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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate overtakes Wii U console sales

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 26, 2019 3:00 AM CDT

An interesting stat has surfaced regarding Nintendo's Wii U and their newest flagship title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That new stats show that Ultimate has surpassed Wii U sales.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate overtakes Wii U console sales

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate released back in early December last year, and since then the title has taken off and been extremely popular amongst not only the Smash Bros. community but also brand new fans. Smash Ultimate is the most popular Smash Bros. title and has reached a total sales margin of 13.81 million units. It has more than doubled the sales of the previous release in the series, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U which had 5.36 million copies sold worldwide.

Changing up the comparisons now, we look to Nintendo last console release, the Wii U. The Wii U was quite the flop when looking at sheer sales statistics as the console only managed to pull in 13.56 million units which means that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has beaten the sales of the Wii U by 250,000 units. I wouldn't be surprised if Smash Ultimates sales kept on increasing and eventually reached 20 million units, now that would be quite the achievement for Nintendo as well as Director of Smash Bros. Masahiro Sakurai.

Continue reading: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate overtakes Wii U console sales (full post)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate updated to 3.0.1, no Joker nerfs

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 26, 2019 2:00 AM CDT

Nintendo has brought out a new update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it seems it's too early to decide whether or not Joker deserves some nerfs or not yet.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate updated to 3.0.1, no Joker nerfs

Nintendo recently released a massive update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and as I predicted Joker was included within this version 3.0.0 update. Since Jokers release the fighter has been subject of debate to determine whether or not he needs nerfs (damage reduction, more landing frames etc).

I have been playing Joker quite extensively, clocking in over 15 hours on the character and while I can't say whether or not Joker deserves nerfs or not, I can certainly say that Joker is an extremely strong character with an insane amount of combo potential. Not to mention his safe recovery, extreme amount of damage output and also a come-back mechanic that arguably makes him one of, if not the best character in the game when its active.

Continue reading: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate updated to 3.0.1, no Joker nerfs (full post)

Super Mario Maker 2 pre-order comes with a sketching stylus

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 26, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

Nintendo have followed up on yesterdays news regarding the coming title Super Mario Maker 2, now the company has announced what players will be receiving as bonuses if they decide to pre-order.

Super Mario Maker 2 pre-order comes with a sketching stylus

We first heard about Super Mario Maker 2 back in early February and while news regarding the title seemed to drop off, yesterday Nintendo updated their website with some brand new information. Today has been no different, this time round Nintendo UK has revealed what players will receive as pre-order bonuses.

Nintendo will be providing players who pre-order the title with a stylus, according to the official description "A Nintendo Switch stylus will also be available as a pre-order bonus. It's the perfect tool for sketching out the Super Mario course you've always dreamed of in handheld mode!" If you are wondering how you would get a hold of the stylus, players will have to pre-order Super Mario Maker 2 at retail stores, and if pre-order digitally via the Nintendo eShop "you'll receive a My Nintendo Store code that you can redeem for the Nintendo Switch stylus."

Continue reading: Super Mario Maker 2 pre-order comes with a sketching stylus (full post)

Respawn's Titanfall dev team is separate from other projects

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 6:16 PM CDT

Respawn is working on new Titanfall games, including a premium title slated for release in 2019.

Respawn's Titanfall dev team is separate from other projects

Today Respawn confirmed that it's indeed working on new Titanfall games, but the studio's current projects won't bleed into one another. Instead, Respawn has multiple teams working separately on each game. That means the team developing Jedi: Fallen Order will be different than the one making the new Titanfall games, but we could see FPS mechanics from Apex Legends cross over. The dev team will not, however.

"Lastly, regarding other games in development at Respawn, it is important to understand that there are entirely separate development teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," Apex Legends executive producer Drew McCoy said in a recent post. "Additionally, in order to fully support Apex Legends, we are pushing out plans for future Titanfall games. No resources from the Apex Legends team are being shifted to other titles in development here at the studio, nor are we pulling resources from the team working on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."

Continue reading: Respawn's Titanfall dev team is separate from other projects (full post)

Epic will stop exclusives if Valve gives 88% revenue split

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 4:26 PM CDT

The Epic Games Store has put pressure on PC king Valve for a while now, but a new promise from Epic's CEO raises the stakes.

