Gaming - Page 573

Following a big leak that spoiled the news, Crytek today revealed Crysis Remastered for PC, consoles, and surprisingly, Nintendo Switch. But the game will shine brightest on PC thanks to higher-level optimizations.

Crysis Remastered is coming this summer to melt your GPUs and resurrect the old adage "Can it run Crysis?" Apparently even the Switch can run Crysis these days. It's the PC port we're all interested in, though, and Crytek is promising some hefty upgrades that are made possible by the new beefy CryEngine 5.6 toolset.

Crysis remastered will look next-gen thanks to effects like SSDO, or screen space directional occlusion, an advanced lighting technique that allows for real-time global illumination, software-based raytracing that's independent of hardware (check out our Control review to see ray tracing in action), and SVOGI or voxel-based global illumination. Expect amazing-looking environments with volumetric fog and ray-traced shadows rendered in real-time.

We knew it was coming, but now it is somewhat official: Crysis Remastered is happening. Yes, I can't believe it -- and I'm so excited to even be writing this news.

Crytek's own website has confirmed Crysis Remastered, which will "new graphic features, high-quality textures, and the CRYENGINE's native hardware- and API-agnostic ray tracing solution for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and - for the very first time - Nintendo Switch".

So there we have it: ray tracing for the PC version, a new souped-up version for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and for the first time Crysis will be on the Nintendo Switch.

Due to higher costs, Sony expects to sell less PlayStation 5 units at launch. As a result, Sony will restrict PS5 supply in an effort to test demand, sources tell Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg, Sony will manufacture and ship 5-6 million PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide from launch until the fiscal year's end in March 2021. Higher production costs have raised the overall system's MSRP, and Sony isn't yet confident consumers will bite. Some internal estimates price the PS5 as high as $549.

Sony's production numbers align with analyst predictions of 6 million PS5 system sales in the same period. Conversely, the PlayStation 4 managed to sell 7.5 million consoles from launch in its five-month launch period. If Sony only makes 5 million PS5s available, the console will sell 50% less than the PS4 did at launch.

If you are interested in competitive shooters such as Counter-Strike: Global Offense, then you have most likely heard of Riot Games' upcoming title Valorant.

If you haven't seen Valorant, or never heard of it, you should check out the above video first. But if you have heard of it and are excited to play it, you are going to need to check your PC requirements first to see if the dream is a possible one. Luckily, Riot has designed Valorant to be able to run on a large variety of PC's, meaning the game doesn't require that much grunt at all to get it going.

The bare minimum hardware requirements for Valorant to even run are 4GB of RAM, 1GB of VRAM, and Windows 7,8 or 10. The minimum system specifications are to run the game at 30FPS are; CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and GPU: Intel HD 3000. The recommended specifications to run the game at 60FPS are; CPU: Intel i3-4150 and GPU: GeForce GT 730. Finally, if you want to run the game at a glorious 144FPS, you are going to need: CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz and GPU: GTX 1050 Ti.

Ubisoft is the king of downgrading its games, but the company has been impacted by the massive strain on digital services now that billions are stuck in homes with coronavirus quarantines.

Ubisoft announced that it is making some adjustments in the wake of strains on its servers, to balance bandwidth usage to make sure their servers don't pop. One of the immediate things you'll notice is the reduced download speeds, which are now lower for everyone across the board than they were just yesterday.

The company is also making some changes with the release of new content and updates to games, pushing them away from peak usage hours. Ubisoft is also asking PC gamers to make some adjustments to their download settings on Uplay, so that they aren't bandwidth hogging the servers globally.

If you're stuck at home through this COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown across the world, and you want to tinker around with some electronics -- then check out this guide on building your own Nintendo Switch.

The thing is right now finding a new Nintendo Switch is next to impossible, with second hand prices ranging between $450 to $600 on markets like Craigslist, OfferUp, and eBay. Someone saw this happening and told people that he would make them a Nintendo Switch out of spare parts, and some gamers paid for him to do that.

There's a big savings to be had by building your own Nintendo Switch, as it will cost under $200. If you were to buy one now, you're looking at virtually double that -- and in some cases, more.

To all gamers in China -- I'm sorry. To the rest of the world: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has just banned Chinese gamers from playing with gamers outside of China, or even chatting with them in general.

The Chinese government has even blocked the super-popular Nintendo Switch hit Animal Crossing, where you simply create a home and play with cute animals. It's too much for the CCP, as Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong showing a scene in Animal Crossing which says "Free Hong Kong" and takes a swipe at Chinese president Xi Jinping. Speaking of pro-democracy in China... how are those riots going?

