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COD: Black Ops 4 launch day sales on PC up 100% over 2017
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launched over the weekend, with Activision already coming out saying Black Ops 4 has broken sales records with the game reaching a "new franchise high" in more ways than one.
This is first Call of Duty game to ever be released on Battle.net on the PC, with previous games in the COD franchise being released on Steam. This is a gigantic difference as Activision owns Blizzard, and thus have their own digital distribution software in Battle.net and its current roster of massive games from Blizzard. We're talking about Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Diablo... just to name a few.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is the first game in the series to include a battle royale mode, something that totally exploded last year with the release of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and continued and got even bigger with Fortnite late last year, and especially this year. Blackout is the battle royale mode in COD: Black Ops 4, and I think that's why PC gamers have been flocking to the game. It is a super-polished PUBG where it runs super-smooth on most gaming PCs, providing a COD-infused battle royale game mode that feels, plays, and acts great.
Continue reading: COD: Black Ops 4 launch day sales on PC up 100% over 2017 (full post)
Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 could rock huge 6.66-inch display
Samsung is going to have the biggest year of all time in 2019, with the company hyping up the release of the world's first foldable smartphone that will act as a tablet in your pocket, but there's also the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and their 10-year anniversary of launching the Galaxy range of devices. 2019 is going to be huge.
But now there's new rumors on the larger-than-life next-gen Galaxy Note 10 which will reportedly ship with a huge 6.66-inch panel, with Samsung summoning the devil with its new Super AMOLED display. This is a chunk larger than the 6.4-inch panel on the Galaxy Note 9, and larger than the iPhone XS Max with its 6.5-inch display. There will also be the Galaxy S10 and S10+ to content with.
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10+ is said to have a 6.44-inch display, while the normal Galaxy S10 will reportedly have a 5.8-inch panel which is the same as the S9, while the S9+ rocks a 6.2-inch panel.
Continue reading: Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 could rock huge 6.66-inch display (full post)
Cyberpunk 2077 team won't 'artificially' extend playtime
Cyberpunk 2077 enjoyed a super-huge gameplay reveal a couple of months ago now, and while developer CD Projekt Red has said that the game probably won't arrive exactly how we've seen it, it'll be close.
But now Cyberpunk 2077 level designer Miles Tost has been interviewed with Gaming Bolt, where he was asked if CDPR had any apprehension showing the huge 50-minute gameplay trailer to the game after the controversy behind The Witcher 3 and its downgrades. Tost said that wasn't a big consideration for the team, where he said: "The demo gameplay video was recorded from a work in progress version of the game and we were a bit uncertain if we should release it to the general public as we didn't want to commit to any particular design. A lot can change between now and launch, but you can be certain that we're not going to release a game we're not happy with".
What type of gameplay mechanics will we see in Cyberpunk 2077, well Tost said it was "too early to talk about that". He added: "If it makes sense, and if we could pull it off in a way that feels organic and meets our quality standards, then maybe. But we're certainly not going to be artificially extending the playtime by pushing more content into the game. If it can add to our story-driven experience in a meaningful way, we're not closed off to anything. Personally, I think our strength lies in creating handcrafted experiences".
Continue reading: Cyberpunk 2077 team won't 'artificially' extend playtime (full post)
Dell's 49-inch ultra-wide monitor rocks 5120x1440 resolution
Dell has just unveiled the world's first 49-inch dual-QHD curved monitor, with a super-awesome design and features, but it's the huge 5120x1440 native resolution that will blow peoples minds.
The new Dell UltraSharp U4919DW is a huge 49-inch monitor that offers the same pixel real estate as two 27-inch 1440p displays, with Dell using an IPS panel and throwing in a built-in KVM switch (keyboard/video/mouse) that lets you use multiple PCs all plugged into a single display. The built-in KVM switch means you don't need multiple keyboards and mice plugged in, as you can plug two sources into the Dell UltraSharp U4919DW and then use a single keyboard and mouse.
