Xbox boss says MS 'have plans to improve' PC gaming in the future

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 11:06 PM CST

With the Windows Store-based games not supporting multi-GPUs in games, with Rise of the Tomb Raider being the most recent example, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has come out trying to douse the flames.

Andre Miller (@BigMouthGamer on Twitter) asked Xbox boss Phil Spencer on Twitter: "Are you guys taking steps to resolve these issues? A lot of these limitations are on fundamental features...". Miller makes a very good point, with Spencer replying: "We know lists like this include features PC gamers want to see from us, we appreciate the feedback and have plans to improve".

Spencer didn't provide any details, but the Windows Store-based games having issues that PC gamers shouldn't be putting up with is complete crap - IMO. With the release of Quantum Break from Remedy Entertainment right around the corner, after being an Xbox One exclusive and then announced for the PC recently - I expect there to be multi-GPU support on day one. But Quantum Break is launching on the Windows Store only - so if nothing is fixed between now and then, one of the biggest releases of the year will launch without support for multi-GPUs... and that sucks.

Continue reading: Xbox boss says MS 'have plans to improve' PC gaming in the future (full post)

AMD's upcoming Bristol Ridge APU should be faster than an Xbox One

Anthony Garreffa | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Feb 27, 2016 8:47 PM CST

One of the fastest APUs from the Bristol Ridge family will be just as fast as the Xbox One, according to a new rumor from Bitsnchips.

AMD's new Bristol Ridge family will feature a powerful APU that will be quite powerful, easily taking on the consoles in providing a 1080p gaming experience, in a small package and price. AMD is expected to launch its new Bristol Ridge family at Computex, so we should expect more details in June.

As for the rumor, the flagship Bristol Ridge-based APU would feature 16 compute units that are based on the GCN 1.3 architecture. The 16 compute units would include 1024 stream processors, which is the same SP count as AMD's Radeon HD 7850. The HD 7850 launched in 2012, and was a great budget/mid-range GPU - if we see this performance in an APU, things could get very exciting for AMD.

Continue reading: AMD's upcoming Bristol Ridge APU should be faster than an Xbox One (full post)

Street Fighter V receives custom SLI fix, with up to 98% scaling

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 6:53 PM CST

Games launching with crappy multi-GPU scaling have become a new thing, with Street Fighter V launching with SLI and Crossfire support being KO'd.

Well, thanks to some users tinkering around with the NVIDIA Inspector Tool, you can find the game profile for "Street Fighter V" and do some changes to the SLI compatability bits (0x000000F5). DSOGaming ran Street Fighter V with the SLI fix on their NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 card (a dual-GPU) resulting in around 98% scaling.

Before they applied the SLI fix, the GTX 690 wasn't powerful enough to run Street Fighter V at 4K, anywhere near 60FPS. After that, the performance scales much higher and you can get closer to 4K 60FPS - especially on faster cards in SLI.

Continue reading: Street Fighter V receives custom SLI fix, with up to 98% scaling (full post)

Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony will be at E3 2016, along with many more

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 2:31 PM CST

The ESA has just published the full list of E3 2016 exhibitors, giving us a nice prelude to what the show has to offer in June.

Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony will be at E3 2016, along with many more

All of the biggest publishers, developers, and console-makers will be at this year's E3. The Big Three--Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo--will take the stage in full force, debuting their respective hardware and content. We'll probably see Nintendo tease some new details on its mysterious cross-platform NX console, and Sony will definitely discuss its PlayStation VR hardware. Microsoft, on the other hand, will most likely push its new Windows-centric Xbox-and-PC approach--but hopefully we'll see them address the awful Windows Store.

One of the more interesting about the list is that CD Projekt RED is showing up. The Witcher 3's latest Blood and Wine expansion is set to release before the show, so we'll probably see some new Cyberpunk 2077 action. Oculus will show up to tout its Oculus Rift headset, but HTC is absent. However you slice it, this year's E3 looks super exciting.

Continue reading: Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony will be at E3 2016, along with many more (full post)

The Division 'definitely won't have microtransactions', says Ubisoft

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 12:05 PM CST

After Phoenix Credits were spotted in a recent Division video from Arekkz, gamers were alarmed that the shooter would be laden with microtransactions. Ubisoft affirms that this isn't the case, and The Division won't have any paid currency options to buy in-game items.

The Division 'definitely won't have microtransactions', says Ubisoft

Although online games like The Division are prime territory for paid content schemes, Ubisoft Community Manager Natchai Stapper has officially confirmed that the online pre-apocalyptic shooter is microtransaction-free.

"There will be no microtransactions, and definitely no P2W," Stapper said in a recent Tweet regarding the game's mysterious Phoenix Credits. Although Stapper says paid currency is out, he didn't reveal what Phoenix Credits actually are, saying that "we'll communicate on this later, but don't worry." This directly clashes with the game's PSN page which clearly states "optional in-game purchases" are included.

Continue reading: The Division 'definitely won't have microtransactions', says Ubisoft (full post)

Here's how The Division's full game differs from the beta

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 10:11 AM CST

Ubisoft's anticipated MMOFPS The Division is almost here, and gamers are avidly looking for any scraps of info ahead of the game's release. As it turns out, the beta tests were small morsels compared to the hearty meal of the full game, and the final release will hold some pretty key differences.