Taiwan News reports that there were many players logging into Animal Crossing, and venting about their dislike for the CCP and making satirical content bagging the CCP and its failure of acting against coronavirus.

It was only yesterday that BossLogic teased us with its epic Cyberpunk 2077 themed DualSense controller for Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 console, and now it's the Xbox One to have some limelight.

A new Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One controller has a new listing on Amazon Canada, with a release date teasing May 4, 2020 which is right around the corner. We should expect that Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED comes out and makes it official soon given its impending release on May 4.

I still love the style of the BossLogic controller, and wish Microsoft and Sony allowed more of these insane custom-themed controllers and better embraced this going into next-gen consoles. I think you will find many gamers would love the option to buy a slick custom designed controller for the game they love most. It's almost a collectors item.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to PC in May, but it'll launch exclusively on the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft's new promo deal with SEGA extends to PC, too. The long-awaited Phantasy Star Online 2 MMORPG is finally crossing over to the West, but it won't be sold on PC's most popular storefront--at least at launch. The news comes from Gematsu, who confirms PSO2 will launch exclusively on the Microsoft Store in late May, complete with cross-play with the Xbox One version.

It's unclear whether or not the game will stay fully exclusive to the MS Store. It's likely PSO2 will be timed exclusive. SEGA likely wants to release PSO2 on as many platforms as possible to increase visibility and monetization potential (it's a free-to-play game, after all). SEGA also recently pledged to release more PC ports of its games so it's unlikely they'd dodge Steam for too long.

Microsoft is currently discounting the Xbox One X to $299 to clear inventory ahead of the Xbox Series X's launch.

All Xbox One X consoles are now on sale for $299, including bundles and special editions, Microsoft today confirmed. The Xbox One X originally released in November 2017 for $499. This likely isn't a permanent price drop though. Microsoft hasn't adjusted the Xbox One S pricing, and right now the S models and bundles are the same price as the Xbox One X. The website URL hints the sale will last until April 20.

The idea here is simple: Microsoft wants to make way for the Xbox Series X and sell all of its current current-gen models as fast as possible. There's been reports the Xbox One X is discontinued and Microsoft won't make any more units once they're sold out.

That new Crysis game may not be what you think. It's possible Crytek is working on a brand new multiplayer game instead of a fully-fledged remaster of the beloved series.

Crytek has hinted at a new Crysis game for a while now. First we had the not-so-subtle clues in CryEngine 5.6 tech demo trailer, and the recent teases on Twitter. Crytek has also been hiring for a new unannounced AAA project for over a year. Put all those together and you have a recipe for an explosive remaster that could launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. But there's just one missing piece to the puzzle.

Back in January 2019, Crytek confirmed it was co-developing a new AAA game alongside the multiplayer experts at Improbable. Crytek laid out plans to integrate CryEngine into SpatialOS, Improbable's cloud-based service platform that gives devs more granular control over live games. Crytek plans to christen their CryEngine SpatialOS integration with a brand new game, and it's assuredly a live game. It's likely that these job listings are for the unannounced Crytek-Improbable game.

Lots of surprising games showed up on Amazon France's PC listings today, including Persona 5, Days Gone, The Last of Us Part II, God of War, and even Super Mario Odyssey. These are obvious fakes.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but all of those Amazon France listings that popped up today are fake. Super Mario Odyssey isn't coming to PC (that wouldn't ever happen). Persona 5's PC listing has been confirmed as fake by SEGA. Sony has since confirmed the PS4 exclusive listings are fake, too.

Sony has embraced Steam and plans to release PS4 exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, but Sony is careful to say that not all popular first-party PS4 exclusives will come to PC--only some of them.

Grand Theft Auto 6 may not release for a few years more, and certainly won't launch alongside next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles in 2020.

The next big Grand Theft Auto game won't be ready for quite some time, internal Rockstar sources tell Kotaku's Jason Schreier.

The game is currently still in early phases of development following Red Dead Redemption 2's massive 2018 console launch, and subsequent PC release in 2019. Following the tremendous pressure of RDR2, Rockstar executives are now dialing things back and making conscious efforts to reduce and eliminate crunch at its worldwide studios.

Sony officially unveiled its new DualSense controller for its next-gen PlayStation 5 console, but now BossLogic has an awesome new concept design for a Cyberpunk 2077 themed DualSense PS5 controller.

I think that hands-down CD Projekt RED and Sony need to team up and make this happen, it is one of the most beautiful controller designs I've ever seen. It completely melts into the theme of Cyberpunk 2077, with a gorgeous bullet that glows in the center of the touchpad with 'SAMURAI' imprinted above it and the PS icon below it between the thumb sticks.

