Gaming - Page 1135

The tablet market is constantly changing, and each generation features newer and faster hardware being deployed in the mobile products. It's possible EA wants to try to win over casual tablet gamers and turn them into console and PC gamers, and that will require something beyond simple casual games that are racking up increased usage.

Most mobile games have focused on the casual sector, but that could change depending on how far hardware develops. EA and other game studios are trying to create gaming products so they can be used away from PCs and game consoles, and that could mean better developed, more immersive software titles in the future.

"What gets us the most excited is the power, the computing power, of mobile devices and the speed at which that's growing," said Blake Jorgensen, CFO of Electronic Arts, speaking during the 2015 Technology, Internet & Media Conference. "What that might mean is that a tablet, three or four years from now, has more power than what a typical console has. And that will open up a whole new set of people to console-style games that are much more immersive, much deeper, much more character-driven than simply a static mobile game that you might play for a small burst of time while you're waiting for the bus."

The Resident Evil HD remaster from Capcom is the fastest selling digital game title launch in company history, also breaking the PlayStation Network one-day digital title download figure. Capcom didn't provide sales numbers, but the $20 remaster clearly was a good decision.

Resident Evil was originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2002, but Capcom decided to release a game refresh for the PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Xbox One, Sony PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

"It's been great to see so many positive comments from fans that have enjoyed this new release," said Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, Capcom Japan producer. "The team here at Capcom Japan have worked hard to bring the game to the latest generaton of consoles and we are thrilled at this news on its performance."

As we get closer to CD Projekt Red's massive The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we're finding out more juicy details on the game. The developer is introducing a new "Dark" mode to the game, which will have permanent death.

Not only that, but it will provide the toughest enemies in the game, but once you die anywhere in the campaign, that's it - you're taken right back to the beginning of the game. CD Projekt Red quest designer Philipp Weber told VG247: "Usually normal is easy, and easy is-well, you can be on your phone while playing. If you die five minutes before the ending, it's over. There are actually people who have already done it".

Weber compared The Witcher 3 to Dark Souls and Skyrim, saying that the Normal difficulty is quite similar. But when talking about the new Dark difficulty, he said that it is off the charts. So if you want to play with some serious wagers in The Witcher 3, you might want to choose Dark.

The open beta for Battlefield Hardline continues, with Visceral Games' General Manager, Steve Papoutsis, taking to Twitter to announce that 5 million players have taken place in the beta.

Papoutsis said: "Wow, we've passed 5 MILLION players in the #BFHardline beta! So proud of your team. Glad you're having fun and keep that feedback coming". Destiny set the bar last year, with 5 million players taking place in the open beta for Destiny, but Destiny wasn't released on PC. This goes to show that the PC community is huge, and a strong force for even a game like Battlefield Hardline which hasn't been getting the best feedback.

Battlefield Hardline will be released on March 17 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC. The beta itself closes today, unfortunately.

We can expect DirectX 12 games to look radically different in just a few years time, with PC gamers being able to expect that future titles will look as good as the CG in the latest movies. The news is coming from an interview with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell with Inner Circle Podcast, teasing the future of PC gaming and DirectX 12.

Wardell said that if game developers get down and dirty with DirectX 12, games with thousands of on-screen characters, or any large number of objects on screen are usually bound by the CPU when it comes to lighting. Ubisoft has even admitted this for its mess that was Assassin's Creed: Unity. The first generation of DX12 games will see a 10-20% boost, as they are written for DirectX 11 and running DirectX 12. But when there are new graphics engines that are built from the ground up for DX12, the real benefits are going to be very, very clear according to Wardell.

The Stardock CEO claimed that future games would look like The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King by the end of the current console generation. He cites the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as resource heavy consoles, as they feature 8-core processors with 8GB of RAM and 64-bit operating systems and games that can access any and all of those resources easily. As time goes by, developers will squeeze much more out of the consoles.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will be an exclusive to the PlayStation 4, with developer Naughty Dog aiming for 1080p and 60FPS. But throughout the development of Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog has realized that it most likely won't be able to reach a solid 60FPS throughout the entire game.

