Crunch is inevitable for huge games like Cyberpunk 2077

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 18, 2020 10:06 PM CST

Cyberpunk 2077's delay to September doesn't really give the team more breathing room, but more opportunity to crunch and double-down their efforts.

Crunch is inevitable for huge games like Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt RED is shockingly transparent about their demands of dev teams, confirming that workers will indeed crunch on Cyberpunk 2077 over the next five months. This final stretch will punctuate what's already likely been lots of overtime as CDPR continues investing tens of millions of dollars into the project.

"Developers will crunch to some degree, to some degree. We're trying to limit crunch as much as possible, but you know it's the final stretch. We try to be reasonable in this regard. But yes [they will crunch] unfortunately," CDPR President Adam Kicinski said in a recent investors call.

Continue reading: Crunch is inevitable for huge games like Cyberpunk 2077 (full post)

Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra full specs leaked

A massive leak of detailed specs on Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S20 family of smartphones, where we have the full specs on the upcoming Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and the flagship Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra full specs leaked

We know that Samsung's new trio of smartphones will pack what should be one of, if not the most gorgeous display on the market with a 120Hz refresh rate. Inside, they'll pack Samsung's Exynos 990 chipset on the 7nm node, with a minimum of 128GB of storage which will be expandable through a microSD card slot.

International versions of the Galaxy S20 range of smartphones will use Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 865, while Android 10 with One UI 2.0 will take care of the OS and UI side of things. The phones will rock varying sizes of Samsung's new Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display at a gorgeously smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra full specs leaked (full post)

Android 11 caught running on Pixel 4 on Geekbench

Android 11 has been spotted running on a Pixel 4 smartphone, with Google's new mobile operating system caught in a Geekbench result.

Android 11 caught running on Pixel 4 on Geekbench

We don't know exactly what to expect with Android 11 right now, but we do know that Android 11 will be capable of creating video files that are bigger than 4GB. This might not be useful for many people, but with more and more smartphones packing more insane cameras -- shooting 4K 60FPS, and even Samsung's new Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra shooting 8K 30FPS, it'll be very useful.

Not only that, but Android 11 will also let users store IDs on their smartphones, paving the way for all-digital drivers licenses, and more. Google will be including a nifty 'low power' mode that will power the smartphone for enough time to show your ID.

Continue reading: Android 11 caught running on Pixel 4 on Geekbench (full post)

AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su confirms we'll see 'Big Navi' in 2020

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Jan 18, 2020 7:16 PM CST

AMD has 100% confirmed that Big Navi is coming in 2020, with CEO Dr. Lisa Su herself confirming the news during a special CES 2020 edition of The Bring Up AMD show. Check her out saying it below:

In the video, Su says: "My main message to our fans is this is just a beginning for us in 2020. I've heard a little bit through Twitter and Reddit that people are wondering about, you know, Big Navi. I can say you gonna see Big Navi in 2020. There might be few people wondering about Zen 3 as well and I can tell you that Zen 3 is doing really well, we are excited about it. I look forward talking about that later in 2020".

Interestingly, Su refers to AMD's return to the enthusiast graphics card market with 'Big Navi'. It's not the first time that Su has talked about a new high-end Radeon GPU, with Su talking about a high-end Navi graphics card at CES 2020 and something I covered in more detail here.

Continue reading: AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su confirms we'll see 'Big Navi' in 2020 (full post)

See double in our 'Gemini Man' Blu-ray giveaway!

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Jan 18, 2020 4:55 PM CST

Thanks to our friends at Universal Sony Home Entertainment, we have ten Blu-ray copies of the new release blockbuster 'Gemini Man' to give away!

See double in our 'Gemini Man' Blu-ray giveaway!

Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Will Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move. The film is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee and produced by renowned producers Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Also starring are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong.

To go into the running to win a prize, post this article to your social media profiles, send your postal address to ben at TweakTown dot com and answer the following question in 50 words or less before the competition closes on 25 January.

Continue reading: See double in our 'Gemini Man' Blu-ray giveaway! (full post)

CD Projekt RED is 'looking at' next-gen consoles, privy to inside info

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 18, 2020 4:13 PM CST

Although CD Projekt RED says Cyberpunk 2077 will be their "crowning gem" of current-gen consoles, the devs still plan to explore PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles.

