Items tagged with Gaming
Google has been bragging about Stadia for months now, and as the launch nears, new details about the gaming service have surfaced. One fresh bit of information is likely to be disappointing to potential subscribers: Google has announced that at launch, the Stadia controller will only work wirelessly with the Chromecast Ultra. That means you can play with no wires when the Chromecast Ultra is hooked to your TV, but if you want to play on other devices, you will need to connect a cable to the Stadia controller to use it. The Stadia controller is the only first-party hardware that the service offers at this time, and it features Stadia-specific shortcut keys and integrated WiFi. Google has stated...
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If you are like me and are a child of the 80s and 90s, then you probably have fond memories of the Nintendo Game Boy. As one of the first truly portable gaming consoles on the market, the Game Boy allowed us to toss in 4 AA batteries and have a few hours’ worth of escapism in games like Tetris and Super Mario Land without being tied to the TV. Nintendo's Game Boy lived on for quite a few generations, and its legacy still resides somewhat in the current generation Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. But for those that want to call back to the earlier, simpler times of the original Game Boy, there's a new device that's coming to the market from Analogue. Analogue is already a familiar...
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Developer Riot Games, a subsidiary of Tencent, is best known for League of Legends, the wildly popular multiplayler online battle arena (MOBA) game released 10 years ago. What's in store for the next decade? More League of Legends, of course—the universe is expanding into a bunch of new games, including League of Legends: Wild Rift. Wild Rift is a new version of the game that is being rebuilt for Android, iOS, and console platforms. It features a brand new (yet familiar) 5v5 map based on Summoner's Rift, which the developer says it has streamlined for faster matches. "A responsive dual-stick control scheme, designed exclusively for new platforms, makes sure your skillshots on mobile feel...
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Microsoft and Taco Bell are teaming up again to both fill hungry tummies and satiate a need for gaming. Starting on Thursday, October 17, Taco Bell patrons who order a $5 Double Chalupa Box will have a chance to win an Xbox One X Eclipse console, Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller, and a six-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. The promotion runs until November 23. It's claimed the tantalizing prize bundle will be given away every 10 minutes on average, which adds up to a bazillion consoles (or something like that—math was never my strong suit). This is far from the first time Microsoft and Taco Bell have collaborated on a giveaway (Taco Bell has also partnered with Sony for a...
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We already knew Google was planning to launch its Stadia cloud gaming service in November, and now we have an exact release date—mark your calendars for November 19. That is when the Stadia Founder's Edition packages will arrive on doorsteps, with servers set to open up to the public at 12:00 pm EST (9:00 am PST). Stadia is not a game console, but there is some hardware involved. The Founder's Edition package, which is still available to preorder for $129.99, contains a Chormecast Ultra streaming dongle, limited edition Night Blue controller, a pair of 3-month Stadia Pro subscriptions—one for yourself and one of the form of a "Buddy Pass" to hand out to a friend. Though Stadia is...
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Gamers who have been enjoying PC gaming for decades will probably have fond memories of playing classic MS-DOS games back in the day. Some of those games have been made playable on Archive.org. MS-DOS games have been added as playable in a browser since 2015 thanks to the Internet Archive, and it has announced that 2,500 additional games have been added. The Internet Archive says that it has added games here and there in that time, but this is by far the most extensive collection of games that it has ever added at once. The new collection ranges from small independent releases to big-name games from major studios that launched decades ago. There are some caveats to keep in mind with the...
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After more than a day of downtime, the black hole in Fortnite has closed, the servers have been flipped back on, and Chapter 2 is now live. The second chapter brings with it a fresh map to explore with more than a dozen new locations (or exactly a baker's dozen, if you prefer), new weapons and vehicles, and...fishing! Wait, fishing? Yes! Water is not in short supply in Chapter 2 with a bunch of lakes spread about, and so there are plenty of opportunities to hop in a motorboat, swim, catch fish, and basically get your feet wet on the new map (figuratively and literally). Epic Games is taking somewhat of a gamble by casting the old map into the ether and herding millions of players into the new...
