Gaming - Page 964

Like its console-based offering, EA's PC gaming Origin Access service now has a $30 a year subscription option.

Up until now Xbox gamers got preferential treatment when it comes to EA's subscription-based Access service with a tidy $30 a year rate. PC gamers that used EA Origin, however, had to pay a flat $5 a month to equate about $60 a year. EA has now done away with that favoritism t make EA Access and Origin Access have the same yearly price.

"Join now for your free 7-day trial, then it's just $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Cancel anytime," reads EA Origin's updated site.

Users can downscale the Nintendo Switch's native resolution down to 480p (standard definition) when its docked in TV Mode. Why would anyone need to adjust the system's resolution? Maybe it has something to do with Gamecube games, which run at 480p?

Some retailers apparently broke street date on the Nintendo Switch, and the lucky owners have uploaded some footage of the Switch to the net. When watching the footage I noticed something very, very interesting: in the Switch's settings you can adjust its TV Resolution and set it to 480p. While docked in TV Mode the Switch switches from the tablet's 720p up to full 1080p HD resolution while playing actual retail Switch games, so this 480p setting could be for Virtual Console platforms and games.

This could strongly hint that the Switch will have Gamecube VC games that run at 480p, and that gamers could set the system's internal resolution at 480p to ensure Gamecube games run in their native resolution HDTVs.

Capcom has just filed a "new" trademark for Deep Down, its online-based fantasy game that was shown off in 2013 but still hasn't released. This news caused a stir in the community as gamers thought it could mean Deep Down may finally be ready sometime soon, but I have some bad news for everyone: this doesn't mean anything.

Deep Down's latest trademark filing is a simple re-filing to lock in the game's TM and reduce the cost of further extensions. That's all this trademark means. It doesn't indicate Capcom is any closer or farther to releasing Deep Down. In fact, the two filings are 100% identical--except one has no extensions and a new TEAS RF classification to reduce filing costs. Old filing is here, and the new filing is here.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Capcom five trademark extensions for Deep Down. As clearly indicated here, that's the maximum extension count before a company has to re-file. The extensions are valid for six-month intervals, and Capcom last filed August 9, 2016, which is exactly six months from this new trademark's filing of February 9, 2017.

Starbreeze today announced that production and development of Payday 3 is now full swing, but the sequel is far from ready for release.

The Payday franchise is Starbreeze Studio's most important property. The studio is the sole owner for the IP and Payday remains the "cornerstone" of the company's business: Starbreeze earns 100% of all PC sales and revenue gleaned from the series, and the franchise has generated an impressive SEK 47.7 million ($5,384,414) of net revenue from October - December 2016. So it's only natural that Starbreeze would make a sequel and push the franchise forward.

"It is with great satisfaction that we also can announce that PAYDAY 3 production is officially initiated and at a full design stage," the studio announced its most recent financial earnings report.

Today Activision announced that Crash Bandicoot's N-Sane Trilogy will launch on June 30 on PS4.

The N-Sane Trilogy will cost $39.99 and is a remastered collection of the first three Crash games: Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. The remaster will feature enhanced graphics, new streamlined animations, and upgraded support on PS4 Pro consoles.

"This is a AAA remaster. We're giving this the love and attention to detail that we pay to all of our AAA games. We're building it using the original level geometry so that it plays as close to the original as possible. We've also referred to this as a remaster plus, as we are adding new features that we think the fans are going to love!" said Dan Tanguay, game director.

Sony today announced that its ailing PlayStation Now game streaming service will be exclusive to PS4 and Windows PCs later this year, and it will be cutting off five of its legacy platforms from its own service.

PlayStation Now is Sony's premium subscription-based service that allows gamers to stream legacy PS1, PS2, PS3 and even newer PS4 games directly to compatible devices. Starting August 2017, PlayStation Now's supported devices will shrink from six platforms to just two: PS4 and PC. That means PS3, PS Vita, PSTV, Sony Bravia TVs, Sony Blu-ray players, and Samsung TVs will be cut off, and PS Now will only be accessible via PS4 systems and PC.

It's worth noting that five of these six platforms are Sony's own proprietary hardware. In fact Sony is cutting off its newer 2016 Bravia TVs sooner than the older models. For some reason Sony is keen on cutting out key functionality on its own hardware: Sony Bravia TV owners can access PS Now without owning an actual console and play streamed games directly on their TV.

With its built-in accelerometer and gyroscopic tracking, the Nintendo Switch's new JoyCon controllers are essentially mini Wiimotes that can be detached from the Switch tablet. So far we've seen games like ARMS fully leverage the JoyCons in innovative new ways, tracking gamers' punches and movements and mirroring them in-game, but Ultra Street Fighter II will do the same with its first-person mode.

