Gaming - Page 679

A small shoebox-sized space probe has given astronomers some valuable information regarding an asteroid called 'Ryugu' that is floating close to Earth.

The shoeboxed-sized probe is called The German-French Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) and it arrived in space aboard Japan's Hayabusa2 spaceship. The spaceship carried the probe to its touchdown location on the 900-meter wide asteroid 'Ryugu' on October 3rd, 2018. The probe took tempature readings of the asteroid and other measurements of its composition, it also took some quite detailed images of the space rock.

Ralf Jaumann of the German Aerospace Center and the lead author of a paper discussed the relayed information, and said "The interesting thing there is it really shows that Ryugu is the product of some kind of violent process". It is suspected that Ryugu is a "child" of two parent bodies that once collided and broke apart, but then reformed due to their gravitational pull. In the entirety of this article I have included the other images that were snapped.

Fans of Spider-Man have decided to boycott PlayStation after the recent Spider-Man news surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Shocked puts it quite simply. Spider-Man fans from around the globe felt that shock when it was announced that Spider-Man would be leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to Sony not being able to come to terms with Disney on a new deal. This obviously caused major controversy with fans as Spider-Man is one the most loved Avengers, and not being able to see him in another Avengers movie is certainly heartbreaking to some.

In response to this news, fans have taken to Twitter to express their concerns. Some fans have even taken it as far as boycotting PlayStation by selling their entire console and switching over to Xbox. While I don't know how much this will directly hurt the revenue or player-base of Sony's PlayStation, it does show that fans are really not happy with the decision Sony has made regarding Spider-Man being included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Nintendo UK has blessed Zelda fans with a brand new 30 minute long gameplay video of their upcoming Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake.

The gameplay video has been released onto the Nintendo UK YouTube Channel, and gives us a great look at what Nintendo has done to remaster the classic title. I must say before I go any further, I do advise anyone who wants to saver the improvements to not watch this video, but for those who just can't help themselves enjoy!

The gameplay video release came out of Gamescom 2019, and showcases some, but not all the improvements Nintendo has made. We get a great display of aspects such as graphics, physics, combat, enemies, dungeons, bosses, game mechanics and much more. Currently, Nintendo has scheduled the release of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the 20th of September, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

A new image leak has surfaced online claiming that if Nintendo hold a Direct during the month of September we could hear about 12 new untitled Switch games.

The leak, which can be seen above, is an image of a GameStop screen that lists 12 unreleased Nintendo Switch games. The first thing that comes to mind is that since there is so many games listed under 'untitled' that Nintendo are preparing to announce a bunch of new games ahead of the Christmas season, and before the end of Q3 through a Nintendo Direct.

A Nintendo Direct during September, which is the last month of Q3 makes sense as it would continue the hype train moving forward through to the holiday season and through to Q1 of next year. Do keep in mind though, this is still a 'leak' so there is currently no credible source, all we are going off of is a blurry image from GameStop. Why must all these 'leaks' have blurry images, in this day and age everyone usually has a half-decent phone and that phone comes with a half-decent camera, yet all these 'leaked images' are blurry... It really makes me question their credibility.

We first heard about Sony's new radical V-shaped PlayStation 5 in recent patents, and then a Codemasters developer came out and admitted - yes, the current PS5 developer kits do indeed sport the V-shaped design.

Well now we have the great folks at LetsGoDigital providing some gorgeous 3D renders from the recent PS5 patent, with a closer look at the out-of-this-world design that Sony might be going with for the PlayStation 5.

It even looks good standing up, and I'm sure that the PS5 will be stackable in case gamers want to buy (or have) multiple consoles.

We are back again with another Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak, and before we get into what has been purportedly 'leaked', grab your tin foil hats and fill up your drinking cup with skepticism.

The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community if rife with fake rumors and its almost like you have to sit down and sift through all of the rumors to hopefully find that golden nugget that true. This doesn't mean that ALL Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leaks are fake, because some have certainly been true in the past, it just means its extremely difficult to come across one that is true.

With that being said, a new leak has surfaced claiming that the fourth DLC character will be a Bandai Namco representative, or Crash Bandicoot. The source on this leak has come from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sub reddit where Reddit user Blackbeats182 posted an image of a supposed GameStop September direct. Blackbeats182 predicts that if Nintendo holds a Direct during September that we will either hear more information about the recently announced Banjo-Kazooie or get a tease for a Bandai Namco representative. Another possibility is Crash Bandicoot coming to Smash Ultimate, but that really does seem quite far fetched.

NVIDIA announced it had teamed up with Microsoft and Mojang during Gamescom 2019 for new RTX-based ray tracing effects in Minecraft. Now we have two new videos with 48 minutes between them, all showing off Minecraft with RTX:

Gamersryde has 18 minutes of Minecraft and RTX enabled, showing off the game in all of its ray tracing glory. Hell, just in the opening 5 seconds of the video you are blown away with the effects of the fire reflecting off of the tiles and bricks, versus no RTX and it looks absolutely dull and lifeless in comparison.

