Gaming - Page 515

We all know how hard it is to buy a PlayStation 5 right now, or even a new graphics card or the new Xbox Series X/S consoles -- but a huge fight saw a woman have her head stomped on over a PS5.

The fight took place at a Walmart in Charlotte, North Carolina -- with the woman on the left of the video taking off her purse and jacket ready to fight, one of the women says "what the f**k are you gonna do?" before the fight breaks out only a minute later.

In the end the woman on the right has some major blows to the woman's head, and then once she stands she continues the beat down by stomping on the woman's head in a very dangerous, almost lethal manner... all over a PlayStation 5.

Major retailers are responding to the Cyberpunk 2077 console controversy with mass refunds--even brick and mortar stores like Best Buy.

The Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco is so significant that it's causing retailers to temporarily change refund policies. We've seen Sony de-list Cyberpunk 2077 off the PlayStation Store and offer full refunds to all digital buyers, no questions asked (extremely rare, Sony almost never does this). Microsoft is doing the same thing, and all Xbox One digital buyers can get full refunds.

Now Best Buy is doing something extraordinary: Best Buy will offer full refunds for open copies of Cyberpunk 2077 until December 21. The refund includes the base PS4 and Xbox One versions along with the collector's editions, and the Xbox One digital versions bought at Best Buy.

Among Us is enjoying astronomical numbers, managing to rake in 500 million monthly active users in November 2020.

Among Us has gone from an unknown indie to the heights of gaming superstardom. Soon the game will be everywhere: mobile phones, PC, Nintendo Switch, and even Xbox consoles. Even in November, where it was only available on PC and mobile, 500 million gamers played Among Us throughout the month.

New figures from SuperData estimate Innersloth's indie sensation has blown past the competition with 500m MAUs, beating out billion-dollar gaming titans like Honor of Kings, Roblox, and even League of Legends. SuperData even notes the game is "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players". Sadly the game's under-monetization means it earns a lot less revenue than its competitors despite the $5 price tag (it's free on mobile with mTX and in-game adds).

The digital games market generated an incredible $11.5 billion in November 2020 in combined microtransactions and full game purchases, analyst firm SuperData reports.

Today Nielsen's SuperData just released a report for November 2020, and the results are pretty surprising. Total earnings sit at $11.5 billion, the highest point of 2020 so far and breaking August's record-setting $10.8 billion. World of Warcraft Shadowlands helped PC gaming earnings spike by 22% to hit an all-time revenue record for the platform. Console gaming grew by 24%, but was hindered by lack of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S supply.

Black Ops Cold War led console sales and moved 5.7 million units digitally on all platforms, breaking Black Ops 4's sales milestone. GTA V is still in the top 10 best-earning console games, which is surprising given the game's age.

Control Ultimate Edition will have two modes on next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles, including a 30FPS mode with ray tracing on.

Control looks absolutely incredible with ray-tracing on NVIDIA's RTX video cards, but consoles will soon jump into the mix. Today Remedy teased Control's next-gen ray-tracing tech on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the results are pretty good. Miles Morales definitely has the best ray-tracing we've seen so far but Remedy is doing a great job with console RT too.

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't look terrible on consoles, but it shines brightest on PC. Even still, we wanted to see if there are any noticable differences between the PS4 Pro and PS5 versions of the game.

We've been playing Cyberpunk 2077 mostly on the PlayStation 5 and taking advantage of the unlocked GPU/CPU performance profiles made possible on the newer SoC chip. Cyberpunk 2077 runs better on PS5, hitting 60FPS at native 1188p resolution compared to the 30FPS performance on the PS4 Pro.

Cyberpunk 2077 has three different perf targets across the three different PlayStation consoles: PS4 hits 30FPS with lower-res textures and lots of compromises (drops as low as 15FPS). The PS4 Pro can hit 30FPS, and PS5 can hit 60FPS. But the PS5 plays the PS4 version, and doesn't have it's own next-gen optimizations.

Crytek is pushing out a new update for Crysis Remastered, providing new content, performance improvements, bug fixes, and more to the game on all platforms.

