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Smash Bros pros say Smash Ultimate will be no.1 at EVO 2019
Nintendo has released a new video showcasing players, commentators and fans discussing the future of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at EVO 2019. Will Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sit at the number 1 spot at next years biggest fighting game tournament?
In a video that has been released onto the Nintendo YouTube Channel, pro players, commentators and fans alike have been interviewed about their thoughts towards how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will shape up to next years EVO 2019. Seasoned pro players that have been in the Smash fighting scene for quite some time now, such as HugS and Lucky, have spoken out about their thoughts towards how well Smash Ultimate will do next year.
From the video we can see Lucky saying: "As much as I love Super Smash Bros. Melee, I think Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is gonna break some records." HugS can also be seen commenting on the upcoming title, saying "I'm almost betting that it will be the biggest game at EVO next year, like I have no doubt about it, its going to be number one." Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be released on December 7th this year, for more information regarding the title, visit the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website here.
Continue reading: Smash Bros pros say Smash Ultimate will be no.1 at EVO 2019 (full post)
Battlefield V: 4K 30FPS with ray tracing enabled... for now
During the GeForce Gaming Celebration event NVIDIA unveiled their next-gen GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards, as well as our first look at Battlefield V powered with real-time ray tracing technology courtesy of RTX.
Battlefield V was powered by a new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and was running with RTX enabled at 1080p 60FPS, but in further testing and examination by DigitalFoundry at 1440p and 4K saw the performance dip lower than 60FPS. At 2560x1440, the game was running at around 40-50FPS while at 4K it dipped below 30FPS. Even the engineers at DICE were impressed that Battlefield V was running at 4K with RTX enabled at all, as they didn't have much time with the new GeForce RTX 20 series cards.
Continue reading: Battlefield V: 4K 30FPS with ray tracing enabled... for now (full post)
Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay video beats Fortnite on Twitch
Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you heard about the Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay video that debuted yesterday and has been watched by over 500,000 people and has topped Twitch.
CD Projekt Red's super-ambitious new first-person RPG beat out Fortnite's peak viewers on Twitch, becoming the most-watched stream for a newly-released or upcoming game. The gameplay from Cyberpunk 2077 looks truly glorious with options to watch it in 4K, with Gamersyde making the 48-minute gameplay video available for download in uncompressed quality at 1080p, it comes in at a hefty 16GB.
Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't have a release date right now, but it is rumored to launch with NVIDIA's new RTX technology so we could see real-time ray tracing from the next-gen GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards when it's released. After watching the entire gameplay video, I noticed so many parts of the game where real-time ray tracing effects would really make the game pop. If there was a game that would highlight RTX... it would be Cyberpunk 2077.
Continue reading: Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay video beats Fortnite on Twitch (full post)
Halo: Master Chief Collection's latest patch is a huge 73GB
You wouldn't want to have a crappy internet connection, and be a Halo: Master Chief Collection player when you saw that headline. An insane 73GB update for Halo: MCCC on the Xbox, which is mostly filled with 4K HDR assets for the four included Halo games in the collection.
The new patch is somewhat of a celebration that Halo: Master Chief Collection is being added to the Microsoft Game Pass program, with 343 Industries explaining: "This first major update weighs in at a hefty ~73GB and includes a variety of brand new features available to everyone who owns a copy of MCC (or acquires it via Xbox Game Pass)".
73GB might sound like a huge update if it were a single game, but Halo: Master Chief Collection is four games so that's close to 20GB per game in 4K HDR assets being downloaded. The new update for Halo: MCC rocks Intelligent Delivery so developers can pick and choose what part of the 73GB update you need, which comes in handy for someone with an Xbox One S who won't be playing at 4K. If you don't play certain Halo titles included in the MCC, you won't want the 4K HDR assets for them, so you don't need to download them.
Continue reading: Halo: Master Chief Collection's latest patch is a huge 73GB (full post)
Remedy to make live service games
Remedy has ramped up a new development team to branch out past AAA gaming and diversify revenue streams.