Neil Druckmann is the Game Director in charge of Uncharted 4, where he said that reaching 60FPS is not an easy task and that Naughty Dog is continuing to opimize the game (water it down) but he hasn't said whether 60FPS is the aim for the company. When asked how hard it was to reach 60FPS in Uncharted 4 during an interview with Game Informer, Druckmann said that it's "Really f**king hard".

He continued: "That's true for any game. It was really hard on The Last of Us Remastered, and that's a game we had finished and we knew exactly what the end result needs to look like. And here [with Uncharted 4] we're trying to push the boundaries of what this game can look like; and do realistic, real-time cutscenes; and trying to do 60fps is really hard". When he was asked directly if Naughty Dog was aiming for 60FPS, he said that Uncharted 4 is still a work-in-progress, and that nothing is solid right now.

Techland has announced that it will be releasing modding tools for Dying Light, as there seems to have been a situation within the Dying Light community over mods, which seemed to have been erased from the game in a patch.

The developer then released a statement, saying: "Modders were a massive part of our gaming community since Call of Juarez 2 and Dead Island - and we wish to continue that with Dying Light. This invitation is only the first stage of our cooperation with the gaming community. After the modding tools are released, we plan to actively support the coolest mods created by players". Techland has not provided an ETA for the modding tools, so don't hold your breath for the short term.

Setting up your ideal gaming room is a mighty task because of all the details needed to make it perfect. The ESRB reports that 67 percent of households play video games; however, the average gamer plays about 8 hours a day. Therefore, it's only natural that some people need more than just the living room floor to sit on when gaming. If you are looking to turn your living room into your gaming room, follow these tips to set up the ideal console gaming room.

Regardless of your choice in console, you need to consider a few technical items when building up your perfect gaming chamber. Naturally, you want to play on an HD television with a 16:9 display ratio. While any television with those specs will do nicely, those with some extra cash to burn might consider upgrading to something like the Philips 42PF9630A, which is a 42-inch HD television capable of projecting ambient light around itself based on what colors are being displayed on the screen. This will create an even more immersive experience.

However, the display on your TV won't matter if the lights in your room are too bright. Good dimmable LED lights, like those made by Earth LED, allow you to capture a movie theater mood in your gaming room. Also, prevent sunlight from shining through your windows with solar shades to help reduce screen glare and add a greater sense of privacy. Creating the right lighting is critical to really appreciate many games because who really wants to play a survival horror game in a brightly lit room?

Given the recent lifetime bans issued to American and Canadian CS:GO players due to their match-fixing and betting ring scandals, multiple professional players and community members have spoken up - stating that a lifetime without CS:GO tournaments is too harsh, requesting that the ban be shortened to one year at most.

One of the most notable people having their voice heard is that of Filip "NEO" Kubski. Widely regarded as one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time, NEO has won the 'player of the decade' award twice throughout his CS 1.6 history and has seen his fair share of global tournament attendances and wins throughout his CS 1.6 and CS:GO careers.

In a post to his public Facebook page, NEO states:

French CS:GO player Joey "fxy0" Schlosser has had a harsh few weeks. After being reported by former team member Robin "GMX" Stahmer for match-fixing, fxy0 came clean in a video confession, admitting he purposefully played badly during the match that was under investigation.

Given this news, two major things have happened. Firstly, Epsilon have officially released both fxy0 and another player, Kévin "Uzzziii" Vernel from their sponsorship, alongside Valve issuing both of these players with 1-year tournament bans across any Valve-supported event.

As seen on a post to his Facebook recently, fxy0 stated:

We recently reported a story on ex-Epsilon CS:GO squad member Robin "GMX" Stahmer reporting his old team for match-fixing, then later adding that their world-class player Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom was not involved.

