Latest News - Page 1812

AMD is expected to launch some faster Navi-based graphics cards in the near future, with sources of WCCFTech saying that a new Navi 12-based Radeon RX 5800 series is on the way.

We might not see AMD officially launch the new Navi 12-powered parts as the Radeon RX 5800 series with WCCFTech noting that "we shall call it the Radeon RX 5800 series" as it is a "higher-end offering" than the Radeon RX 5700 series. But what can we expect from Navi 12, and the purported RX 5800 series exactly?

Navi 12 should have between 30-50% more stream processors than Navi, with Navi 10 capped at 2560 stream processors on the RX 5700 XT. It should have 8GB of GDDR6 at higher clock speeds, just like the card it will reportedly be directly competing against -- NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, which has its GDDR6 clocked up to 15.5Gbps (up from 14Gbps on the regular RTX 2070 and all RX 5700 series cards).

Halo: Reach's anticipated PVP test on Xbox should happen soon as 343i squashes a big memory issue.

The big memory roadblock that's been preventing Halo Reach's MCC test flights on Xbox One has been resolved, and 343i is prepping a new PVP test for the platform. The news was confirmed in a recent Halo social stream, hinting Halo: Reach MCC could release on both PC and Xbox One in 2019 after all.

"We have very talented engineers, they definitely evaluate a lot of the changes they're going to make and where they're going to free up the memory. They make decisions on how to optimize usage," said 343i producer Sean Swidersky.

Microsoft's big new Project xCloud game streaming service is holding private beta tests next month, and includes some surprising games.

Project xCloud aims to counter Google Stadia by beaming Xbox games to mobile devices, laptops, consoles, and eventually, PCs--all without having to buy any extra gaming hardware. But the cloud-streaming subscription isn't ready yet, and Microsoft plans to hold a closed test starting in October. The test will be held in the US, the UK, and Korea, and will be conducted both via Wi-Fi and cellular internet carriers, with special partnerships with T-Mobile, Vodafone, and SK Telecom.

Microsoft plans to test out four titles across a breadth of genres, including: Halo 5: Guardians, Gears of War 5, Killer Instinct, and Sea of Thieves. Access to these games will be 100% free and you'll be prompted to play on both Wi-Fi. It's no coincidence that all of these games are service-related with engagement hooks and in-game spending opportunities, but we suspect these will be turned off during the trial.

The Epic Games Store is about to get a lot better on the eyes. But there's still no word on a shopping cart yet.

The Epic Store is still pretty barebones, but it's getting better over time. With features like cloud saves (albeit ones that can delete your progress accidentally), Epic is slowly making good on its promise to morph the storefront into a Steam-like marketplace. Now the billion dollar games-maker announced some new updates to EGS including a UI overhaul and a few immediate changes that're available today.

Current changes include a play time counter, viewing games in a list view, and smaller patch download sizes via a new optimized toolset. More involved features like a dramatically spruced up storefront page and an in-game overlay are still in the pipeline. After the UI update, EGS will look a lot like Steam, complete with trending tabs, featured squares and ads for games, and a curated section.

Grand Theft Auto III was just approved by the Australian ratings board, hinting at an incoming re-release.

Rockstar is making the rounds on new ratings submissions. First Red Dead Redemption II was just re-approved, hinting at a PC release, and now Grand Theft Auto III has been likewise rated. Usually these kinds of submissions/approvals come before a game is released or remastered for other platforms, so by this logic we could see GTA III roll out on Nintendo Switch and Xbox (it's already available on PC and PS4).

If the game does drop on Switch and Xbox, expect a digital release rather than a big retail re-launch. The only way I'd see GTA III arriving in stores again is with a trilogy bundle that packs in Vice City and San Andreas too. Sadly neither Vice City nor San Andreas have recent listings in the database.

In case you weren't aware, Brandon Routh is set to return as Superman -- but he won't be playing the Superman you know him for out of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns from 2006.

Routh will play a different Superman inspired by the Kingdom Come version of Kal-El in CW's upcoming five-episode Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Routh will play an older Superman in the series, with no connection to his Christopher Reeve-inspired stint in Superman Returns.

Not only that, but Supergirl's Tyler Hoechlin will continue his role as Superman while Tom Welling will be Superman from Smallville, which any Smallville will remember Welling never actually wore the Superman suit. He refused to, leaving the crew to add it in post with CG -- it was also very similar to the one Routh wore in Superman Returns at the time.

AMD is expected to launch its next-gen third-generation Ryzen Threadripper in November, powered by the new Zen 2 architecture and offering more cores and threads than ever before. But what about X399 compatibility? According to the new rumors: that's a big NOPE.

1usmus is the creator of the DRAM Calculator for AMD Ryzen CPUs (his real name is Yuri Bubily) and his post on Overclock.net he said that AMD has removed X399 compatibility from its upcoming third-gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. There are lots of changes with the new Threadripper CPUs, which seem to have forced AMD into new chipsets for the new TR processors.

