Gaming - Page 233

We reviewed the Lenovo Legion Go handheld earlier this year. The Windows device powered by AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme Processor proved itself to be a powerful little unit for portable PC gaming. It can play titles like Far Cry 6 and Starfield alongside indie games and anything else that runs on a Windows 11 machine.

Performance aside, what separates the Lenovo Legion Go from competitors like the ROG Ally from ASUS is that it sports a large 8.8" QHD (2560 x 1600) 144 Hz IPS display with a physical design that includes removable controllers ala the Nintendo Switch, a kickstand, and ample cooling.

Big and bulky is not for everyone, so it's great to see that Lenovo is apparently preparing to launch a more compact Lite version of the Lenovo Legion Go with a 7-inch display.

Valve is working on a next-generation single-player game, codenamed "HLX" and is rumored to be Half-Life 3. Yes, that Half-Life 3.

The news of Half-Life 3 is coming from a voice actor who has leaked HLX, with references to "Project White Sands (video game)," in which Natasha Chandel performed voice work. The reference to "white sands" is probably a reference to Half-Life 3 through "White sands is a park in New Mexico... state where is (was) Black Mesa". Alright, hyped.

But, through datamining, we've got Valve leaker Tyler McVicker giving us the rundown on what's happening in the world of Half-Life 3 (in the video above, and the post on X below). There are a ton of points towards Half-Life 3 in the leaks, something McVicker covers beautifully in his video.

Star Wars Outlaws, a new open-world game set in the iconic universe where you take on the role of a smuggler from the studio behind The Division, sounds like a winner. However, with recent gameplay deep dives and previews being mostly lukewarm and Ubisoft asking for extra money to play the game a few days early, the hype for what should be this month's biggest release doesn't seem to be there.

On the plus side, the PC version sounds technically impressive, with real-time ray-tracing and the new DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction tech dramatically improving image quality on a GeForce RTX rig. However, with Ubisoft updating the official storage page with full PC requirements and hardware specifications for Star Wars Outlaws, you're going to need some serious power to play this at 1440p or higher.

The recommended specs, which cover running the game at 1080, 60 FPS, with the 'High' graphics preset, require at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU. But even then, DLSS or FSR needs to be set to 'Quality,' which means rendering the game at 720p before the upscaler does its thing.

Microsoft is testing further Discord integration on Xbox as a new feature has hit the Insider program for Xbox users.

Reports indicate that Microsoft has rolled out a new update that enables users to view Discord streams straight from their Friends list. The new option has appeared for users in Xbox's insider program, specifically those in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings. That isn't all of the new Discord features, as Microsoft is reportedly testing the integration of Discord buddies, which appear in your Friends list by relinking accounts.

Having Discord buddies enabled will mean a user will be able to jump into a voice channel without having to use their smartphone or PC. It's great to see further Discord integration into Xbox and if it will be possible for popular PC features such as share-screen will eventually make their way over to consoles. In other Microsoft-Xbox news, the company announced the end of an iconic Xbox era, as the Xbox 360 store was officially sunsetted.

During financial earnings calls to investors, EA's CEO, Andrew Wilson, has a history of hyping up the games in development across the various studios under the Electronic Arts umbrella. A few months ago, we reported on Wilson proclaiming that the next mainline Battlefield game, currently in development, has the "largest team in franchise history" working on it.

As part of the latest financial earnings call covering the company's various games and franchises, Wilson stated that not only is the new Battlefield game being worked on by the largest team in the series' history, but that it's "one of the most ambitious projects in our history."

This comes down to rumors and reports indicating that it will include single-player, multiplayer, and various modes as a one-stop Battlefield portal. Apparently, four studios are working on it, including franchise creators DICE and Criterion Games. However, Andrew Wilson also threw out the same "one of the most ambitious projects" line for the previous game, Battlefield 2042.

Stormgate is described as a "next-gen RTS," a genre that helped define PC gaming in the 1990s. Its team of developers at Frost Giant Studios includes veterans from Blizzard who worked on iconic RTS titles like Warcraft III and StarCraft II. The sci-fi setting, gameplay, and overall look combine the two styles - vibrant, colorful visuals with hundreds of units on screen.

Its official free-to-play Early Access launch is scheduled for August 13. It will debut with the beginning of the game's campaign, competitive 1v1, and 3-player co-op versus AI modes. Those who have supported the developers or purchased the Early Access DLC Pack can jump in now.

Future updates will add more modes, new campaign missions and cinematics, new units, balance changes, and other updates and fixes. The developers note that the game will be in Early Access for at least a year.

Microsoft has announced the end of an era is upon Xbox gamers as the time has finally come to sunset the Xbox 360 Store.

The Xbox 360 marketplace opened nearly 19 years ago and gave rise to the popularity of having direct access to thousands of games that were constantly cycled through various sales. Microsoft informed Xbox gamers the 360 store was closing its doors in August last year, and on July 29, the final nail in the coffin happened as new games or DLC content was no longer available for purchase.

