Gaming - Page 803

Blizzard is preparing a new update for World of Warcraft that will be included with Battle for Azeroth patch 8.1, something that will provide new DX12 multithreading options that will improve FPS by up to 25%, and that's a big deal.

DX12 support was introduced into World of Warcraft with the Battle for Azeroth 8.0 pre-patch, but high-end PCs aren't seeing any performance improvements, and sometimes it even reduces performance. But the new 8.1 patch will fix that as it has been tuned for multithreading that will see the optimal CPU usage across as many cores as it can.

Wowhead has benchmarked the new 8.1 Tides of Vengeance patch on the PTR after Deadly Boss Mods creator MysticalOS discovered the DX12 multithreading options. Wowhead explains: "As we can see in the benchmark results, currently in Patch 8.0, DirectX 12 doesn't give high-end computers any kind of improvement, and even reduces frames sometimes. With the new multithreading options enabled, however, this changes. Compared to the normal DirectX 12 results, the multithread settings provide an average 25% improvement to frames per second and 23% improvement over DirectX 11 results. These results are an amazing increase and should help players with 120Hz or 144Hz refresh frequency monitors reach much higher frame rates".

The Legend of Zelda, one of the more intimidating old-school NES games, gets a new special noob-friendly version on Switch Online.

NES games aren't like games of today. They're a different kind of animal, an animal that required lots of patience, experimentation, and Nintendo Power magazines. A lot of these older titles are relics of a strange age of frustration, anger, and nostalgia, and gamers today will find themselves often lost in their 8-bit depths. In a bid to make old games like The Legend of Zelda more accessible to today's new age of gamers, Nintendo has essentially hacked the ROM file with a special cheat save.

Switch Online subscribers now have access to a new Zelda NES game with a modified save file. Back in the day when you rented games from Blockbuster they might have someone else's old save files, which allowed you to skip certain levels. This is kind of like that. The new special Zelda gives you a bunch of stuff right off the bat and cuts out a lot of the adventuring and exploration.

Fallout 76 could eventually get cross-play support allowing gamers to play with friends on other platforms, but it's not a priority right now for Bethesda.

Sony just reversed its stance on PS4 cross-play but it's too late to implement this into Fallout 76. Bethesda's big new online-only Fallout releases next month, and the studio is currently preparing to host the game's upcoming beta. Things are going to get very, very busy for BGS during the beta: not only will it have to constantly parse data and ensure servers are up and running, but it'll have digest tons of feedback, metrics, and other player info to determine its next plan. Live service upkeep is immensely demanding and requires finesse and adaptability--and that means lots of work.

Fallout 76 cross-play could happen at some point, Bethesda says, but there's more important things right now: the beta, future content roadmaps, and general tweaks and balances to the online game. Cross-play is on the back burner behind monumental tasks like private servers and mod support. In short, Fallout 76 cross-play won't happen any time soon.

Sony today announced that PSN name changes are on the way, but it won't be an entirely smooth transition process.

PlayStation gamers stuck with an unfortunate username will soon get the opportunity to change it. The first PSN name change will be free, but every change after that will cost $10 for regular gamers and $5 for PS Plus subscribers. The name change doesn't work for every game, though, and can actually cause some problems and glitches that require a revert to your previous PSN name to fix. Name rollbacks will be free.

"This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date," Sony said on the PlayStation Blog.

We're not very far in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, but we've picked up a thing or two on our adventures across ancient Greece. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to help you in your mythical trek across the Aegean.

When I first started Assassin's Creed: Odyssey I was very worried it'd turn into a grind-fest with rote RNG gear-hunting, questing, and other menial tasks. I'm happy to report I was quite wrong. Odyssey is perhaps the best Assassin's Creed I've played to date (I like it a smidge more than Origins, which has a close place in my heart) for a number of reasons. But one of the strongest examples of Ubisoft's excellence comes down to the little things Odyssey offers--small things you learn by experimenting and making mistakes.

Here are a few things we've learned in Odyssey:

So you enjoy the peacefulness of farming in Stardew Valley, what if I told you that you that you can soon take your farm with you on your phone? Stardew Valley will be launching onto the iOS App Store on October 24th, an Android version is currently in development.

