Gaming - Page 989

Only months ago Microsoft Australia unveiled the Xbox Onesie free with every purchase of the Xbox One S. Well now that comfy lounge-wear can be applied to gaming avatars.

The black and white onesies can be featured for both genders thanks to Larry Hryb otherwise known as Major Nelson announcing the news on Twitter. After working with the Xbox Live team, the crew designed and released the same outfit for avatars.

The onesies are available via the Xbox Live Avatarwebsite.

Sony has a faster PS4 on the market with its just-released PlayStation 4 Pro, but the new console is running The Last of Us Remastered at close to 4K 60FPS. Naughty Dog says that The Last of Us Remastered runs at 3200x1800 at close to 60FPS, with Digital Foundry reporting it drops by around 2-5FPS in some areas.

Digital Foundry has been all over the PS4 Pro and the games running on the Polaris-powered console, where they reported: "Probably the most surprising example of this is The Last of Us Remastered, a Naughty Dog production. The team has a reputation not just as one of the most cutting-edge developers in the industry, but also for their superb optimisation skills".

They continued: "Generally speaking, The Last of Us has been an absolute joy to revisit on PS4 Pro. You get a 3200×1800 resolution in 60fps mode, rising to native 4K at 30fps. It's also one of the best HDR titles we've tried. So if you have a 4K display, losing 2-5fps in performance in the 60fps mode doesn't feel like a bad trade as such, but the point is that you cannot opt for enhanced performance instead".

Sony's beefier PS4 Pro seems to be helping ridiculously good looking games like Battlefield 1, with some early reports from PS4 Pro owners that have said that playing Battlefield 1 on their 1080p TV.

Reddit user Cerraent said they were "immediatly blown away by the sharpness from the intro/tutorial. While the campaign had a distracting aliasing on trees and foliage on my regular PS4, everything was extremely crisp and the texture detail was amazing (mud, gravel and so on)".

Cerraent continued, adding: "I also had the feeling that it gave an competitive advantage in multiplayer. Even my wife, who normally does not care for the technical side of games, mentioned that the game looks more crips/fluid than the last time she's seen me playing it. Sadly I have to ship my Pro in today, due to loud coil whine while under load. I would have taken screenshots otherwise".

Sony's new 4K-ready PlayStation 4 Pro is a massive improvement over the original PS4 in terms of heat and power efficiency, with the system only generating a max temp of 35C under load.

Anyone who owns an original launch PS4 knows the system gets hot. We're talking heat that's sometimes in excess of 70C, to the point where you want to turn the console off after 2-3 hours. With temps like these, the PS4 APU's thermal paste starts to crack, potentially leading to overheating and console failure.

The original PS4 gets rather hot while gaming, as seen in these FLIR images.

Bethesda is fighting issues on the PC version of Dishonored 2, but it looks like Skyrim Special Edition will be running at native 4K on Sony's just-released PS4 Pro console.

Although Skyrim: Special Edition is hitting native 4K on Sony's new PS4 Pro, the high resolution comes at the cost of frame rates. Skyrim running in native 4K on the PS4 Pro triggers frame rate drops and noticeable stuttering, showing that the console isn't that far removed from the resolution vs FPS balancing act required for the PS4 and Xbox One. As a result, Skyrim actually has better FPS on PS4 than PS4 Pro while running in 4K.

"Sony emphasizes that games running on PS4 Pro must have frame-rates that are better than or equal to the game running on the standard PS4 console. However, that's not the case with Skyrim, where the increase in resolution can lead to a visible drop in performance in scenes where the GPU is pushed more heavily," Digital Foundry's David Bierton reports.

Ubisoft has high hopes for Watch Dogs 2, and considering that there's no Assassin's Creed game out this year, the sales are going to have to be quite good.

In an interview with MCVUK, Ubisoft Sales Director Darren Bowen said: "Assassin's Creed has been a fantastic seller for Ubisoft and really important to the market every year, but make no mistake, Watch Dogs 2 will certainly fill the gap this year".

He added: "We are very fortunate to have such a strong and varied line-up so we don't have to rely just one franchise. Following Watch Dogs 2, we also have Steep launching at the start of December along with strong back catalogue sales on Tom Clancy's The Division and Far Cry Primal which have been two of the biggest launches so far this year. Let's not forget live games like The Crew and Rainbow Six Siege which is really being embraced the community with 10m players worldwide. If that wasn't enough we also have the Ezio Collection, so for those consumers who need a taste of Assassin's Creed every year - and we know there are a huge number of people - they will still be able to purchase a great triple pack which covers the most loved period of Assassin's Creed".