Notably, Microsoft explained via its blog that any content already purchased through the 360 store will remain available to play and redownload. Additionally, the Microsoft Movies and TV app will no longer work on Xbox 360 systems, which means gamers won't be able to view their content on those systems. Furthermore, Microsoft reminded Xbox gamers Xbox 360 games will still remain available to play on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the latest game in the long-running RPG series from BioWare, the veteran studio behind Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth mainline entry in the series and is set to launch sometime later this year - an entire decade after the third outing.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard was recently revealed at the Xbox Summer Showcase, where the development team and EA also presented a chunk of gameplay from the game's opening captured in 4K. Naturally, the change in visual style and the fast-paced action caught fans of the series off-guard; BioWare has confirmed that it's a massive RPG with 700 characters and 140,000 lines of recorded dialogue.

There's also good news for PC gamers regarding the next Dragon Age. BioWare has confirmed that the game will be Steam Deck Verified on day one, so it can be played on the go. Plus, something else that will make, well, everyone happy.

Game graphics have evolved at a breakneck pace over the past few decades. We're now at the point where certain materials - metal, glass, ceramic, or cloth - are rendered with accurate and believable detail. In this way, you know the object you're supposed to be looking at because there's depth and detail.

However, creating the look and feel of a real-world material is time-consuming and requires a lot of computational power - driven by the GPU. If you've watched a recent game "compile shaders," after firing it up for the first time, this is why. The alternative would be watching a game stuffer or freeze every time a new material or object enters a detailed 3D world.

At SIGGRAPH 2024, NVIDIA presented new technology called Real-Time Neural Appearance Models, a "complete real-time neural materials system" that aims to add film-like quality to real-time visuals while dramatically improving shading performance versus traditional rendering. Translation: In-game objects will look better than ever.

Fallout series co-creator Tim Cain shares some interesting tidbits on Interplay's original plans for the franchise's infamous vaults.

The Fallout series has little over 100 vaults, all-told...but this number was supposed to be much, much higher. Interplay, the devs of the first Fallout game, had planned for about 1,000 vaults at one point in time.

In a recent YouTube video, Fallout producer, co-creator, lead programmer and designer Tim Cain explains why there were so many vaults in planning and, more importantly, why there aren't that many vaults in the actual games.

Sony has revealed two new expensive special edition PlayStation 5 controllers for purchase in August to commemorate the launch of upcoming first-party games, signalling an emphasis on the "highly profitable" accessories market.

Console-makers are no stranger to accessories. Since the earliest Gen 1 console days, we've seen a multitude of extra controllers roll out, many of which like the NES' turbo controller added a new level of capability to gameplay. The advent of modern consoles has facilitated the expensive "pro" enthusiast line of accessories, ranging from the $199 DualSense Edge to the $150 Xbox Elite controllers.

Given these prices, it should be no surprise that accessories are a highly profitable market, especially for Sony, who's aforementioned DualSense Edge costs half as much as a digital-only PS5. And Sony has said as much--during a 2023 business segment briefing, SIE exec Eric Lempel affirmed that accessories like special edition DualSense controllers are a "highly important and highly profitable category."

Call of Duty's multiplayer matchmaking uses a custom SBMM, or skill-based matchmaking, which has been praised and criticized in equal measure. Critics of SBMM in a game like Call of Duty claim that skill-based matchmaking leads to similar-feeling rounds where competition is high but unpredictability is low. SBMM, in a nutshell, is all about pairing players of a certain skill level with other players of a similar skill.

As part of a new in-depth paper and fascinating report surrounding the "complex and multifaceted domain" that is Call of Duty matchmaking, Activision confirmed that in early 2024, it ran a secret 'Deprioritize Skill Test in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III' in North America. Activision put around 50% of the population into random matches without the usual skill check and grouping.

"For the treatment group, we loosened the skill constraints," Activision writes. "The other half of the population was left with the standard configuration." The test was run for a month, and the results were fascinating. Outside of the top 10% of players, the returning player rate metric was down by a staggering 90%.

Video game actors are the latest sector of actors to get involved in the fight against studios using AI to capture actors' likenesses for future projects.

Video game performers who are part of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) participated in a strike last Thursday against AI technologies, which has been deemed a "sticking point" in the negotiations occurring between studios and actors. The video game actors now joining the picket line comes after a nearly four-month actor strike that concerns were directly tied to studios using AI to reproduce the likenesses of actors in future projects without the actor receiving proper compensation.

Essentially, actors have warranted concerns that studios are simply going to use the media they already have of them to create a digital clone that they wouldn't have to pay nearly as much for to include in a project, perhaps even without the permission of the actor. The interactive media space, which video game performers fall under, isn't immune from suffering from the same fate, with SAG-AFTRA chief contract negotiator Ray Rodriguez saying video game voice actors, motion capture actors, and physical performers are all worried they will be cloned.

A few weeks ago, Apex Legends began to experience a massive influx of negative Steam reviews as fans of the battle royale shooter flocked to the listing to voice their frustrations with the Season 22 Battle Pass rework.