Digital Foundry goes into a helluva lot of detail with Minecraft and its new ray tracing RTX mode enabled, if you want to get your geek on and watch them play through the Gamescom 2019 build of the game.

EA DICE has cancelled its upcoming 5v5 competitive mode for Battlefield V, something that whoever is left playing the game was probably looking forward to.

In a new update from Ryan McArthur, senior producer on Battlefield V, we are told the team cancelled the competitive mode so that they could better focus on core issues in the game, and getting other content out faster.

McArthur explained: "The focus on improving the quality of the Battlefield V experience and adding more of the content you want has led us to step back from our original plans to offer a competitive 5v5 mode. Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals".

Microsoft could end up bringing games like The Master Chief Collection to the Epic Games Store, but don't expect any kind of time-exclusivity deals.

Right now Epic Games has one tactic: to keep as many games off of Steam as possible. The idea is to starve Steam out in a war of attrition, all while claiming to benefit gamers and developers by forcing Steam to change. Epic wins indie devs and publishers over with big cash advances and the 88-12 revenue split, and big names like Deep Silver, Take-Two, and Ubisoft all signed up. But big players like Microsoft won't play by these rules, and they don't care about timed-exclusivity deals. They care about maximizing exposure and game sales.

On Twitch, Xbox General Manager of Marketing Aaron Greenberg says Xbox games could one day show up on the Epic Store, but not as exclusives. The whole idea is to expand the playerbase, not restrict them with exclusivity. "Xbox games on the Epic Store? We're open. We're saying if somebody wants to offer we'd be happy to work with them. The key there would be is that we want to enable a broader connected community and we'd do it in a way that puts the player as the priority over the business."

Like every big AAA Xbox game from Microsoft with online play, Gears 5 has microtransactions. But it's not the contentious lootbox type, it's the more-favored cosmetics. This isn't a revolutionary feature.

At Gamescom 2019, Gears of War Multiplayer Design Director Ryan Cleven confirmed Gears 5's microtransactions. The monetization is purely cosmetic, and you always know what you're going to buy. Gears 5's in-game store lets you buy a premium currency with real money, which is then traded for digital skins in a storefront. There's no lootboxes (The Coalition would be insane to include them). Sounds pretty standard for today's games, right?

Well Cleven says this is direct monetization is "ahead of the industry," when in reality, games have been using this storefront tactic for a while (Path of Exile, Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, Anthem, Warframe, the list goes on). It's nothing new or innovative. In fact, a new trend would be to rip out microtransactions altogether and simply rely on Xbox Game Pass subscription revenues to supplement game sales. But hey, that'd completely disrupt Microsoft's entire service-first business model.

As OEMs like ASUS push out insane gaming smartphones, Irdeto aims to protect mobile games with its Denuvo DRM tech.

Denuvo anti-tamper and anti-cheat protections are coming to mobile games, Irdeto announced. Denuvo DRM has been quite contentious in PC gaming, sometimes even locking users out of the games they legitimately purchased. The mobile space, which is dominated by microtransaction-ridden free-to-play games, could likewise be impacted.

Capcom wants to make sure you're ready for Hoarfrost Reach's frozen wilds, chilly monsters, and massive story arc.

Monster Hunter World's new Iceborne expansion is dropping next month, and it's a doozy. Iceborne the first and only expansion for the game and it's so big that it could be a sequel, packing in new monsters, tons of weapons, a huge new continent to explore, and a winding narrative (Capcom is literally treating it as their own big AAA release of FY2019). But there's some roadblocks for new players and you can't just jump in right away.

Luckily Capcom has prepared a quick infographic to outline key tips and tricks to get you up to speed. The biggest prerequisite for Iceborne is beating the story up to Hunter Rank 16, but you'll also need to shore up your hunter's skills before you're ready for the icy continent.

Despite already having an expansive array of mega-hit franchises, Ubisoft says it'll keep making new IPs. But will they be big-budget projects or smaller titles like Gods and Monsters?

Ubisoft is a pretty interesting company, but it's getting stuck in the live service trap. Instead of focusing on big new IPs, Ubisoft has doubled-down on games like Rainbow Six, The Division, Far Cry, and Assassin's Creed. It's derivative, but effective, and Ubisoft earns billions every year. How long can they keep releasing sequels and live ops? For a while, but they still have to plant seeds for new IPs to grow.

Now Ubisoft exec Alain Corre says the company isn't done with new IPs, and we can expect a few new ones to pop up with next-gen consoles, streaming, and PC advancements on the way. "We feel that it's also a good moment now to invest in new IPs. There are lots of new technologies appearing. PC is still developing fast, there are new consoles coming next year, the streaming technology is there, cross-play is also something that will excite players, so we feel it's the right time to create new genres, and new IPs for us. After all, if the sun can shine on these ones, we'll have them for a long time to come," Corre told MCV UK.

The new handheld-only Switch is smaller than the original, but it's not exactly miniature.

The main selling point of Nintendo's new cheaper $199 Switch Lite is handheld-only gaming in a more mobile-friendly package. It's got a smaller 5.5-inch 720p screen (compared to the normal Switch's 6.2-inch display) and a shrunken chassis. But we've yet to see any side-by-side comparisons to show off just how much smaller it is...and the answer is kind of surprising.