Epic will stop exclusives if Valve gives 88% revenue split

Despite hotly contested controversy, boycotts, and lots of review bombing, Epic Games has no plans to stop buying exclusivity for its digital storefront. And as long as the money flows, publishers will keep accepting deals. The Epic Games Store has already secured big deals with Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Deep Silver, and 505 Games. This exclusivity hits Valve right where it hurts: its pocketbook. Timed exclusivity takes a chunk out of Valve's potential sales during a game's vital launch period, with some games not coming to Steam until a year after release.

But Valve could make all of this stop. All it has to do is offer more money to developers.

Continue reading: Epic will stop exclusives if Valve gives 88% revenue split (full post)

Nintendo won't reveal new Switch at E3 2019

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 2:33 PM CDT

Nintendo keeps throwing analysts off their game; not only did Nintendo miss hardware and software projections laid out by analysts, but now the company is being coy about the new rumored Switch revisions.

Nintendo won't reveal new Switch at E3 2019

At a fiscal year earnings conference in Japan, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says a new Switch model won't be unveiled at E3 2019. "As a general rule, we're always working on new hardware and we will announce it when we are able to sell it. But we have no plans to announce that at this year's E3 in June," Mr. Furukawa said at the event, as per Bloomberg. This directly counters reports of a cheaper Switch version launching in June, but aligns with the president's previous assurances that a new system isn't happening any time soon.

The company is indeed working on new hardware--as it historically always does, the president says--but no news will be shared until it's ready to hit store shelves. Sources also say that a Switch refresh is on the way with smaller improvements like an OLED panel screen and more battery life, but a more dramatic next-gen hardware leap isn't currently in development.

Continue reading: Nintendo won't reveal new Switch at E3 2019 (full post)

How Switch stacks up against other Nintendo hardware

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 1:23 PM CDT

Now that Nintendo's new handheld-console Switch hybrid is now up to 34.74 million units sold worldwide, we put these numbers against the company's mighty forebears to see how the Switch stacks up.

How Switch stacks up against other Nintendo hardware

Today Nintendo announced its Fiscal Year 2019 earnings and updated its historical console hardware and software sales. We decided to take a closer look at the Switch's performance and put it into perspective with what other Nintendo systems have achieved throughout the the decades.

In just two years, the Switch has outsold legacy systems like Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube systems--both of which accrued their sales in a six-year lifespan. Right now the Switch has strong potential to topple Nintendo's historical legacy consoles, but handhelds are another story. The Switch has a long way to go before it tops titanic sells like the 3DS (75 million units), the Game Boy Advance (81 million units) and the reigning DS king (154.02 million sales).

Continue reading: How Switch stacks up against other Nintendo hardware (full post)

Xbox gaming makes less than 10% of Microsoft's Q3 revenues

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 11:26 AM CDT

Microsoft's gaming segment has been geared into an Xbox-as-a-service approach to deliver consistent earnings every quarter, and so far the strategy is working. But it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the titan's overall revenues.

Xbox gaming makes less than 10% of Microsoft's Q3 revenues

Today Microsoft released its Fiscal Year Q3 2019 earnings, confirming tremendous quarterly revenues of $30.57 billion, up by 14% year-over-year. This growth was driven mostly by an explosive 73% earnings spike in Azure revenues, followed by jumps in cloud services, Dynamics 365 business software, and Surface hardware sales. Xbox, on the other hand, contributed markedly less than these other segments, showing gaming's place in Microsoft's grand scheme of things.

On a whole, Xbox gaming earned $2.36 billion in FY Q3'19 including full game sales, hardware purchases, microtransactions, and subscriptions, up a nice 5% year-over-year. But this is just 7.7% of the company's total earnings for the quarter, and roughly 22% of its More Personal Computing parent segment. Why does this matter? It really underlines the shift to make Xbox into a monetizable, cross-platform service that unifies multiple hardware mediums aimed at generated consistent revenues.

Continue reading: Xbox gaming makes less than 10% of Microsoft's Q3 revenues (full post)

Labo theme Spirit Event built on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 5:00 AM CDT

While most Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players are enjoying the games competitive scene there are still some players who enjoy Spirit Boards. This time round we have quite a unique Spirit Board event for fans.

