NVIDIA updates DLSS to include a new preset mode for DLAA or Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing
NVIDIA's DLAA, or Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing, is an impressive bit of tech that draws on a lot of the same technology that sits at the heart of DLSS - that thing we all enable if it's an option to boost performance.
The GeForce RTX 4090 should have no problem using the DLAA quality mode in most games.
DLAA isn't about boosting performance; it doesn't take a lower-resolution image as the input. Instead, it's about leveraging AI to improve image quality at your native resolution as long as you've got the frames to spare. And in the process, it makes PC games look sharper and more detailed compared to standard anti-aliasing techniques like TAA and MSAA.
DLAA is a feature already available in several games, and like DLSS, requires GeForce RTX hardware and its AI Tensor Cores to enable - but currently, it is a separate option. Today we've got word that a DLSS update for Unreal Engine, the 3.1.13 SDK, has a new DLAA mode that will sit alongside the existing Ultra-Performance, Performance, Balanced, and Quality Modes. Apparently, it will be called 'Performance Quality Mode', which admittedly is a little confusing.
Netac's new NV7000-t M.2 NVMe SSD is designed for high-speed PC and PS5 gaming
Netac's NV7000-t is a new PCIe Gen4 M.2 SSD that can deliver read speeds of up to 7300MB/s and write speeds of up to 6700MB/s, and it will remain cool thanks to a metal heat spreader that will be included for self-installation.
Netac's NV7000-t delivers read speeds of up to 7300MB/s.
With this, Neta is positioning the NV7000-t, available in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities, as an excellent storage expansion option for both PC and PlayStation 5 gamers.
The single-sided PCB and 3D NAND Flash SSD also support SLC caching for improved efficiency and stability when loading or copying files and "advanced intelligent temperature control technology." The 7300MB/s read speeds, in particular, put this one on the high-end of the PCIe Gen4 list, so it'll be great for tech like DirectStorage on PC while being notably faster than the PS5's already impressive internal M.2 SSD storage.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ships on 2 discs, coming early 2024
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is coming early 2024, and it will ship on two discs, Square Enix today announced.
The Summer Game Fest showcase ended with an explosive reveal of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gameplay that injected straight hype and nostalgia right into gamers' veins. The footage highlighted action-packed combat, impressive CGI sequences, and hints that Sephiroth is far more sinister and manipulative in Rebirth than we've ever seen him before.
Areas from the old-school 1997 classic were shown in splendid detail, including the Mythril Mines, the Chocobo Farm, Cosmo Canyon, and a look at Jenova.
Continue reading: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth ships on 2 discs, coming early 2024 (full post)
NetherRealm originally wanted Mortal Kombat to be 'Jean-Claude van Damme the video game'
NetherRealm's Ed Boon excitedly shares how Jean-Claude van Damme will be a part of Mortal Kombat 1, says that the team wanted him in the first game and had been trying to get the famed martial arts actor for many years.
Jean-Claude van Damme is finally coming to Mortal Kombat, and will be playing Johnny Cage in this year's Mortal Kombat 1 reboot. This is a monumental occasion for NetherRealm--the devs have been trying to get van Damme into the brutal beat-em-up since the first game launched in the early 1990s.
On stage at Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest, NetherRealm's Ed Boon shared his excitement on van Damme coming to Mortal Kombat 1, and said that the team basically wanted the first MK to be based around van Damme's bloody exploits on the big screen. The martial arts action-movie influences are quite obvious in Mortal Kombat, and remains at the core of the franchise a whole with practically every fictional macho star showing up in MK in some form, from Terminator and TMNT to Spawn and Robocop.
Fortnite made nearly $6 billion from in-game purchases in 2021
Epic Games made nearly $6 billion from digital in-game purchases made in Fortnite throughout 2021, handily beating all previous years of mTX sales.
The latest newsletter from games industry expert Joost van Dreunen contains some interesting and unexpected info on fashion. It turns out that Fortnite is the second best-earning seller of apparel when compared up against the likes of mega-brands Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Prada, and Hugo Boss.