Quality first-person fighting games are rare (Xeno Clash comes to mind), and VR has had some success resurrecting the weird crossover, but that requires bulky headsets and expensive hardware. But as we've seen with ARMS, Nintendo's new Switch console is a perfect platform for engaging first-person fighting experiences, and now Capcom's latest Ultra Street Fighter II will be the next in line to tap the JoyCons' potential.

Capcom has just released the first footage of Ultra Street Fighter II's first-person mode and it's quite interactive. Armed with JoyCons and their built-in sensors gamers can perform moves like uppercuts and punches in the real-world and see Ryu mimic the action.

I'm quite confident Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be Game of the Year for 2017 for one simple reason: it'll be fun. Very, very fun.

Nintendo has gone all out with their first-ever open-world Zelda game. Breath of the Wild has an incredibly dynamic physics system that pretty much makes you feel like a kid in a candy store; you can climb on everything, fly across the skies, slide down snowy mountaintops on your shield and much more. In fact, Breath of the Wild's physics makes Skyrim look like child's play with its insane level of depth and freedom: you can use a giant picked leaf to generate wind and propel your raft in the water, you can knock back thrown stones at enemies, you can block fire streams with your shield, and you can even get zapped by lightning while wearing metal armor in a thunderstorm.

Read Also: New Zelda is based on three words 'climb, live, protect'

Ubisoft's latest game For Honor perfectly encapsulates the industry giant's total gameplan: combining triple-A buy to play fees with online-only gameplay for instant updates and changes and microtransactions for recurring profits. Despite all this, For Honor is peer-to-peer based and has no dedicated servers.

In many ways For Honor really shows how much Ubisoft has learned with The Division: solid gameplay mechanics, more balanced microtransactions to keep things feeling more fair, and a unique competitive element that combines perfectly with mechanics to create something rather distinct.

Make no mistake, however: with its recurring microtransactions, online-based gaming, premium $59.99 cost, strong MAU (monthly active user) engagement driven by new updates, For Honor is a total representation of how Ubisoft makes its money, and copies strategies used with Rainbow Six: Siege and The Division. In many ways For Honor is a vehicle for these strategies.

Resident Evil 7 has been selling quite well, with Capcom noting that they have sold 3 million copies so far - with expectations that the game will sell 4 million copies in its fiscal year.

In its latest investor Q&A, the company revealed that Resident Evil 7 has recouped its development costs. Capcom said: "Compared to Resident Evil 6 this may seem like a lower initial pace, however this can be attributed to the recent wider adoption of digital downloads and the transition from a sharp initial spike in sales for games to a continuous long tail. Further, we believe that achieving our fiscal-year target of 4 million units for this title is wholly possible, as we expect sales to continue for a longer period, buoyed on highly positive post-launch reviews from both the media and consumers".

Capcom talked about the PC version of Resident Evil 7, where they said: "We expect to record a loss in PC Others this fiscal year due to factors including the postponement of the period in which we record a running royalty from Monster Hunter Online, and because certain existing titles are softening. Moving forward, we aim to return this segment to profitability by revitalizing titles through promotions and through operational rationalization".

Microsoft has just teased on Twitter that we should "brace for big news" about Project Scorpio at E3 2017, on June 11 at 2PM PT.

Microsoft will host its E3 2017 briefing on Project Scorpio, where we should hopefully find out all of the juicy details before its launch later this year. There's nothing new to report here, apart from "hey guys - prepare for Project Scorpio news in June". Still, exciting times.

Will we see something new that hasn't been shown off? Watered down 4K 30FPS gaming? Native 4K or just the "True 4K" Microsoft's been touting? Something completely different? What do you want to see from Microsoft?

BioWare insists they've learned a lot from Dragon Age: Inquisition's mistakes, especially when it comes to vast open areas that have the size of an ocean, but the depth of a puddle. Now the devs affirm that Mass Effect: Andromeda isn't really an open-world sandbox game--but it will retain the series' distinct feel.

"I definitely wouldn't call Andromeda an open-world game," BioWare's Mike Gamble told OXM in a recent interview.

"We like to use the term 'exploration-based game'. You still have the concept of tight story deliverance and all the great things you come to expect with Mass Effect. The layer on top of that is a layer of exploration. Sometimes that happens in open spaces, but not always. You can cruise around some of these planets in the Nomad, but it's not the traditional sandbox-type game."

Lots of trainers are about to return to Pokemon GO: the world's once most popular smartphone game is getting a massive update to add quite a few Pocket Monsters from the Johto region.

The new Pokemon GO update will add more than 80 Pokemon from the classic Pokemon Gold and Silver games, including the famous starters Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile. Evolution forms of the Johto region Pokemon will also be included, further expanding the game to new heights. Players will even be able to evolve Kanto Pokemon into their Johto counterparts for improved battle stats.