Dishonored 2 is an absolute mess on the PC, with Bethesda now recommending that if you are having "performance issues, try lowering the resolution". The company says: "Use 1440p resolution only if you have a very high-end GPU ( GTX 1070/1080 or equivalent)".

There are gamers reporting that even with high-end, expensive PCs rocking Intel Core i7-6700K and GeForce GTX 1080 that they can't hit 4K - even with reduced graphical settings. There are performance issues at 1440p as well, even with TXAA disabled. Arkane Studios and Bethesda better be ready to put this fire out, because gamers are getting sick of less than half-baked PC ports.

Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King has been dated finally, hitting the Nintendo 3DS on January 20, 2017.

New features such as quick-save, speed-up, voice acting in cut scenes, additional story content, and an alternate ending, have now been added into the game. Square Enix has no doubt gone above and beyond with new dungeons, story modes and exclusives for this remake of the classic game.

Players will also have the extra option of sharing screenshots throughout gameplay. The photos taken can then be customized with alternative poses, stickers, filters, and frames.

Black Friday is not far away now and for gamers that means cheap consoles and games. Throughout America, numerous retailers will be selling both the PS4 and Xbox One S for the low price of $249, along with deals and bundle packages depending on retailer.

A leaked flyer from Sam's Club was listed on the Bestblackfriday website, avertising the PS4 Uncharted 4 bundle for $249, along with the two Xbox One S bundles, that includes Battlefield 1 or Minecraft content with an extra controller for the same price.

Dell flyers were also among the leaked holiday content as they too will be jumping on the Black Friday Sales. Gamers will receive a Xbox One S, Battlefield 1 along with an extra controller and Gears of War 4, again at the bargain price of $249.

Sony's new 4K-ready PlayStation 4 Pro launched today, kicking off a new evolution of console gaming. Although the system uses new Polaris GPU tech, the PS4 Pro is still beholden to the age-old console rules: balancing frame rates with resolution. As such, native 4K resolution in specific games like Skyrim: Special Edition means lowered frame rates on the PS4 Pro, showing we haven't exactly come that far after all.

Consoles are about balance: developers have to implement dynamic resolution scaling that drops the resolution to sub-1080p in order to hit consistent frame rates on PS4 and Xbox One. Sony's new PlayStation 4 Pro isn't so different to last-gen consoles in this regard, and we're starting to see the trend continue in this new iterative cycle, meaning native 4K games on PS4 Pro could potentially run worse than they would on normal PS4 systems.

According to Digital Foundry, Skyrim: Special Edition is a prime example of this FPS-and-resolution balancing act. Skyrim: SE can run at native 4K on the PS4 Pro, but the frame rates take a hit as a result, leading to "visible drops in performance where the GPU is pushed more heavily," as well as "noticable stutters."

Super Mario Run will soon be appearing on Unity. The news was first released via their official Twitter account:

"We are thrilled that the legendary creators Nintendo America are bringing Mario to mobile for the first time, and it's made with Unity."

Up until recently, Nintendo had been developing games for its own hardware system. With smartphone game an/or apps debuting on a regular basis, it seems that the company will be branching out with other development teams in joining Unity.

Sony's PlayStation Store update for November is here, with the US online store marketing classic PlayStation 3 and 4 games to customers with a hefty price slash. The list below showcases some of the titles that are up for grabs.

PS4 Games:

PS3 Games:

I have been spending far too much time playing Overwatch - how good does Sombra look?! - but now there's another free weekend of Overwatch coming very soon, on November 18.

Blizzard will be hosting the free Overwatch weekend between November 18-21 from 4PM PST on all platforms, and in all gameplay regions. Console gamers will need Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus membership, while the PC is all good with a Battle.net account.

The developer adds that during this free weekend, they are "making Overwatch's full roster of 22 heroes and 13 maps available for play in a variety of modes, including Quick Play, Custom Games, and the latest Weekly Brawl". This means the new Sombra character won't be playable just yet, but she's in the PTR.

Battlefield 1 desperately needs its hardcore mode update, and now EA DICE is teasing that it has been tweaking the hardcore mode for BF1, but it's still not being released just yet.

DICE producer Ali Hassoon said on Twitter: "Reducing Bullet Damage in HC from 200% to about 140% provides a more well-rounded experience", adding: "We're still testing Hardcore mode, we dont want to release it until we are sure it lives up to our and your expectasions. Stay tuned!"

There are also some other fixes and changes coming, with Lead UI/UX Designer Erik Ortman confirming that the team is working on fixing the medals issues, fixing the game leaderboards, and not being able to quit at the end of the game. He said: "for sure, it's being looked at and there are fixes in the pipeline".

