Gaming - Page 559

Halo Infinite was revealed a couple of days ago, where it was shown off on a gaming PC with specs similar to an Xbox Series X -- but the graphics just looked sh*tty.

I wrote an article titled 'Halo Infinite boss talks criticism of sh*tty graphics on Xbox Series X' and my personal Twitter went nuts, and I even got hate email. Strange, still -- the graphics were shit and I'll stand by that until I die. Ray tracing and a couple of more months under the development knife might help, maybe... but for a first showing of a next-gen Halo on the next-gen Xbox?

Not good enough, Microsoft.

Microsoft's rumored cheaper next-gen Xbox Series S console may come with a snazzy white paintjob similar to the Xbox One S.

Apparently someone got a hold of a new white Xbox controller that matches the peripheral that ships with the Series X this November. If genuine, the controller could hint at a few things. First off, there's obviously a white next-gen Xbox controller that'll be sold separately. Two, Microsoft may sell an all-white Xbox Series X, but this is less likely because of branding. And three, the white controller will be shipped with the Xbox Series S, the rumored all-digital next-gen Xbox that could be $150 or more cheaper than the Xbox Series X.

The latter makes a lot of sense. If the Xbox Series S (codenamed Lockhart) does exist and ship in 2020 or 2021, then Microsoft will want to clearly delineate between the two systems with color schemes. Microsoft did this with the Xbox One S (white) and Xbox One X (black) at launch, then changed up the color schemes a bit after release.

Thanks to a recent graphics controversy, Halo: Infinite is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The game isn't the next-gen spectacle we all expected, nor does it seem like a system-selling game. But a closer look at 343i's new engine and lighting systems reveals the reason the game looks decided last-gen.

Why does Halo: Infinite's gameplay look so bland? Why does it look like a last-gen game? It all has to do with the game's new dynamic lighting system. Halo: Infinite is a huge open-world game now, and it has a fluctuating lighting system that blankets the entire world. There's no tightly-designed linear levels, meaning the lighting system isn't fine-tuned, but more spread across a bigger area.

A new deep dive from Digital Foundry uncovers some of Infinite's issues, challenges, and advantages with its new dynamic lighting system.

Halo: Infinite's graphics have caused lots of controversy and didn't really show off the Xbox Series X's raw power. But that will change from now until release, Microsoft promises.

Halo: Infinite was supposed to be the Xbox Series X's killer game, the system-selling launch title that mimicked Combat Evolved's legacy decades ago. Instead the latest gameplay demo has fans divided (but need I remind you Microsoft doesn't care if you don't buy an Xbox Series X?). The graphics aren't the wow-ing spectacle we expected from an explosive next-gen hit. 343i and Microsoft have since gone into damage control mode in an effort to ameliorate the negative buzz.

"We're in the middle of a global pandemic. It's July, we're far from [Halo Infinite's release in] holiday, you're seeing a work-in-progress game," Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg said in an interview with Inside Gaming.

Halo Infinite was recently shown off in -- well, I guess "all it's glory" during the recent Xbox Series X event, but man did those graphics suck.

I mean, I even personally tweeted out my disappointment in it. Now, people will say "oh but you work for TweakTown and review all these awesome graphics cards, etc". Yes, that's right -- but I also purchased an Xbox on day one, a new TV and 5.1-channel audio system for it on launch.

The graphics on the original Halo were better than most games on the PC at the time, with some beautiful lighting effects, shading, and so much more going on under that Xbox hood. Fast forward close to a decade and we have Crysis, fast forward over an entire decade and we have... Halo Infinite.

You can't check out Norman Reedus's penis in Death Stranding because it technically doesn't exist.

A new Death Stranding camera hack reveals some interesting details about Sam Porter Bridge's junk. Kojima Productions didn't render an in-game model for Sam's penis in the game. He's as smooth as a mannequin down there.

The revelation comes from Lance McDonald, who discovered a camera glitch that lets gamers see behind the glass during Death Stranding's shower scenes.

With the recent Xbox games showcase, Microsoft didn't make a good case for the Xbox Series X. That's because it really doesn't care if you buy the new console or not. For Microsoft, Xbox Game Pass is the most important thing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Microsoft doesn't really care about hardware. It doesn't care if you don't buy an Xbox Series X in 2020 or 2021. The Xbox division is more concerned with delivering content through access points because that's where the real money is. That means making content, services, downloads, and purchases available where you already are versus trying to force you to buy a console.