The announcement comes from the Stardew Valley website and reveals that the mobile port of the game is in the save hands of the London-based development studio, The Secret Police. The Secret Police have been working with the Stardew Valley developer for about a year now, while Chucklefish has been "handling the business and marketing side of things."

At the moment there is only plans for the game to be released onto the iOS App Store, currently The Secret Police are "working on finishing up the Android version" and will a release date will soon be announced once its finalized. Below you will find dot points with the features that Stardew Valley will be coming to iOS App Store with. For more information visit the official Stardew Valley website here. If you want to pre-order Stardew Valley a link to the official App Store listing can be found here.

There is no doubt about Sony having the majority of amazing game titles for their PS4 platform, but contrary to popular belief that may not be the case in the future years to come. Behind the scenes Microsoft is picking up some quite formidable game development studios to battle the goliath of Sony.

According to Kotaku, three people that have been "briefed on the negotiations" have said that Microsoft is currently finalizing the deal between the two companies. One of the people that are near the negotiations said that the deal was at the "90 per cent" completion margin, and that "it's a matter of when, not if." As there has been no official confirmation from either studio, do take these rumors as just 'rumors' for now, even though it does look like an acquisition from Microsoft is happening an official confirmation is always needed.

Jumping into a bit of history of Obsidian Entertainment for those that don't know, the independent development studio is best-known for their RPG titles such as Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Fallout: New Vegas. As mentioned above, Sony clearly is on the winning side when it comes to better titles on their platform, but what if Microsoft can swing the market with some strong RPG releases? Obsidian is a great developer of choice and a great addition to the already growing developer list under Microsofts umbrella. The Xbox One creator has already acquired Ninja Theory, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice developer, Playground Games, Forza Horizon developer and Mojang, Minecraft creator.

A recent press release has revealed that publisher 505 Games will be bringing Ninja Theory title Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice to retail stores worldwide.

According to a recent press release, publisher of indie titles, 505 games will be bringing the critically acclaimed Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice to retail stores across the planet. The press release reveals that 505 Games and Ninja Theory have reached an agreement to bring Hellblade to store shelves before the holidays arrive for gamers.

Since Hellblade's popularity has reached over a million fans already, 505 Games and Ninja Theory have decided that Hellblade will be available in retails stores by December 4th. The title will be coming in at just $32 and will be arriving on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It should be noted that the Xbox One release by will be published by Microsoft and not 505 Games. For more information regarding Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, visit the official website for the title here.

This week we have been hearing quite a bit about Capcom's Resident Evil 2 Remake, fans of the Resident Evil series are preparing to be stunned by the graphical improvements that Capcom has made. The recent batch of screenshots released by the developer should give us a better idea for what they have in store for us.

Following up on the recent 30 minutes of gameplay footage released by Capcom, we have a new set of screenshots based around Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy and some environments. From the screenshots we can see the famous 'licker' enemy and the massive graphical improvements that have been made when compared to the original Resident Evil 2.

At the moment Resident Evil 2 Remake is planned for released on January 25th for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. At the moment there is no plans for the title to debut to the Nintendo Switch as the developer is concentrating on the release of the other platforms first, check that story out here. According to Digital Foundary's John Linneman, Resident Evil 2 Remake will feature RTX technology from NVIDIA, no official confirmation has been said by Capcom or NVIDIA but we will be sure to update you if any new information is released.

Recent rumors have surfaced and according to a source Square Enix is currently in talks with Nintendo about bringing Kingdom Hearts 3 over to the Nintendo Switch. Does this mean we could see Sora as a DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?

According to DreamcastGuy, "an exclusive leak from a friend close to Square-Enix" has revealed to him that the company is currently in talks about bringing over the Kingdom Hearts series and the HD collections to the Nintendo Switch. DreamCastGuy says that the companies 'talks' are mostly consistent of if the decision will be profitable or not, and if the hand-held console has the capabilities of moving massive amounts of units.

