Gaming - Page 928

EA is enticing gamers to pre-order their upcoming Need for Speed Payback, by offering the Platinum Car Pack alongside the beyond exciting new Exclusive Tire Smoke.

Exclusive Tire Smoke will surely offer next generation smoke rendering technology that will require an AMD Radeon RX Vega or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 on its own to render, as it uses the latest DX12 and Vulkan APIs. You'll also need Windows 10 to render it all, as there are 50 billion draw calls per second to render Exclusive Tire Smoke in Need for Speed Payback.

EA offering the Exclusive Tire Smoke in Need for Speed Payback advances the entire driving game market, as the tires are meticulously recreated from the real-world. The tires in Payback will spin the wheels so realistically that the smoke that is created is indiscernible from real life. You'll probably even smell the burning rubber.

Atari has followed through with its promise of a "brand new Atari product" from E3 2017 last month, with the company giving more details on its upcoming Ataribox console.

According to The Verge, Ataribox is a NES Classic like console that is inspired by the classic look on the Atari 2600, with indicator lights that glow through the glass/wood materials. Atari is adding in a HDMI port, SD card slot, and 4 x USB ports. Atari will have two different Ataribox consoles, one in wood and the other in black/red.

Atari is promising all of the classic games we know and love from the Atari 2600 console as well as "current content", but we have no idea what new content to expect. Ataribox should be similar to the NES and SNES Classic consoles, offering retro games inside of new hardware.

Project CARS 2 is one of the best looking games made, and now that developer Slightly Mad Studios has lifted the NDA on the game, WMD2 members are now spilling the beans on the upcoming racing game.

NeoGAF members 'TheAdmiester' and 'Rayge' have shared new screenshots of Project CARS 2, but Rayge has also teased that his PC - rocking an Intel Core i7-6850K and NVIDIA TITAN Xp is running Project CARS 2 at 4K 120FPS when there's 8 cars on the track, but during demanding parts of the game - such as rain at night with reflections going crazy, he was still hitting 80-90FPS on Ultra settings.

This is damn impressive considering Project CARS 2 looks ridiculously gorgeous, and the fact that it's running at 4K, on Ultra settings, all on a single graphics card.

Early Access sensation PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has now surpassed Rockstar's juggernaut GTA V in peak players on Steam.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has become a formidable force in PC gaming. The early access game has earned an impressive $100 million in three months, selling 4 million copies of its addictive battle royale survival sim on Steam. Not only has the game sold well, but players are sticking to the experience thanks in no small part to its online multiplayer mechanics.

Now PUBG creator Brendan Greene reveals his early access juggernaut is now number 4 out of Steam's top 10 all-time highest peak players, pushing GTA V to the number 5 spot. At the time of publication PUBG has an all-time high of 382,561 peak players versus Grand Theft Auto V's 360,761 peak players. We've compiled Steam's top 10 games in peak players in a graph below.

What's taking Kingdom Hearts III so long to make? Game director Tetsuya Nomura finally explains what's going on.

Four years after the game's official announcement and 12 years since Kingdom Hearts 2's release on PS2, Kingdom Hearts III finally has a 2018 release window. According to Kingdom Hearts III game director Tetsuya Nomura, there's many reasons for this long development time, but there's one that stands out the most: KH3 migrated to a new engine mid-development.

Kingdom Hearts III was originally developed using Square Enix's proprietary in-house engine, but after a full year of work, company executives made the decision to move to Unreal Engine 4. This re-tooling to UE4, Nomura said in a recent interview with GameSpot, caused "extensive delays" as the game likely meant the game had to be built from scratch in the engine. This is very similar to EA forcing BioWare to use Frostbite to make its RPG games, leading to massive re-tooling and work.

Tekken 7's missing classic Tekken characters may never step foot into the game.

As I predicted a bit ago, Bandai Namco has teamed up with other companies to bring more cross-over characters to Tekken 7. The first playable DLC character will be Geese Howard, the end boss from SNK's classic fighter Fatal Fury, and I expect the entire Tekken 7 season pass to be filled with more cross-overs.

Meanwhile many Tekken alums are still missing from the roster, including Julia, Ganryu, Anna, Baek, and even Zafina. As a long-time Tekken fan I'm a bit frustrated with this move--you can read more in our official Tekken 7 Review--especially since original characters are being sidelined for more promotional type characters. I personally feel that Akuma does not belong in Tekken 7's story canon, and players shouldn't be forced to use him to complete the story mode.

Kingdom Hearts III will release in 2018, Square Enix has confirmed.

Square Enix and Disney have confirmed a hard 2018 launch for perhaps the most anticipated release in the last five years--Kingdom Hearts III. We originally thought Kingdom Hearts III may not release until 2019, but Disney's D23 event shared the great news along with a brand new in-game trailer.

As per reveals during the event, Kingdom Hearts III will feature all new worlds including Toy Story, seeing Square Enix and Pixar working in tandem for the first time. The Toy Story segment won't follow the movies and will instead feature a "brand new story" that can "only be found" in KH3.

