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Devil May Cry 5: 4K30FPS, 1080p60FPS with ray tracing on PlayStation 5
UPDATE:Capcom clarifies the exact performance and resolution modes in Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X:
Devs are finally talking about the PlayStation 5's ray tracing capabilities in length, and Capcom is putting the console's high-end specs to good use with a new Devil May Cry 5 re-release.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition will flex the entirety of PS5's hardware and shows what Capcom's RE Engine is capable of. Capcom confirms the game can hit 120FPS with variable refresh rates over HDMI 2.1 capable displays, and supports ray tracing at 4K 30FPS and 1080p 60FPS.
Continue reading: Devil May Cry 5: 4K30FPS, 1080p60FPS with ray tracing on PlayStation 5 (full post)
PS4 will live alongside PS5 until 2024, Sony confirms
Sony isn't ready to flip the reset switch on the PlayStation 4's 110 million+ install base, and confirms the console will live alongside the PS5 until at least 2024.
The PS4 is too valuable to retire, and Sony plans to gradually pass the torch over to the successor PS5 in a span of multiple years. Sony's Jim Ryan says the PS4 will remain a big part of the PlayStation business at least until 2024. Previously, Sony said the PS4 would be supported until at least 2022.
"The PS4 community will continue to be incredibly important to us for three or four years. Many will transition to PS5, we hope, if we do our job well. But tens of millions will still be engaged with the PS4," Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan told The Washington Post.
Continue reading: PS4 will live alongside PS5 until 2024, Sony confirms (full post)
PS Plus Collection is Sony's golden ticket for subscriber retention
Sony's new PlayStation Plus Collection is a golden ticket for subscription retention, and will anchor a new generation of console owners to the digital service.
The new PlayStation Plus Collection is a goldmine for retention, which is something Sony has struggled with. The PS Plus Collection is a vault of PS4 games included free with all active PS Plus subscriptions that mimics Microsoft's Game Pass. The addition adds tremendous value to the service, but it's exclusive for PS5 owners, and for good reason. PS Plus Collection is specifically designed to do many things at once--but all of them aim at keeping subscriptions active.
The PS Plus Collection only includes 18 PlayStation 4 titles. It's almost like an Xbox Game Pass lite. But unlike Game Pass, which includes a ton of live service-oriented games with microtransactions and monetization, the PS Plus Collection mainly serves up long-winded singleplayer-driven games (only 4 out of the 18 games have microtransactions).
Continue reading: PS Plus Collection is Sony's golden ticket for subscriber retention (full post)
NASA considers mission to Venus after discovery of possible life
If you happened to miss the news, it was only yesterday I reported about scientists finding traces in a planet's atmosphere that indicates life could be present.
That planet is Venus, and according to a study recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists researching Venus have found traces of phosphine gas, which is a life signature sign. The researchers believe that phosphine gas is an indicator of life because microbes that live in animals have been found to produce the gas in the intestines. An author of the study said that the researchers couldn't find any other reason than possible life for the detection of phosphine gas.
Now, NASA is considering approving two planetary science missions to uncover the truth of the gas. At the moment, there are four possible missions under review by NASA, and one of those is called DAVINCI+, which would launch a probe into Venus' atmosphere to perform testing. David Grinspoon, an astrobiologist working on the DAVINCI+ proposal, told Reuters on Tuesday, "Davinci is the logical one to choose if you're motivated in part by wanting to follow this up - because the way to follow this up is to actually go there and see what's going on in the atmosphere".
Continue reading: NASA considers mission to Venus after discovery of possible life (full post)
AORUS Gen4 AIC 8TB SSD: 4 x 2TB drives at an insane 15GB/sec (!!!)
I don't know about you, but the world of storage interests me just as much as GPUs and CPUs -- with Sabrent coming out and slaying everyone every couple of months with a record-breaking drive.
Their recent Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus offers a huge 7000MB/sec (7GB/sec) transfers, which are the fastest you can get from a single drive -- but now GIGABYTE has unveiled its new AORUS Gen4 AIC 2TB and 8TB SSDs.
