Gaming - Page 1097

Save the cheerleader, save your HDD space: PS4 exclusive 'Until Dawn' is now pre-loading, requiring some 46GB of the HDD space on your PlayStation 4 console.

Until Dawn is one of the few PS4 exclusives launching this year, especailly now that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End has been delayed into 2016. Until Dawn stars Hayden Panettiere of Heroes fame, as well as Peter Stormare who kicked some ass in Prison Break, and many other TV shows and movies. Where Until Dawn is new, is that it features an unpredictable and dynamically adaptive story, where gamers' actions within the game can have a huge impact on how Until Dawn pans out.

The developers explain: "Featuring innovative choice mechanics and the Butterfly-Effect Interface, gives players the chance to see the path of their story amid the thousands that are possible. Seemingly insignificant choices as well as huge moral dilemmas that will question your sense of fairness, good and evil, can have major unforeseen consequences. Using the power of the superior rendering capability of the Killzone Shadowfall Engine, and the power of the PlayStation 4 together with proprietary major enhancements in lighting, camera, and animation systems, Until Dawn brings emotional and credible performances of a talented Hollywood cast to life in its realistically terrifying environments".

All signs are pointing to Bungie making Destiny available on the PC in the near future, with the developer hiring a "PC Compatability Tester". Bungie has the job listed on its website.

The description reads: "The PC Compatibility Tester will evaluate PC hardware-specific features and ensure various systems work together across multiple PC configurations to provide a great experience". The developer is looking for someone that is "experienced and comfortable with building PCs from scratch".

Back at E3 2014, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg teased three months before Destiny launched, that the PC version of the game was "something we're talking about and looking at very carefully". Earlier in 2014, Bungie writer Eric Osborne teased: "We have a lot of people who play on PCs. We have a lot of appetite to build that experience".

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) is teaming up with NVIDIA, contributing all GeForce GTX GPUs for PCs used in the ESL One event. The massive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament features some of the best teams in the world competing for more than $250,000 in prizes.

"GeForce GTX is our de facto standard for professional eSports events," said Ulrich Schulze, VP of pro gaming at ESL, in a statement. "CS:GO players require extremely high frame rates and as low latency as possible. NVIDIA GeForce GTX and G-sync technologies deliver on all fronts."

As eSports grows, with even more people viewing live and recorded streams over the Internet, it's a great opportunity for the NVIDIA logo to be prominently displayed. There were almost half a million people watching the tournament yesterday and there should be large amounts of viewers throughout the rest of the weekend.

It looks like Bethesda is looking forward to the launch of the latest Doom video game, and has high hopes for its entrance into multiplayer action.

"It has some old school sensibilities but it is doing it in a very modern, fresh next-gen way," said Pete Hines, VP of PR and marketing at Bethesda, in a statement to MCV. "The multiplayer is not your traditional first-person shooter multiplayer. IT is not one shot and the other guy is dead, it is not about who has the fastest trigger finger or reactions."

Hines also said Doom could battle "toe-to-toe" against other "really big shooters," as the multiplayer dynamics offer "something you're not going to get from many other first-person shooters."

Throughout the decades Nintendo has been forced to reinvent itself in some capacity with every new generation, and now it looks like the Japanese gaming giant might make a dramatic change and open the doors to film adaptations of its beloved franchises like The Legend of Zelda.

"Because games and movies seem like similar mediums, people's natural expectation is we want to take our games and turn them into movies," Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said in an interview with Fortune. "I've always felt video games, being an interactive medium, and movies, being a passive medium, mean the two are quite different."

"As we look more broadly at what is Nintendo's role as an entertainment company, we're starting to think more and more about how movies can fit in with that," he added. "And we'll potentially be looking at things like movies in the future."

Grand Theft Auto V has topped 54 million copies shipped, with the Grand Theft Auto series reaching 220 million units, according to Take-Two Interactive. The disclosure was filed in a recent SEC report, with the game studio describing 2015 as "one of [its] best years ever."

Instead of noting how many units have been sold, the number of units shipped describes shipments to game retailers. However, it's still an impressive accomplishment, as Grand Theft Auto one of the most successful game franchises - still unable to close in on Mario or Pokemon, but ahead of Call of Duty.

However, Grand Theft Auto could put pressure on Pokemon - which tallies close to 300 million - as there are new game updates and editors in the works.

Want your DualShock 4 to last longer? The solution is simple--just swap out the battery.

With a sleek feel and an innovative touchpad, the PS4's wireless DualShock 4 controller is arguably one of the best controllers in recent memory, but it has one problem: the power-draining lightbar. Although the lightbar is a nifty little feature that actually changes color to signal in-game interaction, most PS4 users would be happy to nix the light just to get some extra usage time before having to recharge.

The easiest solution is simply unscrewing the DualShock 4 and swapping out its stock 1,000 mAh battery and replacing it with this 2,000 mAh battery for just $4.32 which will double its battery life. Or you could spend $13 for Nyko's PS4 PowerPak.

A new patent filing has unloaded a bevy of new information on Nintendo's mysterious NX console, giving a new perspective on what Nintendo is cooking up for the future. The patent, which was filed in February and just released, describes Nintendo's filing as a "Stationary Game Apparatus, Game Apparatus, Game System, Recording Medium and Speed Control Method".

What we know so far is that the NX won't have a disc drive, that it sports two NAND flash memory banks as well as a primary hard-disk for storage, a processor, and its very own Wii U-like wireless display controller. Rather than relying on Blu-ray discs the console will instead rely on SD memory cards, which herald a nostalgic transition back to the cartridge medium which most of us grew up on. Only instead of the 128MB SNES cards of our youth, the NX will need at least 32-64GB SD cards to keep up with today's demanding games. It's likely that the system will also be buffered by digital games and apps via Nintendo's eShop.

According to the filing, the NX includes "a processor, a first memory, a second memory, an internal HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an image output unit , a communication unit, a wireless communication unit, a power supply unit, an HDD connection unit, a card slot, and a wireless display controller".

Evolution Studios, the developer behind PlayStation 4 exclusive Driveclub, has announced that they've sold over 2 million copies of the game. The studio has said that it reached the goal before the free trial version was offered through PlayStation Plus.

The developer has also said that it will continue to support Driveclub for another year at least, with more DLC expected in the near future. Evolution Studios teased that there will soon be new features, modes, tracks, cars and even some "big surprises" announced soon. Monthly updates are on the horizon, with the studio to soon add fan-requested features such as fully customizable multiplayer lobbies, new difficulty options, more tracks, community events, extra photo mode options, fine tuning for drift mode, smarter notifications, and "a lot more".

Driveclub fans are already enjoying a Double XP weekend which is active on all 15 cars in the PlayStation Plus edition, with the Double XP weekend continuing until Monday, August 24.

Bethesda has grown considerably over the years, evolving from a dev studio to a titan reigning over a consortium of studios and IP's. The company wants to start firing on all cylinders for the future, but first it plans to dethrone Skyrim and crown Fallout 4 as its most popular game release.

In a recent interview with MCV, Bethsoft exec Pete Hines discusses the company's most important game for the next year or so: "I think Fallout 4 can top Skyrim [to become] our biggest release ever. But we will see. It is part of my job to build the megaphone that we hold up to the game, and the game decides how loud it goes. Just how big it is going to be is hard to say. Skyrim was a massively big deal."

Although Fallout 4 will be the nexus of Bethsoft's attention for quite some time, it still has a number of other projects like Doom 4 and Dishonored 2 in the works. Hines went on to say that the studio wants to find a consistent stride that involves "releasing up to three to four games a year", but Bethsoft isn't about to release first-party juggernauts like Elder Scrolls and Fallout together in the same period. This push towards more production isn't going to jeopardize the studio's carefully cultivated image of quality over quantity and Hines affirms that we don't have to worry about Bethesda becoming another Activision or Ubisoft.

Although not in-game footage specifically, this trailer is "inspired by the emotional experience of Until Dawn" and features one young woman's bid to free herself from the clutches of serial-killing madmen.

This R18+ PlayStation 4 exclusive title is 'Road Not Taken - Until Dawn' and is based on a classic poem by Robert Frost. The video itself is produced by the PlayStation Australian team and depicts some of the sequences of gameplay you can come to expect in Until Dawn, deciding the fate of your character depending on action you take.

The main character, Sam, is played here by Hayden Panetierre, and this short film showcases ways that you might go about escaping or confronting your masked killer, trying all options available through a process of trial and error.

2K Games and Firaxis Games have released a new 12-minute gameplay video of XCOM 2, with action taking place 20 years after XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Humans lost the war with the aliens, and viewers can take a look at the custom mobile HQ, customization systems, and upgrade paths for weapons, armors, and other characteristics.

Working under the alien regime following a major war, a human resistance is tasked with trying to overthrow the alien race's power.

XCOM 2 is scheduled for release in November, and will be available for PCs, Mac OS, and Linux. A console launch for the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 is still possible, but 2K and Firaxis Games haven't announced anything.

Once a week my parents would buy the newspaper in order to get a TV guide for the next 7 days. I'd groan as a flip the pages and realize that there is actually nothing worth watching for a whole week, so I'd run off to tinker with computers a little more. This old technology has been largely replaced by online guides which are live updating and cover hundreds more channels - so why not have something like this for eSports events?

Well, the guys at FolloweSports.com thought exactly the same thing, so they went out and something to fix this issue. It's free to use and covered all major eSports titles - loading up the webpage quickly I can see all tournaments that are currently or soon to be happening, complete with prize pools, bracket information, event naming, game titles and more.

Without signing in, all game times are tailored towards my personal time zone and each game has a direct link to the stream when live. There's a bunch of filters and searches you can conduct to find something specifically if you wish.

