Gaming - Page 1146

Sony is aiming for 1080p at 60FPS for PlanetSide 2 when it lands on the PlayStation 4, but this might be a hard task thanks to the constraints of the Accelerated Processing Unit, or APU, inside of the PS4.

Sony Online Entertainment, the developer behind the game, is having some trouble with the CPU side of the APU. The team is trying to get more on-screen action happening, while maintaining the 60FPS frame rate, but the CPU is the bottleneck. PlanetSide 2 will be released onto the PS4 next month, with the developer doing some last minute tweaks to get the game hitting 1080p at 60FPS.

The Creative Director on the project, Matt Higby, talked with Eurogamer that the game is constantly being optimized, with the real bottlenecks in the development process being on the CPU side of the PS4s APU, and not its GPU. He said that the GPU side of the AMD-powered APU isn't getting hit as badly, with the GPU handling the graphical side of things well, but the CPU is dragging its heels with the frame rate and the amount of on-screen activity. Higby said: "Our real bottlenecks are on the CPU side. From a graphical fidelity perspective, people will be impressed with what they see on the PS4. That's always one of those things people are skeptical about. I see every time we post an article like this I always get called out: 'haha, it's bullshit he's saying it's going to look as good.' It really does".

Retailer GameStop wouldn't mind seeing the aging Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles receive a price cut, as gamers largely choose the next-generation Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. Analysts believe both manufacturers should slash prices on both platforms, but nothing has been promised.

However, even with no price cuts imminent, GameStop doesn't believe Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware and software sales to simply drop completely off a cliff.

"We think it would be excellent and definitely would increase the sell-through rate on the old-generation consoles," said Tony Bartel, GameStop President. "We definitely think that would help. Year to date in the US, Xbox 360 and PS3 software and hardware are down 57.8 percent on a dollar basis. That's clearly significantly more than we anticipated at the beginning of the year."

The PC version of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is finally being shown off in the form of world-first screenshots from NVIDIA, unveiling the first 1080p in-game screenshots from the PC version of the stealth game. NVIDIA has listed "what's new" for the PC version of MGS V: Ground Zeroes, below:

Better yet, NVIDIA has side-by-side screenshot comparisons between the PC and PS4 versions of the game, which you can check out here. To be honest, the PC version doesn't look that much better, especially considering just how beefy a GeForce GTX 980 SLI setup can be versus the all-in-one APU baked into the PlayStation 4.

We've been all over the Ubisoft scandal over the last year or so, since Watch Dogs began experiencing its delays and problems, but it's great to see more of the mainstream sites out there tackling this glaring issue. Forbes contributor Erik Kain has come out with a very damning article, titled ''Assassin's Creed: Unity' Makes A Strong Case For Video Game Recalls'.

His article talks about everything game-related, with multiple games like Watch Dogs, Battlefield 4 and Assassin's Creed: Unity all being released before they were ready. Kain does say that "Ubisoft obviously has the ability to release great video games. Far Cry 4 is great as was Far Cry Blood Dragon and Child of Light and the Rayman series", but Assassin's Creed: Unity has "undermined much of the good will the publisher built with its consumer base recently", and I'd have to agree.

Kain finishes his article saying: "It's time to make that right. Refund anyone who has purchased the game. Recall the copies still on shelves. Fix the game before releasing it to the public. Half-finished, buggy releases like this have no place in today's industry". This statement right there is something that I'm sure many of you will agree with.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is now out, with the franchise itself generating over $10 billion in sales for Activision, but the studio is now going after people who are uploading glitch videos and game-breaking issues onto video-sharing sites like Machinima and YouTube.

Activision is flagging the videos for possible copyright if they show off glitches in the new first-person shooter, with Machinima saying Activision is very trigger happy with takedowns right now. YouTubers and other video-sharing users aren't happy, even if Activision claims they're only going after glitch videos that highlight cheats and exploits in their powerhouse title.

Activision explains: "We're excited that so many fans are having fun playing the game and posting videos of their gameplay. We love watching the videos ourselves. Occasionally, some folks post videos that promote cheating and unfair exploits. As always, we keep an eye out for these videos-our level of video claims hasn't changed. We are appreciative of the community's support in helping to ensure that everyone has the best playing experience possible".

GameStop is unhappy that Microsoft and Sony are selling video games directly to consumers, cutting out retailers. Gamers enjoy the ability to purchase and download digital games, delivering titles instead of needing to go out and purchase physical copies. The Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus services help deliver games directly to consumers, providing game discounts and putting extreme pressure on GameStop and other companies.

"We want to help ensure that our industry does not make the same mistake as other entertainment categories by driving the perceived value of digital goods significantly below that of a physical game," said Tony Bartel, GameStop President, during the company's investor call.

GameStop will have to find a way to work with its partners to ensure digital game sales don't cut into its profits too much - and that will mean approaching Microsoft and Sony to see how they can strengthen their business relationship.

