Latest News - Page 1625

EA confirms it won't charge for patches that upgrade current-gen games for next-gen PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X consoles.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X have two methods to upgrade current-gen games. The hardware will natively boost performance of current-gen games by default (the Xbox Series X can boost games to native 4K, and the PS5 boosts games so much that devs have to manually come in and ensure compatibility). Native upgrades are less potent than manual upgrades. Games can also get special enhancement patches that basically transform them into next-gen versions. We don't know the extent of these manual upgrades, but they may include ray tracing optimizations, higher frame rate perf, and ultra-fast SSD load times.

Luckily, publishers like EA won't charge for these upgrades. And nor should they. If you already own a current-gen game, you shouldn't have to re-buy the game for a newer generation. Remember PS5 and Xbox Series X are a new generation, but they support PS4 and Xbox One games. They're an evolution and an extension of current-gen.

Today Netherealm announced Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, a huge new expansion that expands the story and adds one of the most iconic 90s heroes of all time.

The new MK11: Aftermath expansion is a pretty big deal for Mortal Kombat fans. Aftermath takes place after the events of the game's dazzling time-travelling narrative and spins a new tale as Fire God Liu Kang teams up with Shang Tsung, Sheeva, and other unlikely allies to battle it out against Kronika.

Read Also: Mortal Kombat 11 Review: Kataclysmic Khaos

Ring today announced that it has improved its original Ring Video Doorbell with a new version. The name is the Video Doorbell 2nd Generation and sells for $99.99. Ring says that the new doorbell has 1080p HD video along with better image quality in day and night modes.

Another key feature for the second generation of the Ring Video Doorbell is updated motion zones. Ring says the new doorbell adds significantly to home security capabilities and brings the updates for the same price as the first generation device. The second generation also has enhanced audio quality.

The updated video doorbell will continue to take snapshots at intervals throughout the day. That feature is meant to allow users to review a timeline of what happened in front of the doorbell between recorded events. Adjustable motion zones now include an additional near zone that allows users to receive alerts they care about the most.

Tinder has announced that it will make an update to its very popular dating app to help people connect during the coronavirus pandemic around the world. The update will add a video chat feature that opens the door for video dating. The video chat feature was confirmed by the Match Group, which is the parent company to Tinder.

The company said in its Q1 earnings statement, "As daters demonstrated strong willingness to video-date, our product and engineering teams around the world mobilized quickly to deploy one-to-one video chat capabilities on many of our platforms."

Also noted in the earnings report is that Tinder will launch a one-to-one live video service in late Q2 2020. That's not very far away, so those wanting to do some video chatting on the dating app will be able to very soon. Research the company performed for the earnings report also showed that many people using its dating services plan to continue virtual dating in the future.

Apple and Google are working on a contact tracing system to help people know if they've been near anyone who has been diagnosed with coronavirus/COVID-19. The duo has announced that they will not allow location tracking in the new app. Combined, Apple and Google's operating system's power 99% of all smartphones. The duo surprised many when they announced that they would work together to create a system to notify people who have been near others that have tested positive for COVID-19.

Apple and Google have said of their app that the contact tracing technology would only be made available to public health authorities and that Bluetooth will be used to carry out the contact tracing. Both Apple and Google say that they will not allow GPS location data to be stored to protect citizen privacy and to avoid profiling.

The companies issued a joint statement that said the Bluetooth identifiers they are using rotate every 10 to 20 minutes to help prevent tracking. Companies also say that users would have to enable the technology specifically and that it could be turned off by the user at any time. One potential issue is that for users with devices who don't want to be tracked, yet may be infected, can turn off Bluetooth. Those who have low battery power resulting in Bluetooth being turned off automatically could result in some potentially infectious encounters not being tracked.

New figures from SuperData underline just how big Jedi: Fallen Order is for Star Wars video games.