This is the natural evolution of the games industry--to spread ecosystems across all platforms and break the boundaries of consoles--and Microsoft is doing it better than anyone else.

Unlike Halo 3, the latest Halo: Infinite game won't have four-player split-screen co-op.

Halo: Infinite will indeed have local split-screen co-op in campaign mode, but it'll be limited to two players on the same console. Four-player co-op will only be available online, and you'll of course need Xbox LIVE Gold to play with others on the network.

343 Industries head of design Jerry Hook confirmed the news today on Twitter: "Hey everyone I saw some reports of campaign supporting 4 player Split screen for campaign and just want to correct. Halo Infinite will be supporting 2 player split screen and 4 player online co-op for campaign. Sorry about the confusion."

Microsoft makes big promises that its next-gen Forza game will hit native 4K 60FPS with ray-tracing enabled, a feat that requires some serious technical wizardry.

Turn10 is known for pushing Xbox hardware to its limits. Forza 7, for example, hit native 4K 60FPS on the Xbox One X, an older Jaguar-based SoC refreshed to 14nm with Polaris and splashes of Vega. So imagine what they'll be able to do on a 7nm SoC with a 12TFLOP Navi GPU complemented by other synergized components? On Xbox Series X, Microsoft promises the new Forza will deliver native 3840 x 2160 resolution at 60FPS with ray tracing turned on.

We have no idea how they'll hit this kind of perf, but we do know the console's new Velocity Architecture will play a big part.

Horror maven Junji Ito, who's responsible for some of the most disturbing manga of all time, could team up with Hideo Kojima to make a new horror game.

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima wants to make a horror game, and he's invited Junji Ito to work on the project. But the game is still in early pre-planning phases and hasn't been greenlit, if it even coalesces at all. Junji Ito says he's currently not involved with any game development right now. This wouldn't be the first time Kojima and Ito worked on a horror game--Ito was helping out with the cancelled Silent Hills back in 2015.

When asked if Ito is making a new game right now, Ito said in a Comic-Con interview: "The simple answer is no. However, I do know director Kojima and we have been in conversations that he might have a horror-based game that he might be doing, and so he has invited me to work on that. But there's no details yet."

Truly Exquisite, the brand that brought you the $3500 all-gold Galaxy S20, is now working their magic on the PlayStation 5.

Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 doesn't have a price tag yet, but that hasn't stopped Britain's premiere luxury-maker Truly Exquisite from dipping the console in gold. Prestige gamers with bank loans to spare can now sign up for info on the new pure-gold PS5, a design that'd make C3-PO jealous. No pricing has been revealed of course, but don't expect it to come cheap.

"The long awaited and much anticipated Sony PlayStation 5 just got even better! Truly Exquisite are proud to announce that we bring to you yet another release first...this time it will be in the form of the brand new Sony PS5...available to buy in luxury 24K Gold, Platinum and also 18K Rose Gold finishes. We can not wait to start custom making these true beauties. Stay tuned and register your interest as we will have more information of pre orders and distribution soon."

Ghost of Tsushima is a big first-party hit, and is now the fastest-selling new IP in the PlayStation 4 generation.

Today Sony confirmed some surprising news: Sucker Punch's new samurai slasher Ghost of Tsushima has sold 2.4 million copies in 3 days, making it the quickest-selling new IP on PS4.

"Ghost of Tsushima is now PS4's fastest selling first-party original IP debut with more than 2.4 million units sold through globally in its first 3 days of sales," Sony said on Twitter.

Seven years after being retired, G4TV is coming back in a big way.

Today Comcast's NBC division announced that beloved 2000s-era gaming network G4TV is coming back next year as a web series, complete with old favorites like X-Play and Attack of the Show returning. Both X-Play and Attack of the Show have activated their Twitter accounts. NBC hasn't made an official press release announcement yet, and details are muddled, but industry insider Rod Bresleau says Comcast's esports head Tucker Roberts is leading the charge.

"G4TV is making a come back from Comcast who still own the property, led by Spectacor Gaming President Tucker Roberts who oversees Comcast's esports orgs T1, T1 LoL, and the Philadelphia Fusion OWL team. Tucker is also the son of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts,"Bresleau said.

UPDATE:343 Industries confirms the report is false. Halo will ship with multiplayer at launch.

