Gaming - Page 522

Hitman 3 will be stealthing onto consoles and PCs on January 20, 2021 -- but IO Interactive is now teasing that the game will have a post-launch update that will have ray tracing. The developer also talked about its work with Intel on optimizing the PC version of the game.

IO Interactive explained in a new blog post: "Together with Intel, we are working to optimize the game for launch and beyond, with updates, tweaks and improvements coming throughout 2021 that will improve the experience of playing on a high-end PC and multi-core CPUs".

"These optimizations include enhancing HITMAN 3 for PC players with 8+ core CPUs, for example you'll be able to spot more crowds in Dubai or experience more complex destructibility in Dartmoor. We're also introducing Variable Rate Shading (VRS), a technique that allows us to prioritize GPU resources where they have the biggest impact. On top of that, we will also implement Ray Tracing after the launch of the game, later in 2021".

If you've tried to find a PlayStation 5 and you've been unable to buy one, you shouldn't be surprised -- they're virtually sold out worldwide.

According to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan in a recent interview with Russian news outlet TASS the next-gen PlayStation 5 console is completely sold out worldwide. PlayStation 5 launch sales have been excellent, but I think at this point Sony's hands are tied -- I'm sure they're making as many as they can and are strapped by the flow of the semi-custom AMD chips being made by TSMC on 7nm.

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan explained: "And everything will be sold in Russia, there's no doubt about that. I've spent much of the last year trying to be sure that we can generate enough demand for the product. And now in terms of my executive bandwidth I'm spending a lot more time on trying to increase supply to meet that demand".

In a new video released by CD PROJEKT RED and NVIDIA, we get a closer look at NVIDIA's next-gen RTX technology running in new Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay footage. You can read more on that here, or check out the slick video below:

The trailer talks about the details of the open world of Cyberpunk 2077, but in the second half of the video we get our latest look at GeForce RTX-powered graphics. It definitely adds to the experience in the video, but I do want to see it running in person, in the flesh on a new GeForce RTX 3080 or RTX 3090.

I couldn't find any screenshots online, so I took a bunch of screen grabs for your viewing pleasure if you want to flick through some pictures and zoom in on some of the finer details of the RTX-powered Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the biggest game CD Projekt RED has ever made--and going by The Witcher 3's length, that's saying a lot. How long can the game last? Some playthroughs might take 200 hours.

CD Projekt RED's lead QA tester Lukasz Babiel has spent over 175 hours in his current Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough, and he's still not done with everything. Granted Babiel has been playing on the hardest difficulty and taking his time in a slow and methodical pace, exploring everything the game has in store.

"That's just one of my ongoing slow paced playthroughs on the hardest difficulty where I play more stealthy than usual, loot everything, use every feature the game has to offer, I take my time," Babiel said.

CD PROJEKT RED and NVIDIA have shown off some new Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay footage, showing off all the fancy RTX ray tracing effects. Check it out:

CDPR said that they worked "worked very closely with NVIDIA to bring ray tracing to the game", with Jakub Knapik, Lighting and FX Art Director at CD PROJEKT RED, explains that turning on RTX in Cyberpunk 2077 "took on a whole new level".

Knapik continued: "with ray tracing the whole idea of making this world simulator gets this extra crazy boost. First thing I like to point out is the shadows. When you have the whole city, see it through the horizon. And it's all so complex. You have antennas, buildings, cars, people, everything is super busy. And normally you need to do some shortcuts... and ray tracing is cutting the shortcuts. Everything is getting a perfect shadow".

PS4 copies of Cyberpunk 2077 are leaking out (possibly at a distributor level) and gamers are streaming the game online. Beware of massive spoilers!

Lots of Cyberpunk 2077 footage and spoilers are bound to pop up in the next few days as PS4 game discs have apparently shipped out ahead of schedule. CD Projekt RED's massive FPS-RPG is due out on December 10, but retailers might have slipped up and released North American versions of the game in the last week.

We won't be linking to the uploaded leaks out of respect to CDPR, but I've seen them and I can say the game is worth the wait. I think this is something we all knew already, though. The leaked games confirm Cyberpunk 2077 consists of two Blu-ray discs (one's like a data disc, and the other is probably the play disc) and also comes with a fold-out map, some postcards, stickers, and a game booklet. The physical version sure sounds like the way to go.

