Gaming News - Page 1

All the latest gaming news, with everything related to PlayStation releases (PS4 & PS5), Xbox, PC Games, Nintendo Switch & plenty more.

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Survival MMO Dune: Awakening will make players fight each other over spice

Jak Connor | Mar 28, 2024 3:25 AM CDT

If you are a fan of the extremely popular Dune movies, you should keep Dune: Awakening on your radar, as the survival MMO looks very promising.

Survival MMO Dune: Awakening will make players fight each other over spice

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Dune: Awakening developer Funcom has provided some more details on its upcoming title. Chief Creative Officer at Funcom, Joel Bylos, touched on how PvP will work in Dune: Awakening, with the developer saying that Funcom believes PvP "works best" when players are competing over resources rather than fighting over bases, which is a common mechanic in other survival multiplayer games such as Rust, Ark, and DayZ.

For those that don't know, within the Dune universe, spice is the most valuable resource in the entire galaxy, and having Funcom adopt an approach that pits players against each other to acquire spice fits perfectly into the canon of the story. More specifically, players will be able to see "spice blows" as world events on the map. These spice events will be visible to all players, creating a sense of urgency to travel to the location, gather as much spice as possible and then transport their haul back to their home bases while fighting off other players.

Continue reading: Survival MMO Dune: Awakening will make players fight each other over spice (full post)

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian-made gaming system, like Xbox and PlayStation

Anthony Garreffa | Mar 28, 2024 12:20 AM CDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed his government to look into the requirements for organizing the production of both game consoles and portable gaming consoles in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian-made gaming system, like Xbox and PlayStation

Making them in Russia, producing them in Russia, and even creating a special operating system and cloud system for delivering games and programs to gamers. President Putin's deadline for executing the order is June 15, 2024, which is only a few months away.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin oversees the completion of the task, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Putin's order to consider the creation of a domestically-produced console will help develop Russia's native gaming industry. The Organization for Developing the Video Game Industry (RVI) provided a five-year roadmap to the Russian government in February, laying out an 83-point program for developing games in Russia.

Continue reading: Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian-made gaming system, like Xbox and PlayStation (full post)

Digital Xbox Series X spotted, no disc drive and all white like the Series S

Kosta Andreadis | Mar 27, 2024 11:31 PM CDT

Images of a yet-to-be-announced digital-only Xbox Series X have appeared online, showcasing an all-white version of the current console sans optical drive. The dimensions and size look the same in the surprisingly low-resolution leaked images presented by eXtas1s over on exputer.

Digital Xbox Series X spotted, no disc drive and all white like the Series S

Many have been expected to see the all-digital Xbox Series X sometime this year because it was included in that massive Microsoft document leak last year. The version of the console showcased there presented a cylindrical-shaped console with notes that the all-digital console would be released sometime in June or July of this year.

The leaked images, if real, show that Microsoft has moved on from creating a new look for the digital Xbox Series X console. Instead, it will be the same box in a white form factor to match the drive-free baseline Xbox Series S console. It's also reported to include an improved heatsink.

Continue reading: Digital Xbox Series X spotted, no disc drive and all white like the Series S (full post)

Marvel Rivals is a new team-based hero PVP game from Netease that looks a lot like Overwatch

Kosta Andreadis | Mar 27, 2024 10:04 PM CDT

Described as a "Super Hero team-based PVP shooter," Marvel Rivals from NetEase and Marvel Games gives off serious Overwatch and Valorant vibes. The free-to-play PC game was announced earlier today, and the announcement trailer showcases a stacked lineup of Marvel characters battling it out, including Black Panther, Spider-Man, Magneto, Rocket Raccoon, Iron Man, and more.

Marvel Rivals is a new team-based hero PVP game from Netease that looks a lot like Overwatch

According to the press release, the global team developing the game comprises talent who has worked on franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield. The game will, of course, fall into the live service online competitive space currently populated by Overwatch, Valorant, and even Counter-Strike, with the game set to feature an "ever-evolving all-star squad of Super Heroes and Super Villains." So expect new maps, characters, Season Passes, and all that.

Marvel is calling it one of the most ambitious game projects it has worked on to date. It is set to feature characters from the worlds of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and more. An Alpha Test for Marvel Rivals begins in May, so a full or Early Access launch should happen this year.

Continue reading: Marvel Rivals is a new team-based hero PVP game from Netease that looks a lot like Overwatch (full post)

Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to see Epic Games Store, Steam, and other storefronts on consoles

Kosta Andreadis | Mar 27, 2024 2:27 AM CDT

Xbox head Phil Spencer has been vocal about opening up the traditional walled gardens associated with videogames, from exclusives to storefronts to platforms. This is reflected by recent Xbox actions, which have seen previously exclusive first-party releases like Sea of Thieves, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush make their way to platforms like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to see Epic Games Store, Steam, and other storefronts on consoles

In the same Polygon interview where Phil Spencer hinted at more exclusives making their way to other platforms, he agreed to a radical idea for Xbox consoles: opening up the platform to additional storefronts like the Epic Games Store, Itch.io, and Steam. This would mean more than an open place to buy a game on a console, presenting a major shift for Xbox as a brand.