There's a boat load of connectivity, with Dell including the expected DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, USB Type-C connectivity (which will also charge your smartphone), and more. We have 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angles, 99% sRGB color gamut, the aforementioned built-in KVM, and more.
Continue reading: Dell's 49-inch ultra-wide monitor rocks 5120x1440 resolution (full post)
COD: Black Ops 4 emotes let gamers peak around corners
Peekaboo, I see you...
Yeah, that's probably what a bunch of people are saying in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 when they're using the character emotes to look around corners and shoot your ass dead. How is this happening? Well, publisher Activision and developer Treyarch are working on that.
COD: Black Ops 4 was only released a few days ago now but this new bug allows players to enter a third-person perspective, with an unlocked camera. This means in multiplayer games players using this bug can see opponents with near God mode-like vision, which is a huge tactical advantage in the new Blackout battle royale game mode that debuted in Black Ops 4.
Continue reading: COD: Black Ops 4 emotes let gamers peak around corners (full post)
Sony ramping up services framework for next-gen PS5
Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 console is in the works, and new job listings may hint at the system's release window.
Sony just put up a marketing manager job listing directly involved with its new console. The listing says the candidate will "own the roadmap for next generation PlayStation campaign," which could indicate a possible 2019 release target for the PS5. These campaigns typically go into early planning phases a year or so out from a product's launch.
"As part of this hands-on position you would work across Partners, Product and Engineering and contribute to development and growth of PlayStation Intelligence Platform. You will own the roadmap for next generation PlayStation campaign," reads the marketing manager listing.
Continue reading: Sony ramping up services framework for next-gen PS5 (full post)
New Assassin's Creed free-to-play mobile game incoming
Assassin's Creed: Rebellion will launch next month on mobiles, bringing Ubisoft yet another portal to reap steady microtransaction revenues.
Originally announced in 2017, Ubisoft's free-to-play AC: Rebellion mobile game is finally ready to launch. The game will arrive late next month and pre-registration will grant you $15 in bonuses, including Mario (yes, Mario will be in this Assassin's Creed game), weapons straight from AC: Odyssey, and more.
Obviously the game will be peppered with microtransactions. Rebellion is a merged-genre type of game with RTS management features, RPG-style upgrades and items, and even appears to have side-scrolling elements--all of which should be monetized in key ways. The mobile segment is a massively lucrative foundation for the games industry, and analyst firm Newzoo predicts mobile gaming will rake in 51% of total 2018 game revenues, or $70.3 billion.
Continue reading: New Assassin's Creed free-to-play mobile game incoming (full post)
Capcom to release three big games every fiscal year
Capcom is diversifying its business model in an attempt to mitigate potential risks, but its focus on strong AAA games will only continue.
In its latest annual report, Capcom says that it will now tap its strong vault of franchises to release three major games every fiscal year. This won't be the end, however: Capcom is keen on extending the life of each new game with additive online content such as DLC, hinting these games will have live services of some sort. The plan is that new games continue generating revenue as they fall back into catalog releases (catalog titles are older games that released prior to the current fiscal year).
"Specifically, new titles will work as growth drivers as we (1) release approximately three major titles each year, (2) extend the sales life of these titles to 3-4 years with additional content and pricing strategies and (3) strengthen our presence overseas, which comprises approximately 85% of the total market," Capcom CEO and founder Kenzo Tsujimoto said in the report.
Continue reading: Capcom to release three big games every fiscal year (full post)
Black Ops 4 Blackout battle royale has split-screen
Black Ops 4 has a surprise feature for couch gaming: split-screen mulitplayer in Blackout.
With a smattering of choas-inducing content like zombies and nostalgic Black Ops callbacks, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode is already a huge contender against Fortnite's long-running BR reign, and now it has another weapon in its arsenal. Soon after Blops 4's release gamers noticed that Blackout actually supports two-player split-screen gaming on the same console. Split-screen used to be a must-have staple for FPS games, but now the industry has pushed towards online services with microtransactions and whatnot, the feature has basically died out. But not any more.