The PS5 has a bunch of nifty features and functions that don't interrupt gameplay, like being able to edit content made with the Create button.

The PS5 is built on a few simple premises: Seamless immersion, amazing gameplay experiences, and functionality. The console's high-speed SSD allows games to actually respect your time with ultra-fast loading. But the PS5 also saves you time with its uniquely-layered UI.

The system will actually let you do many things while you're gaming. The new control center quick-launch bar lets you navigate to critical settings like downloads/uploads, check friend messages, and even launch music. Pressing the PS button also brings up on-screen cards in a picture-in-picture window that lets you view, edit, and share content you've created without leaving the game.

The PlayStation 5 natively supports mouse and keyboard as peripherals, but it's up to specific games to actually use them. Now we know of them of them.

PS5 owners can hook up both wired USB and Bluetooth mice and keyboards to their consoles for a PC-esque experience. M&K also extends to certain games to possibly give you an edge on the battlefield. Both Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War feature mouse and keyboard support baked right in, complete with keymapping, sensitivity controls, and more.

The features aren't perfect though. The console didn't supply enough power for my Tesoro Durandal Spectrum RGB keyboard--no RGB and keypresses didn't work--so I had to use a spare membrane keyboard for testing. My G.Skill Ripjaws MX780 mouse worked, but not tremendously well. The high DPI felt kind of funky while aiming and there seemed to be some lag here and there.

If you've got Assassin's Creed Valhalla and are subscribed to Amazon Prime, be sure to grab this free gearset to boost Eivor's inventory.

Ubisoft's new Viking-themed Assassin's Creed game is kind of stingy on armor and weapons. I've been playing for a while now and haven't really found that much great gear. Luckily Twitch has you covered with a pretty powerful new item set to boost your skills.

Twitch Prime Gaming is currently giving away an exclusive set of mythical gear free for all Amazon Prime subscribers. The set hearkens to the Frankish kings of the Carolingian dynasty. The armor and weapons aren't just powerful, but they're also pretty stylish and bring a real sense of regality to Eivor's wardrobe. The gear is from the Bear tree, there's 3 rune slots, and the armor can be upgraded 10 times.

EA's Black Friday sale is absolutely massive and discounts over 200 games, expansions, DLC, and more for the holiday season.

Eager to spike Q3 revenues, EA is hosting a Black Friday sale that offers steep price cuts on some of its best games. The publisher is offering discounts on a staggering 225 PC games, expansions, and premium currencies on its Origin storefront, including a handful of Ubisoft games.

The selection includes pretty much everything EA has published, ranging from early Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Battlefield games all the way to FIFA 21 and Madden 21.

Cyberpunk 2077 is right around the corner, with CD PROJEKT RED updating the PC requirements to recommend NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070 for 1440p gaming with RTX ON. But what about Radeon?

The question was asked on Twitter, with CD PROJEKT RED Community Manager Marcin Momot replying, tweeting out: "Not for the release but we are working together with AMD to introduce this feature as soon as we can". This shouldn't be a surprise, given how much NVIDIA has marketed Cyberpunk 2077 for GeForce RTX graphics cards.

But now that AMD has hardware-based ray tracing on its new RDNA 2-based Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards, the question needs to be asked. But it seems we'll be waiting for a while until Cyberpunk 2077 has ray tracing effects ready for Big Navi GPU owners.

A gem-mint WATA 9.2 graded A+ copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 has just sold for over $150,000, making it the most expensive game ever sold at auction.

Heritage Auctions recently sold an ultra-rare copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 for an eye-popping $156,000, culminating in the first-ever million-dollar game auction when all bids were combined. What makes this particular copy so special is how "Bros." is positioned on the left. This variant is basically the video game equivalent of the legendary Boba Fett prototype action figure that sold for over $100,000. Normal retail copies of Mario 3 had the "Bros." part on the lower right-hand side on both the front and back of the box.

This isn't the only mega-expensive Mario game sold at auction. In 2019, a sealed mint copy of the original Super Mario Bros. sold for $100,150. Then in July, Heritage Auctions also sold a 9.4-graded copy of Super Mario Bros. with an ultra-rare hangtab for $114,000.

Desert Bus for Hope has raised $986,753 for charity, proving old bad games can still do some good.