The new chipsets in question would be the purported TRX40 and TRX80 (really, AMD? Mix that around and it spells RTX... your competitors graphics cards) that would support the next-gen Ryzen Threadripper CPUs.

Respawn Entertainment is ramping right into the third season of Apex Legends, launching a new trailer for S3 which has been dubbed Meltdown. Check it out:

Apex Legends' new season will see Respawn debut a new character in Crypto, as well as a big surprise: a new map called World's End. Unlike Fortnite, which sees Epic Games making continuous changes to its single map -- Respawn has decided to split Apex into two offering two maps.

World's End rocks an awesome fire-and-ice theme with a moveable train with loot on it, and plenty of surprises in store. There will be a bunch of smaller cities, and a huge tower that is covered in ice and gives me the same feels as Superman's iconic Fortress of Solitude.

OnePlus is known for its smartphones but now the company has just unveiled its first TV -- the new 55 Q1 Pro, which is a 55-inch 4K HDR-capable QLED TV.

The new OnePlus 55 Q1 Pro features a VA panel with slim bezels, an 8-speaker module is found running along most of the TV and slides down from behind the display and sits just below it. A nice touch from OnePlus.

OnePlus's new TV is powered by Android which means you'll have access to a bunch of different apps and services directly on the 55 Q1 Pro, as well as a voice-capable remote that has a multi-direction button, and a shortcut to Amazon Prime Video.

Red Dead Redemption 2 may not get paid expansions or singleplayer DLC.

Rockstar games seem to be one-and-done when it comes to singleplayer, and we shouldn't expect any different with Red Dead Redemption 2. The studio takes years and years to craft sprawling, realistic worldscapes with big winding story arcs with definite beginnings, middles and ends. Starting with GTA V, all post-release content has been exclusive to a monetized online mode separate to singleplayer. After earning over $1 billion from GTA Online's microtransactions, this trend is now cemented in Rockstar's roadmap. If singleplayer is the cinematic film, then Rockstar Online (yes, there's an actual umbrella label for its online ventures) is the long-running TV show with tons of ads.

So it's no surprise that Red Dead Online continues the legacy by carving a clear line between singleplayer and multiplayer. And it's also not a surprise that Rockstar really isn't interested in paid DLC when it can earn untold millions (and sometimes $1 billion+) from online content.

Spider-Man is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for at least another film.

Following a tumultuous breakup that just about broke the internet, Sony and Disney are back together for another big Marvel film. The titans of industry ironed out a new deal that sees Disney raking in 25% of all profits from the movie, keeping its original merchandising terms, and paying for roughly 1/4th of the film's production costs.

Kevin Feige is working on the new movie, which is set in the Spider-Man Homecoming universe and due out in July 16, 2021. Tom Holland will star and original movie producer Amy Pascal is reprising her role through Pascal Pictures.

Naughty Dog will expand their gritty post-apocalyptic world with a new online mode, but it won't be included in The Last of Us Part II. Instead it could be released as a standalone game on PS4.

The Last of Us Part II is singleplayer-only, but Naughty Dog isn't giving up on online multiplayer any time soon. Today the studio confirmed they're still exploring multiplayer avenues for the series. Naughty Dog is cooking up an evolution of the original Factions multiplayer mode, but it could be a long time before it's ready.

The devs say their vision simply won't fit into an extra mode--it's too big and too ambitious to just be a tacked-on optional experience. No, it deserves something more. Something bigger. It's own retail SKU, for instance, complete with online hooks, engagement, and possibly even microtransactions--all business paths Sony says it needs to work on.

Nintendo's mega-popular Switch handheld-and-console duo will outsell Sony's PlayStation 4 in 2019, multiple analysts predict.

The PlayStation 4 will hit 100 million units sold this year, but the system's lifecycle is ramping down to make way for the ultra-powerful next-gen PS5. Nintendo is in a unique position to capitalize on this wind-down throughout 2019 and most of 2020. The company has already dominated the dedicated handheld gaming market for two generations in a row, first with the 3DS, now with the Switch and the portable-only Switch Lite, and this new hardware tag-team is expected to conquer 2019.

Analyst firm DFC Intelligence expects the Switch to make up 45% of the Big Three's console sales, with the PS4 trailing close behind at 39%. This culminates in roughly 17 million Switch sales throughout calendar 2019, which is just one million units over Sony's sales forecast of 16 million PS4s. Conversely, Nintendo forecasts 17 million total sales throughout the fiscal year itself up to March 31, 2020.

Respawn's new action-adventure Star Wars game is punctuated with huge boss fights straight out of Dark Souls.

Back in 2016, Respawn said their third-person action Star Wars game would deliver "larger than life action," and the latest game trailer made good on this promise.