The feature is currently only available for PS4 and Xbox One consoles, and rightly so given game consoles are typically the center of any living room. Honestly this is surprising given Activison's main focus is online-based engagement (live services monetized with in-game purchases, DLC, etc), especially since Black Ops 4 is now the best-selling digital launch day game in the company's history.
Continue reading: Black Ops 4 Blackout battle royale has split-screen (full post)
Red Dead Redemption 2 required ruthless crunch at Rockstar
UPDATE: Rockstar and Dan Houser have delivered a statement to Kotaku on the 100-hour work week, saying that no one at the studio was forced to work this arduous schedule.
The devs at Rockstar Games crunched intensely to ensure Red Dead Redemption 2 met its release date and lived up to the studio's open-world pedigree.
Rockstar titles aren't just games, they're experiences that push--and sometimes even redefine--the medium. Its most ambitious project to date, the renegade Western Red Dead Redemption 2, is no different. The team has spend years crafting the richly detailed 1899 frontier American landscape, peppering in incredible dynamism and interactivity into an action-packed world. Rockstar also jam-packed as much content as possible in the game and aimed to crank everything from NPC dialog to missions and realism up to 11.
Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 required ruthless crunch at Rockstar (full post)
AMD Radeon RX 590 turns up on the 3DMark database
AMD has been rumored to be preparing a refresh of Polaris 20 and it has many names in the rumor mill, but now there's another leak and another purported name, this time the Polaris refresh has turned up as the Radeon RX 590.
VideoCardz reports from TUM APISAK noticing the Radeon RX 590 used on the 3DMark database, with the site reporting that the RX 590 would be the same Polaris 20 GPU that was made on the 14nm node for the Radeon RX 580, but on the new 12nm node. The shift to the smaller 12nm node would provide AMD with headroom to overclock the GPU and improve power efficiency.
The new listing on 3DMark has the Radeon RX 590 sporting a GPU clock of 1545MHz, which is 205MHz higher than the boost GPU clock on the Radeon RX 580.
Continue reading: AMD Radeon RX 590 turns up on the 3DMark database (full post)
Treyarch release Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 patch notes
The very first patch to come to the newly released Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has been made live and the patch notes have been released by developers Treyarch. Check out the changes that are coming to all three of the games modes; Blackout, Zombies and the classic Multiplayer.
Treyarch has taken to /r/Blackops4 sub reddit to showcase to the community the changes that are going to be rolled out to the live game. Starting off we have general stability and crashing fixes across each of the game modes, moving onto zombies we have several changes to players' health, points that are being earned, tiger attacks and many more tweaks.
The classic Blacko game mode now allows for players to properly unlock Mastercraft camos. A fix has also been provided for the occasional bug that didn't allow for players to correctly unlock Ajax in Blackout. Another Blackout fix has been provided for when players would go to use their trauma kit and it would not work. Treyarch have also showcased to the community what future updates they are working on, some of the categories that will be patched are weapon camo issues, map spawns, crashes and progression issues. In the entirety of this post I have provided a copy of the patch notes, if instead you wish to view the official release, check out the Treyarch Reddit post here.
Continue reading: Treyarch release Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 patch notes (full post)
Warframe for Nintendo Switch gets performance improvements
Many Nintendo Switch players are waiting around for Panic Button's port of Warframe for their handheld console, some players have been worried about the performance but Warframe developer Digital Extreme has said improvements has been made.
Back in early July it was announced that Panic Button would be bringing the free-to-play title Warframe to the Nintendo Switch. Panic Button has quite a good reputation for porting games over to the Nintendo Switch, previous games that have debuted onto the hand-held console from Panic Button are DOOM and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Creative Director for Warframe developer Digital Extremes, Steve Sinclair has taken to Twitter to announce that "Panic Button performance improvements for upcoming Switch Warframe... makes all versions of Warframe faster!" The performance increase includes "~1+ millisecond saved on Xb1/PS4 is a serious improvement! They fixed my crappy critical section sync between visibility jobs!" Warframe for the Nintendo Switch is currently planned for release on November 20. For more information visit the official Warframe listing on the Nintendo website here.
