Gaming - Page 523

Nintendo is telling third-party developers to target 4K resolution, sources tell Bloomberg, hinting the new Switch model revision could output to 4K resolution. How will this be handled? We have a few ideas.

Reports indicate Nintendo is making a new upgraded Switch console that targets higher resolution. We originally interpreted that the new Switch would have an upgraded handheld display, but it looks as if the upgraded model will target 4K resolution output for UHDTVs.

There's several ways Nintendo could do this, but let's take a look at the cheapest and most cost-effective solution: Upgrading the Switch dock's built-in video output converter and using NVIDIA's AI upscaling tech.

Unity Software will soon open public trading on NASDAQ under the ticker U, and has revealed share prices for its new IPO.

Unity's new initial public offering will set share prices at roughly $34 to $42 per share. The company filed an S-1 form with the SEC in late August outlining its IPO plans, but pricing was only just revealed from a new September 9 filing.

Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse are underwriting the IPO, and the S-1 form indicates Unity will have a capitalization of $1.2 billion and 238,366,733 shares of common stock outstanding after the shares are offered.

It appears Nintendo is once again manipulating supply of its games. This time it's a target business decision to sell more digital copies on its eShop network, where it keeps 100% of revenues.

Nintendo, like every other games-maker, wants to sell most of their games digitally. There's no manufacturing costs or shipping costs with digital, and Nintendo keeps 100% of all game sales earnings from first-party titles sold on the storefront. It's a win-win.

This digital-first plan is a big reason why Super Mario 3D All-Stars is only being sold for six months. After six months, the game will be discontinued digitally and physically. Now in an effort to push more digital sales, Nintendo is apparently restricting stock of retail copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Some retailers in the UK are even cancelling all pre-orders and confirm Nintendo is shipping "woefully short" supply of the game.

505 Games accidentally upgrades Control Deluxe Edition owners to the new Ultimate Edition, prompting outrage by fans.

505 Games has locked Control's next-gen PS5, Xbox Series X upgrades behind a separate Ultimate Edition SKU. Instead of simply updating existing PS4, Xbox One owners with free next-gen upgrades like CDPR, Ubisoft, and EA are doing, 505 games is forcing anyone who bought Control or the Deluxe Edition to re-buy the $39.99 Ultimate Edition to play the game with next-gen enhancements.

Why is this happening? For business reasons, mostly, but 505 Games' official comment says they nixed the free upgrade because "leaving any one group out feels unfair." This caused uproar in the community. No one wants to re-buy the game for $40 (don't buy the Deluxe Edition or base game, buy the Ultimate Edition).

Sony announces a new PlayStation 5 stream for Wednesday, September 16 at 1PM PST/3PM EST, where it is expected to announce PS5 pricing and launch date availability.

Microsoft pulled a bold move by announcing Xbox Series S/X pricing on the PlayStation brand's 25th anniversary. Now Sony plans to fire back with the PS5's price. This move will shape the entire 9th console generation.

The higher-end enthusiast console is expected to retail for $499, but Sony could pull a fast one and launch it cheaper, possibly at $449. Sources say the RAM and flash memory alone costs $250, and even a $499 MSRP might be sold at a loss. Even if the PS5 is sold for $499, the same price as the Xbox Series X, analysts predict the PS5 will outsell the Xbox Series S/X duo in 2020 and beyond.

New cross-console size comparisons show just how small the Xbox Series S actually is.

The cheaper $299 Xbox Series S is the smallest console Microsoft has ever made, and it shows. The Series S is 60% smaller than the Series X, and is actually smaller than the One S and One X systems too. Unlike the Series X with its footlocker-shaped chassis, the Series S has a more traditional rectangular shape that's much more shelf-friendly.

The Series S' size reduction and shape design is made possible by a reduction in hardware specifications. The digital-only Series S has 1/3rd the GPU power as the Series X, and a 61% reduction in RDNA-based GPU computed units. RAM has also been dramatically scaled back from 16GB GDDR6 to 10GB GDDR6 and a reduction in bandwidth speeds.

If you want to try out something new in Flight Simulator, then you can fly right past Godzilla -- yes, that's right -- Godzilla, as the infamous monster is hanging around near San Francisco. Check it out:

You will need to get a mod from Nexus Mods for Flight Simulator, which will give you the gloriously (and freaking huge) Godzilla. The Godzilla in the mod for Flight Simulator is based off the 2014 Legendary Pictures version of Godzilla, and he is bigger than every building in the city and makes the Golden Gate Bridge look like a toy.

The modder behind the new Godzilla mod for Flight Simulator said that if this mod gains traction, that he would look into adding King Kong to the Empire State Building in New York City.

If you have $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket right now, and want one of the most exclusive products of 2020 -- if not in the gaming industry, then prepare your credit card.

Luxury retailer Truly Exquisite has unveiled its new totally amazing custom 24-carat gold, platinum or 18-carat rose gold PlayStation 5 console that costs over $10,000. Yeah, a gold PlayStation 5 that even Goldmember himself would be proud to yell out "I like... goooooooldddd".

Don't worry, because for that $10,000 cost you're going to get yourself two custom DualShock 5 controllers that look like they've been dunked in gold -- as well as a slick 3D Pulse headset.

UPDATE: Microsoft has officially confirmed the Xbox Series S will only support One S upgrades via backward compatible games. Here's a statement:

Consoles are varied enough now that they're like PCs, especially Xbox systems. By November, there will be 5 different Xbox consoles that all have varying performance and specs. Devs have optimized their games to take advantage of each incremental power gain; same game, different performance. Now as we push into next-gen with the Series S and X, this variance grows.

At $299, the Xbox Series S is great for consumers. But some developers are concerned the lower-powered next-gen console will just add more cross-gen optimization work.

On November 10, devs releasing cross-gen games will have to optimize across five consoles: The 2013 Xbox One, the Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and the newer Xbox Series S and Series X duo. All of these systems have varying performance and games will play differently on each one.

Some developers like Remedy Entertainment's Sasan Sepehr, who's working as senior technical producer on Remedy's new unannounced AAA game, says the Series S could cause trouble for game optimization.

Today Twitch announced Ninja is returning home to the streaming platform that started it all.

Ninja is back, and Twitch is paying big to keep him on the service. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ninja has signed a lucrative multi-year exclusivity deal with Twitch to keep him away from competing services like YouTube and Facebook Gaming.

Microsoft had originally poached Ninja from Twitch for its failed Mixer service, paying him millions to move to the Xbox-driven streaming service. Mixer was closed in July 2020, and it's only natural for Ninja to move back to the next-biggest service.

The Xbox Series X's retail box proudly touts 4K 120FPS gaming and makes it easy to differentiate among current-gen Xbox One family.

Consumer-facing messaging is extremely important in any product industry, and that goes double when you're about to have four Xbox consoles on the market at the same time. Luckily the Xbox Series X's box design makes it hard to get next- and current-gen systems mixed up.

The box art was revealed by Canadian retailer The Source, and it clearly highlights info consumers will see on store shelves.

Even with a duo of consoles including the low-cost $299 Xbox Series S, Sony's PlayStation 5 is still expected to beat Microsoft in the next-gen race.

Following today's Xbox Series X/S price announcements, analyst firm Ampere Analysis upwardly revised its next-gen console sales forecasts for 2020. The group predicts the PS5 will still outsell Series X/S combined sales by over 1 million units. The PlayStation 4's established lead is expected to carry over into next-gen thanks to backwards compatible games and peripherals.

The PS5 is expected to sell 5 million units in 2020 (+400,000 units), and the Series X/S are pegged at a combined 3.9 million (+600,000 units). These numbers exceed both the 2013 launch year sales of the PS4 (4.2 million) and the Xbox One (3 million).

If you haven't seen the bombastic and Michael Bay-stylized multiplayer gameplay trailer reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War -- you can read more about Black Ops Cold War here, or check out the trailer below:

But now we have COD: Black Ops Cold War developer Treyarch talking more about the game, about its battle pass system, and what Black Ops Cold War means for Warzone. Not only will COD: Black Ops Cold War have cross-play and cross-progression included, both games have shared post-launch content in the battle pass and store.

This means that if you unlock something in Black Ops Cold War and its new battle pass, it will carry over to Warzone -- and if you unlock something in Warzone, it will carry back over to Black Ops Cold War. Post-launch content for both games is completely free, which means you can easily transfer everything between Warzone to Black Ops Cold War.

