As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.
Phil Spencer talks about Lionhead Studio closure, Xbox isn't dead
A lot of controversy and speculation as to the health and the future of the Xbox One after the closure of Lionhead Studios. Phil Spencer used Twitter to help reassure fans that shutting down Lionhead Studios and Press Play studios don't mean the end of the Xbox, nor is it the end of the world, either.
Furthermore, he continued to explain how important first party studios are to their business model. "I'm proud of the games our 1P Studios have shipped on XB1," he told a fan via Twitter, "our plan is continue to build new IP and expand our franchises."
Despite the outlook seeming grim, closing of studios and consolidating resources is a normal procedure. Without further information as to why we can only speculate based on what we know. Which simply that a studio now no longer exists. Spencer further reiterated their commitment to strong first-party designs in another tweet, explaining that specific information just can't be released at the moment. "It's impossible to go into all the detail and I apologize for that. Just know I'm committed to our 1P."
Continue reading: Phil Spencer talks about Lionhead Studio closure, Xbox isn't dead (full post)
ASUS announces 24-inch 4K UHD monitor, the MG24UQ
For those not interested in curved monitors or gigantic panels, ASUS has just announced its new 24-inch 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) display to the world, naming it the MG24UQ.
This new product comes without Republic of Gaming logos and is seemingly aimed at more of a mainstream audience. Carrying a 100% sRG coverage, a 300 cd/m2 maximum brightness, a color depth ceiling of 16.7 million and dynamic mega contrast ratio support, this monitor comes packed with ASUS GameVisual technology, aiming to reduce blue light aye strain and nullify the issue of a flickering LED display.
Without any pricing scheme announced just yet, ASUS has confirmed that this monitor comes with HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 ports, alongside sporting 'ASUS GamePlus' which allows for six different display options depending on what you're using the monitor for.
Continue reading: ASUS announces 24-inch 4K UHD monitor, the MG24UQ (full post)
Corsair unveils new 10,000 DPI and RGB Sabre RGB mouse
With more DPI than you will ever have use for and plenty of color options too, the 10,000 DPI and RGB-backlit Corsair Sabre mouse has been announced recently via press release.
These initial features are backed up by eight programmable buttons that are mappable with Corsair's Utility Engine Software, further allowing control over the four dynamic RGB lighting zones provided on this product.
Other features include a 100g lightweight design, a 1,000 Hz fresh rate, a 1.8m 'easy flex' cable and a low MSRP of $49.99 excluding taxes. Available now around the globe, this mouse is built around an optical sensor and is aimed at users looking for full gaming customization. More information on this new release can be found here.
Continue reading: Corsair unveils new 10,000 DPI and RGB Sabre RGB mouse (full post)
NVIDIA's next-gen GPUs spotted, priced at between $600-$1100
As we inch closer to the Game Developers Conference next week, and NVIDIA's own GPU Technology Conference in the first week of April, we're hearing more on NVIDIA's next-gen Pascal-based video cards.
According to a listing on the Zauba database, there are four different variants that we could see shown off in the very near future. They're priced at $600, $700, $900 and $1100 - where I think the $900 and $1100 cards could be Pascal-based GeForce GTX Titan X successors. I think we'll see a consumer-orientated card with 16GB of HBM2, while there'll be a higher-end Titan X successor with 32GB of HBM2 - remember, that HBM2 provides up to 1024GB/sec of memory bandwidth, up from the 334GB/sec on the 384-bit memory bus on the GTX 980 Ti and Titan X.
NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang kicks off his opening keynote to GTC on April 5, where we should be introduced to a Pascal video card at the time. I can barely contain my excitement, as by then we'll be introduced to something "spicy" from AMD, and not even two weeks later NVIDIA will come out stomping with Pascal.
Continue reading: NVIDIA's next-gen GPUs spotted, priced at between $600-$1100 (full post)
No Man's Sky 'seems stale' to former Xbox community manager
According to Microsoft's former Xbox community manager, Raj Patel, Hello Games' upcoming title No Man's Sky looks "stale". With No Man's Sky explained as a "science-fiction game about exploration and survival in an infinite procedurally generated universe", I don't see how that can be.
In a few tweets, Patel said: "Every gameplay image I've seen of No Man's Sky looks like it could take place on the same planet. 'Infinite universe' eh? I don't see it". Then someone tweeted him, saying "procedurally generated games don't interest me too much after about an hour you've seen most possible biomes and creatures etc".
Patel tweeted a reply, saying "Yeah, I mean it has potential and COULD be great but from what I've SEEN so far, it already seems stale. I haven't seen the fun". Someone asked Patel "have you seen all hundreds of trillion planets or half a dozen?" with Patel tweeting back "I've seen everything that has been publicly shown. As my tweet indicated I'm commenting on what I've seen".
Continue reading: No Man's Sky 'seems stale' to former Xbox community manager (full post)
Day of the Tentacle Remastered will be released on March 22
As a kid, I played the hell out of point-and-click adventure games like Maniac Mansion, Full Throttle, Leisure Suit Larry and Day of the Tentacle. DOTT holds a special place in my heart, so the news of Day of the Tentacle Remastered got me excited, and now we're nearly here - the day of its release.
Day of the Tentacle Remastered will arrive on March 22, with pre-orders now open on GOG.com with a 10% discount offered for the first two weeks of its availability. Day of the Tentacle Remastered will allow players to relive their youth through the game, all on modern hardware with new features that weren't in the original release - such as a new interface, in-game developer commentary and more.
The game is explained as: "Day of the Tentacle Remastered is all the adventure you may remember with an optional layer of sweet improvements on top. You can mix and match between the unmistakably 1990s pixely art and a fresh high-res coat of paint, remastered audio, and an all new interface. There are extra goodies in the Remastered release as well, including in-game developer commentary and a fully playable version of the original Maniac Mansion. Your pre-order also comes with three exclusive Day of the Tentacle wallpapers, available right away to fuel your anticipation".
Continue reading: Day of the Tentacle Remastered will be released on March 22 (full post)
The Wachowski Brothers now both sisters
Following the 2012 transitioning of 'The Matrix' trilogy co-director Larry Wachowski to Lana Wachowski, her brother Andy Wachowski has now done the same thing. Welcome to the world Lily Wachowski.
According to The Guardian, Lily Wachowski made the news of her gender reassignment public after a journalist from Britain's Daily Mail attempted a form of black mail in exchange for the exclusive. The director went on to reveal all to her hometown newspaper the Windy City Times instead.
"So yeah, I'm transgender. And yeah, I've transitioned.", Wachowski writes, adding that "Everyone is cool with it. Yes, thanks to my fabulous sister they've done it before, but also because they're fantastic people. Without the love and support of my wife and friends and family I would not be where I am today."
Continue reading: The Wachowski Brothers now both sisters (full post)
PlayStation VR 'generates 120FPS' with 'no jittering at all'
The VR revolution is here, with the Oculus Rift launching on March 28 and the HTC Vive on April 5. Sony is behind with its PlayStation VR, with no release date revealed yet. We expect this to change at the Game Developers Conference next week, though.
In a new interview with developer Alfonso del Cerro, the founder of Pentadimensional Games over their new indie superhero game Megaton Rainfall, we have some new details on the PlayStation VR. Megaton Rainfall will be one of the very first games on the PlayStation VR, with del Cerro explaning: "Sony showed a lot of interest in our game since they played it at GDC 2015. They were looking for projects por PSVR and I was showcasing MR at the Indie Megabooth".
He continued: "Since then they have been very friendly, they helped us with the visibility, showing the game in videos, their blog, and events like PlayStation Experience and next week at GDC 2016. They even offered an exclusivity deal so I'm happy with them. And of course being one of the first games for PlayStation VR will give the game a lot more visibility".
Continue reading: PlayStation VR 'generates 120FPS' with 'no jittering at all' (full post)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance delayed, consoles are to blame
We thought it was coming, and now the day is here - Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been delayed, with consoles to blame. Developer Warhorse Studios wants a simultaneous release on consoles and PCs, and has delayed the PC version of the game so it can do just that.
PR manager Tobias Stolz-Zwiling said earlier this month: "The idea was to release the game in the summer and then to follow up with the console versions. Right now we are still indie developers but we are in negotiations with publishers to, well, we need someone to bring the games into the shops, so we need a distributor, and he kind of wants us to synch it with the console versions. We are still in negotiations, we will see. Best case for you will be summer this year for the PC version and then with the follow-up for consoles; or if the publisher wants us to synch it we will release everything let's say by the end of the year, so we will see about that".
But now Polygon is reporting that Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been delayed, so that Warhorse can release the game onto the consoles and the PC at the same time.
Continue reading: Kingdom Come: Deliverance delayed, consoles are to blame (full post)
The Red Band 'Game of Thrones' season 6 trailer is here
'Game of Thrones' fans - the wait is almost over. The HBO network is gearing up for the release of the premier episode of season six is just seven weeks away, and have today released a new Red Band restricted trailer for the season, which gives some tantalising glimpses at upcoming plots.
Unlike the previous five seasons, season six will not be based on a George R.R. Martin plot, having exhausted all the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' books in the last season. Instead, screenwriters have crafted the plot through discussions with Martin, but they may very well deviate from the material presented in the forthcoming sixth novel. It's truly uncharted waters for the series and anything could happen - and that makes it even more compelling than ever.
'Game of Thrones' returns to HBO on April 24, for another ten episodes.
Continue reading: The Red Band 'Game of Thrones' season 6 trailer is here (full post)