Latest News - Page 1670

According to a new report from research firm Canalys, PC shipments are way down this quarter and it's all because of COVID-19.

The report sees companies shipping 53.7 million PCs (desktops, notebooks and workstations) worldwide in Q1 2020, which is an 8% drop in same period of 2019. But Q1 2020 and its 8% drop is the largest decline in PC shipments in a few years now, with the above chart from Canalys showing a 12% drop in Q1 2016.

The data shows that Lenovo came out on top with 12.8 million systems shipped, HP wasn't far behind with 10.4 million, and Dell in third place with 10.4 million. Apple is a huge drop below that with 3.2 million shipped, while Acer shipped 3.1 million -- "others" covers all the other brands and makes up 12.3 million systems shipped in Q1 2020.

Japan has announced a large $2.2 billion stimulus package that will help companies with production in China, bring it back home to Japan -- all because coronavirus is wrecking havoc on supply chains worldwide.

The Japanese government announced the new 220 billion yen ($2 billion) to see companies shift production back into the country, while 23.5 billion yen was put aside to help companies move production to other countries (not in Japan, but still out of China).

The news couldn't come at a more critical time as Chinese president Xi Jinping had a visit to Japan inked on his calendar for earlier this month, this trip would've been the first visit from Xi in over 10 years but it was delayed over the coronavirus outbreak.

Microsoft employees are pretty confident in the next-gen Xbox Series X, and aren't really worried about the PlayStation 5 dominating the landscape.

Microsoft's teams aren't really ones to crazily ignite the console wars. Yes, they've said things like the "world's most powerful console" in marketing promos, but actual employees are more level-headed and recognize the other side has some pretty big advantages. That being said, some of Team Green's members still think Xbox Series X is a better console.

In a recent Dealer Gaming podcast, Bill Stillwell, a mixed reality exec who worked closely with the Xbox backward compatibility team, says Xbox SX should be the overall better system. "I think what you saw was the unfortunate byproduct of a GDC talk being turned into a marketing event. I liked Cerny's talk, I think they've got some cool tech, I personally think we're going to have a better console. The other side if it is they have great IP, so I do expect they'll have a good experience," he said.

Recent PlayStation 5 mock-ups look pretty nice, but they might be totally off the mark. Sony's next-gen PS5 could look radically different than anything we've seen so far.

Like the Xbox Series X, the PlayStation 5 will require a pretty substantial cooling solution. PS5 architect Mark Cerny says we'll be pretty happy with the console's cooling and that the system's SoC was built from the ground up with proper heat dissipation in mind (the Navi GPU's and Zen 2 CPU's power draw was adjusted to maintain proper cooling).

Cerny also says the PS5 will require a 'noticably larger' fan and power supply, which should transform the overall case design. How Sony designs this array--which is described as a lavish and more expensive option--will dictate the shape of the system itself. Sony has yet to reveal specifics on the PS5's cooling or fan setup, but the Xbox Series X conversely uses a 130mm exhaust fan to pull air from the bottom up in a kind of vortex of airflow alongside a vapor chamber APU cooler. But also remember power is handled differently between the two systems: Xbox SX locks the CPU and GPU frequencies, whereas the PS5 has variable frequencies.

Square Enix's big cash-crop subscription Final Fantasy XIV has been interrupted from worldwide coronavirus lockdowns.

Final Fantasy XIV's updates are currently at a standstill thanks to coronavirus disruption. Game director Naoki Yoshida confirms the MMORPG's planned 5.3 patch has been delayed as the game's worldwide teams are quarantined against COVID-19 spread. Yoshida explains that everything from QA testing, voice acting, and of course asset animation and generation has been affected as workers are stuck at home.

Yoshida affirms the update is still coming, but it won't meet its original June launch date--it could be delayed up to a month. The team is currently rolling out server maintenance from their homes, so don't worry, you won't be abandoned.

Backwards compatibility is one of the Xbox brand's biggest strengths. But Microsoft was faced with lots of resistance when first starting the legacy-supported initiative.

The Xbox One backwards compatibility program had a rocky launch. Developers weren't originally enthusiastic about Microsoft emulating their games and gave explicit instructions not to meddle with their creations. Publishers, developers, and IP holders all had the same sentiment: Don't touch our games and keep them the same. That meant re-creating everything the original game offered, including game-breaking bugs and other issues.

This actually proved to be tough for the Xbox back-compat team. Microsoft got so good at emulating older Xbox 360 games that they had to dial back certain things to reproduce certain errors found in the legacy games. In a recent podcast with Dealer Gaming, Xbox exec Bill Stillwell gives an interesting perspective on what it was like when BC first started, and how developers eventually warmed up to the idea of their old-school games looking and playing better on modern hardware.

Capcom has started early planning phases of development on a Resident Evil 4 remake with M-Two at the helm, sources tell VideoGameChronicle.

