Latest News - Page 1620

We are just 6 months away from the release of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X console, with plenty to look forward to including proper 4K gaming support, 120FPS support, ray tracing, and so much more.

Microsoft recently unveiled its new 'Optimized for Xbox Series X' badge -- where it will continue to add games to its list that include upgrades over their last-gen versions. This will include up to 4K resolution support, 120FPS where supported, ray tracing, HDR, and Smart Delivery.

Not all games will receive a new injection of graphics and frame rate on the suped-up Xbox Series X console, as this is very different to the regular backwards compatibility we're used to. The "Optimized for Xbox Series X" label can see developers either building their game from the ground up for the Xbox Series X, or dabbing a bunch of fresh paint onto exiting games with improved graphics or higher frame rates like 120FPS.

OK -- let's face it... some people really want to socialize, and even when there's an on-going pandemic (like the novel coronavirus pandemic right now), socializing can be hard. Well, not anymore!

Thanks to the geniuses at Production Club, a newly-designed anti-pandemic suit has been created dubbed Micrashell. It is a full suit that feels like it's ripped out of movies and games, with the designers explaining that Micrashell was born as a "socially responsible solution to safely allow people to interact in close proximity".

The team continues, explaining Micrashell as being specifically designed to "satisfy the needs of nightlife, live events and entertainment industries, Micrashell is a virus-shielded, easy to control, fun to wear, disinfectable, fast to deploy personal protective equipment (PPE) that allows socializing without distancing". Alrighty then.

We are so very close to NVIDIA announcing its new Ampere GPU during its now online-only GTC 2020 keynote, with NVIDIA CEO and founder Jensen Huang to take the virtual stage.

Before that, Jensen has been up to something in his kitchen -- cooking up something delicious. In a newly-posted video to NVIDIA's official YouTube account titled 'What's Jensen been cooking?' the man himself pulls something out of the oven... which seems to be a new DGX system that I wrote about a few days back as the Ampere-based HGX / DGX A100 system.

NVIDIA's super-fast DGX solutions are some of the fastest pieces of kit you can buy, with previous DGX designs powered by Pascal, Volta, and Turing GPUs. But now, a new system is about to be unveiled which will be powered by the new Ampere GPU architecture.

You might know him as Olaf from the Frozen franchise of movies, but Josh Gad has a new show called "Reunited Apart" -- where Gad gets in most of the main actors and people behind Back to the Future. Check it out:

If you're like me you'll be completely geeking out over the video, and while I won't give anything away -- you'll be surprised by how many people join the Back to the Future reunion. Gad of course gets the main actors in Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson -- but also director Robert Zemeckis and composer Alan Silverstri.

Gad first revealed his new YouTube series on April 27, kicking things off with the cast of another one of my most favorite movies of all time: The Goonies. You can check that one out here. I may or may not have teared up many times writing this news and watching this video (and The Goonies Reunion). So awesome!

It looks like Valve is about to kick off its annual Steam Summer Sale, with SteamDB developer Pavel Djundik tweeting out that the Steam Summer Sale will begin on June 25.

Djundik tweeted that "Chinese sources are saying the Steam summer sale starts on June 25", clarifying that these sources are "generally trustworthy, but not fully confirmed". He followed up that tweet with another, tweeting: "Confirmed now, Jun 25 to Jul 9".

But then Avi Thour just came out and gave exact times, tweeting "CONFIRMED! The 2020 Summer #Steam Sale runs from 25th June @ 9:55 A.M. Pacific to 9th July @ 10:00 A.M. Pacific. Hold your money boys!"

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick today confirmed the company plans to hire more than 2,000 employees this year alone, signalling big projects in development.