Labo theme Spirit Event built on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The news comes from the official Nintendo Versus Twitter account who has posted what has been titled as the "Nintendo Labo: SMASH KIT" Spirit Board event. Players will be able to take on the the "event exclusive" spirits on the 25th of April, and upon completion players triple the usual amount of EXP gained.

During the time the event is live, players will be able to take on the Toy-Con Robot, the Toy-Con Car, the Toy-Con VR Goggles, Professor Riggs, Plaise, Lerna. If you were unaware, the last three mentioned in that list are characters in the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit software. In other news about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the title recently received its version 3.0.0 update that has added a bunch of new features that even include the first DLC fighter, Joker. If you are interested in learning about more about the 3.0 update, check out this post here. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is currently available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Continue reading: Labo theme Spirit Event built on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (full post)

Persona 5 passes 2.7 million units sold worldwide

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 4:00 AM CDT

New information has surfaced regarding the sales of the recently released Persona 5. The sales figures indicate that Persona 5 has reached a new sales height of 2.7 million.

Persona 5 passes 2.7 million units sold worldwide

Back in January 2019, it was reported by Atlus that Persona 5 sold 2.4 million units and while that may not seem like many sales for a recently released game, keep in mind that this is a JRPG title. JRPG titles aren't the most popular genre of game, so seeing 2.4 million units sold for an individual title is more the an achievement on the designer Naoya Maeda.

New statistical sales for the game have now been revealed on the official Japanese Amazon listing for Persona 5, according to the listing the original Persona 5 game has now surpassed for 2.7 million units. In some other Persona 5 news, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate recently introduced their first DLC fighter 'Joker' who is a character from the Persona series, more on that story here. Persona 5 is available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Continue reading: Persona 5 passes 2.7 million units sold worldwide (full post)

Dragon Ball FighterZ Kid Goku (GT) will debut on May 9th

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 3:00 AM CDT

Bandai Namco has officially revealed that the sixth iteration of Goku will be soon coming to Dragon Ball FighterZ, introducing Goku (GT) and his epic Super Saiyan 3 Kamehameha wave.

Dragon Ball FighterZ Kid Goku (GT) will debut on May 9th

Back in late March we learned that Bandai would be bringing out a new version of Goku, this version of Goku would be based on the Dragon Ball GT TV series Goku. Goku (GT) comes in kid form and is apart of the Dragon Ball FighterZ Pass 2, he will be coming with a unique set of combo moves that even include his power pole.

The reveal trailer also shows that Goku (GT) will be able to transform into Super Saiyan 3 and perform the epic Super Kamehameha wave on his opponents. Closer to the end of the video we see a full transformation into Goku Super Saiyan 4, which somehow brings kid Goku to a fully grown adult. Dragon Ball FighterZ FighterZ Pass 2 Goku (GT) fighter will be unclockable from May 9th. For further information visit the official Bandai website here.

Continue reading: Dragon Ball FighterZ Kid Goku (GT) will debut on May 9th (full post)

Capcom Producer says Devil May Cry 5 is done for future DLC

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 2:00 AM CDT

Capcom's Devil May Cry 5 was quite the success and has continued Capcom's smash hit releases, but is there anymore content planned for Devil May Cry 5 players to enjoy? Unfortunately not.

Capcom Producer says Devil May Cry 5 is done for future DLC

The announcement comes from a Producer at Capcom called Matt Walker. Walker says in a reply to fan asking him if Vergil will be a playable character soon, "Unfortunately we don't plan on adding any more content to DMC5." To further clarify that there is no more Devil May Cry 5 content in the pipeline, Walker says in a separate reply to a fan asking about a rumored "ladies night" DLC "Unfortunately dev on DMC5 is finished. I'd personally like to see the ladies playable too. We can only hope that at some point we can convince the people up top that it's worth doing."

It is certainly a shame that Capcom doesn't have any more new content planned for Devil May Cry 5, as the title has been received very well by fans so I'd assume future DLC content would have also be very well received. Devil May Cry 5 is currently available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more information regarding the title, visit the official Devil May Cry 5 website here.

Continue reading: Capcom Producer says Devil May Cry 5 is done for future DLC (full post)

Super Mario Maker 2 Nintendo Switch debut will be June 28th

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 25, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

The imaginative filled Mario title, Super Mario Maker 2 has been announced to be debuting to Nintendo's Nintendo Switch later this year.

