Gaming News - Page 1598

Just how big is the eSports industry right now? Well, it's on the path to making $463 million this year, according to a new report from PwC. This means the eSports industry has grown by a staggering 43% from 2015.

PwC's report also has some data on the eSports industry itself, with the most popular game by viewership being League of Legends. Around 63% of eSports viewers said they were turning in for first-person shooters, while 57% of those polled describe themselves as "hardcore" gamers.

Female gamers surveyed didn't exactly describe themselves as hardcore gamers, but instead they were "involved in eSports". This is exciting, as it means there are more and more women getting into gaming, which is awesome. The gaming world is filled with young (and old), media-consuming audience, which is why there are so many companies pumping time, effort and most of all, money into eSports.

EA DICE must be in some serious meetings right now, delaying the release of Mirror's Edge Catalyst from late next month into June 7 - the third delay in total now. Well, the closed beta has been started by some, with 'xjumper' posting some images from the Xbox One version of Mirror's Edge Catalyst.

The user notes that the game could possibly running at just 1280x720 at 60FPS on the Xbox One, which isn't unusual as most Frostbite-powered games like Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline and even Star Wars Battlefront all ran at 720p on the Xbox One. The PS4 on the other hand, is more capable with Frostbite and its more powerful internals, pumping out Frostbite-powered games at 900p @ 60FPS.

The PC version won't suffer from these potato resolutions, as it'll scale up to 4K and beyond - with multi-monitor users set in for a treat. EA DICE shared the official PC system requirements a few days ago, which we reported on here. After checking out the screenshots, it's apparent that the PC version of Mirror's Edge Catalyst looks beautiful while the console versions are very, very watered down. But, this is a game where 60FPS is needed, which is probably the reason for baked down graphics and what looks like, 720p.

AMD has just talked about its recent earnings with investors, where the chipmaker teased the existence of the next-gen Xbox, as well as the upcoming beefier PlayStation 'Neo' console from Sony - oh, and the next-gen Nintendo NX console. AMD is everywhere when it comes to custom chips powering next-gen consoles.

Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, said during the earnings call that the semi-custom contract wins were in the gaming sector. Su continued, saying that "semi-custom business and gaming" will be the "larger driver" of Q2's revenue growth. She told reporters: "If you think about the semi-custom business in the past few years, the third quarter is always the peak. It will be the peak this year, as well, but we're starting some of the ramping in the second quarter as we build to the stronger third quarter".

Now, ramping up in Q2 for a stronger Q3 could mean that we see next-gen consoles revealed at E3 2016 (which takes place in late Q2) while the release of these consoles would happen in the holidays - closer to Q3. Su was asked who was purchasing the semi-custom designs, to which she said: "I don't believe we've gone through any detail about what those wins are. I'd prefer to let that come out as our customers are ready to launch".

Here we go again... EA DICE have just announced they've delayed Mirror's Edge Catalyst, again. This is the third delay, with the original launch of February 23 being pushed back to May 24, and now again to June 7.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst will now be released in the US on June 7 and throughout Europe two days later on June 9. The developer is about to kick off the closed beta for Mirror's Edge Catalyst, where the company will test out the game's new online-connected "social play" features. The new social play features include time trials and leaderboards, with EA DICE adding that it has developed "brand new online technology" in order to support them. Maybe it's so new, it explains why the game has been delayed.

Design Director on Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Erik Odelhaul, explained on the game's website: "We also want to make sure we have the opportunity and time to address player feedback from the Closed Beta. We're confident that these extra two weeks will make sure the game is as amazing as possible for you the players".

Sony's PlayStation Network is getting a much-needed security overhaul by adding in two-factor authentication for all PSN accounts.

PlayStation Network accounts are notoriously easy to hack, leading to ridiculous unauthorized charges on PSN accounts. In an attempt to thwart this, Sony plans to add two-step authentication to all PSN accounts in the future. "In order to further safeguard our users and their accounts, we are preparing to offer a 2-step verification feature," a Sony rep to Polygon.

Two-step authentication requires users to submit two separate pieces of data to access an account, effectively adding another security barrier. Soon users will have to enter more than just a password to log into the PlayStation Network. We don't know exactly when Sony will add in this extra security feature, with the rep saying that "more details will be shared at a later date."

Nintendo's new Miitomo smartphone game is collecting more data than Facebook, making it an extremely valuable tool for the Japanese gaming giant.