In less than a year Jedi: Fallen Order, a singleplayer-only game, beat Battlefront II's combined digital live service and monetization revenues. This is huge. Battlefront II has been on the market for over 2 years now and was specifically designed to generate microtransaction revenues. Jedi: Fallen Order was designed to simply sell copies as an offline, static singleplayer game without any multiplayer or social-driven engagement hooks.

Analyst firm SuperData notes JFO managed to oust Battlefront II in its own digital playing field. This means Jedi: Fallen Order's digital sales generated more revenue than Battlefront II's sales and monetization combined. How did this happen?

Samsung and AMD cooked up a mobile GPU partnership in the middle of 2019. The fruits of that GPU partnership aren't expected until 2021, according to previous AMD statements. Since the partnership was first announced, few details have surfaced. New information claims that despite the coronavirus pandemic, Samsung and AMD are still on track to hit that 2021 release date.

AMD is reportedly in the process of optimizing the custom GPU that will be integrated into Samsung devices in the future. More recently, a glimpse of what smartphone fans can expect from the chipset surfaced with leaked synthetic early test scores from GFXBench. Those leaked scores showed that the AMD GPU for the coming Samsung flagship devices scored 181.8 frames and the Manhattan 3.1 test.

That's about 13% better performance than the Adreno 650 used in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The AMD GPU also averaged 138.25 in Aztec Normal and 58 frames in Aztec High. Those results are said to be about three times better than the Adreno 650. Expectations are that the AMD Radeon GPU will first turn up inside Galaxy smartphones with the Samsung Exynos 1000 SoC, which is believed to be the name for the successor to the Exynos 990.

Cyberpunk 2077 might be the most ambitious game of our time: It's a huge FPS RPG with tons of action, choice, and consequence, and it lets you tailor-make your naughty bits.

A new ESRB listing confirms something pretty surprising: You can adjust the "size and combination" of your genitals. The combination part is pretty interesting and I'll leave that up to your imagination. I'm glad that's confirmed, because we all know it's super important you can size up your bulge in the game--gotta make it realistic, after all.

"The game contains nudity and sexual material: Players can select a gender and customize their character; customization can include depictions of breasts, buttocks, and genitalia, as well as various sizes and combinations of genitals," reads the listing.

Zoom has grown significantly during the coronavirus pandemic around the world. Large numbers of users have turned to Zoom and similar services to conduct business and go to school. One of the challenges that Zoom has had is keeping users safe from harassment from so-called Zoom-bombing. Zoom-bombing occurs when someone joins a meeting who isn't supposed to be there and disrupts the meeting for the actual attendees.

Zoom says that it recently gave users more control over the use of personal meeting IDs (PMIs) within their organization. The latest release allows Zoom account owners and administrators to disable the use of a PMI for scheduling or starting an instant meeting. The PMI is always accessible using the same ID or meeting link, allowing anyone to join unless the meeting is properly secured.

Disabling the use of PMIs reduces the risk of unauthorized users gaining access to the meeting and doesn't leave the security of the PMI up to individual users. Zoom says the option to disable PMIs can be locked at the account or group level. Zoom warns that when PMIs are turned off, existing PMIs and personal links will become invalid and can't be used to host a meeting.

Oculus has been working on the Oculus Quest 2 for a while, and the project is reportedly code-named Del Mar. A new report has surfaced the claims the Oculus Quest 2 is still in the works, but it may not arrive this year as expected. According to the new report, the Facebook-owned company has delayed the Oculus Quest 2 until 2021 or later.

The report comes from industry experts cited by Bloomberg claiming that the Oculus Quest 2 was originally set to launch at the Oculus Connect conference expected late in September or early in October. The sources claim that shipping delays and logistical issues are likely to prevent that launch until 2021.

For now, all we have to go on are rumors of what the Del Mar VR headset will bring to market. Compared to the original Oculus Quest, the Del Mar device will reportedly bring more RAM, longer battery life, a faster processor, and ergonomic changes. Those ergonomic changes are expected to make the headset more comfortable to wear and include smaller size and reduced weight.

