Latest News - Page 221

The new Halloween game will stay true to the films and make Michael Myers an unkillable, walking shadow of death.

Illfonic showed off the first gameplay for its new Halloween slasher sim, revealing what the game will look and play like when it ships next fall. The visuals are striking, with sharp contrasts and tones, and Michael is larger-than-life on the screen as he roams Haddonfield.

Gameplay-wise, Michael Myers will use the classic butcher knife and other makeshift kill utensils, but he also has a special Shape Jump ability that lets players go invisible for a period of time. It might be Illfonic's take of The Shape's curse storyline. Exact specifics on how this work remain unknown, but it was confirmed that Michael is unkillable in the game (players can lose if the time runs out).

After a decade with the Mario maker, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser is retiring from the company.

The charmingly-named and even more charmingly-mannered Doug Bowser has announced that he will be leaving Nintendo at the end of 2025. Nintendo of America's EVP of revenue and marketing Devon Pritchard will take over for Bowser as NoA's new president.

Bowser helped lead Nintendo's critical US-based operations through its most profitable console generation--the Switch--when he took over as Nintendo of America president in 2019, and also navigated the company's Western division through turbulent, tariff-ridden waters with the Switch 2's launch. Bowser ends his send-off with an indication that he may not be leaving the games industry.

Nintendo has stealth released Fire Emblem Shadows, a new real-time tactics strategy game for mobile that has an interesting mimic gimmick.

Nintendo's latest mobile game, Fire Emblem Shadows, seems like an innovative blend of genres and classic gaming sentiments, which reflects the company's more unusual and quality-oriented approach to smartphone games. It's a game where you fight enemies with a team of other characters in the Fire Emblem world, but there's a catch: One of the party members is a saboteur, and each round you only have 10 seconds make a decision to figure out who it is.

The result is an interesting if not sometimes confusing blend of tactical RPG combat with a gimmicky mechanic that's meant to be suspenseful, adding a fun social twist to gameplay. Fire Emblem Shadows is free-to-start and must be purchased in order to keep playing after a certain point. Nintendo had previously converted its last free-to-play game, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, into a paid mobile game. Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo's other mobile game in the series, is successful with over $1 billion earned since 2017.

PlayStation's iconic racing franchise breaks the 100 million sales mark, joining other series like Monster Hunter and Mortal Kombat.

During yesterday's State of Play event, Polyphony Digital confirmed that the legendary Gran Turismo series has sold more than 100 million copies. That's a feat that few video game franchises can pull off, either by raw popularity, longevity, or a combination of the two. One interesting point; Sony has sold 623.7 million pieces of console and handheld hardware that have Gran Turismo games, so 100 million sales represents a strong, dedicated player base throughout the generations.

Polyphony Digital CEO and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed the news during the stream, and also announced the largest-ever update for Gran Turismo 7 called SPEC III.

It's come to light that one big-spender on Steam has bought over 40,000 games on Valve's platform.

That truly gargantuan collection of games has been amassed by someone in China, a certain SonixLegends, who has just received the Steam 'Game Collector' badge for buying over 40,000 games, and is the only person in the world (so far) to have done so.

Polygon (via Tom's Hardware) picked up on this achievement via SteamDB, and apparently this library is the result of 15 years of gaming, with an approximate toll on the gamer's wallet to the tune of $640,000. Yes, that's nearly two-thirds of a million dollars spent on Steam games, which is pretty mind-boggling.

TSMC is making great strides in the development of its next-gen A16 and A14 process node technology, with huge improvements over its N2 process node in both performance and energy efficiency.

In a new post on X by Research Director and Semiconductor Analyst at The Futurum Group, Ray Wang, that TSMC says its next-gen A14 node (1.4nm) has achieved "yield performance" ahead of schedule. The performance improvements expected from TSMC's next-gen A14 node are impressive to say the least.

TSMC's upcoming A16 technology will integrate nanosheet transistors with Super Power Rail (SPR) and novel backside contacts to deliver industry-leading logic density, power efficiency, and most importantly: performance. A16 compared to N2 will see 8-10% higher speed, 15-20% less power, and around 1.1x chip density, making TSMC's upcoming A16 process perfect for HPC products that need complex signal routing and robust power delivery.

Sony unveiled its first wireless speakers at its State of Play event that recently wrapped up, and according to the company, these wireless speakers are not only designed for the PS5 but also for PC and Mac.

The Pulse Elevate wireless speakers are Sony's latest addition to the line-up of PlayStation audio accessories and are touted to provide immersive, next-level gaming audio in a variety of different setups. As explained in the PlayStation blog post about the Pulse Elevate, each speaker features studio-inspired magnetic drivers for lifelike sound. When connected to the PS5 and a compatible game is played, the Pulse Elevate utilizes Tempest 3D AudioTech, which enhances the accuracy of audio cues.

