Gaming - Page 127

Microsoft has added a new feature for Xbox Insiders and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in the PC Gaming Preview program: the ability to stream "select console games" that they own as part of Xbox Cloud Gaming. The update also enables the "stream your own game" feature in the Xbox PC app.

This feature, previously available on consoles, smartphones, and browsers, allows you to stream eligible games that you already own without the need to install them natively. This feature also includes access to console-only games that were previously unavailable to play via the Xbox PC app.

Over 250 games are supported in the "stream your own game" catalog, with Microsoft noting that more console-only games will be added over time. You can find the full list of compatible titles here.

It was only earlier today The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley and the official Call of Duty X account confirmed Black Ops 7 was getting a worldwide reveal at Gamescom 2025 scheduled to take place next month, and now we are already hearing leaked details about the upcoming next release in the Call of Duty franchise.

The inside information comes from renowned Call of Duty insider GhostofHope, who wrote on X that the COD Next event for Black Ops 7 is scheduled to happen at the end of September in Las Vegas, and that the beta for the game will be released shortly after.

For those who don't know, COD Next is the biggest Call of Duty event as it involves content creators, such as popular livestreamers, being flown out to a location to play the new Call of Duty game ahead of its release to the public.

Nintendo has kept its lips sealed on what development team is behind the soon-to-be-released Donkey Kong Bananza, until now, with the company publishing an interview with the team.

As many fans suspected, the team that worked on Super Mario Odyssey "were central to Donkey Kong Bananza's development." While this was suspected by many after seeing footage of Bananza, this is the first time Nintendo has confirmed the news publicly. The interview includes comments from Kenta Motokura, a producer for Bananza; Kazuya Takahashi, a game director; Wataru Tanaka, another game director; Daisuke Watanabe, an art director; and Naoto Kubo, the sound director.

Motokura explained that Koizumi-san, the Senior Executive Officer and Senior General Manager of the Entertainment Planning & Development Division at Nintendo, approached the team behind Super Mario Odyssey and said the company wants to make a 3D Donkey Kong game.

CD Projekt Red has announced Cyberpunk 2077 will soon be getting a new update that will be detailed in the form of a new REDstream scheduled to take place on July 16.

In a new post on the official Cyberpunk 2077 X account, developer CD Projekt Red has said their latest game will be receiving a new significant update titled "Patch 2.3." The new update will be revealed tomorrow during a livestream scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 16 at 5:00 PM CEST. Unfortunately, no more details were provided about the update, just that the REDstream will feature Paweł Sasko, the associate game director on the upcoming sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, and Adrien Jouannet, the lead designer at Virtuos.

As for other Cyberpunk 2077 news, CD Projekt Red recently announced the title was making its way over to Apple Silicon, meaning M-series Mac users will now be able to jump into Night City through the App Store. The Mac version of the title will include the Phantom Liberty DLC and require 16GB of unified RAM to run. Notably, the last time CD Projekt Red reported sales of Cyberpunk 2077 it pegged the title at moving as many as 30 million units. But that was before it released on two new platforms, now Mac and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Microsoft recently announced that, in an effort to make the company more agile, it would be laying off as many as 9,000 jobs across its various companies working under its umbrella, and one of those companies was Activision Blizzard King.

King, the developer of some of the most popular mobile games, such as Candy Crush Saga, was hit with a 200-person layoff, and now we are beginning to hear who, or rather what, has replaced those workers. Sources speaking to MobileGamer.biz said that King suffered a loss of about 10% of its workforce and according to King staff that spoke to the publication anonymously, "Most of [the] level design [team] has been wiped, which is crazy since they've spent months building tools to craft levels quicker. Now, those AI tools are basically replacing the teams."

The level design team wasn't the only department to be hit with layoffs, as King's narrative copyrighting team was also hit extremely hard. The source said, "The copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating." The source added that following the mass layoffs, morale at the company is "now in the gutter" as the source alleged that many of the staff that were let go have expressed "dissatisfaction with the company or processes" in the past.