Soon you'll be able to play Holochess and swing Luke Skyalker's lightsaber in AR.

Disney today revealed at its D23 event that it's making a smartphone-powered Augmented Reality (AR) headset that plays Star Wars games. The headset is being developed in conjunction with tech-maker Lenovo, who has built its AR skillset up while working alongside Microsoft on its fleet of Windows 10-powered Mixed Reality headsets, and works just like Samsung's best-selling Gear VR headset. Users will download games and apps to their smartphone, and slot in their mobile phone into the headset.

"We've been working on our own version of Augmented Reality. We teamed up with Lenovo and Lucasfilm to build our very own Augmented Reality headset. This device will let everyone experience their favorite moments from Star Wars like never before," said Mike Goslin, VP of Advanced Development for Disney.

Nintendo today released its 2017 Annual Report that highlights financial earnings and other interesting data, including total research and development costs for last fiscal year.

According to the report, Nintendo spent $527 million on research and development costs in Fiscal Year 2017 (April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017), down 13.06% year-over-year, for both hardware and software endeavors across its entire platform ecosystem. The Kyoto-based console-maker notes that this R&D spend was used to help launch the new Nintendo Switch handheld-console hybrid along with a library of titles including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as a number of accessories and peripherals.

This investment also brought 14 Nintendo 3DS games to market, including Pokemon Sun and Moon and Super Mario Maker, along with a number of new 3DS hardware variants. The company even confirmed a new Quality-of-Live (QoL) device is in the works.

Jotun, the celebrated Norse-themed indie from Thunder Lotus Games, is now available 100% free on GOG.com.

Today Thunder Lotus Games and GOG have teamed up to celebrate the pre-order debut of Sundered, the developer's new Lovecraftian Metroidvania scroller complete with hand-drawn animation just like Jotun. All GOG.com users can pick up a free copy of Jotun without any strings attached--just sign in and grab the game from the front page or the official title page.

All pre-orders for Sundered get 10% off as well as a free copy of the game's soundtrack. Sundered is slated to release July 28, 2017, and you can find more about the game below.

Nintendo today published its 2017 Annual Report in English, highlighting various financial data and giving consumers, investors, and gamers a better look at the company's current market situation.

Nintendo's latest annual report is filled to the bring with interesting data. The brief chronicles Nintendo's performance across four different fiscal years in key metrics like net sales, operating income, total profits, profit per share, net assets, and more. FY17 was a successful year for the Kyoto-based console-maker, and the new Nintendo Switch handheld-console hybrid helped rally shares, net sales, and total profits to new heights. The Nintendo 3DS also did well throughout the year--to date the handheld has more than 66 million units sold.

I've prepared a series of graphs that illustrate Nintendo's year-over-year performance compared to three past fiscal years, and you can check them out below.

Japanese games-makers like DeNa, who's partnered with Nintendo to make games like Super Mario Run, are spending more and more to develop mobile games.

The cost of mobile games development is rising in Japan, says Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japaneses games consultancy Kantan Games. According to Dr. Toto's analysis of recent Japanese developer filings and reports for three major games-makers, the costs of mobile games development has risen from $3.5 to $9 million per game.

Nintendo-partnered mobile dev DeNA reports that each game costs about $4.5 million to develop, excluding marketing and other costs. DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu noted during the company's Q4 earnings results briefing that the costs for mobile games development in Japan has jumped.

EA today announced that Mass Effect: Andromeda's full game trial is now available on all platforms, allowing players to try the game out before they buy.

All of EA's biggest games typically come with a "first play" trial mode that's more like a locked off full game rather than a demo. Mass Effect: Andromeda's first play trial was our first glimpse at the unfortunate glitches and facial animations that plagued the game, turning the then-massively anticipated spin-off into a laughing stock. Now that trial is back, and it's just as big as ever.

The Mass Effect: Andromeda trial is simply the full 43GB game with a 10-hour countdown timer attached. EA is betting that after you download the full game (which is almost 1/10th of the PS4's base 500GB hard drive, mind) and play the game for 10 hours, you're much more likely to buy the full version to continue your progress.

Nintendo has ceased production of the New 3DS handheld in Japan due to lackluster sales.

While Nintendo has no official plans to retire the full 3DS family of handhelds, the Japanese games-maker says it will no longer produce its base New 3DS handheld variant. While Nintendo hasn't said so outright, the logical reasoning behind this move is twofold: the company is making room for the accessible $149 New 2DS XL is currently slated to release later this month, and the New 3DS XL has sold more units than the base New 3DS handheld in Japan.

The Kyoto-based console-maker recently confirmed the 3DS handheld line will live alongside the new Nintendo Switch handheld-console hybrid, and that the new Switch hardware won't cannibalize its predecessor. Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima says that the Switch and 3DS "do not compete directly in terms of price point or playstyle," and that the company will "run these businesses separately and in parallel."

Microsoft is bringing its new high-end 4K-ready Xbox One X console to Europe's premiere gaming conference.