Alan Wake and Max Payne developer Remedy Entertainment today announced Vanguard, a new internal studio that will focus on live service games. Vanguard will be a smaller dev team that will work on "unconventional" online multiplayer games while Remedy's core team works on big-budget AAA titles like Control, its new IP.
While Remedy doesn't explicitly say as much, one of the main reasons any developer or publisher makes live service games is to secure long-term revenue streams to keep the company afloat and fund future endeavors.
Continue reading: Remedy to make live service games (full post)
Intel Micron QLC Flash Yields Less Than 50%
Just a month ago Intel released the SSD 660p, the world's first retail SSD with 4-bit per cell QLC technology. The drive looks good on paper and the reviews look great thanks to high random read performance and a fabulous price (660p 1TB at $199.99). QLC is much better than we expected in a typical consumer workload and the promise of lower-cost large-capacity SSDs excites everyone. The next shoe to drop is more QLC and third-party manufacturers releasing competitive products that decrease the cost while pushing the technology into niche products outside of the fabs target customers.
Today we were told not to expect that anytime soon. Intel and manufacturing partner Micron have low yields with QLC. The conditions may never get better with this generation. A source close to the situation stated the current yield for 64-layer QLC is hovering right around 48%. Less than half of the die manufactured are reliable enough to use in an SSD. In contrast, current 64-layer TLC from IMFT has a yield right around 90% as of today. Usually companies work to increase yields over time but the push to finish more profitable 96-layer flash may divert engineering resources away from 64-layer QLC.
At this time, QLC bits are more expensive to manufacture than TLC bits. Intel went ahead and released the SSD 660p to make a technology statement, but that doesn't mean QLC is ready to displace TLC just yet.
Continue reading: Intel Micron QLC Flash Yields Less Than 50% (full post)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice started off as a Tenchu game
In a not-so-surprising development, From Software's big new 16th century Japan action game actually started out as a Tenchu entry.
Back when Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was teased at The Game Awards 2017 many gamers instantly thought "it's Tenchu!" As it turns out they were right on the money. From Software's new suave-and-brutal "samurai souls" was originally supposed to be a Tenchu game...but it just grew and grew.
"When we originally set out to create something different from Dark Souls and our previous titles, we thought it would be interesting to make a Japanese themed game. So from that we started going in the direction of the shinobi and ninja, and of course Tenchu was an IP with that history; that was the original impetus for this project," From Software community manager Yasuhiro Kitao said in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
Continue reading: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice started off as a Tenchu game (full post)
New Witcher RPG Thronebreaker revealed, uses Gwent mechanics
CD Projekt RED has announced Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, a singleplayer RPG based on Gwent card game mechanics with over 30 hours of gameplay.
Thronebreaker isn't another grand RPG that mirrors Geralt's adventures; instead the new adventure will use Gwent's cardplay as a major tool to decide in-game outcomes. Thronebreaker is technically a campaign for Gwent itself and will actually be sold as a premium game, and won't be free-to-play like its forebear. The new RPG is essentially a more rich offline counterpart to Gwent's online live service multiplayer action, and will be more directly lore-based and immersive.
"Thronebreaker has evolved over quite a large scale, with 30+ hours of captivating gameplay and an amazing story with choices and consequences," CD Projekt RED President Adam Kicinski said in a recent earnings stream. "Obviously Gwent plays a major role in Thronebreaker because most of the gameplay actions are a result of playing cards, but the game itself is a RPG and we're going to sell it as a standalone model. You will be able to purchase Thronebreaker without installing Gwent."
Continue reading: New Witcher RPG Thronebreaker revealed, uses Gwent mechanics (full post)
Fallout 76's multiplayer is 'loose and fluid'
Fallout 76 isn't your typical online multiplayer game: co-op isn't forced, and players are free to come and go as they choose.