The new AORUS Gen4 AIC 2TB SSD packs 4 x 500GB pre-installed NVMe M.2 SSDs directly to the AIC (add-in card) that detects as one single 2TB drive. The 8TB model is the same, with 4 x 2TB drives that show up as one beyond-ultra-fast 8GB SSD.
Continue reading: AORUS Gen4 AIC 8TB SSD: 4 x 2TB drives at an insane 15GB/sec (!!!) (full post)
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG STRIX at Best Buy costs $1799
NVIDIA revealed its super-insane 8K gaming graphics card in the GeForce RTX 3090 not too long ago, priced at $1499 -- but man, custom cards are going to be expensive.
Best Buy has listed the ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG STRIX variant for $1799, a $300 premium over the GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition. We should expect similar, and maybe a little more (or a little less) performance over the RTX 3090 FE -- so you'd be paying for the style and thermal performance.
I'd also expect this to be wave one pricing, with prices to surely tip over $2000 once the first wave of ASUS RTX 3090 ROG STRIX graphics cards to sell out. $1800 is a big pill to swallow, especially if the performance over the RTX 3080 (which will start at $699) isn't a huge leap.
Continue reading: ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG STRIX at Best Buy costs $1799 (full post)
Watch Dogs Legion requires RTX 2080 Ti for 4K ultra with ray tracing
Watch Dogs Legion is just over a month away from release, with Ubisoft now detailing what you'll need to run the game on your PC. Check out the PC requirements:
You don't need much to get the game running at 1080p on Low or High settings, with an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 processor required at a minimum -- alongside 8GB of RAM and 45GB of storage space. Ubisoft recommends an NVIDIA GeForce 960 or AMD Radeon R9 290X at a minimum when it comes to graphics.
The High settings at 1080p doesn't require much more grunt, but the 1440p High settings do jump the CPU up to an Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 while system RAM goes up to 16GB and the GPU requirements increase to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER or AMD Radeon RX 5700.
Continue reading: Watch Dogs Legion requires RTX 2080 Ti for 4K ultra with ray tracing (full post)
Oculus is selling a whole bunch of accessories for the Quest 2
Oculus just announced the Quest 2 standalone VR headset, and alongside the headset reveal, the company also announced that it would sell a collection of accessories for the new device.
Out of the box, the Quest 2 includes a compact fabric head strap, which is sufficient for most people. Facebook also designed a pair of rigid straps that offer a sturdier fitment and better weight balance for those who want something more robust.
The Elite Strap is a basic rigid strap that cups the back of your head for more support. You can also get an Elite Strap with Battery, which includes a battery pack in the rear to double the Quest 2 headset's runtime. The battery pack also acts as a counterweight in case you find the headset front heavy.
Continue reading: Oculus is selling a whole bunch of accessories for the Quest 2 (full post)
Sony's biggest PS5 games also coming to PS4, free upgrades confirmed
Sony isn't ready to leave the PlayStation 4's 100 million-strong playerbase behind, confirms marquee PS5 games are also coming to PS4.
There's lots of life left in the PS4 platform and Sony isn't ready to give it up just yet. Sony's already confirmed the PS4 will live alongside the PS5 until 2022, and new PS4 titles are coming. Now Sony's Jim Ryan confirms a handful of PS5 games are also launching on the PS4 too.
Big games like Spider-Man Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West are also releasing on the PlayStation 4. Spider-Man will be available on both PS4 and PS5 on November 12, whereas Horizon Forbidden West is coming out sometime in 2021. Anyone who buys a PS4 version will also get a free upgrade to the PS5 version.
Continue reading: Sony's biggest PS5 games also coming to PS4, free upgrades confirmed (full post)
PlayStation 5 pre-orders begin tomorrow, Sony confirms
Sony today announced PlayStation 5 pricing and availability, and now they've confirmed pre-order dates.
Sony's next-gen PS5 will be available for pre-order as early as tomorrow, September 17, 2020 across select retailers. SIE exec Jim Ryan confirmed the news on the PlayStation Blog, and also announced a staggered release for the system. North America, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea will all get one-week early availability to the console:
Continue reading: PlayStation 5 pre-orders begin tomorrow, Sony confirms (full post)
Harry Potter RPG Howgarts Legacy coming to PS5 in 2021
The new Harry Potter RPG has finally been revealed, and it's a prequel set in the 1800s Wizarding World where you help write the history of the series.
