Gaming - Page 261

Sony Interactive Entertainment is currently preparing to bring Ghost of Tsushima over to PC, according to XboxEra's Nick Baker.

Baker has been correct about calls in the past, and he recently took to his personal X account to announce that he's heard from insider sources that Sony Interactive Entertainment will be making an announcement regarding Ghost of Tsushima coming to PC. According to Baker, the announcement is expected to happen around the 5th of March, which, at the time of writing, would be sometime today.

Notably, this isn't the first time we have heard about a Ghost of Tsushima port coming to PC, as rumors have been circulating about the port for years now, especially after the game received its PS5 upgrade in 2022. Ghost of Tsushima was originally launched in 2020 for the PS4 and was developed by Sucker Punch Studios, who made the Infamous series. For those that don't know, Ghost of Tsushima is set in 1200s Japan at the beginning of the Mongolian invasion.

Super Mario 64 was not only the first game in the series to present a fully 3D world, but it's still highly regarded as one of the greatest platformers ever made. Recent efforts to decompile and recreate the game on PC (that is, run it without the need to emulate Nintendo 64 hardware) have resulted in several visual upgrades and mods for the game, including 4K, unlocked frame rates, and even real-time ray tracing.

Infinite Mario 64 is different in that it's all about gameplay. It adds a random level generator to the game, meaning you can play new Super Mario 64 levels from now until the end of time. This is a remarkable achievement for a game that first came out in 1996.

One of Super Mario 64's most enduring aspects is its level design - alongside impeccable movement and physics. The mod uses elements from the game to create its new levels, so even though they are randomly generated - they still "feel" like classic Mario 64.

No Rest for the Wicked is the latest game from Moon Studios, the talented team behind the Ori games for Xbox. If you've played Ori and the Will of the Wisps, it won't come as a surprise that it looks absolutely stunning, with incredible art direction, character and environment design, and immersive lighting effects.

However, unlike Ori, this is an isometric action RPG with gameplay and mechanics inspired by Diablo and Dark Souls. There will be skills and loot aplenty, with all the action taking place in a beautiful hand-crafted world - no procedural generation here.

Moon Studios has grand ambitions for No Rest for the Wicked. It aims to "reinvent the genre" by introducing precision-based combat to the loot-filled hack-and-skill world of Diablo-like titles. It's also a story-driven affair, set in a medieval world overrun by "the Pestilence" with religious undertones. You take on the role of a holy warrior and will have full control over the look of your character.

Remedy's Alan Wake II was one of the most technically advanced and visually impressive PC game releases in 2023, pushing advanced path-traced lighting to help sell its spooky horror setting. However, at the time, it did not run well on NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 10 Series of graphics cards (which includes the GeForce GTX 1060, 1070, and 1080) due to relying on DirectX 12 Ultimate 'Mesh Shaders' for its rendering.

This DirectX 12 Ultimate feature requires hardware support, which left many PC gamers with 10-Series GPUs unable to play Alan Wake II without severe performance issues. But there's good news! A patch for the PC version will go live tomorrow (March 6) that addresses performance issues on older GPUs like the GeForce GTX 1070 while also boosting performance on modern Ada cards like the GeForce RTX 4070.

The PC tech gurus at Digital Foundry have tested a pre-release version of the patch, and they found a whopping 85 percent improvement in performance with the GeForce GTX 1080 and double the performance with the iconic GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.

Dune: Part Two is currently in cinemas worldwide, outperforming expectations at the box office and dazzling critics and moviegoers alike. This makes the debut trailer for Funcom's Dune: Awakening a case of 'perfect timing.' A new open-world survival MMO from the studio behind the long-running Conan Exiles, Awakening takes place on the harsh desert planet of Arrakis and looks pretty awesome.

With the game running on the latest version of Unreal Engine, Dune: Awakening will see you (and others) try to survive on Arrakis while contending against giant sandworms and scavenging resources in an ever-changing world. It's ambitious stuff, and again, in step with the stunning and epic Dune: Part Two.

As expected, one of the critical survival elements of the game will be staying hydrated and sticking to rocky areas. The game expands Conan Exiles' base-building, and in the trailer, you can see this in action with the player placing down 'holograms' that are then turned into actual structures once the suitable materials are gathered. Friends can contribute, too, as Dune: Awakening is a multiplayer title.

GPN's upcoming WIN Mini 2024 is an upcoming super lightweight gaming clamshell gaming console, featuring AMD's new Hawk Point APU.

Inside, the new AMD Ryzen 8040 series "Hawk Point" APUs are a refresh of the previous "Phoenix" silicon that powered most of the 2023 fleet of gaming handhelds, but now has an NPU for AI workloads. The new GPD WIN Mini 2024 is a refresh of the 2023 models with Ryzen 7840/7640U processors, but with changes to the display specifications: a 7-inch 120Hz display.

GPD's new flagship WIN Mini 2024 gaming handheld with the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U offers flagship high-performance CPU power for PC gaming with 8 cores and 16 threads of Zen 4 processing power.