It looks like console gamers are having fun with the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4, as both next-generation game consoles outpace their predecessors. Since both consoles launched in November 2013, both consoles have a 73 percent higher installation base, than the Xbox 360 and PS3 over the first year of introduction for both consoles.

As the United States economy continues to recover, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo hope to see gamers spend more on gaming hardware - and new game titles - as hardware companies, game developers, and retailers are finding success.

During its Q3 financial earnings call, GameStop reported new hardware sales rise 147.4 percent, with thanks largely to the Xbox One and PS4. The gaming market is very much alive and well, and with numerous anticipated game launches in 2015, gamers will have plenty of new titles to choose from.

Bandai Namco's Project Cars video game will run at 60 frames per second on the Microsoft Xbox One when it is released on March 17, 2015. Game developer Slightly Mad Studios wanted to reach 1080p resolution for the Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4, but didn't confirm if that goal was reached just yet.

"You've played it in Dubai, London, Madrid, and Paris, but for those that couldn't jet-set around the world, sit back and take a more leisurely look at Project Cars on Xbox One, running at 60 frames per second," according to Bandai Namco.

The game will launch for the Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Wii U, and PC. It was originally scheduled for a November 2014 launch, but was forced to delay the game without specific details offered to gamers.

Valve has made the 'PC Master Race' proud, sending out an updated set of Early Access rules and guidelines to supported developers earlier this week. This is said to ensure that they 'set proper expectations' of their game when customers decide to utilize this offering.

This announcement has reportedly come around due to users being generally unhappy with Early Access protocols and offerings. It's been claimed that developers have been releasing Early Access games before fans felt they were properly complete or have stopped development on the game all together - meaning Valve had to remove them from their Steam platform. Giant bomb originally released this information to the public which follows an interesting report that claims most Early Access games still function in BETA even after 20 months have passed, alongside this only 25% of games have been fully released.

This seems like not only a way for Valve to ensure customers are happy with the games that they are playing, but for developers to actually carry out the purpose of Steam Early Access which is quoted as by Wikipedia: "Early access, alpha funding, or paid-alpha is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can pay for a game in the early stages of development and obtain access to playable but unfinished versions of the game, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue work on the game."

Dota 2 is one of the big-hitters in the global eSports scene, seeing millions of dollars in prize money distributed each year in a massive once-off event named "The International", which is viewed live by hundreds of thousands of screaming fans around the globe.

As amazing as this sounds, you can't forget the small things that make a game worth playing. Dota 2 is well known for keeping in constant contact with its community members, providing support through community generated tournaments being published in their in-game client and even giving model developers the ability to sell their products officially through Valve services.

In comes the latest installment in Dota's lifespan - Snoop Dogg. If you're interested in a little variety in-game play, Dota2 allows players to change up their 'announcer' voice pack, meaning that all in-game announcements will come through a different voice than the official standard one supplied. Thanks to Snoop Dogg's popular involvement in meme culture, some savvy Dota 2 players decided to create a partition to get the Dogg in on this project, linking it back to Reddit.com's Dota2 section. Guess what, Snoop Dogg replied.

A post on the DOTA2 subreddit has shown the world that Valve has just sneaked in some form of in-game ad for DOTA2, which popped up onto a Redditor's game asking them if they'd like to buy a Charm of the Defender's Vision.

You can click 'No Thanks!' but this still doesn't take away from the fact that Valve just slipped in-game ads into their games. The title of the post in the DOTA2 subreddit is pretty harsh, and rightly so: "Valve has now introduced IN-GAME ADS, I hope nobody is ok with this."

What do you think about Valve introducing in-game ads to DOTA2?

The Nintendo Wii U game console has been available for two years, but with the upcoming launch of Super Smash Bros., Nintendo hopes to see a higher sales boost. Since launching Mario Kart 8 in May, there have been more than 1.1 million Wii U consoles sold - and as consumers have extra cash to spend ahead of Christmas, Nintendo wants shoppers to spend.

Nintendo has taken a few different public shots against Microsoft and Sony in recent weeks, trying to remind shoppers the company has products for them to consider. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime shrugged off the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 game consoles, saying the two platforms have too much overlapping shared content.

He also said the Wii U provides a better value than both consoles, despite recent price cuts that have made the console gaming market extremely competitive.

Black Friday is only one week away, and Sony is cranking up the marketing machine to win over potential PlayStation 4 customers. The company's new video promo states the PS4 is the "best place to play," a claim Microsoft previously said of its Xbox One game console.

The video shows game footage from Far Cry 4, Grand Theft Auto V and Destiny, along with promoting the PS4's sports games, including Madden NFL 15, NBA 2K15, FLB 14: The Show, and FIFA 15.