Jedi: Fallen Order will put players through all sorts of trials, including facing off against titanic hulking beasts and rushing through cinematic chaos right out of a Star Wars movie. Perhaps the most captivating part is we won't just be fighting Sith and stormtroopers; the very flora and fauna are out to get you. The game is built around exploration and Uncharted-like traversal with slight Metroidvania elements, with varying planets that feature some giant monsters to battle.

Intel will soon be launching its new Core i9-9900KS offering 8C/16T with all-core 5GHz boost, but we don't have a firm price -- the only indicator to price we have is a new listing that sees it dropping in at around $600.

According to a new listing with Australian e-tailer Mwave, which had it listed for AUD$899 which converts to around $605 (remember Australia has a 10% GST so this price will vary).

Don't go thinking this is some next-gen CPU at all, as it is a binned 9900K that offers a higher base CPU clock (4GHz versus 3.6GHz) and all-core Turbo at 5GHz (versus 4.7GHz). The single-core boost is identical to the 9900K, with the new 9900KS rolling out with 5GHz single-core boost.

Correction: OBS and Streamlabs OBS are different. Many people reached out to me about this mistake, I'm sorry and the article below has been amended. Streamlabs is built on top of the foundation of OBS, but is not OBS.

Logitech has just announced that it has acquired Streamlabs OBS, used by millions of gamers and professionals for live streaming.

Streamlabs OBS has grown considerably over the years becoming a key tool for streamers so they can get their game stream blasted out to the likes of Twitch, Mixer, Facebook or YouTube. OBS has been an instrumental part in growing big streamers, and will be an important acquisition for Logitech.

AMD must be enjoying all of these custom Navi graphics cards in the wild, with some truly great custom Radeon RX 5700 series cards on the market now from the likes of MSI, SAPPHIRE, ASRock, XFX, ASUS, and especially PowerColor.

PowerColor is now teasing what should be the very best Radeon RX 5700 XT with its new custom "Liquid Devil" which if you guessed from the name, should be a water-cooled Navi. In the image below you can see an EK logo on the card, so it seems PowerColor is using a high-end EK WaterBlocks cooler on the new RX 5700 XT Liquid Devil.

EK's cooling solution on the PowerColor RX 5700 XT Liquid Devil will connect into an existing watercooling loop, so this is for enthusiasts only I'm afraid. We should expect the lower temperatures on any custom RX 5700 XT card, and another few percent performance but don't expect this to be 10-15% faster because it's watercooled.

Alright... it looks like we should ALL be paying attention to Microsoft's new Flight Simulator game, something that I had a close eye on from its first footage but in its new footage it just looks mind blowing. Check out the latest Insider Update video:

Seriously, in some of those shots in that video there is no way you'd be able to tell between real life and Flight Simulator. Some of those shots over the rain forests, the cities (that looked insane) and then the flowing water of the ocean... absolutely breathtaking.

I want to see how much detail is retained the closer you go, though. It might look good from the sky but I'm sure when you get lower the detail would go down, it surely can't match the level set from what we've seen here. But... it is a flight simulator, so most of your time playing the game will be, you know, flying high in the sky looking at those amazing graphics from the clouds.

The release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is only a few weeks from us and as developers Infinity Ward seem to be on the home stretch, the community on subreddit doesn't seem to be making it any easier on them.

Infinity Ward's Studio Art Director, Joel Emslie has taken to the Call of Duty subreddit to address the community regarding their hateful comments of the recent announcements that occured this week. Many of the Call of Duty fans were up in arms about Activision and PlayStation announcing that the survival mode will be exclusive to PS4 for one year. Emslie's post is titled "A developer POV" and asks the community to really think about what they are posting before they post it.

"Take a second and think about who on the production side comes to this sub and reads through the comments, IW Dev. We are a mixed bag of nerds, jocks, and everything in between. Its amazing but we all get along and come together every day to build something that we believe in. We've dedicated our careers to being the best at what we do and to making the best possible game we can make." Emslie also states that everyone's feedback regarding the recent drama has not gone unheard and that actually "all of it" has been taken on board. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare releases on September 12th, the full response is located in the entirety of this article.

Collider has reported that writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Morbius) to write a brand new Spider-Man spin-off movie titled "Madame Web".

For those who don't know who Madame Web is, here is a quick history lesson on the character. Writers Denny O'Neil and artist John Romita Jr introduced Madame Web to the world in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 back in 1980. Madame Web's actual name is Cassandra Webb and she is usually drawn as a blind women who is suffering from a neuromuscular disease that makes it almost impossible for her to move or breathe. Due to this disease she is hooked up to a elaborate life-support system which resembles a web. Madame Web is a clairvoyant and assists Spider-Man in finding kidnapped victims.

At this point there is no solid 'title' for the movie, no director, no official announcement, no actors casted or producers. Collider does say that Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are likely candidates for being producers, as they produced Venom and Morbius. As more information is released about Madame Web, I will be sure to update you.