Crysis Remastered's new v2.0 update includes a new 'Ascension' level, aim assist for controllers, improvements to both ray tracing and CPU optimizations. Bug fixes ahoy here as well, with Crysis Remastered in what should be a much better state.

General

Riot Games is ending its rather turbulent 2020 by gifting its full-time staff with a free next-gen console where staffers can can choose from the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X -- and even the Nintendo Switch.

Full-time staff at Riot Games can choose between the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or Nintendo Switch -- as well as a one-time 10% bonus. Not just that, but they'll get an additional 2.5% for every year of service at Riot Games since 2017 -- extended to all full-time staff in 2021 on top of their annual bonuses.

A new work schedule is also being deployed among the mayhem of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will ease out staffers' weeks with added breaks through 2021. Riot wants to side-step the insane crunches in the industry, and burnout of its staff -- which is where the new consoles come into play.

A naughty Space Force airman has been reprimanded and demoted because he was 30 minutes late to physical training, because he was out buying a new PlayStation 5 console.

A letter was posted to the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook Page, where the Space Force airman reportedly texted his superior officer saying he would be 30 minutes late. The reason? He was driving around to different Target stores to find himself a new PS5 console.

In the texts, the Space Force airman reportedly said "Yolo, PS5 > letters of discipline".

Sony has removed Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store as a countermeasure against massive controversy.

Due to massive controversy and terrible in-game performance, Sony has now officially taken Cyberpunk 2077 off the PS Store. Gamers can no longer buy Cyberpunk 2077--the listing is blank--and Sony is pushing back hard against CD Projekt RED's assertions that Sony and Microsoft let the games pass certification with the belief CDPR could fix them later.

Sony will also be offering full refunds for Cyberpunk 2077, regardless of playtime. Contact PlayStation Support to begin the process.

Cyberpunk 2077 has many gamers complaining about issues with the game, with developer CD PROJEKT RED looking to push out a "major fix" on December 21.

This new major update will fix a bunch of the issues with the console versions of the game, with CD PROJEKT RED explaining: "First of all, we would like to start by apologizing to you for not showing Cyberpunk 2077 on base last-gen consoles before it premiered and, in consequence, not allowing you to make a more informed decision about your purchase".

The developer continues: "We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Second, we will fix bugs and crashes, and improve the overall experience. The first round of updates has just been released and the next one is coming within the next 7 days".

The new Death Stranding update adds in a bunch of Cyberpunk 2077 content that actually adds a new layer to stealth play.

Today Kojima Productions surprise dropped a new free Cyberpunk 2077 DLC pack for Death Stranding on PC. The update includes cosmetics like Johnny Silverhand's iconic robotic arm and shades, along with a Kusanagi CT-3X motorcycle skin. There's also some augmentations like eye cybernetics to give Sam a futuristic look.

The best part of the free DLC isn't how Sam looks--it's the new stealth mechanics that make Death Stranding more like Hideo Kojima's previous espionage-driven franchise. The DLC adds a new hacking feature that lets players infiltrate, hack, and sabotage enemy tech, just like in Cyberpunk 2077. It adds a new dimension to sneaking in the game; you can disable sensor poles, sabotage enemy odradecks, short-circuit and disable trucks, and even punch the living hell out of enemies with Johnny's robot arm.

Among Us is already out on Switch, but now it's coming to Xbox consoles in 2021.

First it destroyed your Steam friendships. Now Among Us is coming for your Xbox LIVE friends. Indie sensation Among Us is set to shake up your Xbox social life when it launches on Game Pass and the Xbox Store in 2021.

I'm curious if it'll natively support voice/party chats or not on consoles, or if gamers will have to set up their own private parties like they do on PC via Discord.

Remedy has finished the first script draft for its big new unannounced project.

Remedy Entertainment is currently working on two new games set in the Remedy Shared Universe, which connects Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Control. The first game is Remedy's"most ambitious project yet" and will be published by Epic Games as a PC and PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X exclusive.

"Remedy is working on two multi-platform games for next-generation consoles and PC that will be published by Epic Games. The first project is Remedy's most ambitious one yet, an AAA multi-platform game already in pre-production. The second is a new, smaller-scale project set in the same franchise. Both games are being developed on Remedy's proprietary, state-of-the-art Northlight game engine and tools,"

First Epic Games took on Steam. Then it took on Apple. Now Epic is reigniting an old rivalry with Microsoft in an attempt to usurp the Microsoft Store.