CD Projekt RED is 'looking at' next-gen consoles, privy to inside info

Cyberpunk 2077 is still very much a PS4 and Xbox One game. CD Projekt RED made that very clear in their recent delay announcement, affirming they're focusing on current-gen systems "for now." But even as the game is getting optimized for existing hardware, the company is planning for and likely experimenting with next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox SX consoles.

"As we said, our games were always designed for multiple machines. We are thinking about the next generation, but for now we are focused on the current generation," CDPR President Adam Kicinski said in a recent Q&A investors call.

Continue reading: CD Projekt RED is 'looking at' next-gen consoles, privy to inside info (full post)

Leaked PlayStation 5 concepts show weird X-shaped case

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 18, 2020 2:49 PM CST

Some new PS5 designs are making the rounds, showing a strange X-shaped chassis that looks ill-equipped to handle next-gen thermals.

Leaked PlayStation 5 concepts show weird X-shaped case

First we had the V-shaped PlayStation 5 devkit, and now we have an X-like design that's more like a fusion between a launch PS4 and stylish mock-ups of an Xbox system.

The images come from Twitter user Drunk Cat, who posted up real photos of PS5 devkits back in November. Apparently this design isn't the final PS5 shape, but an authentic concept mock-up made internally at Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Continue reading: Leaked PlayStation 5 concepts show weird X-shaped case (full post)

Rockstar has gotten a lot better at handling crunch

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 18, 2020 1:59 PM CST

All devs crunch, but Rockstar Games is among the most famous for its brutal hours-smashing overtime. Now a new report says the studio has relented and is actively working towards better policies for its workers.

Rockstar has gotten a lot better at handling crunch

Crunch is endemic in the games industry, and is generally seen as part of making games. Devs have to constantly iterate, build, adapt, and throw away weeks (or sometimes months) worth of work due to miscommunication, cancellations, and revisions. And when a game is delayed, it doesn't give developers more freedom per say--it just gives them more time to work long hours and crunch even harder. Sometimes these long months lead to depression, anxiety, and even mental breakdowns.

Case in point: GTA V was delayed three separate times, and according to ex-Rockstar dev Liam Edwards, every delay added on 6 months of crunch time. That means Rockstar had 18 months of toil and heavy work added to their cumbersome dev cycle. Thankfully Rockstar is getting better at handling crunch.

Continue reading: Rockstar has gotten a lot better at handling crunch (full post)

GTA V is the top-selling game of the decade

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 18, 2020 9:34 AM CST

GTA V conquered the top sales charts in the U.S., becoming the best-selling game in the last 10 years.

GTA V is the top-selling game of the decade

Grand Theft Auto V is a monster that's earned over $1 billion from microtransactions, and pulled in the same amount in just three days of sales. It's a sensation that just keeps on giving, too: In the last seven years, the game has sold over 115 million copies and continues to rake in hundreds of millions in mTX revenues every year. With that kind of reach it's only natural GTA V dominated the sales charts.

According to the NPD Group, GTA V sold more copies than any other game from 2010-2019 in the United States, beating out Call of Duty. "Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling game of all time in our tracked sell-through in dollar sales," NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella said.

Continue reading: GTA V is the top-selling game of the decade (full post)

National Treasure 3 is happening, and it's currently in pre-production

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Jan 18, 2020 3:39 AM CST

It's been quite a while since the last entry in the National Treasure series, and now news has begun flying about a third installment being in pre-production.

National Treasure 3 is happening, and it's currently in pre-production

Information has come out from The Hollywood Reporter in regards to a third installment in the series officially beginning pre-production. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bad Boys for Life's writer Chris Bremner is working on the film, and Jerry Bruckheimer will be the one to produce the film.

At the moment, it isn't confirmed whether Nick Cage will be the one to star in the third movie. If you have seen the two previous movies, then you'd be aware that Nick Cage was the main star of the movies playing the highly intelligent treasure hunter Ben Gates. Hopefully, Nick Cage returns to play Ben Gates as I believe that the third movie would just seem strange if Cage wasn't playing the main character.

Continue reading: National Treasure 3 is happening, and it's currently in pre-production (full post)