Activision reports stellar Q1 2020 earnings, driven by digital surges in monetization, game purchases, and strong engagement.

Actvision's latest earnings report re-affirms it as the lord of monetization, second only to Tencent's mobile might. Activision-Blizzard's Q1 earnings were boosted by COVID-19 quarantines, which saw more players jumping into Call of Duty and Blizzard games over March. Warzone in particular amassed 60 million players and helped spiked microtransions by 20% YoY to $956 million. Warzone also sparked Modern Warfare sales and helped the game become the best Q1 performer in Call of Duty history.

In the three-month period ended March 31, 2020, Activision-Blizzard earned a total of $1.788 billion in net revenues, up a mighty 23% from last year. The company beat its net revenue forecast by $148 million, and total net bookings by $247 million.

Activision confirms Warzone's massive success is spiking Modern Warfare game sales, cementing this F2P-and-premium gameplan as a permanent fixture in the company's business model.

With the new free-to-play Warzone battle royale, Activision has created their own Game Pass effect: A live operation is pushing full game sales while monetizing and engaging players in the process. Warzone features cross-play, cross-SKU, and cross-progression with Modern Warfare, meaning it's also tied into and with the premium game, but it's also a standalone free download. It's the perfect entry point to Activision's billion-dollar live Call of Duty empire. Think of Warzone as the connective sinew in between Call of Duty's muscle.

In its recent earnings report, Activision confirmed two things: Their intended plan to use Warzone as a gateway to full game sales is working, and Warzone is also monetizing players quite strongly.

Apple has announced that it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference virtually kicking off on June 22. The virtual conference will be held in the Apple Developer app and on the Apple Developer website. While some may be disappointed that the conference is going to be virtual this year, the good news is it's also free for all developers.

While announcing the free virtual conference, Apple has also confirmed the Swift Student Challenge, which is an opportunity for student developers to create their own Swift playground. Apple says that WWDC20 will be an opportunity for millions of "creative and innovative developers around the world" to learn more about the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

Apple Senior Vice President of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller says that WWDC20 will be the biggest event yet and that more details about the virtual conference will be provided as we get closer to the event. Apple says that Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad and Mac that makes learning the Swift programming language interactive. Apple is asking student developers from around the world to submit their Swift Student Challenge by creating an interactive scene in a Swift playground that can be experienced within three minutes.

Ubisoft's new Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes place in a war-torn England during the brutal and ambitious age of Viking invasions.Now Ubisoft pinpoints the exact yearly timeline and highlights what to expect from the game's historical setting.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is set in the bloody backdrop of the 9th century Dark Ages, more specifically during a time of expeditious and violent expansion from the Vikings in Scandinavia. The game chronicles the Norseman's journey from Norway to the Anglo Saxon kingdoms to the south, letting players take part in the chaos of the Viking hordes and their surprisingly skilled settling of England.

Ubisoft confirms Valhalla starts in 873AD when England (or more aptly described as Angland, thus named after the Anglo Saxons that settled the area) comprised of three kingdoms: Northumbria in the north, Mercia in the midlands, and Wessex to the south. King Alfred (also known as Aelfred) the Great reigns over the last unconquered kingdom of Wessex and is shown in the reveal trailer as the game's principal antagonist.

As expected, Respawn Entertainment revealed the next character that will be coming to Apex Legends, introducing Loba, the thief that's hellbent on revenge.

The new character was revealed in the Season 5 trailer titled "Fortune's Favor", where we are introduced to Loba invading what seems to be a secret underground base beneath Kings Canyon. In this base are what seems to be backups for Revenants body in the event of it being destroyed; there's also the original mind that Revenant uses to copy every time he makes another edition of himself.