While browsing BossLogic's Twitter, I came across another design that I also fell in love with -- check this one out:

I really want to see this happen and it seems as though Crytek is moments away from announcing a new release in the Crysis franchise, where we could see a reboot or remaster of Crysis.

It was only yesterday that the official Twitter account for Crysis tweeted: "RECEIVING DATA", to which the official NVIDIA GeForce Twitter account replied with a shock face emoticon and "**turns on supercomputer**" followed by Falcon Northwest saying "Player One is Ready" and ORIGIN PC tweeting with a Fry meme.

Crytek is on the hunt for a bunch of new staffers to work on an "Unannounced AAA" game, which I would guess is the new Crysis remaster. The developer is looking for an FX artist, someone who can "develop cutting edge particles and onscreen effects". Crysis was one of the best looking games of its time, and hell it's still one of the best-looking games now in 2020, so someone to work on next-gen visual and onscreen effects comes as no surprise, but hypes me up.

Capcom instates a work-from-home policy for its developers as Japan locks down against COVID-19 spread.

A little over a week ago, Capcom reported one of its employees tested positive for coronavirus. Now the company has decided to lock up its doors and transition to remote work. From now until May 6, all of Capcom's employees will work from home. This could interrupt critical development cycles of upcoming games, including the rumored Resident Evil 8 and other next-gen games set for 2020.

"Considering the current situation surrounding the spread of COVID-19 in Japan, Capcom Co., Ltd. will implement a general policy of work from home or stay at home for employees from Monday, April 13 through Wednesday, May 6," reads a press release issued out yesterday.

Nintendo's latest Switch model could include a mixed reality headset with its own dedicated screen and internal SoC components. Or it could be a new 3DS-like folding Switch revision.

References to a new Switch model were uncovered in the latest 10.0.0 firmware patch, igniting tons of speculation on the internet. Hacker Mike Hestin discovered the designation after datamining the update. The new model, nx-abcd, hints at a new form factor revision with a second screen, and it could mean a Switch console + dedicated mixed reality headset combo.

So far, Nintendo has only toe-dipped into VR by using the Switch tablet screen as a slot-in display in makeshift cardboard Labo kits. The results are disorienting to say the least. Nintendo is clearly interested in VR, and recently exposed aspirations to explore AR too. It's possible this new Switch model could be a Switch handheld-console hybrid that comes with a special Nintendo-branded mixed reality headset with customized internals.

Sony today announced the Play At Home program that gives out free games to every PlayStation 4 owner.

As gamers worldwide stay at home to curb coronavirus spread, Sony is doing its part to keep us sane by releasing two free games to all PlayStation gamers. Starting tomorrow, April 15 at 8PM PST, Journey and The Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection will be available as free downloads until May 5. China and Germany will get Knack 2 instead of the Uncharted Collection. This collectively means PS Plus subscribers get four free PS4 games this month, including Dirt Rally 2.0 and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

"As a thank you to all who are doing their part to lessen the impact of this pandemic, Sony Interactive Entertainment is pleased to announce the Play At Home initiative," Sony wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

Right now Google is letting everyone try Stadia Pro free for two months. But should you even bother? The short answer is: Not really.

Even as a free trial, Stadia just isn't there yet. It's not really worth your time. Free is free, and there's really no risk if you cancel your sign ups before the two month period is over (yes, Google makes you put in credit card info and Stadia Pro is $10 a month after the trial ends in May). But there's a very valuable cost--your time. Honestly if you're not a gamer I don't think Stadia should be your entry point into gaming. You should simply do something else with your time.

Is Stadia horrible? No, it's not. But it's definitely not the ideal way to play games. Instant access is great at first, but as you play it becomes clear why convenience doesn't beat performance when it comes to Chrome gaming. We didn't try Stadia on our phones, just on a desktop PC via Chrome.

The Switch has been out for over three years and is just now getting button mapping options. Better late than never, right?

Nintendo Switch's latest 10.0.0 firmware update adds one of the most-requested features: Button remapping. With the exception of the home and screenshot buttons, all of the buttons and triggers can be re-configured and swapped out. Nintendo even lets you swap the analog stick movement schemes just in case your left or right JoyCon is drifting, and you can also lock the controller in vertical or horizontal orientation.

Users can save five different presets with different mappings, and right now the feature only works with official Nintendo-branded devices. Access and customize the JoyCon or Switch Pro controller layout by hopping into System Settings-> Controllers and Sensors-> Change Button Mapping.