Continue reading: Warframe for Nintendo Switch gets performance improvements (full post)
Ubisoft tease 2019's For Honor 'Year Of The Harbinger'
There is no doubt that For Honor had a bit of a shaky release, but since the constant slew of updates from developers Ubisoft, the game has grown considerably in size. Ubisoft are celebrating the achievement of reaching 15 million players and have teased a possible coming update in 2019 titled 'Year Of The Harbinger.'
Many For Honor players are gearing up for the 'Marching Fire' expansion that is planned to hit their games next week. In preperation of the coming update Ubisoft decided to host a live stream for their community, throughout the live stream brand director Luc Duchaine and Community Developer Eric Popea discussed the future of For Honor and which direct the game could take.
Close to the end of the live stream Ubisoft teased 'Year Of The Harbinger' but didn't give any details whatsoever. We don't even know if its a slew of updates under the umbrella title 'Year Of The Harbinger', or if it could be just one massive update. Duchaine did say that support for the game will of course continue and is not slowing down anytime soon, here is what he had to say "We've always been serious [about updating the game] since we launched it, even when people were betting against us, the team did an amazing job putting this game back on track, and we are not done." For more information regarding For Honor, visit the official website here.
Continue reading: Ubisoft tease 2019's For Honor 'Year Of The Harbinger' (full post)
Dying Light 2 will jump in with more parkour based combat
So you enjoyed Techland Games' Dying Light and also like a solid battle royale experience? Well, both of those things have now been combined, introducing Dying Light: Bad Blood and also more information regarding Dying Light 2.
The very well received Dying Light is soon to get a sequel titled Dying Light 2. Ahead of the games planned launch next year, Lead Designer Tymon Smektala has spoken out in an interview with Edge Magazine. Smektala says that Dying Light 2 will take players into a 'Modern Dark Age' and that "Everything is scarce, resources are extremely rare, there is nearly no technology and if there is technology it's things that people were able to keep running after the fall. When you think of medieval times, there are all those things that come to mind instantly. Intrigue, infidelity, harsh laws; you steal something and your hand gets cut off. The relations between people, between the people in power and those not as fortunate, we're using those archetypes in our story."
Smektala also reveals that within Dying Light 2 players can expect much more parkour based combat, "In the first game when you used parkour in combat it was mostly as a finisher, like drop-kicking an enemy off a rooftop. In Dying Light 2 we've added a lot of moves that let you create an opening, to start an encounter or to do something during that encounter." At the moment Techland is planning on releasing Dying Light 2 sometime next year, but the title could be subjected to a delay if the developers feel as if they need more time. If you want to check out more about Dying Light 2, visit the official website here.
Continue reading: Dying Light 2 will jump in with more parkour based combat (full post)
Darksiders III DLC's: 'The Crucible' & 'Keepers of the Void'
A recent press release from publisher THQ Nordic has revealed the plans for the Darksiders III DLC's. Short descriptions have been provided for both the DLC's, they are called 'The Crucible' and 'Keepers of the Void'.
Players that picked up the Deluxe Edition for Darksiders III will be glad to know both of these DLC's are included within their package. The DLC's will be bringing players new playable areas that feature new challenges, objectives, puzzles and enemies. The Crucible: "Fury's presence has been requested by a strange entity wishing to test her skills in battle. Never one to back down from a challenge, Fury accepts the invitation and gains access to a location known only as the Crucible. Here Fury will fight wave after wave of enemies, competing for a chance to unlock new rewards and items."
Keepers of the Void: "On a quest from Vulgrim, Fury must travel into the Serpent Holes to remove an ancient threat that resides there. The Serpent Holes are riddled with new puzzles and enemies eager to test Fury's abilities. If Fury prevails, she will unlock all new weapon from the Hollows, as well as the biggest prize of them all: The Abyssal Armor." Darksiders III is planned for release on November 27th for the PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One. For further information regarding the coming title, visit the official Darksiders III website here.