In a breaking news report by HLTV, Epsilon CS:GO squad member Joey "fxy0" Schlosser has admitted to match-fixing in his heartfelt video.

The video is uploaded to YouTube as unlisted and is already reaching over 64,000 views, with the outcome of Valve and ESEA's investigation not yet set in stone. We've seen previously that people found guilty of match-fixing have been handed life bans from almost all major tournament providers globally, alongside Valve themselves damning the players from any event they support.

Just months after the mess that was Assassin's Creed: Unity, Ubisoft has announced Assassin's Creed: Rogue for March 10. Assassin's Creed: Rogue launched back in November for the Xbox 360 and PS3, but will be launching next month on the PC.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue will have gamers playing as a Templar named Shay Patrick Cormack, who becomes an Assassin Hunter. Rogue takes place in North America during the Seven Years War, which will also see the return of naval-based combat, something we saw from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Ubisoft Kiev is the studio behind Assassin's Creed: Rogue, with the studio teaming up with eye-tracking company Tobii Tech.

Tobii Tech will see their technology baked into Assassin's Creed: Rogue, where you can use SteelSeries' Sentry eye-tracking hardware to pan the game's camera left and right through eye movement. Ubisoft teases that this creases "an 'infinite screen' experience". PC gamers are also in for a treat if they choose to allow themselves to purchase another Assassin's Creed title, with Ubisoft offering a free Assassin's Creed game through Uplay if they pre-order Assassin's Creed: Rogue.

NetherRealm Studios, the developer behind Mortal Kombat X, has revealed the PC specifications of its upcoming fighting title. In a world where 60GB installations seem normal, you'll only require 25GB to 40GB to get Mortal Kombat installed.

Mortal Kombat X requires a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, as well as 3GB of RAM. 8GB of RAM is recommended, however. The minimum requiremetns have you needing an Intel Core i5-750 at 2.67GHz, or AMD's Phenom II X4 965 at 3.4GHz. The GPU required is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or an AMD Radeon HD 5850. As for the recommended specifications, Mortal Kombat X would run better on an Intel Core i7-3770, or AMD FX-8350. An NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7950 would also run the game better, so would an additional 15GB of HDD space for a total installation of 40GB.

Mortal Kombat X launches on April 14 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC.

It looks like the end of an era is approaching, with news that Sony is shutting down the production facility that makes the RSX processors for the PlayStation 3 console.

Sony had recently said it would discontinue any and all operations at the factory responsible for the RSX chips in the PS3, but it looks like this is now happening. Oita TEC who was previously responsible for the memory packaging recently starting the production of advanced packaging for the CPUs that power the PlayStation consoles. The plant itself was producing the packaging of the Cell and RSX processors for the PS3, but is now being shut down keeping the "changing business landscape" in sight.

With 220 employees at the factory, usually their jobs would be lost, but this isn't the case. All of their jobs will be transferred to other plants that are used to make image sensors, or to other factories at alternate Sony Semiconductor Corporation sites.

The new open beta for Battlefield Hardline has kicked off, with EA revealing the PC requirements of the game. Gamers will need 60GB of HDD space to play Battlefield Hardline, as well as a 64-bit version of Windows.

The bare minimum specifications aren't too bad, with an Intel Core i3/i5 at 2.4GHz or an AMD Athlon II/Phenom II at 2.8GHz required. 4GB of RAM is also required, with Windows Vista SP2 64-bit being the minimum OS to get it going. As for EA's recommended specifications, they are asking for a quad-core Intel, or six-core AMD processor, 8GB of RAM, 3GB of VRAM on either an AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760.

Battlefield Hardline reports for duty on March 17 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC.

We've already heard that a redesigned PS4 is coming, as well as a redesigned Xbox One on AMD's new 20nm APU, but now Netflix is teasing that the redesigned consoles are coming.