A new slim Xbox One model is rumored to be part of Microsoft's planned barrage of new hardware for October, including the Surface Pro 4, Lumia 940/940 XL and Band 2.

According to rumors the compact Xbox One, coined as the Xbox On Mini, is able to hit the smaller form factor by nixing the Blu-ray drive altogether and shaving off a considerable chunk of space--about 1/3 of the current massive VCR-sized monstrosity. This will turn the Xbox One Mini into a digital-only machine, and the excising of the drive will also lead to a nice price drop to boot.

News of a slim Xbox One circulated as far back as October of last year when AMD shrunk the console's 28nm APU to a smaller, cheaper and more efficient 20nm factor. The 20nm APU, which is 1.9 times more dense than the previous model, could lead to speeds up to 30% faster with 25% less power draw.

In the next update for GTA V, console gamers will be able to create, share and download customized mods, adding in a massive dollop of freshness to the game.

Rockstar Games didn't exactly break the news with a full-on announcement--instead it was cleverly embedded in a blog post about the Ill-Gotten Gains modding contest, where the devs pretty much sneaked in a confirmation.

"The upcoming launch of the Rockstar Editor for PS4 and Xbox One as the next update to Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online means the next Rockstar Editor Contest will be the first one with entries across all three platforms - so the creative competition will be fiercer than ever. Stay tuned for info about that contest and forthcoming update."

Sony wants to enlist everyday PlayStation 4 gamers to help beta test new updates and features for the console, and plans to implement its own form of Microsoft's Xbox One preview program.

Interested users can sign up here and in addition to new exclusive access to new features, testers will be able to share feedback with Sony on a special section of the PlayStation community forum. Testers will be able to try out the PS4's next major PS4 v3.0 update, which brings YouTube broadcasting, a new events and communities section, and even the ability to upload video clips to Twitter.

The initiative is a great idea considering Sony's past blunder with the PS4's ill-fated v2.0 blunder which locked gamers out of the console with a rest mode glitch, and it'll be another way to squash bugs while collecting feedback in the process.

Bethesda previously admitted it had to "dial" down some of the graphics, and many gamers weren't necessarily happy with the news. The studio has offered a public statement regarding the mini controversy, with one official noting the criticism "definitely doesn't upset us."

"As with most forms of entertainment, you never get 100 percent agreement on anything," said Pete Hines, marketing chief at Bethesda, in a statement to Metro. "And so, at the end of the day, whether it's what the graphics look like or whether the gameplay is what you want or whether you like the setting, or whatever it is, everybody is entitled to their own opinion."

The need to dial back graphics was done to benefit game consoles, with Fallout 4 expected to run at 1080p/30fps on consoles - but there will be no PC restrictions. Even if some people are angry, Fallout 4 is expected to be a gaming blockbuster that has drawn incredible interest from PC and console gamers alike.

SEGA has recently announced a free and limited trial of Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces to be launched on Steam in America and Europe, beginning 7PM CET on August 31 and concluding 11pm CET on September 2, 2015.

Exclusive to Steam, this trial will see up to 55,000 total players involved, allowing access to the British army and the ability to control 15 new units, six new commanders and eight new multiplayer maps. Alongside these are the four factions and base commanders as seen in all previous Company of Heroes 2 titles.

Self-claimed as "one of the most comprehensive World War II RTS games available," Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces is set for full release on September 3 for $12.99 as a stand-alone package, with 10% off given for pre-ordering customers.

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) wants to crack down on the use of recreational and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) used by its competitors. Many of you balked at the idea, especially when marijuana is on the list of banned substances, though the ESL has a long-term goal in mind: legitimize eSports worldwide.

"The popularity and visibility of eSports has grown exponentially in recent years, but this combined with the increasing size of prize pools has also made the temptation of rule-breaking even greater," the ESL previously wrote. "ESL has an ongoing commitment to safeguarding both the integrity of our competitions and that of eSports as a whole."

It looks like ESL is most concerned about the use of Adderall and similar drugs that can be used to help enhance gameplay. ESL will work with the German Nationale Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) - which oversees anti-doping coordination and promoting anti-doping measures. WADA, of course, is best known for its role in athletic sports - but with a growing global image and prize money on the line - eSports wants to follow suit.

In a bid to win over eSports enthusiasts and those looking to transfer into this scene, Blizzard has recently announced the addition of automated tournaments within its gaming client.

Complete with an easy-to-access tournaments button in the main menu, the two tournament formats on offer in this beta testing period will be 3-round tournaments in single elimination and 6-round tournaments in a group stage to single elimination bracket.

This is a great way in order for Blizzard to push more players towards the eSports scene, alongside giving competitive players a viable way to hone their skills on a regular basis. However, small tournament organizers who are looking to learn some tips and tricks in order to move onto bigger and better things may find this addition an issue as it basically kills their target audience.