Of course as there is has been no announcement or any official information of these "talks" ever happening, these are just rumors at this stage. Square Enix and Nintendo are famous for keeping the leaks as title as they possibly can, even going to the extent to give out false information throughout their company to see where the leaks are coming from. Now that you have that in mind, lets entertain the thought of what COULD happen if Kingdom Hearts 3 makes it to the Nintendo Switch.

Bethesda's decision not to release Fallout 76 on Steam isn't just about sales revenue, the company says.

A while back I predicted Bethesda.net would become a new sales platform similar to Ubisoft's uPlay or EA's Origin client launcher. Starting with Fallout 76, it actually will be: the game is exclusive to Bethesda.net on PC and won't launch on Steam. This means Bethesda won't have to pay Valve 30% of every game sale for hosting it on Steam, but it also gives the studio direct access to its playerbase--and direct access to stats. Both the financial and first-hand management incentives were major drivers for this decision.

Bethesda's Pete Hines adds more visibility to the decision to tie all versions of Fallout 76 to Bethesda.net:

On the heels of juggernauts like Fallout 4 and Skyrim, Borderlands 2 is the latest full game to get a PlayStation VR adaptation.

Gearbox's flavorful and grind-filled shoot-and-loot FPS sequel will soon be playable in VR, the devs today announced. The game, which was only announced on Sony's PS4-powered PlayStation VR, will be the full Borderlands 2 experience with a few nifty adjustments specifically tailored for virtual reality.

Borderlands 2 VR has a new slow-mo bullet-time ability called "BadAss Mega Fun Time" to even the odds up a bit when the action gets too frenetic. Gamers will also be able to teleport to various locations during battle.

Square Enix's new action-based mech shooter Left Alive releases on March 5, 2019 on PS4 and Steam.

As someone who grew up with games like Armored Core 2, Left Alive looks pretty rad and appeals to my mech sensibilities. I'll be the first to admit I've not delved deep into the well that is mech shooters outside of that aforementioned PS2 classic, but Square Enix's new game blends third-person boots-on-the-ground shooting action with mech warfare and tactical Metal Gear-style stealth. In 22nd century Novo Slava, a war breaks out against man and machine and players are forced into surviving against hulking behemoths designed for killing.

The new trailers show some snazzy mechanics straight out of an Armored Core game--and rightly so as Armored Core series director Toshifumi Nabeshima had a hand in Left Alive's development--and things look smooth and stylish. There's a very neo Cold War type of vibe going here as players take control of three different characters each with their own perspectives, stories, and combat proficiencies during the campaign.

Sony is indeed making a new PlayStation console successor--dubbed the PS5--but sources say the system may not be a huge step above the current PS4 platform.

Long ago I said that a traditional console reset with the PS5 could cause Sony lots of problems. Essentially my point was that the PS5 could alienate Sony's massive 82.2 million install base with the PS4 if it simply resets everything the way the SNES did with the NES. This blow will be severely lessened if the PS5 can play PS4 games via backward compatibility, which patents suggest may happen, but an iterative or synergistic approach would be most beneficial. Now sources say that the PS5 could indeed follow this path.

Publisher sources familiar with early concepts of Sony's next-gen PlayStation tell The Financial Times the system isn't a major step above the current PS4 family. The PS5, the sources say, could be closer to the current PS4 family insofar as architecture. Exact details remain unknown, but sources told TweakTown that the next-gen PlayStation 5 could be powered by AMD's new Navi graphics technology in a scaled form factor to enable advanced 4K gaming and performance.

Beloved RPG developer Obsidian may soon be part of Microsoft's growing first-party studios

Microsoft is planning to buy Obsidian Entertainment, and the deal is almost complete, multiple sources tell Kotaku's Jason Schreier. Obsidian, whose independence has been kept afloat thanks to big crowd-funded games like Pillars of Eternity, is currently developing an unannounced RPG to be published by Take-Two Interactive's Private Division. Sources tell TweakTown this RPG will be "Obsidian's answer to Fallout" but will instead be new IP with Fallout creator Tim Cain at the helm.

This buyout would be the latest in Microsoft's running string of acquisitions; at E3 2018 the company folded independent developers like Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, and Compulsion Games into its Microsoft Game Studios banner. Under Microsoft, Obsidian would enjoy strong funding for its projects, but previous bad blood over its cancelled Stormlands game could interfere with internal studio politics.