Today WB Games announced Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy, a new next-gen game coming to PS5 in 2021. The game is a prequel and doesn't necessarily follow any established story arcs; instead gamers will make their own wizard and write their own story and help fill out the periods before the book series.
The combat is action-based and features spells and combos. You'll be facing off against rival wizards and gigantic bosses like dragons and other fantastic beasts. The game also lets you explore well outside of Hogwarts with open-world style roaming, complete with flying on pegasuses. We're not sure if there's multiplayer but that could be included too.
Continue reading: Harry Potter RPG Howgarts Legacy coming to PS5 in 2021 (full post)
Sony confirms PlayStation 5 price: $399 digital, $499 standard
It's official: The PlayStation 5 will cost $499 for the standard edition, and $399 for the digital edition.
Sony today announced the PlayStation 5's price points, and the digital edition is $100 cheaper:
This is an aggressive price point that pushes the digital edition, and Sony is prepared to weather the production losses by locking gamers to its digital ecosystem. The digital-only system forces gamers to buy titles directly from Sony, which nets a premium for them, especially first-party games that give Sony 100% of all revenues.
Continue reading: Sony confirms PlayStation 5 price: $399 digital, $499 standard (full post)
Final Fantasy XVI announced: Medieval style, hack-and-slash combat
Square Enix today announced Final Fantasy XVI with ultra fast-paced action combat that evolved from Final Fantasy XV.
The rumors were right: Final Fantasy XVI features a grand medieval fantasy style and scope (magitek is gone), but the familiar mainstays are there: Summons are now called icons, and the mother crystal oversees all things. The story is mysterious and centers around a blood rivalry against Joshua Shield, who may be the son of a king or a lord, who has the power to summon an icon. These summoners are apparently marked by strange tattoos.
The combat itself is stylish, fast, and resembles Devil May Cry mixed with Final Fantasy XV. It's obviously a pure enhancement of FFXV and likely has strong emphasis on combo attacks.
Continue reading: Final Fantasy XVI announced: Medieval style, hack-and-slash combat (full post)
PlayStation 5 to cost $449, digital-only at $399, analyst predicts
Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Masahiro Wakasugi predicts Sony could price the digital-only PlayStation 5 at $399, and the full disc-based system at $449 to counter Microsoft's Xbox pricing.
In a move that would likely conquer the 9th generation, Sony could prepare for a sizable loss on PlayStation 5 console hardware in exchange for more units sold. Bloomberg's own analysts echo the variable pricing scheme that sees the PS5 base model dropping as low as $449 and the digital-only model reduced to $399, the base price of
Sony is expected to sell as many PlayStation 5 units it makes available. That expectation is especially true at this price point. The prediction is centered around Sony once-again besting Microsoft's console prices. This worked out well for the 8th generation, which Sony dominated early on with a $399 PS4 compared to the $499 Xbox One.
Continue reading: PlayStation 5 to cost $449, digital-only at $399, analyst predicts (full post)
Rift S is the last PCVR headset from the Oculus brand
Facebook just revealed the Quest 2, which is a major step forward for standalone VR headsets. It's also a far superior PCVR headset than the company's current Rift S product. Rather than compete with itself for market share in two segments, the Oculus brand is stepping away from dedicated PCVR in favor of its hybrid approach.
The shift to standalone shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to the direction of VR advancements, but it still represents a significant change for a company that can trace its roots back to the PC enthusiast community.
So, what does this mean for the Rift S? Well, its days are numbered, to be sure. Oculus plans to phase out the Rift S by the spring of 2021, which would put its lifecycle at right around two years. There's no reason to believe that Facebook will discontinue support for the headset any time soon, though. The Oculus Rift CV1 still works with all Rift content, and the discontinued Oculus Go will remain supported for at least two more years.
Continue reading: Rift S is the last PCVR headset from the Oculus brand (full post)
THQ Nordic is now one of the most diversified companies in gaming
Embracer's wide-reaching focus now includes the full spectrum of entertainment film, TV, console games, PC games, mobile games, and virtual reality.