MSI's new Claw gaming handheld will hit the United States on March 8, launching with a starting price of $649 and powered by Intel's new Meteor Lake CPUs.

The new MSI Claw gaming handheld has been available for pre-order in Germany, Spain, and the UK recently, but now the US is next, and pricing is out. Inside, the MSI Claw has three variants: with either the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 5 135H "Meteor Lake" processors, with varying SSD storage.

MSI starts things off with the Claw at $699, where you get the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H with 512GB, or for $749, you've got the upgraded Core Ultra 7 155H with the same 512GB, while 1TB of SSD storage is inside the Claw for $799. MSI is launching the $749 variant with the Core Ultra 7 155H + 512GB SSD storage on March 8, the other two variants will launch one week later.

I can safely say I haven't seen this before: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City running on a router... not a gaming console, gaming portable, or a PC... but a router. Check it out:

Hackers "Manawyrm" and "tSYS" used a TP-Link WDR4900 which is pretty old, released in 2013, powered by a PowerPC e500v2 32-bit processor. These routers are old, but they're popular for modders and open-source network software, including OpenWrt, DD-WRT, and Tomato.

The router board itself has a bunch of connectivity options, but it doesn't feature a PCIe slot... which is where the hackers come in, manually adding the PCIe slot, and using it as an external GPU solution powered by the Radeon HD 7470 graphics card. The Mini PCIe slot had to be soldered to the board, an extension cable then connected to the external GPU, which then outputs the data onto the screen.

Sam Altman has sat down for an interview where he debunked a lot of viral theories regarding what OpenAI is working on behind the scenes.

In a new interview with The Advocate, the OpenAI touched on what he believes to be the biggest example of egregious theories circulating around the internet regarding what OpenAI is working on. According to the CEO, the biggest theory or "misconception" about AI is that AI is "creatures" and not tools. Altman says that AI being "creatures" is better for a movie plot, but in reality, that's hardly the case as individuals who use AI-powered services such as ChatGPT should immediately realize that ChatGPT is a "tool".

The CEO of the company shaking up the technology industry goes on to say that this a "popular misconception" that can be attributed to popular sci-fi media, and for people who have been using AI-powered tools for quite some time, it would appear obvious that it's a tool. Despite Altman's assurance that what OpenAI is building is designed to be a tool for humans, there is an undisputable "feel" to services that is somewhat creature-like, especially in the sense of its communication abilities and overall potential across multiple industries.

Grand Theft Auto made nearly $200 million last holiday quarter, pushing total GTA franchise revenues to new heights.

Take-Two Interactive's latest financials offers an update on game sales and overall performance. To no one's surprise, the Grand Theft Auto series is still going strong, having pulled in $189 million during Holiday 2023 and selling 5 million more GTA V copies during the quarter.

According to Take-Two's latest earnings report, Grand Theft Auto products made 15.2% of total 9-month net revenues. To find Q3's revenue share for GTA, we can subtract the 9-month values from the 6-month values. This equates to about $189.59 million for the Q3'FY24 period, roughly flat compared to last year's $191.2 million.

EA is doubling-down on three main features for its upcoming games as it reaches for maximized profits.

Electronic Arts recently announced it would lay off 5% of its workers, or about 670 people. In total, EA is to lay off 11% of its workforce by March 2025. The reduction is mainly to lower operating costs and streamline profits during an incredibly challenging market landscape. Trends indicate that consumers are apparently moving away from physical-based singleplayer games in favor of digital live service titles, especially in the F2P segment.

EA is now says that it is most interested in giving gamers what they want. The publisher wants to reduce risk and volatility, so it's trying to cater to its core strengths: live games that service millions of players with content and microtransactions. It just so happens that, according to EA, these are the types of games that most consumers want to play anyway.

Back in August 2023, David Vonderhaar left Treyarch after working on Call of Duty for 18 years. Now the FPS vet announces what's he's up to next.

Well-respected Call of Duty Black Ops designer David Vonderhaar has opened up a new AAA game studio that will focus on "zero-BS" games. The studio is called BulletFarm, and it's currently working on a AAA co-op game built in Unreal Engine 5. BulletFarm is a remote-first studio formed with the help of Chinese games giant NetEase.

"BulletFarm is currently developing a new and ambitious AAA game, built in Unreal Engine 5 and set in an original universe with an emphasis on co-operative gameplay. The game will craft a more intimate and relatable experience while offering a fresh take on first-person gameplay," reads the press release.

Following mass layoffs, The Embracer Group's restructuring plan will now include the sale of one of its most top-earning gaming segments.

The games industry is going through a massive constriction phase right now. Everyone is trying to control costs and stabilize profits for debt repayments and operative cash flow, and Swedish games behemoth Embracer Group is no exception. The company announced a significant cost-savings plan that has resulted in mass layoffs, the cancellation of many projects, and even the closure of some studios like Saints Row developer Volition.