Loba is unable to destroy the original mind, and instead triggered the facilities' defensive system, barely making it out alive. Throughout her escape, we can see that Loba uses her teleport to get out of several close call scenarios, I'd imagine this will also be her ability in-game. When Loba makes it out of the facility, she meets the rest of the Apex Legends, and her dreaded nemesis, Revenant. Revenant asks her, "come to kill me little girl?"

SpaceX is performing some upgrades on its new Crew Dragon spacecraft, adding touchscreens so that astronauts going to the International Space Station receive some next-gen SpaceX innovation.

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be the first astronauts to take off in the Dragon capsule, headed up to the International Space Station, and will now get to tweak and play around with a touchscreen versus buttons and dials of yesteryear.

In a recent press interview with NASA, Behnken explained: "It's probably a dream of every test pilot school student to have the opportunity to fly on a brand-new spaceship, and I'm lucky enough to get that opportunity with my good friend here".

If the dizzying heights of 8K at 7680 x 4320 weren't high enough, then 15,360 x 8640 (16K) might tickle your pickle -- and USB 4.0 is going to be dropping in 2021 and it should support both displays... all on a single cable.

CNET is reporting that USB 4.0 Type-C ports will pack DisplayPort 2.0 wiring, which will enable single-cable 8K displays and even more insane single-cable 16K displays. USB 4.0 will feature up to 40Gbps of bandwidth, and up to 80Gbps in x2 mode, and will pack tunneling technology that Thunderbolt currently enjoys meaning you can daisy chain devices all day long.

The 8K and 16K resolutions will both run at 60Hz over a single-cable USB 4.0 Type-C connector, as well as next-gen VR headsets. USB 4 is getting some major injections of bandwidth and features thanks to some of the Thunderbolt technology from Intel, where Thunderbolt 3 adopted the USB-C physical connector and now runs in USB alt mode.

I didn't think I would have to be writing an article like this, but Tom Cruise is making a movie with Elon Musk's space company SpaceX in a new project with NASA.

The news is coming from Deadline, which reports that it is not a new Mission: Impossible movie, saying: "and no studio is in the mix at this stage but look for more news as I get it. But this is real, albeit in the early stages of liftoff".

Tom Cruise is no stranger to dangerous stunts, so venturing into space makes sense for the veteran actor. Cruise recently broke his ankle filming Mission: Impossible Fallout -- where in the same movie he is hanging from a helicopter. Speaking of hanging, Cruise clung to the side of a plane in Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation... and he's not scared of heights considering he climbed the Burj Khalifa (in Dubai) in Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

HBO Max is offering some pretty nice discount to its upcoming streaming service, which if you sign up to the pre-order promotion the company will drop the monthly charge from $15, to just $12 per month.

The deal of $12 per month lasts for the first year, and it will apply to new subscribers as well as a "returning eligable" HBO Max customer. The discounted monthly price of HBO Max is only available if you sign up on the official HBO Max website, or go through WarnerMedia directly.

HBO Max will be launching on May 27 with some rather big exclusives, with Warner Bros. Picture Group opening a new production wing in Warner Max, that will create streaming movies for HBO Max. HBO Max will also have the entire Friends catalog, the hour-long Friends Reunion Special, the entire seasons of The Big Bang Theory -- something that cost WarnerMedia a huge $1 billion for the exclusive rights to the show.

Elon Musk has just announced that he has become a father again, with Elon confirming on Twitter that his Canadian girlfriend Claire Boucher -- who is known as Grimes -- have had a healthy baby boy.

Musk tweeted that: "Mom & baby all good", but it was the next tweet that kinda blindsided me -- Musk was asked about the name of his baby, to which he replied: "X Æ A-12 Musk". Yeah, I think Elon is being serious by saying that he's named his baby X Æ A-12 Musk. I don't even know how to begin to think about pronouncing that.

Musk has been with Grimes for two years now, meeting at the Met Gala back in 2018. Grimes announced her pregnancy on Instagram back in January, but didn't confirm Musk was the father at the time. In March 2020, Grimes was interviewed by Rolling Stone where Musk was confirmed as the father.