With its recent acquisition of Vertigo Games, the Embracer Group (formerly THQ Nordic) pushes into VR and solidifies its diversified approach to gaming. Embracer bought VR games publisher Vertigo Games for 50 million Euros, with a 40 million Euro upfront cash payment and 10 million Euros in B stock. Vertigo can also earn up to 65 million Euros in bonuses across a 10-year period.
This acquisition represents tremendous potential for Embracer, and exposes their forward-thinking approach. VR is still a fledgling platform, however it was Embracer's missing puzzle piece. Vertigo Games is known for VR games like A Fisherman's Tale, After the Fall, Arizona Sunshine, and Skyworld. The company employs 50 people in the Netherlands, and 37 of them are developers.
Continue reading: THQ Nordic is now one of the most diversified companies in gaming (full post)
All the leaks about Quest 2 were true; white, powered by XR2, $299
Facebook just revealed Quest 2 and it turns out the leaked specs that seemed too good to be true, were real. The next generation of Oculus VR is looking impressive.
Quest 2 features the latest Qualcomm processor, an XR2 5G, which is a huge jump from Quest's Snapdragon 835 processor. It also includes 50% more memory than the original model. Developers now have 6GB to build even more impressive experiences.
The display in Quest 2 offers a massive bump in resolution. The original model gives you 1400 x 1600 pixels per eye. The new headset gives you an incredible 1830 x 1920 pixels per eye. The fast-switching LCD also operates at a faster refresh rate than the outgoing model. Quest 2 operates at 72Hz like Quest, but the display supports 90Hz and developers have the option to take advantage of the higher speed.
Continue reading: All the leaks about Quest 2 were true; white, powered by XR2, $299 (full post)
Nintendo open to TV shows based on Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and more
Nintendo plans to use films to cross-promote its IPs and expand awareness. Now it says this initiative isn't just limited to movies--more content could be coming.
Nintendo is making a CG animated Mario movie with Universal's Illumination studio. The goal is to help boost exposure and ignite hardware/software sales. The film isn't due out until 2022, but Nintendo promises film isn't the only medium it's exploring. We could get TV shows, anime series, and maybe even interactive experiences that blur the lines between films and games.
In its latest shareholder's presentation, Nintendo confirms it's already investing in future projects outside of the Mario movie. We could finally see the oft-rumored Zelda TV show take off, maybe even a mature anime series based around Metroid, and a cute Animal Crossing TV show for all ages.
Continue reading: Nintendo open to TV shows based on Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and more (full post)
Joe Biden's official app had a bug that exposed user voting history
If you didn't know, Joe Biden has an official 2020 Presidential campaign app called 'Vote Joe', and unfortunately, it was discovered that the app had a critical bug that exposed user information.
According to a new report from The App Analyst, the app, which is designed to send users pro-Biden texts, nearby events, campaign updates, etc, was found to have a critical bug in it that exposed sensitive user information. The sensitive user information that was exposed was home addresses, birthdays, phone numbers, and prior voting history.
The App Analyst explains that the bug in the app made it very easy for anyone to access this information and that anyone who signed up to the app with a fake email address was granted access to a TargetSmart database. Through this database, users would be able to access more than 190 million voter records. Last week the Biden campaign notified of this bug and has since worked with its third-part app developer to resolve the issue.
Continue reading: Joe Biden's official app had a bug that exposed user voting history (full post)
Scalpers buy cheap GeForce RTX 3080 for $699, re-sell for over $1200
My review of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition is mere hours away, but I just scrolled through some news now that I'm out of the review and had to write it.
NVIDIA will be selling its new GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition for $699 starting September 17, with some people securing their RTX 3080 FE pre-orders and then flipping them on eBay for over $1250. A huge 50% mark up for the seller, and the buyer -- well, I guess they get a guaranteed card close to launch.
I would wait for the reviews to come out -- so be sure to not just check mine out later on today, but many others sites and YouTubers with their take on NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition. I have a mountain of content coming over the next couple of weeks and months, so be sure to keep checking back.
Continue reading: Scalpers buy cheap GeForce RTX 3080 for $699, re-sell for over $1200 (full post)






