It's happening: The medieval-style, ultra-creepy Resident Evil 4 will be remade for current (and probably next-gen) consoles. Sources say the game is being made by Japanese game dev M-Two. Horror maven Shinji Mikami, who directed the original RE4 in 2005, was asked to direct the game, but Mikami declined. The diabolical dev will instead advise M-Two as it works on the game, which is apparently pegged for a 2022 release.

Fans are divided on the idea of a RE4 remake. Many argue that Resident Evil 4 is perfect the way it is and shouldn't be changed or altered. Capcom's remakes typically put a new spin on old concepts, characters, and locations, and the games are usually all the better for it. Right now Resident Evil 4 is regarded as the best in the series thanks to its over-the-shoulder combat, unique and original haunted village locale, and overall departure for the franchise.

The Dreamcast might be dead for good, but Retro-Bit is reviving SEGA's old-school controller for a nostalgic hurrah.

Retro-Bit plans to release its new Dreamcast controller sometime in 2020, complete with wired and wireless options for gamers to choose from. The controllers will mimic the original Dreamcast's weird polygonal peripheral while also packing some new add-ons, including an improved analog stick, a new D-pad, a six-button layout for fighting games, and re-positioned triggers. Retro-Bit's controller also features the original Dreamcast hookup so it can play with your old-school machine, as well as a USB converter for PC play.

There's nothing quite like the Dreamcast controller. If you ever held one in the 90s, you know what I'm talking about. They're just so...weird but oddly satisfying at the same time. Using one now would be awkward since it doesn't have a second joystick, but for the time, it was quite unique.

Cyberpunk 2077 will follow in The Witcher 3's footsteps with a huge arsenal of free DLC packs, complete with sprawling post-launch expansions that carry the story forward.

CD Projekt RED's overall gameplan will continue with Cyberpunk 2077. The team plans to deliver a massive game that spans, oh, probably 100 hours, complete with a bunch of free DLC to boot. We'll also see sizable expansions that rival Witcher 3's titanic Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone.

In a recent interview with Polish investors, CD Projekt RED president Adam Kicinski says not to expect anything less than what The Witcher 3 delivered.

Doom Eternal's Carmack Reshade mod gives a neat overhaul to the graphics, but some areas don't look as good as others. We toned down the default settings a bit (removed bloom entirely) to see how some of the more basic effects stack up against the vanilla version.

Reshade mods can really make a game pop, or they can diffuse everything in darkness. The general settings in Carmack's Eternal Reshade kind of ride the border between making the game look amazing, and somewhat unplayable. We tweaked a few of the settings--there's a ton of them, so you can mix and match and create some really amazing setpieces--in early experiments to see what we could pull off. We used more basic presets like tweaked Fake HDR, LevelsPlus, LUT, and Adaptive Sharpen. I also recommend messing around with Monochrome too.

Square Enix reveals the latest Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer footage was captured on PC. This could be for disclosure (the graphics are obviously beyond what a PS4 Pro can deliver) or it could hint at a PC port. We're betting on both.

To no one's surprise, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is probably coming to PC. Square Enix previously confirmed the game is only debuting first on PS4 and isn't a full-on exclusive. This indicates FF7R will come to other platforms after FF7R's one-year PS4 exclusivity runs out. That means we won't see FF7R cross over to Xbox One or PC until April 10, 2021 at the earliest.

"The highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will debut first on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system on March 3rd, 2020," read a press release from 2019.

Doom Eternal's new Carmack Reshade mod adds a whole new dimension of depth, vibrancy, and brutality to your favorite demon-slaying shooter.

We just tried out the Carmack Eternal Reshade mod from Nexus Mods, and the results are pretty crazy. The mod itself is basically a Vulkan effects editor that lets you adjust various graphics, lighting, and visual settings in the game, including ambient light, simulated HDR, monochrome black-and-white filters to make everything into a 1950's gorefest, godrays, bloom--the works.

You can download the Reshade mod and customize everything yourself and experiment with all the awesome effects, or just use the presets designed by the mod's uploader. Either way, the game will look even better than it already did...which is saying a lot.

Cyberpunk 2077 will have special next-gen optimized releases for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X's new higher-end hardware, allowing for ultra-fast loading times, high frame rates, hardware-based ray tracing, 4K 60FPS, and more.

In its recent earnings call, CD Projekt RED confirms it plans to release a separate next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 that leverages the full power of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. The next-gen version may not be available when next-gen consoles launch in 2020, though.

There's two ways CDPR will likely handle this: upgrading the existing PS4 and Xbox One versions with enhancement patches to enable boosted performance and features, and launching a separate SKU in stores. CDPR has already confirmed anyone who buys an Xbox One copy will also get the Series X version too.

The PlayStation 5's new DualSense controller has lots of nifty improvements, but the new Create button might be a gateway to a new kind of interactivity that console gaming has never seen before.