One of the core tenants of Fallout games has always been freedom. Gamers have always made choices on what quests to tackle, who to save and who to doom, where to go, and ultimately how they shape their destiny. Although Fallout 76 is quite different as an online engagement-driven service game, this focus will continue, and thanks to the game's online framework players will have tons of options as the game evolves over time. But that freedom will always remain intact.
According to Bethesda's Pete Hines, Fallout's freedom will be preserved in the big new online-only entry even when users group up with their friends or randoms across the West Virginia wasteland. Multiplayer team-ups aren't forced and co-op is more languid than rigid in that you can simply drop out and go do your own thing on a whim.
Continue reading: Fallout 76's multiplayer is 'loose and fluid' (full post)
Xbox Game Pass will compliment, not overtake, Xbox business
Microsoft's popular Xbox Game Pass subscription plan is meant to synergize with its core business, not become it.
With publishers like EA, Ubisoft, and even Microsoft asserting game streaming is the future, many think this new accessible avenue will replace traditional full game sales. Microsoft has made strides with its $10 Xbox Game Pass subscription plan, which includes access to over 100 games for a monthly fee, but this initiative isn't about to replace the company's main revenue: selling games. It's true Microsoft makes consistent earnings from subscriptions and engagement-driven services (Mixer, Xbox LIVE, Xbox Game Pass, microtransactions, etc) but all of these are supplementary parts that work in tandem and won't ever be the whole pie. Full game and hardware sales will always be part of the equation, says Microsoft.
"We don't have a goal of being the subscription where you get all your content. This is meant to be additive to the ecosystem. We don't see a future where subscriptions are dominant," Microsoft's head of gaming services Ben Decker told GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview.
Continue reading: Xbox Game Pass will compliment, not overtake, Xbox business (full post)
KFA2 unveils its new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC, RTX 2080 cards
NVIDIA officially announced the GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards during their GeForce Gaming Celeberation event in Cologne, Germany last week and while a bunch of AIB partners showed off their custom RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2080 cards, KFA2 wasn't there.
KFA2 has just unveiled their new RTX 20 series graphics cards with GPU Boost clocks that are yet unknown, with both cards coming in as a sleek dual-slot card with a dual-fan cooler.
They're very similar to the Founders Edition cards from NVIDIA, but with different styling and some 'What's Your Game?' branding on the top of the card next to the GeForce RTX branding.
Continue reading: KFA2 unveils its new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OC, RTX 2080 cards (full post)
AUO announces 85-inch 8K 120Hz HDR TV, best TV ever?!
LG just unveiled their huge 88-inch 8K OLED TV at IFA 2018 but AUO has trumped the South Korean giant with its own larger-than-life TV, with a huge 85-inch 8K 120Hz HDR TV. Yes you read that right... an 8K TV with a super-fast 120Hz refresh rate.
AU Optronics' new 85-inch 8K 120Hz HDR panel uses Quantum Dot technology which will provide a beautifully wide color gamut, 1200 nits peak luminance for a super-bright image (with HDR10 in tow) and a borderless panel that would be perfect for a triple 8K 120Hz HDR rig, right? Even two of NVIDIA's new Turing-based GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards in NVLink wouldn't handle 8K 120Hz.
Even now I'm benchmarking GTX 1080 Ti and TITAN Xp in SLI at 8K and can't hit 60FPS most of the time on medium detail, let alone ultra detail or with some form of AA (maybe NVIDIA's new DLSS technology), let alone at 120 freaking frames per second. AUO, you've just become my new hero of the TV market, I need this 85-inch 8K 120Hz HDR TV in my life, stat.
Continue reading: AUO announces 85-inch 8K 120Hz HDR TV, best TV ever?! (full post)
Acer Predator X: dual Xeon CPUs, dual Quadro RTX 8000, $50K+
Acer has been pushing its Predator gaming brand for a couple of years now with mixed success in the gaming PC market, but now it is entering a totally new market with its new Predator X brand which is destined to most likely not even make a scratch on the dual-CPU workstation market.