In this day and age consumers find data collection quite worrisome, especially with big companies like Facebook soaking up so much valuable user info. But Nintendo's new Miitomo app has managed to trounce Facebook's data collection after being on the market for only three weeks. The trick is that Nintendo has made sharing personal information into a game, creating a colorful and fun environment where friends can learn more about each other.

Miitomo rewards players with in-game currency for answering basic questions about their personalities, favorite foods, songs, television shows and much more. In this way, Nintendo offers incentives to users to actively participate in sharing their personal data--much of which could steadily feed Nintendo possibly invaluable user info. The most surprising part, though, is that Miitomo just asks for the data using cute miniature Mii characters. I think it's all about the presentation and execution, and Nintendo adds a personality and a face to its agency of data-collection, rather than a boring survey or pesky emails.

A year later and Grand Theft Auto V is still absolutely mesmerizing on PC. Check out a new set of ultra-realistic high-res GTAV wallpapers that show just how magical Los Santos can be.

Berduu is a master at capturing the lightning in a bottle equivalent of video game screenshots. Now Berduu has spun his magic with GTA V, creating some of the most eye-boggling pictures I've ever seen--I've known for a while that Grand Theft Auto V on PC is beautiful, but these snaps just redefine my expectations. Rockstar should hire this guy to provide box art promo pictures or even huge GTA V posters.

All of the screenshots were taken using the Rockstar Editor and a combination of different mods like ReShade and SweetFX overhauls. Berduu promises that none of them have been Photoshopped, and every snap reflects actual in-game captures. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to fire up GTA V and grab some mods...

Dust 514, the first FPS by CCP Games, though only available for the PlayStation 3, had a very strong following. It wasn't the largest following, but the servers were full enough at most times that it was always possible to find someone to play with. Sure, the Unreal Engine 3 shooter wasn't the greatest looking, but it was connected to the greater EVE universe, which is exciting unto itself. Dust 514 is no more, and in its place is going to be another free-to-play FPS, but this time for the PC.

Project Nova is the next great FPS project, and will cut the mechanism that allowed interaction between EVE Online and Dust 514, instead existing in the same universe in name only. That isn't a bad thing, however, because that little-known mechanism, orbital bombardment, was never used anyway according to CCP Games. Project Nova will be built upon Unreal Engine 4, and will be a natural evolution of Dust 514, learning from its failings.

They want to make waves in the already full F2P FPS sphere, and they plan on doing that by allowing customization and the ability to actually have a full and good loadout right from the moment you start playing. You won't start with absolutely nothing, but there will still be plenty to look forward too with more playing time.There are currently eight different classes, but you'll have the ability to create your own by mixing and matching abilities, weapons and armor.

CCP Games is pretty excited about being able to offer EVE: Valkyrie as one of the first VR experiences for all platforms when they all eventually release (we're waiting on you, PSVR). And they're also letting all platforms (well, both) play together within the same servers via some very real cross-platform play. More details for the new Carrier Assault mode were also revealed recently, with a new trailer to show it all off.

Owen O'Brien, the producer of the game, dropped that nugget of information at a fan gathering that took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, saying that everyone will get to play together once it's finally finished and released. Specifically on the PC side they're making sure that owners of the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift are able to play competitively against one another regardless of the headset platform they choose.

Carrier Assault is a forthcoming game mode that's being planned for the game that sees you and others slowly but surely attacking a capital ship, which is rather resistant to your attempts at destroying it. You'll get the chance to attack the physical structures of the ship and then the structures inside the ship. The game is still in early access on the Oculus Rift only at the moment, though the final release will be seen rather soon, we hope. The project has turned from a simple dogfighting representation of the EVE universe to something rather spectacular in design and scope.

Wouldn't you too like to take a small vacation in beautiful Sapienza? It's a beautiful, sun-drenched (fictional) coastal town with gorgeous ocean views and a very relaxed vibe. It's just a trifle dangerous, with a bio-engineer working on a DNA-specific virus somewhere in the small town, but that shouldn't get you down, right?

The latest season of Hitman is set to begin on April 26th on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the PC. You'll be initially tasked with taking down Silvio Caruso, who is a bioengineer working on a very deadly virus. You'll get a chance to stretch your creative muscles and approach it in any way you please, using any number of elements to complete your task. I do wonder if the virus getting released, and killing you, is at all something that can accidentally happen in the game.

If you've been waiting for more to do after completing all of the achievements in the Paris fashion show level, then you're definitely in luck. This should be slightly larger then that level with a bit more variety. Agent 47 won't be taking a proper vacation this time, though, and it'll be a working one.