Back in the mid-90s, magicians Penn and Teller basically made the anti-videogame. It was called Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors, and it was filled with all sorts of troll games--experiences that frustrated, befuddled, and confused players. Although the game was never released, one mini-game garnered a cult following: Desert Bus.

Desert Bus had you driving from Tuscon, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada in real-time. It's the purest simulation game and has been hailed as the most boring game of all time. There's no one to interact with, no other cars, nothing on the screen; just drab environments and desert.

Starting with Horizon Zero Dawn, Sony's bringing its PS4 exclusives over to PC. This includes a number of different storefronts like Steam, Epic Games Store, and soon GOG.com.

In a bid to maximize catalog game sales, Sony will slowly release key first-party games on PC. The idea here is to make money from older evergreen games that've run their course on consoles. Like EA, Ubisoft, and other publishers, Sony will now sell these games on as many platforms as possible. That includes GOG.com.

Horizon Zero Dawn is coming to GOG.com on November 24, 2020, complete with DRM-free access, 30 day no questions asked refunds, and other features like cloud saves, overlays, etc. The game will also run on GOG Galaxy 2.0, the new interface that lets you access games you bought from other stores like EGS.

Apple has revised its revenue split terms for app developers, and will now offer 85% - 15% splits in favor of devs. But there's some limitations.

Apple just announced its new App Store Small Business program, an initiative that reduces fees from 30% down to just 15% for select smaller developers.

The program is only offered to devs who make less than $1 million a year from combined app revenues and in-app purchases. Companies and developers that make more than $1 million still have to pay Apple the normal 30% cut. The new policy will go into effect on January 1, 2021, and qualified developers will be judged on their 2020 revenues.

Sony may have a direct answer to Xbox Game Pass quite soon. What could it be? Major first-party games releasing day one on PlayStation Now? A separate direct-download subscription tier?

A bit ago, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said Sony had no plans to copy Game Pass' best feature: releasing first-party games on the service at launch, on both PC and consoles. Instead, Sony's games will continue releasing to consoles first as premium releases rather than being bundled into a service. This sentiment may have changed.

In a recent interview with Russian news agency TASS, Jim Ryan says Sony is readying a response to Game Pass. When asked "How will you respond to Microsoft's Game Pass?," Ryan said: "There is actually news to come, but just not today. We have PlayStation Now which is our subscription service, and that is available in a number of markets."

Sony's new PS5 firmware update didn't fix the Black Ops Cold War download bug. Luckily there's an easy fix.

Before now, gamers had to completely factory reset their PS5 consoles to fix the download bug. Do NOT do this. It's completely unnecessary. Today Sony confirmed a guaranteed fix to the dreaded Cold War download bug on PS5 and it's really easy to do. All you have to do is rebuild your database. I was one of the many affected by the Cold War PS5 glitch, and I can confirm this fix actually works.

Here's how to do it:

Free-to-play sensation Genshin Impact helped significantly drive up October 2020's digital revenues, analyst firm SuperData reports.

According to SuperData's new digital earnings report, the global games market generated $10.6 billion in revenues in October 2020, up 14% year-over-year. Console gaming saw the most dramatic spike up +18%, driven by NBA 2K21, FIFA 21 (which sold 1.5 million digital units at launch), Watch Dogs: Legion, and Modern Warfare.

Speaking of which, Watch Dogs Legion had the best launch in the series. SuperData reports Legion sold 1.9 million digital copies, more than EA's powerhouse FIFA 21.

Today Sony announced the PlayStation Black Friday sale, and it offers some steep discounts on great back catalog games. This is the time to stock up for those free cross-gen PS5 upgrades.

New PS5 owners might want to take advantage of the new Black Friday sale, which slashes prices up to 70% across a huge selection of nearly 300 games.

Headliner deals include:

In a new interview with Russian News Agency TASS, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan had some interesting things to say about the new PlayStation 5 console.

We might have some great PS5 launch games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and others, but that doesn't mean that the PS4 will be forgotten. Sony is all about the "believes in generations" feels, meaning they won't just abandon PS4 games now that the PS5 is here.

Ryan explained: "There are around 114 million PS4s in the world, the number of those who transfer [to PS5 initially], if you keep that in mind, is a small number. But for us, the PS4 community is going to remain incredibly important certainly for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Because in those three years, that will be the larger PlayStation community".