Samsung has some shiny new high-density GDDR5 memory that should be baked into the redesigned PS4 Slim, while the redesigned Xbox One should feature AMD's new 20nm-based APU. Both consoles are now close to 18 months old, which is about the time the previous generation consoles saw their slimmer, faster, redesigned models. Netflix's Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt said at CES 2015 that the company is expecting a "traditional two-year refresh" which should see both consoles with 4K abilities.

We should expect thinner, cooler, hopefully more powerful consoles from the redesign. AMD's 20nm APU should provide some added performance thanks to its lower heat and power outputs, while the better GDDR5 RAM from Samsung will give Sony a boost to its PS4. Let's just hope it's not a redesign, as in a smaller/thinner console, and that we get some added performance with them, too.

Just how well as Grand Theft Auto V performed since its release last year? Well, on the Xbox One and PS4, retailers have received 10 million copies since it hit the now current-gen consoles around two-and-a-half months ago now.

When GTA V launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Rockstar sold a huge 11.2 million units in 24 hours, with a total of 45 million units being shipped since it launched. The PC version isn't even out yet, but these numbers will only increase on March 24. Don't forget the news of GTA 6 being under development, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, should it?

One of the many League of Legends tournaments being run is being operated by Garena, which operates LoL tournaments in places such as Southeast Asia, Taiwan, the Philippines and more. Well, they're hosting an all-women eSports competition, but there's just one catch.

The host has put a limit on the amount of LGBTQ people allowed to participate per team, as it would offer the team an "unfair advantage". You might think we tripped over a language barrier here, but there is only one lesbian or trans woman per team in Garena's upcoming all-women Iron Solari League tournament. The tournament will take place at the end of the month in Manilla, Philippines. Garena has talked with the competitors of the first leg of the Iron Solari competition, as well as LGBTQ members in the League of Legends community. The organizer said that it wanted to be inclusive, but adds that "there are arguments and concerns from other participants who disputes that Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered Women members may probably have some unfair advantage".

What we need to see here, is that Garena is just telling the world what it's doing, without explaining why. Kotaku brings up the question in their article: "How does being lesbian, trans, or queer in any other way confer an advantage in a video game, a virtual space where physical characteristics cease to matter?" That's right, as they're all human beings at the end of the day with a normal brain, hands, fingers and reflexes. It's great that Garena is doing an all-women League of Legends competition, but this is definitely something that should raise some questions and red flags.

We haven't even received GTA V on the PC yet, which was delayed from January to March, but now we're hearing the first rumbles of GTA VI. Yes, that's Grand Theft Auto 6.

During a talk with Develop, Rockstar Games' President, Leslie Benzies said: "We've got about 45 years worth of ideas we want to do. We don't know what GTA 6 will be, but we've got some ideas". Benzies continued, somehow thinking that teasing the world of one of the biggest franchises of all world would be fine, adding: "It comes from the idea first. Where is it going to be set is the first question. Then that defines the missions; you're doing different things in LA than in New York or Miami. The map and story get worked up together, and the story is a basic flow of how it works out so you can layer the missions in".

Now we have the pleasure of imagining where Rockstar could take GTA VI if it wasn't held back in shackles by the previous generation consoles. What could GTA IV turn out to be like if it were built from the ground up on the Xbox One, PS4, and the PC? What if Rockstar made it with the PC as the lead platform, with VR in mind and then just baked down to the consoles? I'm obviously making too much sense with that last bit, so I'll leave it at that.

H1Z1 and Planetside 2 developer Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has announced that it has snapped away from Sony, where it is now operating as an independent company.

How did this happen? Well, an investment management firm based in New York City, Columbus Nova, bought the company out from Sony for an undisclosed amount of money. The studio has said: "This means that effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multiplatform gaming company".

Yes, you read that right. SOE can now make games for the Xbox, mobile, and many more platforms. Jon Smedley, President of SOE has already said "Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile, and more!". From this day forward, SOE is now known as Daybreak Game Company, with the new studio saying: "This name embodies who we are as an organization, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward".