Xbox Game Pass Has a Whopping Total of 44 Games Confirmed for Next Year

 

Xbox Game Pass has wrapped up 2022, and while Rainbow Billy was the last game it added, High on Life was certainly a high point for December. It quickly became the most popular game on Xbox Game Pass, being one of the biggest launches of the year. But in the downtime waiting for Microsoft to confirm the January 2023 games, it's worth highlighting just how many games are already confirmed.

Derived from a plethora of announcements, Xbox Game Pass already has 44 games confirmed for next year. This includes five Xbox Game Pass games for January 2023 (Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, Monster Hunter Rise, Age of Empires 2, and Inkulinati), one game for February (Atomic Heart), and one game for March (Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty). This is a strong start to the year, though also just a drip in the bucket that is Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass New Games for 2023 List

Arguably, the most anticipated games among those without a release date yet are Starfield, Redfall, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. The first two are first-party Microsoft games via Bethesda, with Redfall being a Left 4 Dead/Borderlands-like shooter focused on vampires from Deathloop developer Arkane Studios and Starfield being a space exploration RPG from Bethesda Game Studios proper. Meanwhile, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a beloved indie sequel, one that many have been waiting for a long time. In fact, there hasn't been any serious news about it since Hollow Knight: Silksong was confirmed for Xbox Game Pass. It is supposed to release in the first six months of 2023, per this announcement, but it's hard to say if that's still the same goal.

The following games have a release date confirmed for Xbox Game Pass:

Persona 3 Portable - January 19 - Console, PC
Persona 4 Golden - January 19 - Console, PC
Monster Hunter Rise - January 20 - Console, PC

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition - January 31 - Cloud, Console
Inkulinati - January 31 - Console
Atomic Heart - February 31 - Console
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - March 3 - Console, PC

The following are confirmed for Xbox Game Pass but do not, as of this writing, have a release date.

Age Of Empires 4
Age of Mythology: Retold
Amnesia: The Bunker
Ara: History Untold
Ark 2
Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle
Bounty Star
Bushiden
Cassette Beasts
Cocoon
Dungeons 4
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Ereban: Shadow Legacy
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
Flock
Forza Motorsport
GoldenEye 007
Guilty Gear Strive
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Homestead Arcana
Hot Wheels Unleashed GOTY Edition
Humankind
Infinite Guitars
Lies of P
Lightyear Frontier
Mad Streets
Maquette
Marauders
Minecraft Legends
Party Animals
Pigeon Simulator
Planet of Lana
Railway Empire 2
Ravenlok
Redfall
Replaced
Roboquest
She Dreams Elsewhere
Solar Ash
Spirittea
Stalker 2
Starfield
The Big Con
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Thirsty Suitors
Turnip Boy Robs A Bank
Valheim
Warhammer 40k: Darktide
Way To The Woods

Of course, those two Bethesda games and Hollow Knight are far from the only games that will see fans flock to the service. The cooperative nature of Valheim bodes well for its Game Pass launch, and Ghostwire: Tokyo is likely to come to Xbox (and Game Pass) sometime in 2023, if not confirmed outright yet. Minecraft Legends basically speaks for itself with the popularity of the franchise.

Ultimately, Xbox Game Pass has always carried a little something for everyone; there's no indication that Xbox Game Pass' additions in 2023 will be any different.

Source: GameRant

Merry Christmas!!

 

Bungie's Upcoming Third-Person Game Will Reportedly Use Destiny 2's Tiger Engine [The Gamer]

 

The upcoming third-person action game which is apparently in development at Bungie is going to be made in the Tiger Engine, at least according to a recent report. Having been used for Destiny and the sequel Destiny 2, Tiger Engine is a heavily modified version of the proprietary Blam Engine that was behind several entries in the Halo franchise.

The news which was first spotted by TheGamePost comes from a job listing for a Lead Gameplay Engineer. “Are you excited to help build a brand new third-person action game, expanding Bungie’s best-in-class gameplay into a new genre,” the listing asks. “Do you enjoy working directly on the game while also serving as a core leader of your teams?”

The post has been updated by Bungie in the meantime to remove any mention of the Tiger Engine, but the listing was originally quite clear on the matter, stating that “as Lead Gameplay Engineer on a Tiger Engine project, you will work closely with creatives and engineers to plan and execute technical paths to unlock new player experiences and empowering workflows.”

The listing also included “build and maintain networked gameplay systems, workflows, and tools in Bungie’s Tiger Engine” on the first line below the heading “responsibilities” in addition to “senior engineer-level ability to navigate activities gameplay, bugs, and workflows in Bungie’s Tiger Engine” right underneath “required skills.”

The story that Bungie has been developing a brand new intellectual property “outside of the Destiny universe” first broke back in April, 2021 following the announcement that its headquarters would soon be expanding. "Bungie’s expansion is to increase the commitment to the long-term development of Destiny 2, tell new stories in the Destiny universe, and create entirely new worlds in to-be-announced intellectual properties," the studio revealed at the time. "The new facility will include a reimagining of its Bellevue, Washington based studio space to support multiple project teams including those outside of the Destiny universe."

Source: The Gamer

Games that stood out to me [My Life in Gaming Part One. Mr Puniverse]

I am a 41 year old gamer and I am taking a look back to games that stood out to me and made me the gamer I am today. Yes you might say that gaming in your 40's is a bit strange and I probably should take up gardening or something more age apropriate, but I am one of the originals, I am one of the generation of gamers that has seen it all, I didnt see the start but I have seen most of the major strides in hardware which has improved the way games play and look. 

So here it is, games that stand out in my memory from over the years...

Mr Puniverse on the C16

MR PUNIVERSE

This game is old and to this day all I know is you have to collect coins from different areas that either build up your energy or reduce it at a faster rate. This game came out on the Commodore C16 many years ago. Here is some info I got from the site "Retro Gamer". 

Released: 1985

Genre: Platformer

Format Reviewed: Commodore 16/Plus4

Publisher: Mastertronic

Developer: Tony Kelly

This game is based on the BBC's old "Late, Late Breakfast Show". Here is the Basic storyline according to the inlay.

"Long ago, in a faraway land, where dinosaurs ruled the earth, men were men, women were women, a new breed of man was born.

Skin and bones, pallid, harmless, tearful, timid, basically inept  "Wimps" had arrived!

No more, would animals fear all men.

No more, would man be the hunter.

Wimps, their destiny to have sand kicked in their faces! Lead by the weakest, weediest, most pathetic of this new minor race. Mr. Puniverse.

Undernourished and barely alive, Mr. Puniverse has to solve 25 problem filled locations in his search for the vitamins that will keep him alive."

Big Mac C64

Sounds like my kind of game. It must be one of the most outlandishly humorous plots ever. This is the official sequel to Big Mac (The Mad Maintenence Man) which also graced the C64, but Mr Puniverse is totally exclusive to our system, lucky us.

This is a multiscreen platform adventure. The simple aim of the game is to explore all 25 rooms and collect each vitamin pill from each. Once you've achieved collecting all of these then you've won the game.

You have the option of either joystick or keyboard control, and you can select one or two players which is turn-based. You start off with 8 yes 8 lives, for you will find that you'll need them. Mr Puniverse…ah let's just call him Eric, he looks like an Eric… Well, Eric may only move left and right but can also thankfully jump (otherwise there wouldn't be much of a game).

There is also a health meter bar. But depending on which room you are in, the meter will go either up or down and fast or slow. So whenever you are low on health, just find a room preferably with a fast health replenisher.

Each room poses their own set of problems such as crushers that go up and down ready to squash poor puny Eric. You also need to avoid cannon fire. Some of the cannons spit bullets randomly left or right and some just spit them out in one direction only, you need to  time your jumps carefully. There are also some electrified platforms you cannot land on or electrical barriers you cannot touch without losing a life.

Many pills are placed in such a way that you need a little logical thinking to get to them. 4 of the rooms require you to flick switches to turn off any electrical barriers, and another room where a switch lies to remove a platform. This may not sound a lot, but there are many other rooms with their own different set of problems which require some great dexterity to avoid, like cannon fire and crushers at the same time. Luckily, Eric is able to quickly change direction mid-jump for crucial timing when needed.

There is also a room with dissolving floors, one which may see you in an inescapable pitfall trap where you will need to press D to lose a life if you're unfortunate enough to find yourself in it. There's a few pitfall traps around so be sure to judge carefully how deep any drops are. There are a few ladders too which can only be ascended with the jump button, you can't go down them. Just make sure that the final pill you collect is the one back on the first screen otherwise it's game over no matter how many lives left, that's the ultimate trap. Finally there's a couple of exits in other rooms which will take you to another room altogether that's not directly next to it, one of these is very handy for a bit of tactical play. I'll leave you to work that one out.

That's the gameplay. But how does the game look, sound and play?

Well, the graphics are virtually identical to Big Mac as it uses much of the same code, although Eric (Mr P) looks far less defined. Maybe it's just a deliberate representation of his total punyness. But he and the rest of the graphics does look a little less colourful compared to Big Mac though.

The sound is OK. The music on the pretty nice title screen is pretty good. The white noise death explosions are OK, although the sound Eric makes when he jumps and falls is quite piercingly high-pitched so make sure you turn the sound down a bit, or you could just turn it right up so to annoy the dog.

The controls are at least nice and fluid. As I said before you can turn direction in mid-jump which becomes crucial for timing. Eric doesn't walk very fast though but not extremely slow either. Collision detection is very good. Unfortunately there is no scoring, just the total time played and the amount of limited 25 vitamin pills you collect.

Sometimes though when you enter a room a certain way, you may find yourself heading straight for an unavoidable crusher or cannon bullet. This means that if you lose a life this way then you will be placed back in exactly the same situation on your next life. This is the Jet Set Willy syndrome, so you will need some game strategy to avoid ending your game swiftly.

It is a pretty tough game to crack but I wouldn't call it overly difficult. It's quite beatable once you work out the map and with plenty of practice which will take a while.

Overall it's a very fun fine game and which becomes quickly addictive. I easily put it somewhere in my top 5 of platformers on the C16. It's a recommeneded game for every retro platform fan. An exclusive classic on our system.

One niggling question though. If he's the most weakest, weediest, pathetic and inept of them all, then how can he possibly lead all the rest of the wimps?

Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 is Live Now With Massive Discounts

 

This holiday season has arrived, and with it comes the Xbox Store’s final major sale of the year, the Xbox Countdown Sale. With discounts on everything from major AAA outings to recent indie hits, it’s a great time to check out some of the most talked-about titles available for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. From open-world action titles to tense survival horror experiences and high-octane arcade racers, there’s something for every kind of Xbox gamer.

It’s a particularly opportune time to stock up on games, as Microsoft recently announced that first-party Xbox titles will receive price increases in 2023. $70 is slowly becoming the standard for big-budget console exclusives, and financially savvy gamers will want to make the most of these digital deals before they become a thing of the past. That’s not to say that every title is set to escalate in price in the near future, though it does suggest that, on the whole, the hobby will be a bit more expensive in the new year for Xbox gamers.

Currently available through Microsoft’s Xbox store page, some of the most notable discounts include both the standard and Ragnarok editions of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for $20 and $25 respectively, the new Need For Speed Unbound for just over $40, and the most current entry in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, for $60. FromSoftware fans can pick up the recent Game of the Year winner Elden Ring for around $40, while 2019’s Game of the Year, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, can be had for $30.

On the indie front, Indie Game of the Year nominee Cult of the Lamb is available for $20, Cuphead and its recent DLC can be bought for a little over $21, and the robust warfare sim Hell Let Loose is priced at $28. Of course, Xbox gamers who tend to favour indie titles should also consider subscribing to Xbox Game Pass, as smaller-scale games are routinely featured on the service.

All in all, over 800 games have been discounted, and no Xbox gamer should be left wanting this holiday season. It’ll be a bit before potential platform-sellers like Bethesda’s Starfield, Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport, and Arkane Studios’ Redfall hit the scene in 2023, so it’s the perfect time to load up on software to help bridge the gap to these forthcoming Xbox releases.

Source: GameRant

December 20 is Going to Be a Huge Day for PS Plus Premium Subscribers [GameRant]

 

PlayStation Plus subscribers who are signed up for PS Plus Premium should be excited for all the new games coming to the service on Tuesday, December 20. PlayStation Plus subscribers have three tiers to choose from when it comes to signing up for Sony's subscription service. Out of all the PlayStation Plus tiers, PS Plus Premium gives subscribers the most bang of their buck, giving them access to all the titles available through PS Plus Extra as well as a slew of classic titles.

Those who are subscribed to PS Plus Premium have the largest library of games to play out of all the PS Plus tiers. They get access to the monthly free PS Plus games available to PS Plus Essential subscribers, the PS4 and PS5 games added as part of PS Plus Extra, and the classics that are Premium-specific. Since PS Plus Premium enjoys all the benefits associated with its lower tiers as well as its own exclusive perks, those subscribed to it should be especially excited for all the games coming on December 20.

Here are all the games that will be available to PS Plus Premium subscribers beginning December 20.

PS Plus Extra Games December 2022

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion

Ben 10: Power Trip

Evil Genius 2

Far Cry 5

Far Cry New Dawn

Far Cry Primal

Gigantosaurus: The Game

Judgment

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Mortal Shell

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition

The Escapists 2

The Pedestrian

Worms WMD

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

These games are technically coming to the PS Plus Extra tier, but they will also be available to those who are signed up for PS Plus Premium. Starting December 20, PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will have access to all these games, which include some rather notable releases. While there are some licensed games and smaller-scale titles, the PS Plus Extra additions for December 20 also include AAA titles like Far Cry 5, the Middle-earth games, and the latest titles in the Yakuza franchise.

It's also been announced that WWE 2K22 will be added to the PS Plus Extra tier beginning January 3.

PS Plus Premium Games December 2022

Heavenly Sword (PS3)

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (PS1)

Pinball Heroes (PSP)

Ridge Racer 2 (PSP)

PS Plus Premium subscribers not only get access to all the games coming to PS Plus Extra on December 20, but they also can check out a fresh batch of classic titles. Generally speaking, many fans have been underwhelmed by the PS Plus Premium classic game additions since the service launched last summer, but there are some notable releases for fans to check out this month.

The headlining new PS Plus Premium game is the PS3 game Heavenly Sword, an action-adventure game from Ninja Theory that was well-received at the time of its release but is still looked back on as an underrated game from the PS3's library of exclusives. Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is the second game in the Oddworld series and one of the highest-rated PS1 titles. And finally, Pinball Heroes and Ridge Racer 2 are two PSP games that are joining the lineup on December 20.

Source: GameRant

Sony is making a multiplayer Horizon game

 

Horizon Zero Dawn developer Guerrilla Games is working on a new Horizon online multiplayer game, according to a tweet about jobs at the studio (via Kotaku).

“A new internal team is developing a separate Online Project set in Horizon’s universe,” an image in the tweet reads. “Featuring a new cast of characters and a unique stylized look, friends will be able to explore the majestic wilds of Horizon together.”

We don’t know much more beyond that, but a multiplayer Horizon game would mark a notable new entry in what’s quickly becoming one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises. So far, the Horizon games have all been single player, including Horizon Zero Dawn and this year’s Horizon Forbidden West. The upcoming PSVR2 title Horizon Call of the Mountain will be a solo adventure, too. But Sony is significantly ramping up its plans for live service titles, stating earlier this year that it plans to release more than 10 live service games before March 2026, and it appears that this new Horizon game could be one of them.

This new multiplayer game isn’t the only addition to the franchise in the works. Just last week, Sony revealed a PS5-exclusive Horizon Forbidden West expansion titled Burning Shores. It’s reportedly working on a mega remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn similar to this year’s The Last of Us PS5 remake. And there’s a Horizon Zero Dawn Netflix show in development from The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman, too.

Source: The Verge

Sony has only added one PS1 game to PS Plus Premium in six months [Metro]

Sony has revealed Toy Story as the most popular PS1 game on PS Plus, which says an awful lot about the state of the service.

With 2022 coming to an end, Sony has put out its annual Wrap-Up feature that tracks all the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games you’ve played throughout the year.

It’s a fun way of looking back through your personal experiences and sharing it with others, plus you get a free PlayStation Network profile picture out of it.

However, the feature shares some global statistics as well, including the most popular PlayStation Plus games and the fact that the service’s top PlayStation 1 game is Toy Story 2.

Its proper title is Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue, but it’s very much an adaptation of the 1999 Pixar movie, putting the titular Buzz in a 3D platformer.

Sony hasn’t shared exact figures for how many people have downloaded/played it through PS Plus, but it’s one of only two PS1 games sitting within the top five most popular games from the service’s classics catalogue. The second is Tekken 2, which is at number five.

It’s a tad surprising to see a movie tie-in be among the most popular retro titles of the year, but this can be chalked up to a couple of reasons.

The first is simply that a lot of people have nostalgia for the game. It’s not a bad tie-in, for the time, but if you grew up with it this is a rare chance to go back.

The other, more obvious reason is that it’s because the PS1 line-up of games on PS Plus Premium is so bizarrely awful. While there are a few fan favourite titles (Ape Escape, Wild Arms, Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee) the full list is only 14 games long.

It’s been six months since Sony launched the revamped PS Plus service and in that time, only one other PS1 game – Syphon Filter 2 – has been added. There’s no list of titles that have been promised for it either.

The service is completely missing almost every famous game that made the PS1 such an iconic console and Sony seems to have no interest in addressing the issue.

In terms of overall popularity, the two games that beat out Toy Story 2 were PlayStation 4 titles: God Of War 3 Remastered at number two and Mafia: Definitive Edition at number one.

We’re not sure why Sony has lumped PlayStation 4 games in with all the retro titles, considering the PlayStation 4 is still getting new releases throughout 2023, but that just speaks further to be the peculiar way Sony is treating the service.

Source: Metro

Warzone 2.0 Fans Want Their Money Back After Controversial Skin Gets Nerfed

 

One of the most controversial skins in "Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0" has received a nerf, and fans who bought the skin are not too pleased.

Earlier this month, "Warzone 2.0" added a paid skin to the game. The skin inspired by professional "Call of Duty" team LA Thieves was all-black except for a bright "LA" logo on the chest. While the cosmetic is undoubtedly sleek and has a low-profile design, many players complained the skin is akin to pay-to-win because it practically made those wearing it invisible in dark areas of the map.

Similar to how the "Roze" skin was fixed in the original "Warzone" and 2019's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" after it gave players a bit too much advantage, Activision has patched the LA Thieves skin in "Warzone 2.0" to make it more visible, giving it more luminescent eye goggles and straps (via Eurogamer). While some gamers might be happy that players who paid for the LA Thieves skin will no longer have a massive advantage over other players, the fans who paid for the skin are less than thrilled by the change. And now, they want their money back.

If players bought the LA Thieves skin in "Warzone 2.0," intending to be harder to see, it's only natural that consumers are a bit irked after the skin was essentially nerfed. But surprisingly enough, it seems that Activision has been giving out refunds to some players who purchased the skin and are dissatisfied with its new look. According to a tweet from "Call of Duty" news figure CharlieIntel, players on Battle.net or Xbox may be eligible to receive a refund if they bought the LA Thieves skin. However, CharlieIntel also clarifies that results may be different for each person.

In response to some commenters implying the skin change was justice served to those trying to buy advantage, one Twitter user said that they were asking for a refund because the skin no longer appealed to them. "bought the skin because I always go for the all black look in every game," the user said. "[It] didn't offer any tactical advantage since I'm not the hide in the shadows type. They altered the product in a way that's no longer appealing so, I want my money back. It's not what I paid for. Simple." Another user hit back at those criticizing players requesting refunds, saying that consumers bought a skin for a specific look, only for it to be changed two weeks later -- likening the situation to purchasing a black car only for it to be delivered red.

Source: SVG

Linkin Park - Papercut (NemeZis Hip Hop Piano Mix)

Linkin Park - In The End (NemeZis Hip Hop Mix)

A more rappy hip hop version on In The End by Linkin Park.

Cyberpunk 2077 Devs Reveal Why The Game's Multiplayer Was Canceled

 

"Cyberpunk 2077" had one of the most rocky and disappointing releases in recent gaming history. Coming off the success of "The Witcher 3," fans had high hopes for CDPR's next game and it was certainly being hyped by the developer. When it launched, however, "Cyberpunk 2077" fell far short of expectations. The game proved to be riddled with bugs, the graphics were lackluster, and more than a few promised features had been left on the cutting room floor. Among these features was a multiplayer mode for the game.

While multiplayer had been planned for "Cyberpunk 2077," it was decided at some point during development that this feature would be added after the launch of the game. With this launch not going as planned, the upheaval left CDPR working to fix the game's single-player experience, and work on multiplayer was delayed. Now, the developers are finally confirming that multiplayer for the game is definitely cancelled. They are also revealing the reason why. The reason, as it turns out, is not particularly surprising.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Cyberpunk 2077 Senior Quest Designer and Coordinator Phillip Weber stated that the studio's commitment to fixing the game forced it to make the difficult decision to scrap the plans for multiplayer. "The priority was that the main experience will run for the people in a really good state. And essentially, the switch of priorities meant that other R&D projects had to go away," Weber explained.

Despite this setback, CDPR is still interested in bringing multiplayer to its games in the future. Weber noted that, while plans for a "Cyberpunk 2077" multiplayer mode or standalone game have been scrapped, the developer is "focusing on bringing online into all of [its] franchises one day." With CDPR recently announcing a sequel to "Cyberpunk 2077" that no one saw coming, it seems that fans may get some multiplayer combat in Night City after all.

This commitment to branching out into multiplayer experiences, Weber was also eager to emphasize that, at its core, CDPR is still a single-player games developer. While it wants to make multiplayer a part of its games in the future, single player narratives still come first. The fact that multiplayer was dropped from "Cyberpunk 2077" while the developer is still planning on releasing single-player DLC in the future would seem to support this assertion.

The official cancelation of multiplayer will likely upset some fans. However, they may take solace in the fact that we may still see multiplayer in "Cyberpunk," along with other CDPR games, in the future. Despite a tough couple of years, the developer seems to be learning, improving its practices, and continues to be devoted to the sorts of games it's known for.

Source: SVG

Ed Boon Has Bad News for Mortal Kombat Fans

 

NetherRealm Studios head Ed Boon has some bad news for Mortal Kombat fans who have been holding out for a surprise reveal at The Game Awards this year. At The Game Awards 2018, Ed Boon shocked the world with the surprise reveal of Mortal Kombat 11. It's now been three years since Mortal Kombat 11's release and NetherRealm still has yet to reveal its next project for traditional gaming consoles.

New content was released for Mortal Kombat 11 regularly after the game launched, with NetherRealm releasing multiple character packs, guest fighters, and even new story content over the years. 2023 will see the launch of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught for mobile devices, but fans still don't know what the studio's next core game will be. And unfortunately, it looks like answers won't be coming at The Game Awards on December 8.

Ed Boon recently took to Twitter to acknowledge the big Mortal Kombat 11 reveal that happened at The Game Awards in 2018. To manage expectations for those who expect to see NetherRealm's next game at The Game Awards this year (whether it's a new Mortal Kombat game or something else entirely), Boon said that the studio is not ready to announce its next game yet. Since Boon has a history of trolling fans on Twitter, there are still those who think he's misleading them and that NetherRealm's next game will indeed be revealed at The Game Awards, but fans shouldn't hold their breath.

4 years ago at the Game Awards we managed to pull off a surprise announcement of MK11, which turned out great.

Perhaps too great, as many assumed we'd repeat that trick for our next game.

Thank you for the anticipation, but we're not ready to announce the next NRS game yet.🙏 pic.twitter.com/QMXsuEPchR

— Ed Boon (@noobde) December 2, 2022

This isn't the first time that Boon has attempted to manage expectations when it comes to his NetherRealm's presence at The Game Awards this year. Recently, Boon confirmed that while he will be in attendance at The Game Awards in Los Angeles, he is not one of the presenters this year. Regardless, it seems some fans are still unwilling to take him at face value and are holding out hope that NetherRealm's next project will be revealed at the event.

As for what NetherRealm's next project is, that remains to be seen. Boon recently narrowed it down to two possibilities: Injustice 3 or Mortal Kombat 12. Of course, it's possible that Boon was just joking about that as well, and the studio's next project could be something completely unexpected.

One persistent rumour has been that NetherRealm is working on a Marvel fighting game, but nothing official has been announced about it. Whatever the case may be, it seems Mortal Kombat fans and fans of NetherRealm's work in general will have to wait a bit longer to find out what's coming next.

Source: GameRant

Linkin Park - In The End (NemeZis Keep That In Mind Remix) - Full Song on My Channel

Linkin Park - In The End (NemeZis Keep That In Mind Remix)

Super Smash Bros. Tournament Shut Down, Nintendo Denies Making Request

 

A little more than a week before its Championships were supposed to go ahead, organizers of the Smash World Tour have announced the weekend has been cancelled. A lengthy statement explaining why the tournament has been abruptly pulled claims Nintendo is to blame and also accuses a rival Super Smash Bros. tournament organizer of trying to sabotage its events.

“Without any warning, we received notice the night before Thanksgiving from Nintendo that we could no longer operate,” Smash World Tour's statement reads. “This was especially shocking given our discourse with Nintendo the past twelve months.” The Smash tournament's organizers added later in the statement that throughout most of 2022, Nintendo has been “consistently straightforward, transparent, and direct in answering our questions”, hence the shock over the alleged u-turn.

While Nintendo pulling Super Smash Bros. from a tournament unexpectedly certainly wouldn't be out of character (it did exactly that to EVO this year) the video game company has issued a statement of its own via Kotaku. “Nintendo did not request any changes to or cancellation of remaining events in 2022, including the 2022 Championship event, considering the negative impact on the players who were already planning to participate,” Nintendo's response reads.

Nintendo also clarifies that it was unable to come to an agreement with SWT regarding a tour in 2023. However, a second statement from SWT claims a 2023 tour hadn't even been discussed with Nintendo. Organizers claim to have asked if the 2022 championships could go ahead with an “unofficial” tag attached, but Nintendo told them no.

As touched upon above, SWT also believes rival Smash Bros. tournament organizers Panda, which does have a Nintendo license, has something to do with this. The group was told by organizers that Panda's CEO had informed them the Smash World Tour would not be taking place in 2022. SWT also claims Nintendo was aware of these accusations and that it would be questioning the Panda CEO about the situation.

Source: The Gamer

Nvidia may be killing some of its most popular GPUs

 

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 and GTX 1660 lines may no longer be in production. Nvidia could be ending production of its two most popular graphics cards, according to WCCFTech and sources in the Asia Pacific manufacturing industry.

This comes as a bit of a shock, considering both of these cards are among the most popular GPUs in the world. According to a Steam hardware survey from this past October, the GeForce RTX 2060 is the second most-used card in the world, with a 6% market share (the GTX 1060 is number one). The GTX 1660 is the eighth most popular, with a nearly 3% share.

But it is not only the RTX 2060 and GTX 1660 that Nvidia is cancelling. It’s their entire lines.

The RTX 2060 launched only three years ago, in June 2019. A year later, they updated the card with the RTX 2060 Super, and only last year, in the summer of 2021, the RTX 2060 got a further upgrade with a 12GB version. All three cards are no longer in production.

The same is true for the GTX 1660, which also launched in 2019 and saw updates to a SUPER model and the famous 1660 Ti model. This was undoubtedly a budget card compared to the 2060, but it still offered decent performance.

We reached out to Nvidia to find out if they will continue to support these cards and for how long. After all, there are things like drivers and warranties to keep updated. We haven’t heard back yet.

Meanwhile, Nvidia’s newest 40-series GPUs continued to suffer pricing issues, production delays, and sometimes melt. Nobody had them yet when Steam did their survey, so we have no idea how many are out in the wild right now, but at prices of more than $1,500, we don’t expect to see many.

One of the primary reasons for the cancellation of these two lines has to do with the crypto mining crisis of 2020 to 2021. Miners were buying up GPUs like they were going out of style, and then China surprised everyone by suddenly banning the practice. Thousands of these more affordable RTX 2060 and 1660 units flooded back onto the market as miners dumped their hardware. The recent crypto crash hasn’t helped.

Now, Nvidia is left with plenty of unused stock and is competing against itself in the used GPU market. Its modern and expensive 40-series GPUs may not be moving as fast as Nvidia had hoped. There really is no point for the company to continue to produce these older units.

Last year’s RTX 3060, on the other hand, is a fantastic GPU and was the fourth most popular graphics card on the market, according to Steam. It had a 5.74% market share, putting it slightly behind the 2060. For anyone looking for a good Nvidia card without spending all their money, this could be the perfect option for you.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/shopping/nvidia-may-be-killing-some-of-its-most-popular-gpus/ar-AA14Hlmw?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds&cvid=aa9d23af7bb747e1a7b34db8c85a8acc

Nvidia RTX 4090 hack could save you money and stop your cables melting

 

Nvidia’s RTX 4090 can have its power usage tamed considerably while still delivering most of the performance you get at default levels, according to some fresh testing.

Quasarzone conducted tests (as flagged by Hardware Times) to ascertain the frame rates the RTX 4090 managed in a selection of five games at 4K resolution (max details) at its out-of-the-box settings – and a power usage of 347W – before comparing that to what the graphics card hit with the power limit manually adjusted downwards in steps.

Limiting power usage to 326W (a power limit setting of 80%) saw frame rates remain at 99.1% compared to the default, and further dropping to 305W (70%) resulted in 97.8% of the performance level being maintained. In all honesty, most folks are not going to notice what is only a 2% difference.

So, the takeaway here is that if you have an RTX 4090, it’s very easy to adjust the power limit and bump it down to the 300W level without really making any noticeable difference to your overall fps (frames per second).

Even at the 60% power limit level, which draws 268W, frame rates were 93.9% which still isn’t too far off the pace.

Bearing in mind this is true at 4K for the tested games, and if you’re wondering what they were, Quasarzone employed the following titles: Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, Lost Ark, PUBG and Spider-Man Remastered.

Analysis: Won’t somebody please think of the adapters…

Those who own an RTX 4090 – and there are quite a few enthusiast buyers out there who’ve taken the plunge with this high-end GPU – are no doubt reading this with interest, especially given the whole controversy around Nvidia’s Lovelace flagship and the cases of melting power adapters.

If you’re a little paranoid due to this whole episode – and admittedly, it affects just a very small number of GPUs according to Nvidia’s stats, though any at all is too many really – power limiting could be a useful workaround to bear in mind. Turning that power usage down somewhat may help to stave off any danger of things going bad with an adapter.

Not only that, but if doing so means less power usage for pretty much the same performance – it’s not going to be a noticeable difference to your gaming experience to drop 2% of fps, realistically – then why wouldn’t you do so if you also have an eye on energy bills. After all, there’s a cost-of-living crisis in full swing, with power bills sky-high for some folks, so why not keep the power guzzling of the Lovelace flagship to an acceptable minimum. While doubtless also helping to ensure your gaming PC is easier to cool, for that matter.

An interesting point all this raises is that the TGP of the RTX 4090 being set at 450W certainly leaves a massive amount of headroom when you consider that in fact the RTX 4090 can be run at 300W – two-thirds of that amount – while still delivering excellent performance levels. Although comparing an overclocked RTX 4090, rather than one at default settings, to a power-limited flagship GPU is going to be something of a different matter, naturally.

Still, looking at this testing does make you wonder whether it would’ve been wise for Nvidia to have eased down on the default settings a bit further still.

Quasarzone also looks at undervolting the RTX 4090, which can provide even better results than power limiting, but it’s a much trickier beast to deal with, while adjusting the power limit is a very simple task. So for most people, the convenience of being able to do this quickly and easily far outweighs the extra gains of undervolting – and the difference isn’t huge, either, it should be noted, with power limiting still providing great results.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/nvidia-rtx-4090-hack-could-save-you-money-and-stop-your-cables-melting/ar-AA14HbfG?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds&cvid=aa9d23af7bb747e1a7b34db8c85a8acc

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Nvidia RTX 4080 costs too much, recent survey shows

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080 is its second-most-powerful graphics card, and that high performance comes at a cost that gamers feel is too high, according to a recent survey. Priced at $1,200, it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate capability, exceeding the blazing performance of the previous generation’s best, the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.

Despite the amazing graphics performance of the GPU and its 16GB of memory, most gamers in a recent survey felt it was overpriced. This demonstrates how much we’ve come to assume that technology will continue to get faster without any significant increase in cost. That is partially true since manufacturing advances and ongoing miniaturization help, but there are other factors that can affect pricing, such as the after-effects of the global pandemic.

According to a TechPowerUp survey of over 11,000 readers, the ideal price for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 is $800, with nearly as many suggesting $700 would be perfect. The RTX 3080 cost $700, showing that most customers are willing to pay a bit more ($100) for the generational advance but didn’t expect a $500 increase to $1,200. Nvidia has sold out of the RTX 4080 on its website with strong demand despite the cost, and they have undoubtedly considered pricing very well.

22% of respondents thought $800 would have been the perfect price for the 16GB RTX 4080, 21.7% chose $700, and 14.5% hoped for $600. A few dreamy-eyed gamers wished for the RTX 4080 to cost less than $400. Sadly, Nvidia would likely go out of business with such ridiculously low pricing. Only a smattering of people thought Nvidia should charge $1,200 or more, representing just 2.5% of those surveyed.

Ironically, a lower-cost 12GB version of the RTX 4080 was announced and then immediately “unlaunched” due to customer outrage. This would have been closer to the ideal price and might have satisfied some customers’ requests for a more affordable 4080. Unfortunately, besides the lower memory capacity, it also featured a less-powerful chip. Nvidia might still launch this graphics card but hasn’t shared any details.

Nvidia does make an effort to stay in touch with its customers, and perhaps this survey will help inform future plans for GPU pricing. On the other hand, the company is still struggling to keep enough product in stock, and with such high demand, it would be a difficult corporate decision to lower prices.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/shopping/nvidia-rtx-4080-costs-too-much-recent-survey-shows/ar-AA14HLXX?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds&cvid=aa9d23af7bb747e1a7b34db8c85a8acc

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Xbox Live Users Could Be Suspended For Uploading Emulated Screenshots And Video

 

If you're a fan of Xbox, emulation, and enjoy uploading your own screenshots and videos to Xbox Live, you may want to stop what you're doing right now otherwise you might get a hefty punishment from Microsoft. That's according to the Emulation discord channel anyway, which reveals a screenshot of an email from Microsoft telling someone that their Xbox account was been temporarily suspended due to their use of an emulator to upload images and video to Xbox Live.

"Hello valued Xbox customer," reads the email. "Thankyou for utilizing our Case Review appeals system to learn more about this account's suspension. The account was temporarily suspended for using an emulator to upload untrusted images and video on Xbox Live." The email goes on to remind the user of the Microsoft Store policies and claims using unauthorized software to upload content "risks the integrity and security" of the service.

A moderator for the Discord channel - Vaporeon13 - clarifies that the account was only suspended and not banned, although mutliple suspensions may eventually lead to that. They recommend that users worried about getting banned when using emulators disable auto-uploads to prevent screenshots and video being unwillingly uploaded to Xbox Live. They also recommend you use alternate accounts if you're going to mess about with emulation in the first place. Good advice all around really.