Well, well. Dishonored 2 looks like it'll be a steaming pile of crap on the PC - at least until it's been updated 50 times post-launch, with early reports from NeoGAF user "Dmax3901' who has a review copy of Dishonored 2 for the PC.

Equipped with an AMD Radeon R9 290, an Intel Core i5-4690K, 16GB of RAM and running at 1080p with "mostly High settings and some of the more demanding on/off settings switched to Off (volumetric lighting, depth of field). This allowed me to maintain 60fps with dips down into the high 40s". Not that great considering Dmax3901's specs are pretty good.

He continued: "After that is where things started going really pear-shaped. I was playing with my compromised settings, putting up with the occasional frame rate dip, when I leaned around a corner and saw the FPS counter drop to 18. I turned down all the settings to Very Low and all the on/off settings to off and the frame rate didn't change. To be fair this particular room, the throne room right at the start of the game, is quite detailed with lots of flowers adorning the columns and there's several dead bodies littering the floor. But I'm afraid something weird is happening here, check out the following shots, taking note of the FPS counter in the top left".

PAX Australia 2016 - Last week, I flew over to Melbourne, Australia to attend PAX Australia 2016 with my friend and nephew, and had a weekend of gaming, technology, and socializing with a bunch of friends and contacts in the tech/gaming industry.

PAX Australia is the biggest event of its kind in the country, so we went crazy snapping a bunch of pictures - now you can live through the show with our pictures. There's lots to see, as I have 61 pictures for you to enjoy.

We have to personally thank GIGABYTE for sponsoring towards our PAX Australia 2016 trip, and it worked out well - because I was going to cover their stuff anyway, as the company was there in a huge way with their NVIDIA and AMD-based graphics cards in countless machines across the floor. Not only that, but Team.AU also overclocked an Intel Core i7-6950X and hit a world record 5.744GHz using a GIGABYTE motherboard. So thanks, GIGABYTE!

Crytek has been all-in with VR so far, and this commitment to the next level of gaming and entertainment is amplified with their teased future of VR, and Crytek's work with Sony on the PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR.

The developer talked to WCCFTech about the PS4 Pro, and how Crytek will support Sony's new console with their upcoming title 'Robinson: The Journey'. The site asked "what kind of enhancements can we expect? Does PS4 Pro represent a meaningful boost to PSVR's capabilities?"

Crytek's Executive Producer and Game Director, Elijah Freeman, said: "Robinson will be playable on both PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro, and we think it offers a stand-out experience regardless of which platform players choose. The game was developed for PlayStation 4 from the outset, and we've worked hard to maximize the potential of the system and the opportunities PS VR unlocks".

BioWare has opened up sign-ups for Mass Effect: Andromeda's new closed multiplayer beta test, but PC gamers need not apply: the platform isn't supported in the beta.

Online multiplayer is returning in full force for Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the devs are keen on stress-testing their servers and optimizing the game via closed betas.

So I decided to sign up and get my request locked in. After setting up my BioWare Beacon account and answering a deluge of questions regarding my play habits, I found a not-so-surprising tidbit upon the completion page: Mass Effect: Andromeda's beta test is exclusive to PS4 and Xbox One.

Like DICE did with Battlefield 1, BioWare is looking to tap the power of PC to deliver a streamlined and fluid experience in Mass Effect: Andromeda.

If you're a PC gamer who's looking forward to BioWare's newest interstellar Mass Effect spin-off game, you'll be delighted to know that the gameplay won't be locked at 30FPS. Of course console owners aren't so lucky: PS4 and Xbox One owners will be locked at 30FPS, and even PS4 Pro owners may not even get a 1080p 60FPS mode (but you will play at 4K 30FPS, however).

When Game Informer asked Mass Effect Andromeda's creative director Mac Walters if 30 FPS was the target for the game, Walters responded "on some platforms," pretty much confirming PS4 and Xbox One will be locked whereas PC would enjoy higher FPS.

Remember that Xbox streaming stick and set-top box that Microsoft was supposed to reveal at E3 2016 but didn't? New details have emerged about the duo, and they're actually pretty impressive.

According to Windows Central, the streaming stick was codenamed "Project Hobart," and was actually nixed at the last minute before E3. Internal sources at Microsoft say that Hobart basically would've been like Microsoft's very own $99 Chromecast-like dongle that offers basic video streaming (Netflix, Hulu, etc) with it's own secret weapon: Windows 10 UWP integration.

Armed with UWP functionality, Hobart would've tapped into the Windows 10 ecosystem and allowed gamers to wirelessly stream Xbox One gameplay over to Hobart, effectively transforming an HDTV into a remote-play station. Hobart apparently had lower computational power to support UWP apps and could even play lightweight games.