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The Last of Us II lets you make and play your own guitar songs
The Last of Us II has a nifty mini-game that lets you create your own guitar riffs and tunes with the DualShock 4 controller.
The Last of Us II has been delayed indefinitely, but that hasn't stopped some gameplay footage from leaking out. A new one-minute video confirms you can pick up a guitar and jam out with Ellie in a surprisingly intricate guitar mini-game. You can strum a number of different chords and pick each string, effectively giving you all the tools to make your own post-apocalyptic music. Whether it's a somber dirge or a feel-good acoustic melody, the possibilities are nearly endless.
It's just another layer in Naughty Dog's massively realistic magnum opus. Playing guitar with Ellie is kind of intimate thing, an experience that lets you connect with her even more. It's always important to make that kind of human connection with characters especially in games with a human story--no matter how visceral, bloody, and chaotic it is. It's good to know Ellie has a hobby outside of massacring WLF members.
Continue reading: The Last of Us II lets you make and play your own guitar songs (full post)
Xbox Series X delay still possible, Phil Spencer says
Although Microsoft still feels good about releasing Xbox Series X in 2020, the coronavirus could interrupt shipping, testing, and development plans and force a delay.
Coronavirus disruption has forced Xbox teams to take on a big challenge: Rigorously test and iterate on a brand new console while working from home. Despite the circumstances, though, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says the Xbox Series X is still on track for a 2020 release. Xbox devs are adapting and working hard on the console's intricately layered hardware and software level optimizations to ensure a Holiday 2020 release.
But Spencer warns that could change. There's no guarantees right now and no promises. The console's release this year is conditional on two things: The safety of the Xbox team, and whether or not the system is actually ready to launch. Spencer says he won't jeopardize either priority, but workers come first over the product.
Continue reading: Xbox Series X delay still possible, Phil Spencer says (full post)
Capcom dev tests positive for coronavirus, game delays possible
Capcom today announced one of its Osaka-based employees has tested positive for coronavirus, and it could affect future games.
Right now the games industry is gearing up for a big delay season. The coronavirus is forcing countless dev teams to work at home, interrupting the normal flow of office-based iterative games development, and more importantly, the logistics of shipping physical games. Just yesterday Sony delayed The Last of Us 2 despite the game being almost finished.
Now Capcom could be facing these kinds of delays. The company just reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in its internal offices, but hasn't yet decided if it'll force developers to work at home. Many areas of Japan still don't have stay-at-home orders.
Continue reading: Capcom dev tests positive for coronavirus, game delays possible (full post)
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15: because one screen isn't enough for gaming
NVIDIA unveiled its new GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q graphics cards today (more on that here), with their various OEM partners now unveiling new super-powered gaming notebooks.
Razer took the veil off its their new Blade 15 gaming notebooks less than 24 hours ago, with ASUS following through with the unveiling of its own kick ass new gaming laptop in the form of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15.
The new ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 is a dual-screen gaming notebook, that wants to fill a slot in the market that no one else really dominates right now. It's the world's first dual-screen laptop aimed at gaming, and it's a little interesting to say the least.
Continue reading: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15: because one screen isn't enough for gaming (full post)
Razer's new Blade 15 gaming laptops: everything you need to know
NVIDIA announced its new GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q graphics cards today (more on that here), with their various OEM partners now unveiling new super-powered gaming notebooks.
Razer unveiled its new Razer Blade 15 gaming notebook that has improvements on both the inside, with some kick ass new CPU and GPU technology, as well as some changes on the outside. Razer will have two models available in May 2020 including a Base model starting at $1600, and the more Advanced model that taps out at $3300.
The new Razer Blade 15 Base model includes an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, which is a 6C/12T chip that offers a base frequency of 2.6GHz and up to 5GHz turbo. Razer starts things off with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card with 6GB of RAM, but there are options for the RTX 2070 or RTX 2080 graphics cards.
Continue reading: Razer's new Blade 15 gaming laptops: everything you need to know (full post)
Did you know there's coronavirus action figures? Well, you do now!