According to data compiled by Dreunen, Epic Games' free-to-play sensation Fortnite managed to generate an incredible $5.8 billion from in-game digital cosmetics throughout 2021. This would make 2021 the best year for Fortnite earnings based on our recorded data, and would help push total Fortnite earnings past the $18.6 billion mark.
Continue reading: Fortnite made nearly $6 billion from in-game purchases in 2021 (full post)
Spider-Man 2 release date announced alongside new Venom details
Sony and Insomniac Games today announced that Spider-Man 2 will launch on October 20, 2023 exclusively on PlayStation 5.
Insomniac Games' Bryan Intihar showed up at Summer Game Fest today to reveal Spider-Man 2's launch date on PS5, and dropped key details about the symbiote suit and Venom's involvement in the game. Intihar says that Insomnaic is "very confident" in the October launch date.
While on stage, Intihar says that Venom won't be Eddie Brock. Instead, Venom's identity will be separated from the comics and films--the team wanted to do something completely original.
Continue reading: Spider-Man 2 release date announced alongside new Venom details (full post)
Friday the 13th game to be delisted in December, but a new F13 game is in development
The current Friday the 13th multiplayer game will officially be removed from all stores at the end of 2023, and will be taken permanently offline in 2024.
Today, Gun Media announced an unfortunate reality to all licensing deals made for big intellectual properties--they expire over time. That's the case with Friday the 13th: The Game. Gun's license rights will be withdrawn on December 31, 2023, and the game will be delisted from digital and physical stores worldwide. The live service game won't be pulled offline until a full year later on December 2024, however.
Much more content had been planned for Friday the 13th: The Game, but rights issues had stalled development of new DLC. In 2018, Illfonic and Gun Media announced that they could no longer provide new cosmetics and updates for the game.
Resident Evil Village hits new sales milestone days after big Street Fighter 6 debut
Capcom continues its success streak as Resident Evil Village breaks a new sales milestone.
Just a bit ago we reported on the top 5 best-selling Capcom franchises and how each series grew over the past year. Resident Evil is by far and away Capcom's top franchise with over 142 million copies sold to date, and now it's been revealed that RE Village has surpassed 8 million sales since its release in May 2021.
"Resident Evil Village has just surpassed 8 million units sold! We owe this to all of our amazing fans. Thank you so much!" Capcom Tweeted late last night.
This watchOS 10 feature will stop your Apple Watch Ultra from blinding you
If you're an Apple Watch Ultra wearer you're going to get one very specific new feature when watchOS 10 ships to the public later this year. And it's one that none of your other non-Ultra Apple Watch owners will get.
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode - image: apple.com
That's because this new feature is specific to the Apple Watch Ultra's Night Mode. And you're going to love it if you're someone who has ever been blinded by their Apple Watch Ultra at night.
Currently, using the Apple Watch Ultra's Night Mode required manually enabling it by rotating the Digital Crown. But 9to5Mac reports that this will change when watchOS 10 ships this fall, with the Apple Watch Ultra then able to automatically enable Night Mode once it gets dark enough.
Did WhatsApp just eat Twitter's lunch with a new Channels feature?
WhatsApp has today announced a new feature called Channels, something that the company says will offer people a reliable and private way to receive updates from people and companies.
The feature puts a direct line to those people and companies into the WhatsApp app, but the conversation is only one way. That means that people who follow a WhatsApp channel from a company won't be able to reply to anything they post, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Channels could have the potential to fill in for the way a lot of people use Twitter - to keep up on updates from their favorite companies or celebrities. A WhatsApp Channel could possibly provide that while making it easier for people to avoid the content they don't want to see. That's something that has become increasingly difficult to do on Twitter since Elon Musk's $44 billion buyout, of course.
Continue reading: Did WhatsApp just eat Twitter's lunch with a new Channels feature? (full post)