A recent snap from IGN's Brian Altano delivers a direct side-by-side comparison of the Switch Lite and the normal transforming Switch hybrid. The Lite isn't that much smaller than the base unit. The Lite's materials do look cheaper in quality though, and I'm worried about those JoyCons. The upside is the new Switch Lite sports a shrunken Tegra X1 revision on 16nm for improved battery life, cooler temperatues, and increased power efficiency.

Aspiring farmers from around the globe will be pleased to know that the release date for the next Farming Simulator game has been revealed.

The official Farming Simulator Twitter account dropped the release date on fans when they were posted the question of whether Farming Simulator 20 would be arriving on iOS and Android. According to the response, "Farming Simulator 20 will be released on iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch."

In response to another question posed by the same person who asked the above question, the Farming Simulator Twitter account revealed the window they are aiming for to release the game. Vikrant rana asked "Can you announce the launch date of it today?", the Farming Simulator account replied with "We aim to launch FS20 in Q4 this year."

Age of Empires fans have been waiting to hear about Age of Empires IV for quite some time now, and their opportunity to hear about might just be right around the corner.

During an interview with MAX, Aaron Greenberg an Xbox Games Marketing member Microsoft, was asked about giving some hope to Age of Empires fans regarding the existance of Age of Empires IV. According to Greenberg, Microsoft are teeing up their biggest reveals for XO19 that is slated to be held in November. Age of Empires IV was subtly confirmed to be one of the titles.

Greenberg says "listen, our next big date will be XO19, I would suggest that people watch that, its November 14th, the day that Age launches. I cannot confirm or deny anything *winks at camera*." This is an extremely cheeky way of hyping up the reveal of Age of Empires IV, and if I was to put my money on a reveal I would say it will be somewhere during the XO19 Xbox presentation. Here is a Twitch snippet of Greenberg saying the above quote on video, click here.

NetherRealm Studios has revealed the official roster for the Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11. Get your popcorn and controllers ready because this is HUGE!

Above we have the trailer for the full roster reveal, starting off we see Shang Tsung followed by the already announced Nightwolf. Then things get shaken up a bit after that, as we see Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator T-800 from the upcoming newly announced movie, Terminator: Dark Fate.

The video continues and we hear a hysterical laugh, of course this the Joker. Even though these characters were previously rumored it's still great to see them officially confirmed for fans to enjoy. Other DLC fighters that were included in this reveal were: Sindel and Spawn. When will players be able to get their hands-on these iconic characters? Shang Tsung and Nightwolf are already live, Terminator will arrive in October, Sindel this November, and Joker and finally Spawn will come in early 2020. Mortal Kombat 11 is currently available on the Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo recently debuted an updated model of the Nintendo Switch and while it was advertised that the updated console only came with improved battery life, some other improvements have been found.

According to the Digital Foundry, the improved Nintendo Switch (model no. HAC-001(-01) has a battery improvement of around 60 - 70 percent, when compared the previous model. While that might of been the only reason users would consider purchasing this new model, there is also other improvements. Digital Foundry discovered that the new Switch actually has performance improvements as well, they tested games such as Fast RMX, Mortal Kombat 11, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and found that it runs games at 2 - 3 frames faster.

When talking about heat, the new model doesn't run any cooler than the previous model. This new model comes with an upgraded Tegra X1 processor, but not an upgraded screen. Digital Foundry claims to have imported this new model Switch from Hong Kong, and found that the screen had a pinkish "color temperature" to it when the previous model that had a warm blueish tint to it. It seems that Nintendo is suffering from screen lottery, due to the company using multiple manufacturers to build their screens. This is quite rough for Nintendo.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare isn't far away, so to keep us hyped N-Gamz has released a new 24-minute gameplay video from the PC version of the game. Check it out below:

It is labelled as ray tracing, but it is not using RTX at all. The video of COD: Modern Warfare was run on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card, and I'll give you a warning -- this person is not very good at playing the game, at all. I think I just grinded away a layer of my teeth cringing at this. Still, a good 24-minute look at the game nonetheless.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will support RTX-based ray tracing features (which NVIDIA detailed more of at Gamescom 2019 this week), which looks absolutely awesome -- highlighting the power of the GeForce RTX line of graphics cards. The game will also feature uncapped framerates, an FOV slider, advanced controls, HDR, and so much more.

Valve has just kicked the door down in China, teaming with Perfect World on developing Steam China -- yes, Steam... in China. It's quite self-explanatory. Check out the crazy Steam China Press Demo video below:

Steam China being co-developed with Perfect World gets around some of these Chinese censorship, as the platform has been created from scratch with Chinese consumers in mind. The games on Steam China will be localized, the content servers for downloading games will be based in China, with the entire application complying with all Chinese laws.

Chinese law dictates which games can be sold, hosted, and played in the country -- with Steam China launching with a very limited amount of titles when it launches. Just 40 games are expected, with some of them including Two Point Hospital, Dead Cells, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV, and FTL.