Here's how The Division's full game differs from the beta

Redditor aGreatGambino has compiled a massive list that clarifies major differences between The Division's beta tests and the finished game we'll play in March. Gambino sifted through over 12 hours of past dev streams and footage to compile the info, which has been seen by thousands of gamers.

The list is a nice compendium that answers a lot of our questions and gives a better idea of how The Division will be at launch. For example, the game won't start out in Manhattan. There will be a prologue phase that bridges the story gap from the beta. The RPG mechanics will be much more dynamic, too. Players can equip up to two skills with a signature skill, and beef up stats and abilities with talents and perks. Be sure to check below for the full list, and we'll probably see Ubisoft spill more details before The Division's launch on March 8.

Continue reading: Here's how The Division's full game differs from the beta (full post)

Nintendo NX and a new Zelda game launching this year, new rumor says

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 8:21 AM CST

Some new evidence has surfaced that points towards the release of Nintendo's NX and even the next Legend of Zelda game sometime by the end of this year. A user on NeoGAF that goes by the username Trevelyan9999 spoke about having heard from someone reliable who's close to the information that we'll be seeing those soon.

The information stems from an internal US marketing budget and scheduling overview that has listed on dates of the projected release for both the NX and the new Zelda game, which will apparently be released on both consoles very close to the same date.

Such information would be dismissed at first glance if it weren't for a few key, yet slight details that they're also able to provide. The report by Trevelyan9999 which showed up at the beginning of the week also mentioned a 20th anniversary Pokemon game, which was indeed revealed. The codename mentioned in their post was Niji, which also happened to be the initial filename for the logo images released by Nintendo, as uncovered by Gematsu. The codename for these anniversary games has never been discussed or mentioned before, giving credence to the information at hand. It's unlikely that anyone that isn't close to Nintendo would have known that.

Continue reading: Nintendo NX and a new Zelda game launching this year, new rumor says (full post)

Lord Gaben fires host, production company handling DOTA 2 competition

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 27, 2016 6:26 AM CST

Gabe Newell has fired the production company and host of the $3 million DOTA 2 Shanghai Major competition, with host James "2G" Harding taking to Twitter announcing he'd been dismissed of his hosting duties, and that it was "Valve's decision".

The reason? There were several major technical issues, and questions raised over the dismissal of Harding for the English-language coverage of its group stages. This forced Valve boss Gabe Newell to step in and address it directly. As for the issues, it included major technical issues both on-set, and in-game. The hosts had mic levels that were either too quiet to hear or were cut completely. Harding was reportedly looking awkwardly at the wrong camera, and speaking to the on-set director to get the camera pointed where he wanted.

Harding "rambled self-deprecatingly about how little he knew or understood about Dota 2's current balance and accepted strategies, or meta, and sometimes insulted teams participating in the major or the players on them", reports Polygon. It gets worse, though. During the live match coverage, it was interrupted for various reasons. Medical reasons caused delays, with others going for hours at a time without explanation. The competition had multiple complete connection failures for the English-language streams, on both Twitch and DOTA 2's official website.

Continue reading: Lord Gaben fires host, production company handling DOTA 2 competition (full post)

The first look at AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X2, the dual-GPU with HBM

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Feb 27, 2016 1:45 AM CST

We've been waiting for AMD to show off its Radeon R9 Fury X2 in the flesh, and now we seem to have seen the first real photo of AMD's dual-GPU based on the Fiji architecture, powered by HBM.

AMD's Roy Taylor posted a picture of the Tiki PC, built by Falcon Northwest, to his Facebook page. Taylor teased "another peak at the world's best developer box for VR and DX12". We can see the R9 Fury X2 (if that's what AMD names it, Gemini has also been teased) is a much longer card than the R9 Fury X, with the cooler built-in like the R9 Nano.

It looks like the R9 Fury X2 is just a super-long R9 Nano - but with twice the horsepower. We should expect the R9 Fury X2 to have a 300W TDP, but with Fiji's thermal throttling, we shouldn't expect the card to be running too hot - hence why we're seeing AMD not use a watercooler like they did on the R9 Fury X.

Continue reading: The first look at AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X2, the dual-GPU with HBM (full post)

NVIDIA rumored to unveil Titan X successor in April, launch in June

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Feb 27, 2016 12:52 AM CST

I've already reported that NVIDIA would unveil its new Pascal-based Titan X successor at its GPU Technology Conference in early April, but we should expect a "surprise" Pascal demo at GTC according to the new rumors.

NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang will be kicking off his usual opening keynote on April 5 at 9AM PST, where we should be greeted by the next-gen GeForce GTX Titan X, based on the Pascal architecture. Now, NVIDIA is set to hit the 16nm process with Pascal, as well as using HBM2 - so we might see the Titan X successor unveiled, but not launched at GTC. When will NVIDIA launch the Pascal-based Titan X successor? According to the rumors, sometime around June - just like it did with the GTX 980 Ti last year.

Continue reading: NVIDIA rumored to unveil Titan X successor in April, launch in June (full post)