Today Xbox spokesperson Major Nelson confirmed that Microsoft will showcase its new hardware and games at Gamescom 2017 in Cologne, Germany. Over 27 games for Xbox and Windows 10 PCs will be playable at the show, including major first-party exclusives like Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves and Forza Motorsport 7. European gamers will also be able to try out the new $499 Xbox One X in all of its native 4K glory.

The games-maker will also host an Xbox FanFest event during the show. Just like at E3 2017, the company will give away goodies and games for users who tune in via the Mixer streaming service on PC or mobiles--at E3 the company gave out copies of Rare Replay on Xbox One to Mixer viewers.

On the heels of finalizing its new 4K-ready Xbox One X console, Microsoft is already laying the foundations for its next-gen Xbox system.

Microsoft is strongly committed to the console space and the company's new $499 Xbox One X, which delivers native 4K gaming while playing all existing Xbox One games better, won't be the last home console the tech giant makes. Back in April we reported that Xbox division head Phil Spencer asserted the company is "planning for what happens after Scorpio in the console space."

Now Windows Central editor Jez Corden re-affirms Mr. Spencer's statements with claims that "Microsoft is already designing the next Xbox." Corden has gained a following for his accurate predictions and reporting on Microsoft's Xbox One X console, however it's worth noting that this news isn't exactly a surprise given Mr. Spencer's words.

TimeSplitters Rewind is in development at Cinder Interactive Arts, but the team has reached a new wall, and it seems that CRYENGINE is to blame.

CIA said that the development team has come to a halt, as they're unable to work with CRYENGINE right now. The team said: "We have been waiting for a new release from Crytek that changes a lot of the core systems of the engine and includes new documentation. The problem is this engine update was supposed to release over four months ago and the delays continue".

Waiting 4 months for an engine update is a very long amount of time to wait, so the team has been playing with Unreal Engine 4 in the meantime. Unfortunately, the developer can't switch TimeSplitters Rewind over to Unreal Engine 4 because of the deal with Crytek and CRYENGINE, with the developer explaining: "This is something we have talked about internally and we have a clear idea the direction we would take with it. If this is to happen, we would likely do our own interpretation of what we think TimeSplitters 4 could have been".

CD Projekt RED is working with original board game designer Mike Pondsmith to ensure their new Cyberpunk 2077 magnum opus stays true to the original.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the biggest project Polish games developer CD Projekt RED has ever worked on--and that's saying a lot since the studio is known for the massive sprawling The Witcher game series. But Cyberpunk 2077 is something different altogether, and rerepsents a much greater opportunity for the company to flex its might and talent. We know Cyberpunk 2077 will have insane next-gen level technology with massive living, breathing cities with flying cars and real-time AI, and that CD Projekt RED has received a $5.6 million grant from the Polish government to help fund their vision for the game.

Despite the massive next-generation tech barrier, CD Projekt RED wants to ensure Cyberpunk 2077 is as authentic to the original source material as possible. The studio has been working with original Cyberpunk 2020 board game designer Mike Pondsmith to ensure the game exemplifies the unique techno-punk universe he helped make back in the late 80s and early 90s. Pondsmith told Rock, Paper, Shotgun that CD Projekt Red "gets cyberpunk" and that the studio is passionate about the fictional series. "They're actual fans and they know stuff about Cyberpunk that I've forgotten."

Epic Games today announced that it's been selected to join the Disney Accelerator program, which arms developers and entertainment companies with more resources and tools to bring their dreams alive.

Leading games developer Epic Games, who's responsible for acclaimed games like Unreal Tournament, Gears of War, and Paragon and the Unreal Engine 4 that powers countless games, joins 10 other diverse companies in Disney's acceleration program. The Disney Acceleration program gives partnered companies access to the "range of creative expertise and resources of The Walt Disney Company to help them develop their innovative new entertainment experiences and products," and includes a variety of companies from analytical firms to learning tool developers and the unique VR startup VOID.

"The Disney Accelerator has provided The Walt Disney Company incredible opportunities to connect with and be inspired by many talented entrepreneurs from all over the world," said Michael Abrams, Senior Vice President, Innovation, The Walt Disney Company. "This year, more than ever, we are working with companies with the potential to help define the future of media and entertainment together with Disney."

SuperData Research predicts that Destiny 2's digital version on PC will significantly outsell the console flavor by as much as 200%.

According to the latest prediction from SuperData Research, Activision's latest FPS juggernaut Destiny 2 will sell between 4 and 5 million digital units on PC and consoles in its first three months of availability. Activision has already predicted big sales for Destiny 2 throughout the remainder of its fiscal year, and industry expects reflect that the sequel will be in the top five biggest games released this year.

The forecast notes that Destiny 2 has a 33% chance to sell 1.5 million digital units on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One family of systems in its first three months, but PC has a 29% likelihood to sell 3 million digital units, or 200% more than the consoles, in that same period. While these numbers might sound impressive, Destiny 2 on PC will only be available on Blizzard's Battle.net digital distribution framework and not on Steam. Physical versions of Destiny 2 on PC sold in stores will contain a code for a digital download, and it's unclear whether or not SuperData Research includes these sales as digital or physical.