Super Mario Maker 2 Nintendo Switch debut will be June 28th

Back in early February, Nintendo announced that they would be bringing a new sequel to the extremely popular Mario title, Super Mario Maker. While the initial announcement was a quick 1:30 trailer it showed off some brand new features players will be able to enjoy once the title is released. Now, Nintendo have solidified the release date for the game with a recent announcement on the official Nintendo America Twitter account.

The above announcement has confirmed that Super Mario Maker 2 will be hitting the Nintendo Switch late June this year. Specifically, the sequel will coming to the Nintendo Switch on June 28th, and as we move closer to the release date I'm sure Nintendo will be sharing some more new features that will be apart of the sequel. Last week I reported on a coming update to the Super Mario Maker website, that update has now been made live so if you are after more information for Super Mario Maker 2 head on over to the official website here.

Continue reading: Super Mario Maker 2 Nintendo Switch debut will be June 28th (full post)

HyperX QuadCast microphone: a great mic for $139

Rob Squires | Audio | Apr 25, 2019 12:30 AM CDT

Kingston subsidiary HyperX released the HyperX QuadCast two weeks ago, and we have gotten our hands-on this new all-inclusive microphone. HyperX was showing off this microphone at CES earlier this year, but just recently started shipping the finalized product. Like other HyperX offerings, the QuadCast matches the style and color palate with a sleek black design and red accents.

HyperX QuadCast microphone: a great mic for $139

The HyperX QuadCast microphone itself is made of a mix of a softer plastic, and metal with a foam insert, with a solid build quality. The unit comes with its own metal stand and anti-vibration shock mount allowing for a quick installation. HyperX has included a mount adapter which fits both 3/8" and 5/8" thread sizes and is compatible with most third party stands and boom arms.

Two of the features that we were impressed by when we were first introduced to the microphone, are the ability to know the active status of the microphone from the LED indicator, and the "tap-to-mute" feature which allows the prevention of broadcasting accidents.

Continue reading: HyperX QuadCast microphone: a great mic for $139 (full post)

Minecraft with 'ray tracing' mod shown in new video

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 24, 2019 11:22 PM CDT

I didn't think one of the biggest stories of the year for TweakTown would be something covering Minecraft with 'ray tracing' style effects with the SEUS Renewed mod that uses path tracing that provides ray tracing-like effects. First we had screenshots and small videos, but now there's a detailed video of Minecraft with the ray tracing-style effects and it looks awesome.

Minecraft with 'ray tracing' mod shown in new video

The shader pack provides beautifully realistic lighting, shadow and reflection effects to shiny surfaces, light shafts, and more. The demo video from Digital Foundry was run on an Intel Core i9-7900X, 32GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Even with this horsepower running Minecraft with the path tracing effects at 1080p was still struggling to hit 60FPS.

The team at Digital Foundry do an amazing job at showing off the different effects that path tracing brings to Minecraft, with one of the best uses seeing light hitting a wall, and then shining light again behind it causing different shadows to be cast. This can't be done with pre-baked lighting, and is only achievable with path tracing or real-time ray tracing effects.

Continue reading: Minecraft with 'ray tracing' mod shown in new video (full post)

Remedy's new game Control detailed in fresh 4K screenshots

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 24, 2019 9:58 PM CDT

Remedy's new game has been detailed in some beautiful new 4K screenshots, with supernatural action adventure game 'Control' shown off in all of its 4G glory below.

Remedy's new game Control detailed in fresh 4K screenshots

Control is powered by Remedy's own in-house Northlight engine, where the entire game takes place within the confines of a haunted house with supernatural elements messing with your mind, and the game itself. You'll play as Jesse Faden, that seems to have multiple supernatural abilities that gives you control of the environment, your own body so you can float through the air, and telekinesis to use the environment for your benefit, or against the enemy.

Remedy has made some of the best use of dynamic environmental destruction seen yet, with Control letting you unleash totally new gameplay situations from it. You can use your powers to rip a wall down and form it into a barricade for you, or pick up a large object and use your telekinesis to see it flying into and taking down an enemy.

Continue reading: Remedy's new game Control detailed in fresh 4K screenshots (full post)

Intel's new 10nm CPUs might not be here until 2022

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Apr 24, 2019 9:15 PM CDT

Intel just launched its new 9th-gen mobile CPUs with more power and energy efficiency than ever before, but what about the desktop? It looks like desktop 10nm CPUs are a few years out now, spelling trouble for the company and a win for competitor AMD.