I thought this was an April Fools Day joke before I wrote it, but it's not -- there are real coronavirus action figures that have been on the market for weeks now, shown off on Death by Toys on Facebook.
Yeah, there's real coronavirus action figures and I'm pretty sure I'm still in this reality and haven't skipped over a few hertz. It all started with the 'coronavirus action figures' in some Novelty Sick Action Figures, which you can buy from Death by Toys right here.
The Novelty Sick Action Figures let you "recreate the classic global pandemic" with "custom made Action Figures". You will get a set of 3, which are mounted on a single-sided cardback. Death by Toys notes that covering the puff balls with tiny red dots was a "complete pain".
Continue reading: Did you know there's coronavirus action figures? Well, you do now! (full post)
HBO offers up its most popular shows for FREE, binge over coronavirus
You'll have to get your streaming binge on quick as they're only free for a limited time -- but HBO is offering around 500 hours worth of original and licensed content for free on HBO GO, and HBO NOW.
HBO is offering the free content on its two streaming services starting on Friday, April 3 where it will have its original shows including Ballers, Barry, Silicon Valley, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Succession, True Blood, Veep, and The Wire.
The company also has 10 documentaries and a bunch of theatrical releases from Warner Bros. all for free. There's nearly 500 hours of content here, so if you wanted to watch two of my favorite shows of all time -- Silicon Valley and Veep, I suggest you get your binge on right now.
Continue reading: HBO offers up its most popular shows for FREE, binge over coronavirus (full post)
United Nations wants 10% of global GDP to fund coronavirus response
The United Nations has proposed a massive project, so it can better respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic -- asking for at least 10% of global domestic product, or GDP.
In a fresh 26-page report, the United Nations has a plan to address the multi-threaded socio-econmic impact that COVID-19 is wrecking on the world. The UN describes it as a "global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations".
The document by the UN continues: "This report is a call to action, for the immediate health response required to suppress transmission of the virus to end the pandemic; and to tackle the many social and economic dimensions of this crisis. It is, above all, a call to focus on people -- women, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and on vulnerable groups who are already at risk".
Continue reading: United Nations wants 10% of global GDP to fund coronavirus response (full post)
Hideo Kojima wants you to poo your pants in his new horror game
Hideo Kojima wants to make another horror game that not only is revolutionary, but it'll make you sh*t your pants. Yeah, seriously -- Kojima wants to make something so scary you will sh*t your pants.
During a chat with BAFTA during his induction into their fellowship program, Kojima said: "I would like to make another horror game someday. Something that uses a revolutionary method to create terror, that doesn't just make you pee your pants, but crap them. I already have ideas in mind".
Kojima talked about the horror phenomenon P.T. which eventually turned into Silent Hills, where he said P.T. succeeded in its own ways, and resonated so strongly because it played on different elements of the unknown. The entire game was a mystery, and no one knew that Kojima and his team even made the game.
Continue reading: Hideo Kojima wants you to poo your pants in his new horror game (full post)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, RTX 2070 SUPER mobile GPUs are now here
NVIDIA has just released the most powerful notebook graphics solutions in the world, with the introduction of the GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER mobile graphics cards.
The new GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER are offered in Max-Q configurations, which offer unrivaled performance and efficiency. NVIDIA will have GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER-powered gaming notebooks from partners like Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and others starting from $999. Meanwhile, RTX 2070-powered gaming notebooks will start from $1199.
Enabling DLSS 2.0 will give you a massive chunk of a performance gain, if you are running games that have DLSS 2.0 -- these include games like Control and Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and others.
Continue reading: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, RTX 2070 SUPER mobile GPUs are now here (full post)
This is our first look at the PlayStation 5 retail box in concept form
Sony will most likely postpone the release of its next-gen PlayStation 5 console because of the massive issues coronavirus is wrecking on virtually all aspects of the market, but now we have some retail box concept art to show you.