The new Predator X series was just unveiled at IFA 2018 and comes as a 2 x Intel Xeon 8180 system (these processors cost over $10,000 each), 192GB of ECC RDIMM, 2 x NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (these also cost $10,000 each), then a mix of storage, PSU and other bits and pieces for what will most likely cost over $50,000. The system is being built for the next-gen CPUs from Intel that will arrive in the form of the Cascade Lake-SP family.
The system seems totally out of control when it comes to insane specs and equally questionable price of $50,000+ on components alone, whether Acer can sustain itself with these systems. If they're made-to-order then the company might be okay, but if they're ready on shelves and don't fly off them... Acer could have millions of dollars of unsold systems with components that are highly sought after, especially the new Quadro RTX 8000 cards.
Continue reading: Acer Predator X: dual Xeon CPUs, dual Quadro RTX 8000, $50K+ (full post)
LG unveils the world's first 8K OLED TV at IFA 2018
As someone who personally owns an 8K monitor (the Dell UP3218K) I can see the constant strive towards more and more pixels, with a huge difference in quality and sharpness between 4K and 8K (400% more pixels).
Now LG has teased the world's first 8K OLED TV at IFA 2018, rocking a native resolution of 7680x4320 and boasting over 33 million pixels. Brian Kwon, the president of LG Home Entertainment Company explains: "LG's first 8K OLED TV is the result of technological achievement and the next evolutionary step in display technology. 4K OLED has played a role in reshaping the TV industry and LG is confident that 8K OLED will do the same".
The 8K display and TV market are miniscule compared to 1080p and 4K, but LG is expecting the 8K TV market to pass 5 million units by 2022. The company said: "While the 8K TV market is still in its infancy, it is expected to grow to more than 5 million units by 2022 and LG is committed to leading the ultra-premium market with its 8K OLED TV technology". In regards to OLED technology, LG explains: "with OLED TV shipments in the market expected to double in 2018 and reach over nine million units by 2022, LG will continue to increase the OLED share in its premium TV portfolio and drive large scale consumer adoption of OLED TVs".
Continue reading: LG unveils the world's first 8K OLED TV at IFA 2018 (full post)
Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 DLC's scheduled dates revealed
The launch for Marvel's Spider-Man is just around the corner and as web heads around the globe gear up for one of the most anticipated PS4 exclusives of the year, developer Insomniac Games has revealed the post-content launch dates planned for the title.
In a recent blog post by Insomniac Games' Community Director, James Stevenson, Marvel's Spider-Man will be receiving a DLC titled "The City That Never Sleeps." This DLC will feature three separate chapters, Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist, Marvel's Spider-Man: Turf Wars and Marvel's Spider-Man: Silver Lining. The blog post doesn't detail to latter two DLC's which are planned to release later in the year, but does detail "The Heist" DLC.
According to the blog post, "The Heist" DLC will put players on the path of the Felicia Hardy, or better known as Black Cat. "As you play the base game, you'll realize that Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, is back in town and she's leaving clues around town to toy with Spider-Man." The blog post reveals that playing through the DLC will introduce three brand new suits to players, as well a new faction of enemies, challenges, missions and more. Marvel's Spider-Man: The Heist is planned for release on October 23rd, the initial Spider-Man release is planned for September 7th and is exclusively on PS4.
Continue reading: Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 DLC's scheduled dates revealed (full post)
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition unveiled
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has just unveiled the new Definitive Edition for their title, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. This is the one package for players if they choose to rule over all content.
In celebration of the release of this new package, Warner Bros. has released a brand new trailer showcasing the contents of the Definitive Edition. According to the description of the video, the Definitive Edition will feature the base game as well as "The Blade of Galadriel and Desolation of Mordor story DLCs, the Slaughter and Outlaw tribes, plus every game improvement made to date."
For those that are unaware, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War places gamers in the shoes of Talion and Celebrimbor, who are destined to go behind enemies lines and fight against the Dark Lord Sauron. Middle-earth: Shadow of War is currently available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. If you are interested in picking up the Definitive Edition, a price point has been set at $59.99. For further information regarding Shadow of War, visit the official Shadow of War website here.