Continue reading: Darksiders III DLC's: 'The Crucible' & 'Keepers of the Void' (full post)
Samsung's foldable phone doubles as a tablet in your pocket
Samsung is ramping up towards the release of their foldable smartphone, with mobile boss DJ Koh talking with CNET recently saying that the foldable smartphone when unfolded, would provide the abilities of a tablet.
This would include multi-tasking and a huge screen, that when finished with, can be folded into a smartphone and put in your pocket. Koh said: "When we deliver a foldable phone, it has to be really meaningful to our customer. If the user experience is not up to my standard, I don't want to deliver those kind of products".
Koh says that a foldable smartphone will be very niche at first, but the market will grow out and get more popular, where he added that "we do need a foldable phone".
Continue reading: Samsung's foldable phone doubles as a tablet in your pocket (full post)
GPU-Z is now warning people about FAKE graphics cards
We have all heard about fake news but did you know there's fake graphics cards going around as well? Yeah, it's a thing and it was happening during the huge crypto mining boom with scammers selling fake graphics cards to people.
There's no way to tell if a graphics card is "fake" from a photo online or even from holding it in your hands most of the time, it's only when you plug it in and start testing or using it that you discover you've purchased a lemon. Well, now there's something that will help you: TechPowerUp has updated GPU-Z with the ability of detecting graphics cards that are faked or old relabeled parts.
A bunch of fake NVIDIA GPUs can be detected, including: G84, G86, G92, G94, G96, GT215, GT216, GT218, GF108, GF106, GF114, GF116, GF119, GK106. With that many GPUs being faked, you can only imagine how many people have been scammed this year on fake graphics cards alone. Sigh.
Continue reading: GPU-Z is now warning people about FAKE graphics cards (full post)
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X right now: $290 while 9900K costs $530
The price of AMD's current Ryzen 7 2700X continues to get slightly cheaper with Amazon listings at $290-$295, while Intel's upcoming Core i9-9900K sits up at a huge $530... 83% more expensive. It was only yesterday that I wrote it was 66% more expensive, but now that the 2700X has dropped in price slightly, the headline has changed.
You can't buy the Ryzen 7 2700X until October 31 as it's out of stock at that price, but even Microcenter is offering the 2700X for $280. Considering the Core i5-8600K is $260, the Ryzen 7 2700X is offering some insane value for money at $290. Newegg has Intel's upcoming Core i9-9900K listed for an even more expensive $580... which is ridiculous.
AMD's current Ryzen 7 2700X at $290 (or so) means you can buy the CPU and a motherboard, and even some RAM for the cost of the 9900K. Sure, the 9900K might be the "best gaming CPU" but how many gamers really care about that when you're getting far better value for money from AMD? If you're buying a gaming machine and don't care about the cost then the Core i9-9900K is what you're going to buy, nothing will change your mind.
Continue reading: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X right now: $290 while 9900K costs $530 (full post)
Intel Core i5-9600K: 6C/6T overclocks up to 5.2GHz on air
Intel is in the middle of a gigantic misfire in its marketing for the Core i9-9900K, something you can read about here - but what about the mainstream Core i5-9600K? This is going to be a processor that will be long debated, as it's a 6C/6T design that has some great overclocking headroom.
Chinese video streaming site bilibili has both stock and overclocked CPU performance from the upcoming Core i5-9600K under various benchmarks, with some interesting results. The Core i5-9600K is a 6C/6T processor with 9MB of L3 cache, and clock speeds that reach 4.6GHz boost under 1-core CPU loads. Intel's upcoming Core i5-9600K rocks a TDP of 95W and a retail price of $262.
Here's the rest of the CPU clock speeds:
Continue reading: Intel Core i5-9600K: 6C/6T overclocks up to 5.2GHz on air (full post)




