The PS4 has easily outsold the Xbox One since both consoles launched late last year - but a recent Xbox One price cut has indicated Microsoft hasn't lost all hope - and the 2014 Christmas shopping season will present a fierce battle.

A scam that allowed customers to purchase Sony PlayStation 4 consoles from $50 to $100 by creating fake ads online, has been nixed by Walmart. It's not surprising to hear Walmart moved quickly to prevent further lost revenue, especially as more satisfied customers boasted their success via social media.

"We can't tolerate fraud or attempts to trick our cashiers," Walmart said in a statement. "This kind of activity is unfair to the millions of customers who count on us every day for honest value."

However, Walmart will match rival sales listings from Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers on Black Friday, as retailers fight for consumers. It will be curious to see how Walmart decides to verify price matches, to better prevent future scams.

Pirated versions of Far Cry 4 are making the rounds on various sites and services around the world, but it is missing a very important part of the game: field-of-view adjustments. FOV controls are completely missing from the pirated versions of Far Cry 4 on the PC.

Why? Well, Creative Director on the game, the now infamous Alex "Low Res FTW" Hutchinson took to his Twitter account, saying: "PC players! If you're online complaining about the lack of FOV control ... You pirated the game". The proper copies of Far Cry 4 feature an FOV slider, but it's nice to see Ubisoft trolling pirates with taking a simple, but important version of the game out.

The latest expansion to World of Warcraft has launched, with Warlords of Draenor increasing the subscriber base of Blizzard's MMORPG, even amongst the various server problems the game has experienced.

Blizzard sent out a press release earlier today, announcing that the Warlords of Draenor expansion had sold over 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours alone, pushing the total World of Warcraft subscriber base past 10 million. Before this, the expansion base of WoW had slipped to 6.8 million, but as the expansion release got closer, the subscriber base began to climb back up.

The previous expansion, Mists of Pandaria, had the subscriber base hit over 10 million, with both expansion boosts to its subscriber base down from the peak of 12 million back in 2010.

Walmart is desperate to compete with Amazon, Best Buy, and other rivals ahead of Christmas, and have been getting tricked by a price-matching scam. People are creating fake Amazon selling accounts and listing Sony PlayStation 4 units as low as $50, taking a screenshot of the online price, and taking it to a local Walmart to claim their prize. Other sneaky customers were picking up PS4 bundles for $100, but it looks like Walmart has wised up and has altered its price matching policy.

Previously, Walmart was getting scammed into selling $60 Nintendo Wii U and 3DS bundles, thanks to a mistake on the Sears website. Customers quickly jumped on the erroneous listing, and found that Walmart met the price match even with a wrong price on a rivals website.

"We're committed to providing low prices every day," the Walmart website proudly boasts. "On everything. So if you find a lower advertised price on an identical product, tell us and we'll match it. Right at the register."

The online PC gaming industry will grow from $24.4 billion this year up to an estimated $30.7 billion in 2017, the performance marketing agency Ad2Games and analyst firm Newzoo recently reported. The PC and MMO game market will account for 31 percent of international video game revenue, with Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America expected to see 95 percent of growth over the next three years.

Trying to expand to attract - and retain - new gamers proves to be extremely expensive, with costs as low as 37 cents up to $5.63 per user, the report indicates.

The sector will see 7.9 percent year-over-year growth over the next three years, while free-to-play video games continue to woo new gamers. These types of games

Maniac Mansion is one of those games I will forever cherish, with the point-and-click adventure game being one of the big Lucasfilm Games of their time. Well, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick are now making something they're calling "the true spiritual successor" to Maniac Mansion, called Thimbleweed Park.

The developing duo are taking Thimbleweed Park to Kickstarter, hoping to hit $375,000 in required funds to get the point-and-click adventure off the ground. When explaining the game, they say it "cuts to the core of what made classic point-and-click adventure games so special ... It's deep, it's challenging, it's funny, it's everything you loved about adventure games". On Kickstarter, it says: "It's like opening a dusty old desk drawer and finding an undiscovered LucasArts adventure game you've never played before".

Thimbleweed Park will tell the tale of a pair of "washed-up detectives" who are in charge of an investigation into a death in Thimbleweed Park that "once boasted an opulent hotel, a vibrant business district and the state's largest pillow factory, but now teeters on the edge of oblivion and continues to exist for no real reason".

Electronic Arts will give gamers a break from the traditional warfare featured in the Battlefield franchise next year, but already is excited about the next title in 2016. The new game was announced last month and will be a military-focused game that is reportedly a "fun, new Battlefield," according to an Electronic Arts executive.

"That will be a return to a Battlefield military-style game; more to come on that," said Blake Jorgensen, EA CFO, in a recent statement.

Meanwhile, EA CEO Andrew Wilson wants to "give Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline players more time to enjoy these games and immerse themselves in a game, the live service, and the community," when explaining EA's decision to release Battlefield games as they are finished.