Respawn Entertainment and EA made some changes to the Battle Pass in Season 22, which were marketed to gamers as a way of providing more value to players. Unfortunately, this statement didn't ring true at all, as the Battle Pass was split into two halves, each priced at $10. Additionally, and in what was likely the biggest transgression made by the developers/publishers, players would no longer be able to purchase the Battle Pass with Apex Coins, which are awarded to players for simply playing the game.

The changes to the Battle Pass were deemed clear strategies to milk more money from players, which resulted in the immediate fiery backlash from the community that reduced Apex Legends' concurrent players to drop considerably. The stacking of negative Steam reviews pushed Apex Legends' "Recent Reviews" status down to "Overwhelmingly Negative".

PlayStation's live service game won't have a battle pass, developer Firewalk Studios has confirmed.

Sony has a unique game plan with its live service ambitions: Instead of going free-to-play, the PlayStation-maker wants to merge the worlds of premium and GaaS in one package. The company's next live game, Concord, will be sold at a premium $40 and will not rely on a battle pass to secure post-release monetization.

"You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you," said gameplay animation director Mark DeRidder. SIE and Firewalk are taking a similar approach as Helldivers II, which was also sold for $40 and includes a lot of free updates and content. Concord will likewise get a host of free updates that include new maps and characters. But unlike Helldivers II, Concord won't rely on the battle pass structure.

Rest easy: GTA 6 won't be delayed because of the recent game actors' strike, a spokesperson has confirmed to Kotaku.

Last night, the SAG-AFTRA union advised all game actors to go on strike due to concerns with AI. Unionized performers across all disciplines--motion capture, stunt people, and voice-over artists--are now on strike until proper resolutions can be made with billion-dollar publishers like Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and Take-Two Interactive. This will have an immediate effect on in-production games and could lead to heavy delays at a time when the industry is already struggling.

Luckily, Grand Theft Auto 6 is not among the impacted projects. That's despite Take-Two, the parent company of GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games, being involved in the ongoing negotiations. "I can confirm GTA VI is exempt," Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson representing the game producers, told Kotaku.

Another place to play Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? Skyrim has made its way to another platform with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (and the Special Edition of the game), now playable on NVIDIA's cloud gaming GeForce NOW service. It joins the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Alexa as the latest digital location where you can fire up the iconic RPG.

NVIDIA notes that GeForce NOW Ultimate members can stream and experience Skyrim at up to 4K and 120 frames per second, running on a GeForce RTX 4080-powered rig in the cloud. For those looking toward cloud gaming who haven't signed up for GeForce NOW, you can save 50% off Ultimate and Priority subscriptions as part of the GeForce NOW Summer Sale.

Seven more games, including a few notable new releases, have been added to GeForce NOW this week, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Interestingly, GeForce NOW subscribers can stream Skyrim via Steam and Xbox (PC Game Pass).

Fallout: London, the ambitious and impressive-looking DLC-sized mod from Team FOLON, is finally available and free for all who own Fallout 4 with all of its DLC or the Game of the Year Edition on GOG or Steam. Due to the size of the mod (it weighs in at a hefty 33.8 GB) and is a brand-new game set in the Fallout universe, it's being distributed via GOG. You can check out the official store page for it here.

The size is one reason it's currently PC-only and unavailable for consoles. Another (and why the release was delayed) is that it requires you to downgrade Fallout 4 to the pre-Next-Gen version of the game. However, the development team is open to working with Bethesda and Xbox to make it available as a standalone release on Xbox consoles.

As the name suggests, Fallout: London takes place in a post-apocalyptic London, taking the series from its American-based setting to the wider world for the first time. With this, there are new weapons, factions, stories, London-centric items, art, and futuristic oddities to experience. Instead of the Pip-Boy, there's the Atta-Boy, alongside clothing, items, collectibles, architecture, foliage, and NPCs to suit the London setting.

Monopoly Go! remains one of the best-earning mobile games available today with over $3 billion revenues since release, Hasbro today announced.

Hasbro and Scopely are making tons of cash from Monopoly Go!, the free-to-play sensation that has quickly become one of the quickest-earning new mobile games. In a recent Q2 earnings report, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said that Monopoly Go! has made in excess of $3 billion in total in lifetime revenues, up an incredible $1 billion since last quarter.

In just 14 months, this single mobile game has made nearly half as much money as Electronic Arts' entire business throughout FY24 ($7.1 billion).

The majority of developers at key Bethesda Game Studios have voted to unionize, becoming the first "wall-to-wall" union under Microsoft.

Bethesda's core game development studios have unionized under the Communication Workers of America (CWA), including BGS' headquarters in Rockville, Maryland alongside its satellite studios in Austin and Dallas. The company's Montreal-based studio also seeking unionization at the CWA's Canadian branch.

This marks a historic occasion as Bethesda was the initial group to form a solidified union under Microsoft, with the union encompassing all disciplines at the billion-dollar games group. Combined with the recently-formed union at Blizzard, the CWA now represents over 1,750 Microsoft game workers.