Let me preface this article by saying this is all theoretical, and my points are centered around patents that may not actually manifest into PS5 features. But it seems very likely to happen. And yes, this is a big article.

Sony just revealed the PlayStation 5's controller, the DualSense. It's a new next-gen controller design that kicks off a brand new type of peripheral; the DualShock had motion tracking and rumble, the DualSense has haptic/tactical triggers and a new kind of sound output with the PS5's Tempest audio engine. Those are exciting, sure, but the biggest innovator might be hiding in plain sight. It's the Create button that could ultimately change how users interact with games.

Dead Island 2 is still happening, and it should release on both current-gen systems and next-gen consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X.

Dead Island 2 isn't dead. It did go through development hell for a while and changed hands three times--first Yager Interactive was on the project, then Sumo Digital stepped it, and now Homefront dev Dambuster Studios is at the helm--but it's still in the works. THQ Nordic is now calling the shots after buying Deep Silver, and the company strongly hints Dead Island 2 will be out by March 31, 2021.

That puts the sunny zombie sequel firmly in next-gen console territory. A new art director job listing indicates Dambuster plans to release the game across both gens, but in the Xbox Series X's case, it should just be an enhanced Xbox One version considering Microsoft isn't making next-gen exclusive titles.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake physical copies take a substantial time to install on PlayStation 4, so be ready for a wait.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a huge game. It clocks in at over 100GB across two full-sized 50GB Blu-ray discs, and can take over an hour to install on PS4. Similar to Red Dead Redemption 2, one disc is a Play Disc, and the other is a Data Disc. And like RDR2, FF7R takes even more time to install from a disc than it would to download on a modern internet connection.

Interestingly enough, Square Enix will let you play Final Fantasy 7 Remake even if you haven't fully installed the Data Disc. You can play up to the ending of Chapter 1 on the Play Disc before you're prompted to install the Data Disc. It's a nice touch but it's still better to buy digital for this one.

MAINGEAR is known in the United States as one of the highest-end custom gaming PC makers, but the company has quickly pivoted to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic with the release of the LIV -- a new ventilator being made on the cheap.

MAINGEAR is shifting over a certain allocation of its manufacturing capabilities, to help New York City and its overwhelmed intensive care units. MAINGEAR developed the new LIV ventilator in-house with medical advisers in just a matter of weeks, all while using off-the-shelf parts that can be "produced for approximately a quarter of the price" of a regular ventilator.

The company is now awaiting FDA clearance, with MAINGEAR ready to start delivering its new LIV ventilator in as little as two weeks from now. MAINGEAR is using an "easy to use touchscreen interface", where the company has used an NVIDIA Shield rocking custom software and "redundant power supplies".

Remember when NVIDIA unveiled that ridiculously amazing custom GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition graphics card? Yeah, well someone is selling one of them on eBay for $5000.

NVIDIA made less than 200 of the custom GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition graphics cards, where they were mostly given away during NVIDIA's huge competition. The company hosted a popular Twitter competition where they took in over 130,000 entries -- and picked people in pairs of two.

Some of the custom GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition graphics cards have been selling on eBay for anywhere between $3000 and $4300, but at the time of writing there was one on eBay for a wallet-busting $5000. For that, I'd want Keanu Reeves to personally call me up and call me "breathtaking"... right? Keanu?? Call me later, kay?

Sony officially unveiled its slick new DualSense controller for its upcoming next-gen PlayStation 5 console just days ago, but what would the new PS5 look like against that new DualSense controller design?

That's where our good friends at LetsGoDigital come into play, with their in-house designer Snoreyn whipping up some gorgeous new renders of the PlayStation 5. He whipped up an awesome-looking PlayStation 5 retail box concept that makes me really hope Sony was paying attention and make it just like that.

The new PlayStation 5 concept renders come in both black and white, with a gorgeous LED at the top. On the back we have a bunch of connectivity bet ween HDMI, Ethernet, digital optical audio, power, and USB ports. Around the front will be the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. I just don't know which PS5 render I like better -- black, or white?

A new announcement has come out from Disney today regarding its streaming service, reaching a brand new milestone.

According to the announcement, Disney+ has reached a brand milestone in regards to how many paying subscribers the service has attracted. Disney+ is only five months old, and now the streaming service has gathered more than 50 million paying subscribers. This is no surprise considering the immense amount of popular that Disney+ offers. Some examples of popular content include; Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, and National Geographic.

Kevin Mayer, Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International, said in a press release, "We're truly humbled that Disney+ is resonating with millions around the globe, and believe this bodes well for our continued expansion throughout Western Europe and into Japan and all of Latin America later this year. Great storytelling inspires and uplifts, and we are in the fortunate position of being able to deliver a vast array of great entertainment rooted in joy and optimism on Disney+."