Treyarch has detailed the minimum and recommended specs of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on the PC, with some included "high refresh/competitive specs at 1080p" and "4K Ultra" specs. A nice touch, and something I want to see more of. This is a great start.

The developer has also detailed all of the pre-load times for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 through Battle.net, which is a great help so that you know how long to stay up at night when it launches. As for the specs, you won't need much to run the game with a minimum of an Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300 processor, 8GB off RAM and a low-end GeForce GTX 660/GTX 1050 or Radeon HD 7950 required.

The high refresh/competitive specs at 1080p is interesting, as Treyarch recommends an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X, 16GB of RAM and either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or Radeon RX Vega 64. The 4K Ultra specs for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 are much higher in the GPU department, with Treyarch recommending the higher-end GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is going to be a huge install for console gamers, with physical copies of the game requiring a massive 50GB day one update... something that digital versions won't have to do as it's all included in the pre-load.

Treyarch has confirmed that the day one update for Black Ops 4 will be around 50GB for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game if you own the physical version, while all digital versions of the game across consoles and PC are included in the pre-load. There is no way that physical copies of COD: Black Ops 4 owners will be able to get away with the 50GB day one update, which really sucks.

The entire point of physical media is to stop these ridiculous download sizes, especially in places where gamers don't get high-speed internet access. 50GB is multiple days of all-day downloading. Trust me, I've been there and specifically moved away from that house so that I could get faster internet.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is set to be one of the biggest releases of 2018, and developer Treyarch is doing something simple to stop people leaking out its game before its October 12 release.

Treyarch will be pushing out a day one update to COD: Black Ops 4, a move that Sledgehammer pulled with Call of Duty: WW2 that stopped leakers. Retail copies always find their way into the hands of gamers either by accident or on purpose, and while there could be countless gamers with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in their hands, it doesn't matter - they're useless until the day one update.

Twitter user @Ateam_ShAdoWw discovered that the retail version in-hand is useless as a message pops up on his version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 that says "An update is required to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 4". The physical retail copies are the only ones that could leak early, as preloads of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 haven't gone live yet and are only hours away on Blizzard Battle.net.

Ubisoft will be bringing players that are keen to pick up Starlink: Battle for Atlas some different purchasing options, but for those players that aren't interested in the toys and just want the game and some goodies, the Digital Edition is now available for purchase on the Nintendo eShop.

Looking at the Ubisoft website we can see that the company will be debuting Starlink: Battle for Atlas with a PlayStation and Xbox One Starter Pack, a Nintendo Switch Starter Pack, a Digital Edition, Digital Edition Deluxe and a Digital Collection 1 Pack. Each of the packs will contain a different level of content, some including physical toys and others bringing more digital content to the game.

Strangely enough there isn't actually any information for the Digital Edition on the Nintendo eShop listing for Starlink: Battle for Atlas. Despite the lack of information the game is still available to pre--order and will be coming in at a cost of $59.99, giving 300 Nintendo Gold points in return for its purchase. Below you will find a break down of each of the packages and their contents for Starlink: Battle for Atlas. If you want to visit the Nintendo eShop listing, visit it here.

As you may already know the project that Bethesda has taken on with Fallout 76 is quite on the larger side, especially when it comes to map size. Curious to see how big the map is? Well, an image has been released which can give you a rough idea.

For those that didn't know, Fallout 76 will be Bethesda's biggest Fallout project yet. Taking the game from what was a single player experience, to now an always online-multiplayer game in a world four times bigger than that of Fallout 4. Players will more options that they can ever dream of in Fallout 76.

As you can imagine, players would not be able to feel the true size of the world until they are actually playing the game, or at least a coming beta. Luckily, GameSpot has gotten their hands-on the title at a recent event and has captured the in-game map and boy, does West Virginia look large. From the above image we can see the legend indicating major roadways, highways, railroads, rivers, structures, landmakrs and even enemies (alligator?). In other news about Fallout 76, if you haven't seen the online multiplayer gameplay footage, check that out here. If you also happened to miss the "Welcome to West Virginia" gameplay video, visit that here.