The lads over at Digital Foundry have done what they do best -- and seriously, it is great -- and torn down a PC preview build of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Check it out:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, using Treyarch's own engine -- and not the one Infinity Ward used in the mega-popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its standalone F2P smash hit Warzone.

Digital Foundry had some hands-on time with the preview build of the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (check out the recent gameplay reveal trailer here), which in early form didn't have its just-announced RTX features enabled. The game still looks great, with DF noting that the game has a cinematic Michael Bay style... which is fitting for its early 1980s Miami vibe.

Xbox All Access can save you money in the long run, but only if you plan to buy Xbox Game Pass Ultimate anyway.

Microsoft's Xbox All Access program opens new flexible access points for consumers who don't have $499 or $299 to drop on a new Xbox. All Access allows consumers to sign a credit lease contract and pay for a next-gen Xbox Series X or Series S console over time.

Instead of paying hundreds all at once, consumers pay in monthly installments across a 24 month term.

Destiny is the penultimate service game shooter, and it's come a long, long way since 2014. The game is now six years old, and to celebrate we decided to take a quick look back at the old beta from 2014.

While scouring my PlayStation 4 captures I dug up a few Destiny beta screenshots from the very beginning of Bungie's dream game. I've seen Destiny evolve before my eyes from the scrappy ambitious FPS-RPG startup to the mega-engaging, cross-platform behemoth it is today. Before Shadowkeep and Beyond Light there was just vanilla Destiny. The story was weird, there wasn't a whole lot to do, and our floating ghost spoke of wizards from the moon. But it was a campy, memorable, and simpler time; a time where you roamed across Old Russia in search of spinmetal and secrets. Sometimes you found cool things, like a level ?? Celebrant of Oryx, or a loot cave that just kept spilling goodies.

Other times you found friends. I'll still never forget my first trip to the moon with a friend, or the first Vault of Glass raid I ever did. There was nothing like--and still is nothing like--Destiny on the market. Bungie has made good on its promise to connect players in an evolving world, and there's been lots of hiccups along the way, but ultimately the game is something special.

EA is bringing its on-demand all-you-can-play vault of first-party games to Game Pass for free. This is a carefully-designed business move that has far-reaching implications.

Today Microsoft announced a fusillade of next-gen value: First the Xbox Series S allows ray-traced next-gen 1440p gaming for $299, and the Xbox Series X was confirmed for $499, making it the most accessible point for 4K 60FPS+ gaming. But the real bombshell surrounds Xbox Game Pass.

EA Play is coming to Game Pass Ultimate on both PC and Xbox for no extra cost. Normally, EA Play is $5 a month per platform on its own, but it's now included free with the $15 a month GP Ultimate subscription. Why would EA wrap itself in a potentially competing service? It's simple, really: EA wants to use Game Pass to sell microtransactions and game sales.

The full multiplayer reveal trailer to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is here, and it looks like an insane amount of fun. Check it out:

We can expect gamers to be dropped into the world of the Cold War and its tight grip on the world in the early 1980s, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War throwing you into a huge single player campaign that will see you going up against historical figures in some gorgeous locations including: East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters, and more.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is next-gen ready, where you can purchase the 'Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Cross-Gen Bundle or Ultimate Edition digitally' on either platform and you will get -- in the Black Ops Cold War official website description:

The powerful next-gen Xbox Series X console will cost $499 and release November 10, 2020, Microsoft today confirmed. Pre-orders will go live on September 22.

The Xbox Series X will offer higher-end 4K 60-120FPS gaming in an accessible, all-in-one package for $499. This price point is great news for consumers; The Series X has the same MSRP as the Xbox One X in 2017 but offers tremendous power gains for the same cost.

The Series X is twice as powerful with a 12TFLOP Navi 2 GPU for hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and gaming perf at native 4K 60FPS, complemented with a 3.8GHz 8-core Zen 2 CPU for fast, efficient processing and a revolutionary PCIe 4.0 SSD with 2.4GB/sec data transfer speeds. RAM is also upped to 16GB of GDDR6 memory over the One X's 12GB of GDDR5.