Intel's new 10nm CPUs might not be here until 2022

Intel will reportedly have 10nm (or smaller) desktop CPUs sometime in late-2021 or 2022, around the time that Intel will be launching its next-gen Ocean Cove CPU architecture. Between now and then we can expect Comet Lake-S refreshes with 2/4/6/8-core CPUs on 14nm between now and mid-2020, while Comet Lake-U will introduce new 8- and even 10-core CPUs both on 14nm.

The next CPU architecture after the Comet Lake-S release will be Rocket Lake-S which will be on an optimized 14nm node. The next-generation Ocean Cove CPU architecture will be the first deployed on 10nm in 1H 2021, delivering 4 cores on 10nm. AMD on the other hand has 8C/16T processors on the new Zen 2 CPU architecture on 7nm in the coming months, with an announcement at Computex 2019 in a month from now.

Continue reading: Intel's new 10nm CPUs might not be here until 2022 (full post)

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G: AMD Ryzen CPU, GeForce GTX graphics

Anthony Garreffa | Laptops | Apr 24, 2019 7:52 PM CDT

ASUS has just unveiled its new ROG Zephyrus G gaming laptop that is a first to combine the worlds of an AMD Ryzen CPU and GeForce GTX into a gaming laptop with a 120Hz display. Meet, the ROG Zephyrus G:

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G: AMD Ryzen CPU, GeForce GTX graphics

The new ROG Zephyrus G has a quad-core AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1660 Ti which is clocked at 1335MHz at 60W under ASUS' own in-house ROG Boost tweaking. There's also up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 512GB of NVMe SSD storage inside of the laptop.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G sports a 15.6-inch 1080p 120Hz display which is the perfect blend of mid-range resolution with high-end refresh rate on an well-sized 15.6-inch panel. The ROG Zephyrus G uses an 81% screen-to-body ratio that pulls you into the display, with bezels on three sizes at just 6.2mm. Not the thinnest on the market, but damn thin.

Continue reading: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G: AMD Ryzen CPU, GeForce GTX graphics (full post)

Microtransactions drive Xbox's Q3 earnings

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 24, 2019 7:19 PM CDT

Microsoft is all about monetizing its games and selling services, and these tactics are found in all of its first-party games. But every quarter it also makes a pretty penny from third-party games like Grand Theft Auto Online, Apex Legends, Fortnite and Rocket League by proxy.

Microtransactions drive Xbox's Q3 earnings

Today Microsoft announced its Fiscal Year Q3 2019 earnings, showing decent growth in its Xbox gaming branch. One thing caught my eye, though: earnings from software services are up 12% year-over-year. This is quite a jump during a historical lull point following the huge holiday spending spree. Consumers typically slow down with spending following Christmas and Black Friday. Microsoft says this spike was "driven by third-party title monetization and subscriptions growth," which falls perfectly into the company's gaming wheelhouse.

This trend shows that Microsoft's strategy of unifying Xbox consoles and Windows 10 PCs with paid subscriptions and services is working quite well. It says a lot that Microsoft can deliver growth in this segment during a slower period like its Q3 window. I'm betting that its recent $1 starter promos on Game Pass and consistent Xbox LIVE subs drive the services portion, whereas big-name games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and even recently-released titles like Anthem helped drive microtransaction earnings.

Continue reading: Microtransactions drive Xbox's Q3 earnings (full post)

Witcher 3's story lives on thanks to custom quest mods

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 24, 2019 6:23 PM CDT

Talented scripter rmemr has created a Witcher 3 modding toolset that allows gamers to create their own custom quests.

Witcher 3's story lives on thanks to custom quest mods

The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion closed the book on Geralt of Rivia's official story, but thanks to a new toolset called Radish Modding Tools, gamers can embark on their own tailor-made adventures.

The tools are still in early beta-like phases of development, and won't create huge sprawling epic quests, just smaller-based experiences like side missions and the like. But the quests can still have multiple parts, as shown in the proof-of-concept video above. Even still, CD Projekt RED's magnum opus could get a breath of fresh air as other modders iterate, adopt Radish, and roll out new stuff on Nexus Mods.

Continue reading: Witcher 3's story lives on thanks to custom quest mods (full post)

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