We've known for a while that Activision-Blizzard is working on a number of huge projects. Blizzard in particular has a stronger slate of new IPs than its ever had before, and there's also Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV in development. Activision's working on the new Vietnam-based Call of Duty 2020 and planning for more games into the future. Its segment is once again pulling in thunderous earnings thanks to Call of Duty Warzone, a new free-to-play BR game that's not only making millions in microtransactions, but boosting full game sales of Modern Warfare too. This is just the beginning of the #2 publisher's mighty leap into stronger billion-dollar earnings.

Now two years after laying off nearly 800 employees while simultaneously earning a record $7.5 billion, Activision is ready to reinvest in its workforce. The company wants to hire over 2,000 employees in 2020, which would push its total headcount above 11,200. And it's all to serve an ambitious new multi-faceted plan that will further cement its games into the lucrative live games-as-a-service market.

WhatsApp is working hard to keep its rapidly growing number of users happy. The desktop app for the service is currently beta testing video calling that supports up to 50 people on a single call. With WhatsApp moving to support 50 people on a call, it would be a more viable alternative to Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype.

The way the 50-person video calls would work with WhatsApp would be to transfer people into the new Facebook Messenger Rooms service that was announced not long ago. The WhatsApp menu would have a shortcut that redirects people to Facebook Messenger Rooms, where they're able to create a virtual meeting room within the Facebook service and invite users to join.

Since the video calls would be conducted in Messenger Rooms, they would support virtual backgrounds for individual participants. There's no clear indication at this time when support for up to 50 callers will exit beta and be integrated into the public version of WhatsApp Web. If all the services doing is shooting people to Messenger Rooms, it would seem the functionality is ready to roll out.

Manufacturers have been toying with new smartphone form factors in recent months. The most notable new form factor has been folding smartphones. We've seen some that bring dual screens with a separate second screen. A new smartphone form factor has turned up in the form of a leaked LG device rumored to be codenamed the LG Wing.

The top screen is said to rotate, allowing it to be swung from portrait to landscape position uncovering a second screen beneath. In the leaked image the second screen acts as a keyboard. When unfolded, the LG Wing resembles the letter "T." We most certainly aren't sure the LG Wing is anything more than a hastily photoshopped device.

There are some rumors about hardware to go along with the leaked image. Those rumors suggest that the Wing will use a Snapdragon 7-series processor and have a 64-megapixel primary camera. The main screen is said to be 6.8-inches. We could see the form factor getting a YouTube usage experience similar to what the Galaxy Z Flip features.

It's happening: 2K's fan-favorite Mafia sequel is getting remastered for current-gen consoles (and even Stadia).

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Brazil has rated Mafia II for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia, pretty much outing a re-release. Predictably the game is rated as 18+ in the country. The filing date also matches the original game's 2010 filing, but this is likely a placeholder of some sort.

This isn't a surprise. Fans have anticipated a remaster ever since the official Mafia Twitter account started posting one-word taglines like family, power, and respect. Everyone saw this one coming. Neither 2K nor Take-Two have officially announced anything regarding the Mafia II remaster, but expect a big reveal soon enough with screenshots, trailers and more showing side-by-side visual improvements.

Android fans are waiting in anticipation for the next device to land from Google in the form of the rumored Pixel 4a smartphone that's expected to compete against the iPhone SE. There have been multiple leaks of the smartphone ahead of its official unveil, most recently when Google's Rick Osterloh tweeted a screenshot that appeared to be from the 4a giving an idea of what the screen layout would look like.

A case allegedly designed for the Pixel 4a has leaked that has a rendering of the smartphone inside, showing what the device will look like. The case is thought to show the final design for the new smartphone, and the design does seem to correspond with the screenshot we mentioned before. The rendering shows a hole-punch camera on the front of the screen offset to the left.

The smartphone design appears to align with some previous rumors about the Pixel 4a. Rumors have suggested that the smartphone will feature a 5.8-inch OLED display, which would be significantly larger than the iPhone SE's 4.7-inch screen. One thing of note in the leaked case renderings is that the smartphone has a 3.5 mm headphone port.

Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg clarifies the Xbox Series X's standard 60FPS output, confirming developers will have total freedom over frame rates in their games.

Microsoft might be talking too much about the Xbox Series X and it's gotten them into hot water. A bit ago, Xbox's Aaron Greenberg said 60FPS is the standard output for the next-gen Xbox Series X, leading many to believe that was the minimum FPS performance on the system. That's not the case. Developers won't be forced to push their games to 60FPS on the system, and the Xbox Series X won't automatically upgrade every single game to at least 60 frames-per-second.

Confusion set in when Ubisoft confirmed Assassin's Creed Valhalla would run at a minimum 4K 30FPS on the Xbox Series X. Apparently everyone expected 4K 60FPS performance, which is an extremely tall order. But then again, Microsoft has hyped up 4K 120FPS gaming on the next-gen Xbox.

Most gadget fans like to see the folks over at iFixit tear the latest and greatest gadgets apart so you can see the inside. It's also nice to find out how repairable the devices are so if anything needs to be fixed down the road buyers know if it's possible or not. The latest product that iFixit is tearing apart is the new magic keyboard for iPad Pro.

Before iFixit jumps into a complete teardown of the keyboard, it first took apart the trackpad. The trackpad is the only part of the Magic Keyboard that's able to be taking apart without significant destruction of the keyboard. A full keyboard tear down will be coming according to the publication.

Underneath trackpad cover, there is a single button that operates on a lever system. When the trackpad is pressed near the center the user is pressing the sole button in the trackpad. That press causes contact plate in the center to be forced upward, making a click happen. When the trackpad is pressed from one of the other sides or corners, the lever system is activated, causing the contact plate in the center to be forced upward to complete the click.

Microsoft first announced the Family Safety app in March as a way for parents to protect those who matter most with both physical and digital security. The software giant is now rolling out a limited preview of the Family Safety app on iOS and Android. During the coronavirus, pandemic families around the world are both learning and working from home, with many spending more time on computers and phones trying to be sure their loved ones are safe.

The Microsoft Family Safety app allows parents to facilitate a dialogue with kids about the time they are spending on their device and the content they're viewing. The app is designed to provide transparency on where everyone is spending time online and allows the creation of flexible schedules to carve out time for tasks like online learning.

Microsoft Family Safety also allows parents to keep on top of what kids are doing when they are apart via location sharing. Microsoft says it is committed to bringing additional physical safety features in the coming months, such as safe driving, as we go back to a "new normal" to help protect the family. Some key features of the app include activity reporting. Activity reporting includes screen time, top websites visited, and terms kids are searching online. Parents will get an email summary each week outlining usage.

Today Activision confirmed the Tony Hawk 1 & 2 remaster bundle, which packs enhanced visuals, original tracks, skate maps, and more.

After the failure of Tony Hawk 5, Activision is going back to its roots with a fully-on remaster of the first two Tony Hawk games. The remaster bundle releases September 4, 2020 on PS4, Xbox One, and the Epic Games Store for $40, and comes with all the classic skaters you know and love. It also packs the series' best feature: Create-a-Park map editing. This was my favorite thing in the series and gamers will be able to create their own custom maps, share them with friends, and download other maps online.

"New to Create-A-Park this time around is a robust editor enabling new ways of customization. Players will be able to share parks online with friends and outfit skaters with customization options."

One of the things Apple is most famous for its consistently high profit margins. One of the ways Apple maintains those high profit margins is to rarely discount its hardware. Since the hardware is almost always the same price, even small discounts get Apple fans shopping for new gadgets excited.

Amazon has a deal going right now on the Apple AirPods Pro that brings them to the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon. The usual retail price for the AirPods Pro is $249. Amazon routinely has them marked down by 6% to $234.95 with free Prime shipping.