"[Consider] our history as the Windows company." Phil Spencer said. "Nobody would blink twice if I said, 'Hey when you're using a PC, you get to decide the type of experience you have [by picking where to buy games]. There's real value in that."

Continue reading: Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to see Epic Games Store, Steam, and other storefronts on consoles (full post)

Diablo 4's ray-tracing and DLSS 3 Frame Generation update is finally here

Kosta Andreadis | Mar 27, 2024 12:59 AM CDT

Diablo IV's long-awaited ray-tracing update is here, with ray-traced reflections and shadows adding more detail to the game on PC and console. On the PC side, DLSS 3 with Frame Generation and Reflex can improve performance by up to 3X - with the GeForce RTX 4090 can hit an average of 144.4 FPS at 4K with max settings, according to NVIDIA.

Diablo 4's ray-tracing and DLSS 3 Frame Generation update is finally here

The recently released GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and RTX 4080 SUPER can also push performance past 100 FPS at 4K. Jumping down to 1440p, the GeForce RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 SUPER hit triple-digit performance, followed by the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, which averages 92.5 FPS.

If you turn off DLSS 3 and Frame Generation, performance does take a notable hit, as the game's RT reflections reflect all pyrotechnics in the environment. RT shadows replace existing shadows to create a more realistic Sanctuary with "contact hardening and softening."

Continue reading: Diablo 4's ray-tracing and DLSS 3 Frame Generation update is finally here (full post)

GTA+ gets new must-play Rockstar game

Derek Strickland | Mar 26, 2024 5:32 PM CDT

Rockstar's new Game Pass-like subscription service GTA+ gets a huge value boost.

GTA+ gets new must-play Rockstar game

In a recent Q3 earnings call, Take-Two management said it expects to make more money from Rockstar's premium GTA+ subscription. Now we're seeing how exactly that will happen: With must-play games.

Rockstar today announced that fan favorite Western sim Red Dead Redemption and its Undead Nightmare expansion are now available on its $5.99/month GTA+ subscription. RDR joins other hits like the recent GTA trilogy collection on consoles. This service is kind of like Xbox Game Pass for Rockstar titles; pay a fee to access a handful of Rockstar games and get GTA Online benefits along the way.

Continue reading: GTA+ gets new must-play Rockstar game (full post)

Xbox's new brand pivot hopes to capture Gen Z audience

Derek Strickland | Mar 26, 2024 4:58 PM CDT

Why is Xbox making radical changes? It's all part of a big strategy that hopes to capture a new generation of gamers.

Xbox's new brand pivot hopes to capture Gen Z audience

The games industry is changing, and Xbox is changing with it. Higher production costs have led to $70 games and microtransactions being included in practically every new release. The industry grew under COVID, but contracted due to economic pressures from inflation and reduced disposable income.

According to Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, the console market isn't growing, and global gaming revenues have been down for the past 2 years in a row. So that leaves Spencer and his team with an important question to answer: How does Xbox create growth if its core market isn't growing? Diversification is one option, and that's the current route Microsoft is trying to take.

Continue reading: Xbox's new brand pivot hopes to capture Gen Z audience (full post)

More Xbox games to break exclusivity, Phil Spencer hints

Derek Strickland | Mar 26, 2024 3:04 PM CDT

More first-party Xbox games could break exclusivity and release on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch platforms, a new interview with Xbox CEO Phil Spencer indicates.

More Xbox games to break exclusivity, Phil Spencer hints

A bit ago, Microsoft made the controversial decision to officially break first-party exclusivity and sell Xbox games on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. Four first-party Xbox Game Studios titles crossed over to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, including Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment. Now it sounds like more games are coming.

In a recent interview with Polygon, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer asserted that Microsoft's new business plan has a few goals. Xbox wants to reduce friction and break the barriers in between the walled garden ecosystems that separate the Big 3's platforms. There's some ambiguity to Spencer's words because of the author's paraphrasing, but overall the interview shows how Spencer is thinking about the current gaming landscape and the future of Xbox.

Continue reading: More Xbox games to break exclusivity, Phil Spencer hints (full post)

Epic Games mobile store could significantly boost revenues, increase profitability odds

Derek Strickland | Mar 26, 2024 1:01 PM CDT

Fortnite-maker Epic Games plans to bring its digital storefront to mobile, and this move should help improve the odds of the store becoming profitable.

Epic Games mobile store could significantly boost revenues, increase profitability odds

Europe's new Digital Markets Act is helping shake up the video games industry. Apple made $14.8 billion from mobile games in 2022, despite not having released its own games. That money was generated from the 30% fee that Apple takes from mobile developers, which would put App Store mobile game revenues at nearly $50 billion. The EU's new DMA law requires Apple to let developers sell their games and goods directly to iOS users via separate stores, thereby avoiding the 30% revenue sharing "tax."

With the runway cleared, Epic Games is making big moves and intends to launch the Epic Games Store on both Android and iOS sometime in 2024. Epic has secured the support of key third-party partners that could include some of the biggest players in the business. In any case, mobile offers another endpoint for Epic to sell their digital wares--not just another endpoint, but the largest games platform on the market--and should help boost overall revenues and sales on EGS.

Continue reading: Epic Games mobile store could significantly boost revenues, increase profitability odds (full post)