In other Microsoft-related news, it turns out that both it and Bethesda may actually have a rough release window for The Elder Scrolls VI, and that the UK Government know that potential date too. Microsoft's arguments regarding its planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard were made public earlier this month, in which it talks about The Elder Scrolls VI.

The document also mentions a potential release year, although it's been redacted for privacy reasons. Someone had to do the redacting of course, so it's possible there's a few people in the UK Government that actually know the vague release year for one of the biggest games ever. Lucky so and so.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/xbox-live-users-could-be-suspended-for-uploading-emulated-screenshots-and-video/ar-AA14IuqC?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds&cvid=aa9d23af7bb747e1a7b34db8c85a8acc

Sony and Honda teaming up for electric car in 2025 — and it could have PS5 inside

 Sony has grand plans to enter the electric car business, teaming up with Honda to produce an electric car people will actually be able to buy. But it sounds like the car will be able to do more than get you from place to place. In fact it could feature a built in PS5, in an attempt to compete with Tesla.

Izumi Kawanishi, head of Sony’s mobility business, teased this possibility when speaking with the Financial Times. “Sony has content, services and entertainment technologies that move people,” Kawanishi said. “We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla.” 

He also added that it was “technologically possible” for Sony to include a PS5 platform in its cars, and that “Tesla is not providing any content services” of its own.

Despite the strides traditional automakers have made in developing electric cars, Tesla is still the company to beat. Tesla is also notable for giving drivers the option to play AAA video games in some of its more premium models — most notably The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Steam integration has also been promised, but so far nothing has materialized for the general public. 

While video games in a car may seem fairly counter productive, the idea is that people have something to do at times when the car can’t be driven such as when it’s recharging. It’s the same reason why some cars, notably Tesla, offer access to services like Netflix.

Obviously developing a catalogue of games for this fairly niche purpose is difficult — especially if you can’t take your progress out of the car. That’ll be a big part in why Tesla wants Steam integration, since it gives gamers access to their existing game libraries and the opportunity to store their save files in the cloud.

Sony’s advantage is that it has total control over its own gaming platform, and Kawanishi notes that it would be built directly into the car rather than added later as a software update. The other obvious advantage is that there wouldn’t have to be any licensing or deals that would need to be struck. Likewise there's no issues with a game’s system requirements, because all PS5 hardware is more or less identical. The same can’t be said for gaming PCs.

Of course, like Tesla, Sony’s goal is to make its cars completely autonomous. That’s partly why Honda and Sony teamed up in the first place, with Sony providing sensors and software, while Honda builds the actual cars. So Sony is planning ahead, to ensure the autonomous cars of the future are capable of keeping passengers engaged.

However, Kawanishi emphasized that this is a long way off. Sony may be aiming to launch its first electric car around 2025, but that car won’t be fully autonomous. “Autonomous driving will have to evolve considerably from the current level to get to that point,” Kawanishi said, “and it will take time for that to happen.”

But we don’t need to wait for Sony’s autonomous car to see a bonafide PlayStation built into a car. Let’s just hope it doesn’t end up being as difficult to buy one as it is to get a PS5 right now.

Far Cry 6 DLC 'Lost Between Worlds' Launches Next Week

 

After Ubisoft teased more details for the upcoming Far Cry 6 DLC earlier this week, the publisher delivered by lifting the lid on the game's "Lost Between Worlds" expansion.

Source: DualShockers

For anyone looking for a truly high-end gaming laptop with a good discount

 

For anyone looking for a truly high-end gaming laptop with a good discount, Dell has one of the best gaming laptop deals around. Right now, you can buy the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop for $2,900 direct from Dell. Normally priced at $3,580, you save a considerable $680 off the usual price so while this isn’t a cheap gaming laptop, it is an excellent discount. Let’s take a look at why it’s worth your money.

Why you should buy the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop

The Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop has all the specs of one of the best gaming laptops you can buy. It’s the thinnest 17-inch gaming laptop around but with some impressive specs that will make all your games look fantastic. That includes a 12th generation Intel Core i9 processor, a huge 32GB of memory plus 1TB of SSD storage. Graphics card wise, you get an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB of VRM so you simply can’t get better than this in laptop form at the moment. Many gaming laptops stick with 16GB of memory so seeing twice the amount here is great to see for future-proofing.

There’s also a fantastic display in the form of a 17.3-inch UHD panel with 120Hz refresh rate and 4ms response time. Sure to make all your games look gorgeous, it works wonderfully with the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card. Appreciating that gaming laptops need something different from the best laptops, the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop also has an optimal thermal design so you won’t have to worry about overheating even during marathon gaming sessions. Support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos also means you get a truly high-end experience every time, experiencing things just how the developer envisaged. Even the keyboard is well designed being highly responsive and offering anti-ghosting technology, 1.5mm key-travel, and N-key rollover technology.

Ordinarily priced at $3,580, the Alienware x17 R2 gaming laptop is down to $2,900 right now at Dell. A considerable saving of $680, if you’ve been budgeting for a high-end gaming laptop that will last you a long time to come, you’re going to love this system from Dell. Buy it now before the deal ends.

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Source: Digital Trends