The Epic Games Store isn't just for games any more. Starting today, the Epic Games Store now has multimedia apps. Spotify is now available on EGS for some odd reason. The appearance might be strange, but the rationale isn't: Epic is making a clear move at pulling gamers away from the Microsoft Store by offering similar apps.

The idea is clear: Epic wants to be the one-stop shop for gaming and apps. Fortnite's massive 350 million userbase commands a lot of spending and exposure, and Spotify wants direct access to these gamers.

Ubisoft once again lets you buy your way to the top in its new Assassin's Creed game.

You spend one of two things when playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Time or money. You already spend money buying the game, but that's not good enough: Ubisoft wants to monetize its players even more. That's why Valhalla is a grindy and repetative game. It's great a first but can become tiresome, and it's not easy to level up.

That's why Ubisoft is selling convenience microtransactions to reduce time spent. You spend money so you spend less time, Or spend more time to not spend any extra money. Either way, you spend something.

CD Projekt RED now finds itself embroiled in a political controversy over a de-listed game, and fans aren't happy.

Earlier today, developer Red Candles announced their controversial horror game Devotion would be sold on GOG.com. Shortly after the reveal, CDPR reneged on the deal, and the GOG.com social media account publicly announced Devotion has been denied after CDPR received "many messages from gamers," and would no longer be sold on the digital storefront.

This move caused massive outcry among fans who saw CDPR's decision as kowtowing to Chinese gamers. Devotion originally sparked significant controversy by including negative mention of Chinese president Xi Jinping. Red Candles' horror-thriller was promptly banned and removed from Steam in China.

Cyberpunk 2077's console controversy has cost CD Projekt RED over half a million dollars in share value.

CD Projekt RED has lost over $641,000,000 in share value since Cyberpunk 2077's disastrous console launch. The game's poor performance on PS4 and Xbox One has triggered significant controversy, harming consumer trust. In a call with investors, the developer has admitted to focusing more on PC and next-gen versions, and admits it purposefully hid evidence of the game running on current-gen consoles. CDPR also promises to fix the game on PS4 and Xbox One.

This fiasco has significantly impacted CDPR's shares. At the time of writing, CD Projekt RED has 100,654,624 shares that're worth $21.31 each. A quick bit of math shows CDPR currently has a market value of $2.14 billion, down 23% since CP2077's release. CD Projekt RED had a $2.7 billion market value on December 9, a day before Cyberpunk 2077's release.

Terminator Resistance is getting upgraded with a next-gen PlayStation 5 version, complete with boosted optimizations, effects, and performance.

Today Reef Entertainment confirmed their new Terminator stealth shooter is coming to the PS5 with a bunch of enhancements. The re-release is called Terminator Resistance Enhanced, and will run at 4K 60FPS on the PS5, complete with new balance patches and the Infiltrator T-800 antagonist mode only previously available on PC. Owners of the PS4 version get a free upgrade to the PS5 port.

Reef says the re-release will leverage the PS5's full might, including faster loading times with the new PCIe 4.0 SSD, as well as new immersive haptic feedback with the DualSense controller. We don't know if the game will lock the triggers like Deathloop, but we should see something like Black Ops Cold War's increased trigger rumble at the very least.

Indie sensation Among Us is coming to the Nintendo Switch...but it's kind of a sus game to launch on the handheld-hybrid.

Yesterday Nintendo confirmed Among Us is coming to the Switch. It's a huge deal for developer Innersloth, and the game should sell tremendously well on the Switch--for only $5 you can jump into a high-stakes game of betrayal, lies, framing, and suspicion. There's just one real issue with Among Us on Switch: Communication.

Having fun in Among Us hinges on communication. You need to be able to talk and type to people to confirm your suspicions or to make up a fantastic story on why you're not the killer. The game doesn't technically have voice chat in any version, and you need an external program like Discord to communicate with friends. Even if Among Us did support voice chat on the Switch, you'd have to download the Switch Online app in order to actually chat.