Obsidian releases Patch 1.5 for Avowed, adding in a bunch of new content while squashing bugs.

Avowed's latest update refreshes Obsidian's landmark RPG, expanding the game with new items, skills/abilities, and convenience options. Patch 1.5 also christens Avowed as a Steam Deck Verified game while adding language options for Korean and Japanese.

Patch 1.5 weighs in at 8.5GB on Xbox, and the biggest reason to check it out is the new abilities and combat mechanics. Obsidian added four new abilities and four new passives for both the Ranger and Fighter, changing up the combat dynamic a bit. Some enemies can now use the same skills as players; Obsidian warns that various baddies can cast some pretty nasty abilities like Returning Storm, Ring of Tire, Taunt, Clear Out, Blizzard, and Tanglefoot.

Early tests of NVIDIA's Neural Texture Compression (NTC) and Microsoft's latest DirectX Raytracing 1.2 have revealed a big drop in VRAM consumption, possibly paving the way for games requiring less VRAM in general.

Neural Texture Compression takes advantage of NVIDIA's neural networks to compress and decompress game textures, which translates to files being reduced in size without them taking a big hit in terms of quality or visual fidelity. NTC has been tested by @opinali, who took to X to share his findings on using the new feature with Microsoft's DirectX Raytracing (DXR) 1.2. The DXR update includes what are called Cooperative Vectors, which enables GPU shaders to work in unison on small matrix or vector operations.

When Cooperative Vectors are paired with NTC it creates an extremely efficient compression/decompression mechanism that operates within DirectX 12. The result is a significant reduction in VRAM consumption. opinali explained in a series of posts that by enabling Cooperative Vectors and NTC the texture renders at 2,350 FPS, while disabling it, the performance drops to 1,030 FPS. More importantly, opinali found "NTC saves almost 90%," and explained that "textures can be 50% - 70% of VRAM used by games, so this is HUGE".

The Analogue 3D console has been delayed slightly and will now release in August, the company today announced.

The new Analogue 3D console aims to bring 4K gaming to Nintendo 64 games for the first time ever. The system is aptly named because it uses FPGA tech to cleverly mimic a real Nintendo 64 console experience, with modern bells and whistles like Bluetooth and WiFi. The Analogue 3D is also compatible with every N64 game cartridge ever made.

The system will not release in July 2025 as originally planned, and is now launching in late August. The company says that it's been affected by Trump's ever-changing tariff policies but users won't have to pay extra to get their Analogue 3D consoles. Buyers and interested gamers remain skeptical of the system simply because Analogue Inc. has yet to show a working console in action--likely due to potential copyright concerns from the hawkish, ever-litigious Nintendo.

AI will transform gaming into a prompt-driven experience where users can freely customize experiences on-the-fly, former Square Enix exec Jacob Navok predicts.

AI is here, but the technology doesn't have a lot of applications for gaming. At least, not yet. Microsoft is investing big into AI tech, and plans to use generative AI to make and play video games--Microsoft signed a multi-year deal to use InWorld gen AI to make quests and dialog for games, as well as its own in-house gen AI called Muse. Other publishers like Electronic Arts are investing into generative AI, whereas platform-holders like Sony are using AI and machine learning on new graphics-upscaling technologies like PlayStation Spectral Resolution Scaling.

EA's investment could better represent the future of gaming, though. Last year, EA demoed gen AI tech to investors that used chat prompts to change gameplay in real-time. Users could chat with EA's AI bot, lay out what they wanted to see in the game mode or map, and AI would adjust everything within seconds. This, according to a former Square Enix director, is the kind of gaming that we'll see sometime soon.

Good news for Resident Evil fans: The director of the upcoming RE movie adaptation is a huge fan of the franchise.

When a video game adaptation fails, one of the main criticisms is usually that the creators didn't understand the source material (see the Halo TV show backlash, for instance). Luckily, it sounds like that won't be the case for the new Resident Evil movie that's slated to release in 2026.