Additionally, the Pulse Elevate comes with a built-in microphone and AI-enhanced noise rejection, which identifies unwanted background noise for clearer communication. The microphone is located within the right speaker, and according to Sony, it provides "a new level of headset-free voice chat for desktop gaming."

Rockstar Games has been cooking up Project ROME (Rockstar Online Modding Engine) ready for GTA 6, with rumors swirling that the developer could unveil Project ROME real soon.

Project ROME will be the key to turning GTA 6 into the "next big metaverse" that will transform Grand Theft Auto 6 from being "just a game" into its own platform, allowing players to create their own custom experiences inside of the game. In a new post from "GTA 6 Countdown" on X, that's exactly what we're hearing.

The full post reads: "Rockstar Games is reportedly preparing to reveal Project ROME (Rockstar Online Modding Engine) soon. It aims to make GTA 6 the next big metaverse and transform it into a platform not just a game, allowing players to create their own custom experiences".

Qualcomm has unveiled its next-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite processors at its Snapdragon Summit 2025 event, teasing a super-ultra-thin fanless Mini-PC that puts the Apple Mac mini to shame. Check it out:

On the ground at the event were our friends from HotHardware, who have a video of the new Snapdragon X2-powered Mini-PC systems, where Qualcomm even showed off its Mini-PC concept that would slot directly into the base of a monitor. It looks great, has fantastic functionality, and a helluva lot of mobile horsepower under its TSMC 3nm process hood.

The two new Mini-PC systems that Qualcomm showed off are incredibly thin and are passively cooled, with no fans to keep thermals under control. One of them is a wicked disc-shaped design that looks as thick as a small handful of CDs or DVDs, with the full-fat Snapdragon X2 Elite processor inside and capable of driving an external monitor over its USB-C/DisplayPort connector.

The 25-year-old PC classic Deus Ex is finally getting a remaster, but what was shown in the recently released trailer could be the most disappointing remaster I have seen in quite some time.

Deus Ex Remastered was announced at the recent PlayStation State of Play event, and when the original title was first released in 2000, it redefined what gaming could be as it combined first-person shooting, stealth, and RPG mechanics into a player-driven choice that few games before it had. Unfortunately, the Deus Ex Remaster appears not to be doing anything groundbreaking, as the improved graphics aren't particularly impressive.

In 2025, we have seen some incredible remasters hit the gaming market, with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered leading the pack in terms of popularity, offering a completely overhauled experience of a classic title. Followed by Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, which took an extremely popular classic title and gave it a fresh coat of pixels, increasing the visual fidelity of the title immensely. Both of these games managed to retain the old-school feel of the original games, while also bringing the graphical levels up to those of a game released in the 2020s.

Sony just wrapped up its PlayStation State of Play event, where Electronic Arts showcased Battlefield 6's single-player campaign for the first time.

The above campaign trailer, released on the official PlayStation YouTube channel, introduces gamers to Dagger 13, an elite squad of Marine Raiders determined to stop Pax Armata, a private military corporation seeking to reshape global power. Battlefield 6's campaign will return to a singular narrative format, following the episodic structure of War Stories in Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V.

Players will be journeying across three continents in Battlefield 6's campaign, undertaking epic battles in tanks under the shadows of the Pyramids, all the way to firefights in the streets of Brooklyn. Notably, players will be assuming the role of members of Dagger 13, which includes the classes that are available to play in Battlefield 6's multiplayer mode.

Qualcomm took the wraps off its latest mobile silicon during its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii this week, with the new Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme mobile processors. Check them out:

The new Snapdragon X2 Elite chips are fabbed on TSMC's new 3nm process node, with 3rd Gen Oryon CPU cores, brand new Adreno GPU cores, and a spankin' new Hexagon NPU for AI workloads.

Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor features up to 18 CPU cores in a hybrid combo -- with 12 Prime Cores that operate at single/dual-core boost of up to 5.0GHz, and 4.4GHz all-core boost -- while the other 6 cores are tagged as "Performance" with a max all-core frequency of 3.6GHz.

Xbox has just wrapped up the Tokyo Game Show, where it confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 is set in Japan and when it will launch.

Leaks that surfaced in late August claimed Xbox was planning to reveal the next Forza Horizon game at the Tokyo Games Show, which has now been officially confirmed by Xbox in a new teaser trailer. The leaks stated Forza Horizon 6 was based in Japan, hence its unveiling at the Tokyo Games Show.