Now the Embracer Group is moving on to the next big step of its plan: Selling off key parts of its gaming groups. Embracer currently has 8 operating groups, and reports indicate that it will sell two of them: Both Gearbox Entertainment and Saber Interactive are said to be up for purchase. Sources say that Embracer could sell Gearbox sometime in March, and other sources tell Bloomberg that Saber could be sold in a deal worth up to $500 million.

The Embracer Group will reportedly sell Borderlands creator Gearbox Entertainment next month, sources have told Kotaku.

In October 2023, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that Embracer Group was trying to sell some of its operating groups to recoup cash. Gearbox, the team behind the mega-popular billion-dollar Borderlands franchise, was on the potential divestment list. Now sources tell Kotaku's Ethan Gach that a Gearbox sale is currently being finalized.

So why is Embracer selling one of its most lucrative operating units? After all, the Borderlands franchise has sold over 83 million copies total, and Gearbox accounted for double-digit percentage shares of Embracer's quarterly revenue right from the get-go. The rationale is pretty simple: The company needs money to help triage a missed billion-dollar deal.

AMD's FSR 3 has just been announced for a trio of new games, and is live in two of those, making a total of 18 games that now have support for Team Red's take on frame generation.

VideoCardz picked up these latest additions, one of which is The Last of Us Part 1, which debuted a year ago on PC.

The zombie-blasting action adventure has only received FSR 2.2 support thus far. Mind you, FSR 3 isn't here quite yet, but as you can see in the above tweet, it's now been announced by AMD.

Developers at Rockstar Games, the studio behind the iconic Grand Theft Auto franchise, are firing back at the company for its seemingly U-turn decision regarding mandatory office work.

People working on the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI are blasting the company for its reversal of its decision to implement flexible work options for developers, as reports indicate Rockstar Games has informed employees they must return to the office full-time beginning next month.

Developers have described Rockstar's leadership decision "reckless," and according to the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which cited a petition signed by 170 Rockstar Games from last year, Rockstar Games' most recent decision of mandatory in-office work days "marks a U-turn from previous statements in which the company insisted flexible work options would remain available".

Jagex, the studio behind the legendary MMO RuneScape, has announced two new adaptations of RuneScape with Steamforged Games that are available to purchase now.

The more than 20-year-old MMO that is steadily growing with players and has one of the most dedicated player bases in the gaming community is coming to tabletops in the form of two adaptations. Steamforged Games, with official licensing from Jagex, is releasing RuneScape Kingdoms: The Roleplaying Game, which brings iconic RuneScape and Old School RuneScape lore to your tabletop. This core book features a specially designed crafting system, an in-depth guide to the world of Fielinor, and everything a player would need to run "authentic RuneScape campaigns".

There are also four dedicated expansions, which Steamforged Games explains each is based on an iconic video game boss and adds new places to explore, skills, NPCs to meet, and gear to craft. The first expansion is RuneScape Kingdoms: Shadow of Elvarg, a dedicated 1-5 player co-operative campaign that will take players on a quest that involves leveling up skills, interacting with strange characters, crafting gear, and distracting side quests.

DirectSR, a new API from Microsoft that will allow developers to easily bring NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS support to their games, isn't the only announcement from the DirectX team at this year's GDC conference. It's also planning to showcase the "Work Graphs API," which will usher in "a new era of performance and efficiency."

It's a bold claim, to be sure, but Microsoft will be teaming up with AMD to demonstrate the new Work Graphs API in person at the special 'GPU Work Graphs: Welcome to the Future of GPU Programming' at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, March 18, 1:20 pm, South Hall Room 303.

Described as the future of GPU programming, the tool gives developers revolutionary ways of managing and approaching GPU workloads. Powered by DirectX and the new Shader Model 6.8 functionality, Microsoft is ambiguous about what it is besides a game-changer for game development.

The PC gaming handheld space is experiencing a boom thanks to the improvements made in mobile graphics tech, namely with the arrival of new AMD Ryzen mobile chips with built-in Radeon graphics like the Ryzen 7 7840U (and its variants) found in devices like the ROG Ally from ASUS and Legion GO from Lenovo.

On top of this, you've got the Steam Deck from Valve, with its custom AMD APU, that has sold millions of units. We're now at a point where PC handheld performance can play many of the latest releases alongside countless indie titles and a backlog of numerous games - with decent performance and battery life.

With rumors swirling that Sony is in the planning stages of creating a new dedicated PlayStation handheld along the lines of its beloved PSP or Vita devices with custom AMD hardware and Microsoft is looking into a dedicated Xbox Game Pass handheld, we can now add another name into the mix - NVIDIA.

The open-world Terminator game we've been teased about has an official name, with developer Nacon Studio Milan revealing Terminator: Survivors, with a cinematic trailer you can check out below:

Terminator: Survivors is a new open-world survival game that features an original story that takes place after James Cameron's first two Terminator movies. You will play as part of Judgment Day survivors, where you can play either solo, or together with up to three friends. Terminator's will hunt you and any survivors down as you're looking for resources, and trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic world.

Players will have a home base that they need to protect, while scavenging for materials in the open-world, with Terminators watching your every movie and hunting you down to the death.