Halo: Infinite may release in November as an incomplete game without any multiplayer, a source familiar with the matter tells Brad Sams.

343 Industries didn't show any multiplayer during yesterday's huge Halo: Infinite reveal. Apparently it's possible they didn't show it because multiplayer simply isn't ready, and won't be ready for the game's launch in 2020. A source familiar with 343i's plans says that Halo: Infinite's multiplayer could be delayed post-launch, and the game will instead ship as a campaign-only experience.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology, has sent out a new press release detailing an upcoming livestream on the HyperX Twitch channel.

According to the press release, Post Malone will be featured on the HyperX Twitch channel as apart of an event called "HXCKED". The press release says that HXCKED will be the first in a series of streaming events that will include "various HyperX Heroes and other guests playing popular gaming titles and connecting virtually with fans." Post Malone is first up to the plate and will be playing Call of Duty: Warzone.

Post Malone is no stranger to the world of gaming and has actually been quite open about his passion for games. If you didn't know, Post Malone is a PC gamer (while he may also have consoles) he had a custom PC built for him by JayzTwoCents, which you can check out here. If you are interested in checking out the Post Malone livestream, it will be going live on July 24 at 9 p.m. EDT. A link to the HyperX Twitch channel can be found here.

We've been hearing so much about Microsoft's flagship Xbox Series X console that the Xbox Series S console doesn't get as much of that spotlight... until now. Speaking of that Xbox Series X spotlight, I recently reported that the next-gen Xbox consoles would launch in November with the "largest line up ever", more on that here.

We have some new rumors from Moore's Law is Dead on YouTube that Microsoft could be pricing the Xbox Series S at somewhere between $250-$300, which will sit very well against the disc-less all-digital PlayStation 5 which should cost somewhere between $350-$400.

If the Xbox Series S is priced at $249 with its super-small design and same internals -- a semi-custom APU made up of Zen 2 CPU cores and RDNA 2 GPU cores, the super-fast PCIe 4.0 storage and GDDR6 memory (but just less RAM: 10GB GDDR6 versus 16GB GDDR6).

Microsoft unveiled STALKER 2 and its first official trailer during its recent Xbox Series X Games Showcase, with STALKER 2 to be a timed exclusive on Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X console. Check out the trailer:

The trailer doesn't show anything in the way of gameplay, so we don't know what to expect just yet -- but STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World, have created an official STALKER 2 website with some more details to go over.

GSC teases that STALKER 2 will be a "unique blend" of a first-person game, immersive sim, and horror. But the developer adds that STALKER 2 will be one of the "biggest open-worlds to date" with an "epic branching story" that would have multiple endings.

Today Microsoft revealed a number of next-gen Xbox Series X exclusives that will be skipping Xbox One, and confused gamers in the process.

The new Xbox stream was a big hit for Microsoft, but a portion of the first-party exclusives shown will be skipping the Xbox One generation. Games like the new Fable reboot, Forza Motorsport, and even RARE's new Everwild game are Xbox Series X exclusive.

This seems to countermand Microsoft's previous words about first-party games releasing on all platforms and that there won't be next-gen exclusives for years to come. But there's one catch: these games will be released outside of the promised 1-2 cross-gen period.

Halo: Infinite isn't just a game. It's a platform that will host the next 10 years of the Halo franchise.

Today 343 Industries confirmed Halo sequels are over. The developer will no longer release numbered Halo games. Instead, 343i will use Halo: Infinite as the new basis for the franchise's future. "Halo Infinite is the start of our platform for the future," 343i's studio boss Chris Lee told IGN.

"We want Infinite to grow over time, versus going to those numbered titles and having all that segmentation that we had before. It's really about creating Halo Infinite as the start of the next ten years for Halo and then building that as we go with our fans and community."

The rumors were right: A new Fable game is in development at Playground Games, but it's not Fable 4.

Microsoft today announced a new Fable that will reboot the IP under a brand new developer. We don't know much about the game, but it could be a next-gen exclusive. The official Microsoft Store page says Fable is being developed for Xbox Series X and PC. The Xbox One family isn't listed in the supported platforms.

"Fable returns with a new beginning for the legendary franchise. Explore a land of fantastical creatures and wondrous places. Developed by Playground Games for Xbox Series X and Windows 10," reads a brief snippet from Microsoft.