Our good friends at LetsGoDigital have tapped their in-house Italian designer Giuseppe Spinelli AKA Snoreyn, to make a concept piece on the retail packaging of the PlayStation 5. I would actually really love Sony to use something along the lines of this, and I'm loving the '8K HDR' stamp in the top right hand corner.
The last thing that Snoreyn did was the DualShock 5 controller trailer, which looked oh-so-awesome. I wrote about it in detail right here, but the video above does it more than justice. The last PlayStation 5 renders still tease the awesome V-shaped design that I hope Sony goes with in final retail form.
Continue reading: This is our first look at the PlayStation 5 retail box in concept form (full post)
New Final Fantasy IX update accidentally deletes the game
Today Square Enix made a ridiculous slip-up by launching an update for Final Fantasy IX on PC that pretty much deleted most of the game's files.
The update went live earlier this morning on Steam. Anyone who downloaded it got a nasty surprise: Their on-disk files were pretty much wiped out. Gamers downloaded patch data that pretty much removed the data on their hard drives. This SteamDB patch notes catalog gives a rundown of what files were yanked.
At the time of writing the game has been fully restored so there's no worry about updating, but always be sure to back up your lengthy save files or just set auto-updates on pause. Losing hundreds of hours of Final Fantasy save data is a crippling blow--and the world is full of enough of those already.
Continue reading: New Final Fantasy IX update accidentally deletes the game (full post)
Fallout 76 is free on Steam for all existing PC owners
In an attempt to re-invigorate the game's playerbase, Bethesda is giving away free copies of Fallout 76 on Steam to anyone who bought the PC version on Bethesda.net.
Anyone who's already played Fallout 76 on PC can also get a free copy on Steam. All you need to do is link your Bethesda.net account with your Steam account. Click here to see if you've already done that or not (if you've played Doom Eternal on Steam, you definitely already have). The promo ends on April 12 at 11:59PM, just a day before the game's official release.
Fallout 76's launch on Steam this month is a huge deal. It's a rare opportunity to capture lapsed players while simultaneously sparking sales by launching on a new platform. The game's massive new Wastelanders expansion, which adds actual human NPCs into the game, coincides with the launch too. Bethesda is aiming to turn around Fallout 76's negative image while attracting players new and old into the re-modeled world.
Continue reading: Fallout 76 is free on Steam for all existing PC owners (full post)
Respawn basically confirms Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is in development
We've known for a while the Respawn is making another unannounced Star Wars game. It's an open secret in the industry that this game is Jedi: Fallen Order 2. But now a Respawn dev basically confirms a sequel is happening.
While scouting Twitter, I noticed an interesting post from Respawn 3D art director Ryan Lastimosa about Respawn's current job listings. Lastimosa tagged three games in the Tweet that indicate what Respawn is currently working on: Medal of Honor VR, Apex Legends, and Jedi: Fallen Order. It's not a big shocker, but it's still a confirmation of sorts. EA, who has cancelled three big Star Wars projects so far, sees Respawn's Star Wars games as safe bets. Jedi: Fallen Order was so successful it changed how EA sees singleplayer games.
Respawn has been hiring for a Star Wars game for some time now. At the time of writing, the developer has 8 positions open in the Star Wars team, including some higher-level jobs like a senior level designer, as well as a game writer and software engineer. This could indicate Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is still in early production phases of development.
Continue reading: Respawn basically confirms Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is in development (full post)
PlayStation 5's rumored heat issues should be solved in final console
UPDATE: Jason Schreier, who has close ties with developers in the games industry, says the overheating rumors aren't true.
Why hasn't Sony showed the PlayStation 5 yet? Rumor has it the system runs so hot that Sony still hasn't locked down a final design for the console. This doesn't seem 100% accurate though, especially considering how important PlayStation is for the company.
New reports suggest Sony is currently wrangling PS5 overheating issues. Supposed unnamed dev sources tell reporters like Windows Central's Dan Rubino and Jez Corden that the console is simply belting out too much heat for the cooling array to handle.
Continue reading: PlayStation 5's rumored heat issues should be solved in final console (full post)
The Last of Us Part 2 delayed indefinitely over coronavirus
The Last of Us II has been delayed again, and this time Naughty Dog doesn't have a firm release date.
