Intel's freshly-minted CE Pat Gelsinger hosts a webcast.

We should expect that more teases and clues will be revealed before, and during the Intel Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt, so I'm sure there will be much more to be revealed in the coming week before the Intel Xe HPG Scavenger Hunt begins

Sony recently announced that it is working on a successor to its PSVR headset, and today we got our first real taste of what's to come. The company revealed details about the controllers that will pair with the next headset. It looks like Sony's VR team has been putting a lot of thought into its next hardware generation.

Sony describes the controllers as "orb shape." They feature a halo that you stick your hands through to reach the handles. Sony said this design helps keep the controllers "well-balanced and comfortable to hold."

Sony's new PSVR controllers share many features from the PS5 DualSense controller, including adaptive triggers, high-fidelity haptic feedback, as well as familiar face buttons and analog sticks for each hand. The controllers will also include grip buttons, which replace the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons from the DualSense controllers.