Currently, an additional discount of $6.96 is being added to all AirPods Pro headphones in the cart at Amazon. An in-cart discount means that when you first hop over to the product listing, the discount is not taken off the price. The discount will be added as a line item in the cart before check out. For those unfamiliar with the earbuds, they have active noise cancellation and transparency mode to allow users to hear what's going on around them.

Sony takes cues from Microsoft and forms its own first-party PlayStation Studios banner that ties all of its game studios together.

Today Sony announced PlayStation Studios (not to be confused with PlayStation Productions), a new collective that brings all of its first-party developers like Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, and Guerrilla Games together in one designated place. The new PS Studios formation is part of Sony's big marketing push for the cross-gen environment. Future first-party PlayStation 4 and upcoming PlayStation 5 games will be marked with a special label on their boxes, but some games like The Last of Us II and Ghost of Tsushima won't have the new designation (these boxes have already been manufactured for store shelves).

"We are really excited about this. Over the last few years--and even the last decade--the strength of the titles coming out from our studios has been stronger than ever. We have been thinking about how we unite all of these great games under one brand, and really the purpose of that is to make the consumer understand that, when they see this brand, they're getting ready for a robust, innovative, deep experience that they've come to expect from games coming from PlayStation. So we came up with PlayStation Studios," SIE's Eric Lempel told GamesIndustry.biz.

Google has announced updates that it has made to the Google Duo service aimed at making the application more fun and usable for families. One of the significant changes is the new family mode that allows users to doodle on video calls allowing everyone to see what they draw. The mode also supports effects and masks that will enable users on the call to be transformed into astronauts, cats, and more.

Using the new mode requires users to start a video call, tap the menu icon, and then tap Family to get started. Google says that it hid the hang up and mute buttons while using these new features to prevent accidental muting or disconnection of calls while playing. Google also reminds us that Duo calls are end-to-end encrypted.

Any one-on-one video call also gets support for masks and effects on both the Android and iOS versions of the app starting this week. Google promises to roll out more effects and masks to help people express themselves in the future. One of the most significant updates to the service is coming down the road.

A recent Sony Japan job listing flat out says the PlayStation 5 will release October 2020, but Sony confirms this isn't accurate.

No, the PlayStation 5 isn't coming in October. Sony tells Japanese publication Famitsu the job listing was an error and is still set for an undisclosed Holiday 2020 launch time (likely sometime in November). The listing itself was for Sony's materials acquisition department, which lays out the supply path for console hardware including the next-gen PS5.

"We will select the best suppliers from domestic and overseas parts partners, and adjust the specifications of the hardware parts and the production capacity in cooperation with the design department and the quality assurance department to create the PlayStation 5 scheduled to be released in October 2020," the erroneous job opening states.

Capcom wants to break its all-time game sales record this year, and it'll probably use Resident Evil 8 to do it.

Back in 2019, we predicted Capcom was gearing up for next-gen. Now we're seeing that plan mature. The company today revealed that it plans to sell 28 million games this fiscal year. That's more than it sold during Monster Hunter World's launch year, and that game is the company's best-seller of all time with 15.5 million sales.

Clearly something big is on the way, and for Capcom, it doesn't get any bigger than Resident Evil.

Since the coronavirus pandemic everyone has been on high alert for viruses on Earth, but what about potential viruses on other planets?

What if there is another virus on Mars for example that has the same level of infectiousness as SARS-CoV-2, and NASA accidentally brings it back to Earth? Don't worry, the chances of that are extremely small, and NASA are already taking precautions to make sure that never happens in the first place. Firstly, for NASA to bring back a virus to Earth that would mean they have found alien microbe life. Secondly, any samples NASA brings back from the red planet immediately go into quarantine as if they have COVID-19 or Ebola.

In an interview with Stanford's Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA Ames and scientist specializing in planetary protection, "I have heard from some colleagues in the human spaceflight area that they can see how, in the current environment, the general public could become more concerned about bringing back some alien microbe, virus or contamination".