Today Naughty Dog confirmed their big post-apocalyptic sequel has been delayed indefinitely due to coronavirus disruption. This is the second major delay the game has faced since being announced in December 2016.
"As you've likely just seen, the release of The Last of Us Part II has been delayed. We're sure this news is just as disappointing to you as it is to us," Naughty Dog wrote on Twitter.
Continue reading: The Last of Us Part 2 delayed indefinitely over coronavirus (full post)
Gamer uses skyscraper as a giant screen for drive-in Mario Kart action
What if you combined a drive-in with a real-life let's play, all while avoiding potential contagion risk? That's what one Canadian is doing.
Right now everyone's restless, tired, and bored thanks to COVID-19 quarantines. One industrious Canadian Redditor wants to change all that. Introducing CutieGremlin, a gamer who's transformed the side of a huge apartment complex building into an entertainment billboard for themselves and their neighbors.
CutieGremlin keeps things interesting with a wide variety of games. Sometimes there's Mario Kart 64, other times there's NES classics like Bubble Bobble. Maybe we'll see some Super Smash Bros. in there at some point.
Continue reading: Gamer uses skyscraper as a giant screen for drive-in Mario Kart action (full post)
GIGABYTE's new gaming laptops rock 10th-Gen Core i9, GeForce RTX SUPER
GIGABYTE has just unveiled its new AORUS and AERO series laptops, which pack Intel's latest 10th-Gen Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER graphics.
GIGABYTE Has teamed with G2 Esports on its new AORUS gaming laptops, with the AORUS 17X desktop replacement notebook featuring some beast specs. The AORUS 17X desktop replacement notebook is followed up with high-end models in the AORUS 17G and AORUS 15G which are all specced to gamers needs.
Inside of each of the new AORUS laptops is an Intel 10th-Gen Core processor, ranging from the Core i9-10980HK, Core i7-10875H, and Core i7-10750H.
Continue reading: GIGABYTE's new gaming laptops rock 10th-Gen Core i9, GeForce RTX SUPER (full post)
Retired NBA superstar gets slapped with $16,000 Fortnite bill
A retired NBA superstar has gone to the store to buy some items and was shocked to find out that his credit card declined. He was even more shocked when he realized why it was declining.
Kendrick Perkins isn't the biggest fan of video games, and since the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, many children and parents alike are staying home and enjoying forms of entertainment. One of those forms of entertainment for kids is video games, and according to Perkins, both of his sons have developed an obsession with Fortnite. This obsession didn't just cost Perkins some patience, but also a hefty bill.
When Perkins' card declined at the store, he checked his credit card report, and to his shock, he realized he had $16,000 worth of Fortnite bills attached to his account. Here's what he said, "I go to the store to buy something, credit card declined. I get my credit card bill back. Come to find out, I got US$16,000 worth of Fortnite bills on my credit card. It was from buying skins every day, whatever that is. I don't even know what it is."
Continue reading: Retired NBA superstar gets slapped with $16,000 Fortnite bill (full post)
Japanese deputy PM: WHO should be called 'Chinese Health Organization'
Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso has ripped into the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that they should be renamed the 'Chinese Health Organization' (CHO), slamming Beijing for covering up the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Watch it for yourself right here:
Aso said that Taiwan was driven to become a world leader in combating the coronavirus, and that coronavirus has caused the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that were taking place this year -- had been postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Japanese Deputy Prime Minister had some harsh criticism for China in Japanese parliament recently.
The Japanese Deputy Prime Minister said that "although the details are murky, the WHOs previous Director-General was a Chinese national and at the time there were complaints all around. And now, at least the petition has received 500,000 signatures. People think the World Health Organization should change its name, it shouldn't be called the WHO, it should be renamed the CHO (or Chinese Health Organization). This is truly resonating with the people".
Continue reading: Japanese deputy PM: WHO should be called 'Chinese Health Organization' (full post)






