Apart from the massive array of new Pokemon to catch, the update will also include fresh berries to help in catching wild pocket monsters as well as new interactions from Pokemon players are trying to catch.

Nintendo's late president Satoru Iwata was one of the major transformative forces in the company's history, and he his legacy is full of impressive hardware innovations. The Nintendo Switch, the company's new unique console-handheld hybrid, is no exception, and Iwata invested lots of personal and professional effort into manifesting the particulars of the system.

When I watched the Nintendo Switch reveal event I could swear Iwata was watching too. I could see Iwata's touch in all of the Switch's features and experiences: the infinite possibilities of fun with 1-2 Switch, the unique transforming tablet and JoyCons combo, the ability to take the Switch anywhere and play it with anyone at any time. These were things that Iwata went through great lengths to plan out before his untimely death in 2015.

"I mentioned that Mr. Iwata, Mr. Takeda and myself provided feedback and made decisions, but ultimately Mr. Iwata was the head of development, so he put a lot of thought and time into Switch," Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said in a recent TIME interview.

DICE has been working on a gigantic new patch for Battlefield 1, something the developer has been calling the Winter Update.

The new Winter Update for Battlefield 1 has a slew of new features, tweaks, improvements, and more - weighing in at a modest 1.54GB on the PC, and is now live on all some platforms. The new update will introduce Ribbons, which provide players with a 500XP boost, while Elite Codices give players more experience.

There's also increased Max Class Ranks, server changes, and so much more. The patch notes are extremely long and detailed, showing that DICE has been nailing away at BF1 getting it polished.

Konami latest financial report shows strong growth despite its ailing, unpopular image, with total profits doubling compared to last year's earnings.

In the past three quarters, Konami has boosted its total profits by 229.8% raking in 20.7 billion yen, or about $182.6 million USD.

These nine-month earnings were accrued by consistent pachinko and pachislot revenue as well as game sales, and Konami recently merged its slot machine and arcade game sectors to form the Amusement Business, which is not unlike SEGA's classification.

Pachinko and pachislot recreational arcade games are a booming and extremely lucrative business in Japan. Just how popular is this past-time? So popular that SEGA, one of the premiere Japanese game developers, earned over $1 billion in pachinko earnings in nine months.

SEGA recently reported strong third quarter financial earnings, especially in the pachislot and pachinko department. According to the IR documents SEGA pulled in an impressive 119.7 billion yen--$1.05 billion USD--from pachinko and pachislot sales from March to December 2016.

In fact, pachinko net sales were higher than digital and physical game sales combined, and made up half of SEGA's total nine-month earnings of 285 billion yen, or about $2.51 billion USD.

Nintendo exec Yoshiaki Koizumi has confirmed that the Switch handheld-console hybrid will support wireless Bluetooth audio headphones on-the-go via the console's built-in Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity.

Mr. Koizumi told French video games site Gaming Stories that the Switch owners can use Bluetooth headphones for wireless convenience on the go.

The Nintendo exec also confirmed that the Switch's 3.5mm headphone jack can be used while the system is docked, and the system will channel out stereo audio through the port. This means you can still use existing headphones to play your Switch games in TV Mode while the system is docked for maximum performance on HDTVs.

PewDiePie--YouTube's biggest celebrity and top-earner--is known for being rather outspoken and playing jokes that ride the razor's edge of controversy. But now his latest antics have gone too far and Maker Studios has let the massive star go.

The video that cost Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg his job could be seen as anti-Semitic: at least that's how Disney-owned YouTube brand Maker Studios saw it. In an effort to "show how crazy the world is," Kjellberg paid an Indian man $5 on Fiverr to hold up a sign that says "Death to All Jews." It was meant to be a joke, and Kjellberg didn't think they'd do it--but they did, and Kjellberg uploaded the video. As a response his YouTube contract was terminated.

After five years, Maker Studios has terminated their partnership with PewDiePie. "Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate," a Maker Studios rep said. "Maker Studios has made the decision to end our affiliation with him going forward."

Nintendo today announced a very non-Nintendo move: Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have paid expansion DLC content.

Rather than update Zelda: Breath of the Wild with free content updates, the new game will be the first main Zelda game to get additional paid DLC content. Breath of the Wild will have two DLC expansions on Wii U and Switch, and Nintendo is offering a $20 season pass to unlock both expansions. The packs can also be purchased separately on the eShop, and pre-orders will begin when the game ships on March 3, 2017.

In an additional very non-Nintendo move, the season pass will have pre-order incentives in the form of special exclusive in-game items: three treasure chests that give you a special Nintendo Switch logo shirt for Link to wear (really Nintendo?) and "two useful items."