Continue reading: Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition unveiled (full post)
Undertale makes its way to the Nintendo Switch, Sept 18th
After the confirmation that Undertale was coming to the Nintendo Switch back in early March, Toby Fox, the developer for the title has announced the official Nintendo Switch release date.
Undertale has been scheduled for release in Japan on September 15th, North American players will be glad to know that after the initial release the title will be arriving on Western markets as well. During the lastest Nindies Showcase, it was revealed that Undertale would be made available in the North American region three days after the Japan release, on September 18th.
For those unfamiliar with Undertale, I have provided a quick description of the title which has been sourced from the Nintendo website: "Fall into the underworld and explore a hilarious and heartwarming world full of dangerous monsters. Date a skeleton, dance with a robot, cook with a fishwoman...or destroy everyone where they stand. The future is yours to determine!" Undertale is already available on the PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. For further information regarding the title, visit the official website here.
Continue reading: Undertale makes its way to the Nintendo Switch, Sept 18th (full post)
Shovel Knight 'Showdown' DLC raises local competitive stakes
If you are a Shovel Knight fan, there is no doubt you were disappointed when you saw Shovel Knight as an assist trophy in the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Now with zero chance for Shovel Knight to be a playable character in Smash Ultimate, Yacht Club Games have instead decided to bring Smash to Shovel Knight.
Yacht Club Games have announced the final addition to Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, introducing Shovel Knight Showdown. Showdown will pit up to 4 local players together, as they can choose their favorite villain or hero from the Shovel Knight series in a race for who can acquire the most gems. "All the classic Shovel Knight characters you know and love are playable, many for the first time ever! Gather your pals for endless multiplayer clashes, or take control of your favorite character and dig into Story Mode."
According to the post made by Yacht Club Games on their official blog,"Shovel Knight Showdown features local only multiplayer, and arrives as a free update to all existing versions of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove on consoles and PC." In addition to it arriving free to anyone who already owns Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, Showdown will also be made available as a standalone game. For more information about Shovel Knight Showdown, visit the official blog post here.
Continue reading: Shovel Knight 'Showdown' DLC raises local competitive stakes (full post)
Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies DLC launched, details reveal
Ubisoft has debuted their final DLC for Far Cry 5, this time round though we are being taken to 7 different cinematic scenarios in Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies.
Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies will be taking players through Guy Marvel's 7 different cinematic movie scenarios that have been spliced with zombies. Each of the maps have been made in the Far Cry 5's Arcade Editor and players will be fighting waves of zombies in hopes of destroying each of the mutation stations and preventing a global zombie outbreak. After each of the scenarios are beaten, players will receive a new mode titled "Score Attack" and if players receive a 3-star rating in the scenario their weapons can be used in the main story mode.
The Dead Living DLC has been set at a price point of $7 but will be free to those who have already purchased the Far Cry 5 Season Pass. For more information regarding the DLC visit the official Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies website page here.
Continue reading: Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies DLC launched, details reveal (full post)
Ubisoft CEO says the future of gaming is through streaming
Sony is hard at work with AMD on the next-gen PlayStation 5 which will be powered by the Navi GPU architecture, something AMD gave up a considerable number of its RTG engineers for, but Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot thinks the future isn't hardware... and that it's all about game streaming.
During an interview with IGN at Gamescom 2018, Guillemot said he sees the future of home gaming will be through streaming. He explains: "Technology is actually going in that direction. The machines will be more powerful and the system to transfer data will be more efficient, so at one point, we will have a better experience streaming something than having to buy a machine and change the machine regularly".
Guillemot continued: "I think it's difficult to say today, but what we see is there's a trend," he explained. "Before, it was not necessary to be connected. Today, as games [evolve] over time, 95 percent or even 98 percent of the people that play our games are constantly taking the free maps or the new events, the updates we do on a regular basis".
Continue reading: Ubisoft CEO says the future of gaming is through streaming (full post)






