Horror film director Zach Cregger will be at the helm of the new Resident Evil film adaptation. Cregger is known for his suspenseful and mysterious horror movies, Weapons and Barbarian, and he's also a huge fan of Capcom's decades-long zombie survival games. That being said, Cregger won't be following every scrap of Resident Evil's winding lore.

Golden-age PlayStation game developers Acquire are back in the limelight with plans for new, all-original IP.

Acquire, the Japanese dev behind the classic Tenchu series, has announced that it's working on three new projects. Acquire has signed a multi-year partnership with Red Dunes Games in the first Japan-UAE collaboration deal of its kind. Red Dunes is mostly known for publishing and co-developing sidescrollers with retro graphics, including metroidvania Silent Planet, and is also making a new Samurai Pizza Cats game.

"The two companies will co-develop a slate of original IPs that blend world-class Japanese craftsmanship with bold, global creative vision," reads the press release.

CD PROJEKT RED will launch Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition onto Apple Silicon this week, where it will run on the first-gen M1 processor inside of Mac systems as long as you've got 16GB of RAM minimum.

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will drop onto the Mac App Store, Steam, GOG.com, and the Epic Games Store on July 17 and will pack both the base game and the Phantom Liberty expansion that launched back in 2023. Apple and CD PROJEKT RED have been hard at work on the game, where Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will support older Mac hardware like the M1 processor, but you'll need 16GB of unified RAM minimum.

Mac users with 8GB of RAM are left in the dark, but Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is a VRAM-heavy game, so needing 16GB of unified RAM minimum makes sense. CD PROJEKT RED will include an interesting "for this Mac" preset that optimizes the image quality and performance of the game based on different M-series processors.

Bethesda began full production of The Elder Scrolls 6 in 2023, and now insiders are claiming they have heard the game is in a "quite playable" state.

The inside information comes from Windows Central reporter Jez Corden who teased on The Xbox Two podcast that he has heard from inside sources The Elder Scrolls 6 development on the core gameplay is essentially finished, despite it beginning full production in 2023. Corden doesn't reveal any more details about Elder Scrolls 6 other than that, and goes on to say that it's quite hard to get inside sources from Bethesda.

However, in the same podcast, the reporter revealed that Fallout 5 has been fully greenlit, and that its greenlight was partly to blame for the MMORPG being worked on by ZeniMax Studios being cancelled by Microsoft. However, those claims were debunked. As for official timelines for Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda's Todd Howard said the game would release anywhere between 15 and 17 years after the release of Skyrim, which would peg the title's earlier release for 2026.

Steam Reviews are renowned as one of the best ways to gauge if a game is worth purchasing or not, without looking at gameplay yourself (which you definitely should if you are on the fence about any game purchase), but what if the aggregate of those Steam Reviews didn't hold as much credibility as you once thought? What if they were slightly manipulated?

Valve has explicit rules within its terms of service for developers uploading games to its platform that are designed to prevent any manipulation of the Review section of the game in order to maintain its credibility. Simply put, if the Review section can be manipulated, it instantly loses all credibility and becomes a new marketing tool for the developer/publisher of the game, not a place for gamers to leave critical feedback for other gamers to make informed purchasing decisions about a product.

Valve states in its rules that developers are unable to attempt to "abuse or artificially manipulate the review system," and "Don't solicit reviews in exchange for any games, DLC, money, or other rewards," and finally, "Don't ask customers to review your product from within your application." Blue Archive, a game that was recently released on Steam earlier this month, has violated these rules by announcing an event scheduled to run between July 4 and July 11, where players would receive in-game content if Blue Archive's Steam reviews reached the developer Nexon's goal of 10,000 in total.

Wondering how the Elder Scrolls VI is coming along? It could be in a largely playable state, finally, or at least that's what the gaming grapevine believes.

In fact, this is from Windows Central's Jez Corden (via Wccftech) who spoke about the sixth outing in the behemoth RPG franchise during a new episode of The Xbox Two podcast (see above).

According to Corden - and take this with some salt, clearly - Elder Scrolls VI is in a "quite playable" state, and he hints that the 'core' of the game might be approaching being done.

ZeniMax Online Studios United has issued a statement regarding the cancellation of its MMORPG that was in development at the studio, saying that Microsoft has stolen a future from not only the developers but also the community that will never experience the "amazing game" the team was working on.

The cancellation of ZeniMax Online Studios' new game was part of Microsoft's latest round of layoffs, where the company let go of as many as 9,000 employees from various companies under its expansive umbrella. The layoffs were announced on July 2 by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who discussed the positive future of Microsoft's gaming division, while simultaneously several titles were cancelled, such as Everwild, the Perfect Dark reboot, and ZeniMax Online Studios' new MMORPG that Spencer really enjoyed.

According to ZeniMax Online Studios United, the cancellation of the title came without warning from Microsoft. In a post to Bluesky, the ZeniMax Online Studios United union, formed in January 2023, and represents Quality Assurance workers at the studio, wrote, "Earlier this month, Microsoft indefinitely shelved an unannounced MMORPG at ZeniMax Online Studios, a shock to the 222 ZOSU-CWA developers working on the project. It has been heartening and validating to see our game mentioned in the press and by players who would have loved to see the results of our work."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been confirmed to receive a worldwide reveal at the upcoming Opening Night at Gamescom 2025.

The confirmation comes from The Game Awards host and founder Geoff Keighley, who announced via his personal X account that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be making an appearance at Gamescom 2025 in a "massive way". Unfortunately, no further details about what will be unveiled at the Opening Night of Gamescom were revealed, but as with most teasers, they are usually followed by some kind of trailer.

Considering the last piece of official Black Ops 7 news we got from Activision arrived in the form of an official teaser trailer that didn't reveal any gameplay, we can assume whatever is planned for the Opening Night of Gamescom will be some sort of gameplay to satisfy fans' speculation about the title.

Nintendo is slated to host another Nintendo Direct presentation shortly after the release of its next big Nintendo Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bonanza, according to insider sources.

The news comes from Nate the Hate, a gaming industry insider who says he has been told by sources that Nintendo is planning on hosting a new Direct in July, but not before the release of Donkey Kong Bonanza on July 17.

Previous rumors did suggest that Nintendo was planning on conducting a Direct in July, and this does fall in line with the company's next quarterly financial report, slated to land on August 1. Nate the Hate said he does not have any more information other than a Direct slated for the end of July.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has made it into the hands of millions of gamers, and some of those gamers are trying to enjoy their new console out in the summer heat. But what if you need a fan to keep your face cool while gaming? One Nintendo Switch 2 user has found a neat trick that is honestly quite impressive.

Reddit user Gamingjojo909 took to the /r/NintendoSwitch subreddit to share an image of a recent discovery they made: the Nintendo Switch 2's top USB-C port is able to power a portable fan. Gamingjojo909 wrote, "Just discovered you can plug a fan in the Switch 2's top USB-C port to cool off on a warm summer day."

Not a bad idea at all, especially if you are outside and trying to catch some rays while enjoying your new console. It remains unclear how much faster the Nintendo Switch 2 battery drains with a fan plugged into the top USB-C port, but that problem can be easily solved with a portable power bank or dedicated power. With discoveries such as this, it makes me wonder what other handy devices can be plugged into the top USB-C port on the Nintendo Switch 2 and actually benefit the gaming experience.

Fallout 5 has reportedly been greenlit at Microsoft, but another game may have been sacrificed to free up resources for the new Fallout game.

There are rumors that Xbox is working on multiple Fallout projects right now, including a potential Fallout 3 Remake. With 10 years in between mainline games, fans are looking forward to Fallout 5 the most, yet Bethesda's Todd Howard has confirmed that Elder Scrolls 6 has priority.

Now there are new reports that Microsoft may have shelved another ZeniMax/Bethesda project in order to make way for Fallout. Sources tell Windows Central's Jez Corden (via Xbox Two podcast) that Microsoft essentially cancelled ZeniMax's MMORPG project codenamed Blackbird, and moved the resources and investment from Blackbird over to Fallout.