Unfortunately, there aren't many details about the upcoming title, besides when it's scheduled to release, and even then, that isn't specific at all. Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled to release sometime in 2026 on Xbox Series X|S consoles and PC. The trailer is purely cinematic and doesn't actually showcase any vehicles at all, just a slow pan over the history of the series from Colorado, Australia, and the South of France before finally showcasing Mt. Fuji, an iconic landmark in Japan.

Qualcomm has finally unveiled its new flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile processor, something that it claims is the "fastest mobile CPU in the world".

The new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip features third-generation Oryon CPU cores with higher single- and multi-core performance with up to 18 cores at the ready, as well as a beefed-up Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU, and plenty more under the hood. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 CPU features two prime cores at up to 4.6GHz and six performance cores at up to 3.62GHz.

Qualcomm says there's up to 35% better power efficiency from the CPU that delivers 15% more performance in overall SOC efficiency. The upgraded Adreno GPU has up to 23% more performance in gaming, as well as a 20% reduction in power consumption, while on the AI side of things the updated Hexagon NPU has 37% more performance as well as increased efficiency over its predecessor.

If you're in the market for a high-end graphics card, one of Walmart's latest deals in the US may tempt you, namely a 7% reduction on NVIDIA's RTX 5080.

This deal, spotted by Tom's Hardware, is on the PNY GeForce RTX 5080 OC graphics card, which is down from the MSRP of $999 to $929, a saving of $70.

Obviously I would hesitate to call this affordable - there's nothing affordable about top-tier GPUs these days - but it is at least more affordable than this graphics card has previously been.

Intel is ramping up the number of the High-NA EUV lithography tools from ASML right now, where it has just a single High-NA EUV machine but is reportedly ordering another two machines to ramp up its next-gen 14A process node.

In a new post from Jerry Capital on X, Intel reportedly plans on buying two more of ASML's bleeding-edge High-NA EUV lithography tools -- the semiconductor magic machine -- in its battle for silicon supremacy against the likes of especially TSMC, but also Samsung.

Intel's upcoming 14A process node will use High-NA EUV lithography, representing a historic release for the semiconductor foundry division: making and shipping a next-generation processor in-house on the very latest semiconductor production technology.

Insomniac steals Sony's State of Play with the first look at its new Wolverine game, showcasing some of the most visceral-looking cinematic combat in gaming.

Insomniac flexes their superhero mastery with the new Wolverine gameplay trailer, and like with Spider-Man, the studio is creating yet another ultra-authentic adaptation. As a fan, everything in the Wolverine trailer was quintessentially the bristly, cigar-smoking hellion--the savage brutality and tenacious attitude, the undercurrent of violence, everything matched.

Wolverine's gameplay looks fun and snappy, with Logan snapping onto enemies with a crazed leap into battle. Then it's just a whirling dance of slicing death, complete with a very bloody death animation. This is an ultra-mature game, and Insomniac went all out with the blood in Wolverine, developing new gore tech.

Xbox loses yet another exclusive as Microsoft Flight Simulator is confirmed for a PS5 release.

Flight Sim 2024 is officially coming to PS5 in December, Microsoft announced at Sony's State of Play. Microsoft's cross-platform position remains clear as Xbox continues to eliminate software exclusivity in a bid to sell more games, especially now that Sony's PS5 has reached 80.3 million sales.

"We unleashed the full power of the PS5 and PS5 Pro so aviation enthusiasts can now, for the first time on PlayStation, fly anywhere on the globe at any time of day or year, land at over 40,000 airports and runways and at over 60,000 helipads," said Flight Sim studio head Jorg Neumann.

Housemarque reveals the first-ever gameplay for its new game Saros at Sony's State of Play, confirming a March 2026 release date for the game.

Saros gameplay was revealed at State of Play, showcasing an evolution on Returnal's mechanics. Housemarque's latest project features a new permanent progression system, and the tagline is "Come Back Stronger," so it sounds like some of Returnal's more frustrating features have been revamped.

"This is one small part of the permanent-progression systems we have added in Saros, which will allow you to always come back stronger after each death. These systems include the ability to upgrade your Soltari advanced combat suit & abilities if you choose to do so," creative director Gregory Louden said.

Popular Everquest emulation server The Heroes' Journey (THJ) has been shut down following the judgment of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Back in June, Everquest developer Daybreak Games filed a copyright lawsuit against the creators of The Heroes' Journey, a bit of software that emulates the classic MMORPG. In the lawsuit, Daybreak claimed that THJ creators were profiting from the unauthorized use of the Everquest intellectual property through a "thinly-disguised donation system."

Now the court has delivered its verdict. US District Judge Cynthia Bashant ruled in favor of Daybreak Games, revealing that THJ generated a whopping $100,000 in revenue per month from direct donations--proceeds that were made from another company's wholly-owned IP. Judge Bashant has ordered that all traces of THJ be removed and the defendants cease operations immediately.