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It has been an interesting week for Blizzard Activision, to say the least. The developer-slash-publisher found itself in the midst of a viral hellstorm after deciding to issue a one-year suspension to professional Hearthstone player Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai, in apparent reaction to him voicing support for Hong Kong protestors during an official tournament livestream. According to Blizzard, however, its relationship with China had nothing to do with the penalty. In addition to the one-year suspension, Blizzard also initially decided Blitzchung was not eligible for the $10,000 tournament prize he had won. What sparked all this was Blitzchung saying, "LIberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,"...
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What would an arcade fight stick be without the actual stick? Peripheral maker Razer came up with an answer—it's the Raion, a new gamepad that "brings arcade stick controls to the palm of your hand." As such, it's a fight pad, and it is designed for both the PlayStation 4 consoles and Windows PCs. Razer said it built the Raion from the ground up for fighting games. While not specifically mentioned, that translates to high profile titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and the Street Fighter series (among others). From my vantage point, the renders look a bit similar to Microsoft's Xbox One controllers, in terms of the general shape. The Raion is a different beast, though. It features a 6-button layout...
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Valve is getting ready to introduce a new feature to Steam that will bring automatic online support for local multiplayer games. The feature is called "Remote Play Together" and it enables a player to invite up to three online friends to join the local multiplayer experience. What's neat about this mode is that the online friends do not need to purchase the game. The new feature is "just like handing a second controller to a friend," just that friend happens to be in another location entirely. "When the Friend accepts an invitation to play, it’s as though they’re playing side by side at the same machine. Much like a traditional split-screen experience, the host’s computer is...
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Activision Blizzard (just Blizzard from here on out) finds itself mired in controversy after suspending Chung "Blitzchung" Ng Wai, a professional esports player, for one year and forcing him to forfeit a $10,000 prize he had one in the Hearthstone Asia-Pacific Grandmasters Tournament. His suspendable offense was voicing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, during a livestream. "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times," Blitzchung said while donning a gas mask and goggles. Playing remotely from Hong Kong, the 21-year old esports player had just won $10,000 and was being interviewed after the match when he made the comment. Blizzard stripped him of his Grandmaster prize earnings,...
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Rockstar Games recently confirmed its wildly popular Red Dead Redemption 2 game would soon be galloping over to PC. Now here in the homestretch leading up to the launch, the developer revealed what kind of specs will be necessary to play RDR2 on PC. They are not too demanding, though if you're rocking a paltry solid state drive, you may need to get something more capacious. That's because RDR2 requires 150GB of disk space. Easy cheesy if you own a bulky hard drive and have not already filled it up with photos, videos, and everything else. But if you're skating by with, say, a 256GB SSD, you might not have enough free space to install the game. Fortunately, pricing on SSDs have come down dramatically...
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Well, Fortnite fans, it was a good run but the end is nigh. What will you play next? Just kidding, Fortnite is not actually closing shop—Epic Games would have to be bonkers to turn its back on Fortnite, given how lucrative its free-to-play baby has grown to become. However, there is a season event called "The End" that is en route. Donald Mustard, the Worldwide Creative Director at Epic Games, teased the event on Twitter by changing his location to The End. Check it out... It's a subtle hint, but certainly not random—Mustard often teases Fortnite events on his Twitter account, and that is precisely what he is doing here. Looking back, Fortnite has a history of closing out seasons...
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Slaying demons in id Software's upcoming Doom Eternal game will have to wait a little bit longer than planned. Originally announced for a November 22, 2019 release when it was revealed at E3 earlier this year, id Software today announced it is delaying Doom Eternal a few months to add more "speed and polish." "To make sure we're delivering the best experience—for Doom Eternal to live up to our standards for speed and polish—we've made the decision to extend our launch date by a few months to March 20, 2020. We know many fans will be disappointed by this delay, but we are confident that Doom Eternal will deliver a gaming experience that is worth the wait," id Software said. If nothing...
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