Items tagged with Gaming
As another season rolls around, so too does another Steam sale with deep discounts on games. If you do pick up some games, you can stock up on Steam points to decorate your profile for the season. However, let’s look at what Steam has to offer first, as there should be plenty of games for everyone. Shooters If you are looking to blast some bad guys or get into some mil-sim action, these are some of the top deals to get you going over the Tukey-day weekend and beyond. Far Cry 5 @ $11.99 (80% off) Doom Franchise Bundle @ $41.98 (72% off) Arma 3 And DLC Up To 75% Off Simulators Perhaps you just want to sit back and race a car, drive a truck, or build a PC. We get it, playing simulator games...
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Have you tried buying a next-generation game console? If so, you might have a hole in your wall, from where you punched it out of frustration. The Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and both PlayStation 5 consoles have been almost impossible to buy, thanks to a combination of factors—high demand, not enough supply, bots, etc. If it comes as any consolation, Xbox boss Phil Spencer feels your frustration and wants to change the pre-order process for the better. The question is, how can Microsoft (and Sony) go about doing that? Let me share my own experience, before diving in to that. Having missed out on the initial pre-order run, I've tried a few times to order one of the next-gen consoles. But...
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Fortnite has some big changes rumored to be in the works, and leaker Lucas7yoshi believes “modding” coming to Epic Games' battle royale game. In a series of tweets, the leaker claimed with absolute certainty that modding is on the way. He also delved into what this could look like in Fortnite, which you can see below. Obviously, people should take rumors and leaks with a gain of salt, but modding could be an exciting change for Fortnite. It could bring custom skins, tools, weapons, or vehicles to the game, depending on its implementation. In any case, Lucas7yoshi claims that modding is “100% in the works,” according to his tweets. Confidence for this is its 100% in...
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It is once again time for a new console generation and Microsoft has two shiny new products ready for the holiday 2020 shopping season. Continuing its tradition of sometimes fuzzy model branding, we have the new Xbox Series X and Series S, which succeed the previous-gen Xbox One X, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and the console formerly known as Xbox. This time around, Microsoft is focused solely on the gaming and entertainment experiences – there is no Kinect accessory or multimedia hub with HDMI input. The Xbox One X is all about improving the core gaming experience and all that comes with it. The two-tier console launch approach is unique this generation, with the Series X being the full-blown next-generation...
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Gaming laptops just keep getting better, and more recently, there has been a push for higher refresh rates to keep the action fast and smooth. Adding to the mix, a company called Eluktronics is laying claim to the world's first laptops to feature a 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate, which quite frankly is a delightful combination (depending on the rest of the hardware). These are not the fastest-ever refresh rates on a laptop—the bar has been set to a ludicrous 300Hz, as found on a spattering of models (MSI Dragonshield, ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, and others). But those are all 1080p displays. Gaming at 1440p is gaining traction on the desktops (and the Xbox Series S is built with 1440p...
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About two years ago, NVIDIA started talking about a shader rendering method that applied varying levels of quality to different objects in the game world. That method was called Variable Rate Shading, or VRS. When applied skillfully and artfully in different areas of a scene that are less prominent in the gamer's field of view, the resulting rendered image quality wouldn't look all that different than if the whole scene had been fully shaded, though the graphics workload savings would improve performance significantly. Fast forward a year or so, and benchmarks became available for measuring the performance differences with and without VRS enabled. Indeed, there was performance to be...
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The evidence that a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti release is right around the bend is piling up. Every day seems to bring a fresh leak or rumor, and today is no exception—purported benchmark scores of NVIDIA's unannounced card have shown up at two different places, those being the Ashes of the Singularity database, and over at Geekbench. Before we get to the benchmark numbers, let's recap the leaked specifications. An apparent GeForce RTX 3060 Ti listing by Manli seemingly confirms the card will ship with 4,864 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory (14Gbps), with a 256-bit memory bus delivering 448GB/s of memory bandwidth. Manli's listing also showed it having a 1,410MHz base clock and 1,665MHz boost...
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Well that did not take long. Nintendo's reborn Game And Watch handheld console has been on the market for all of two seconds (technically, about a week and a half, but you get the point—it's brand spanking new) and already it has been hacked to run Doom. Because, you know, that is like a right of passage for electronics. Beside, if Doom can run on a Ti-Nspire or Ti-83 calculator (and it can!), then surely the Game And Watch should be up to the hell raising challenge of playing Doom, right? The answer is 'Yes!', though it was not a simple or straightforward hack that got it running. That said, no hardware modifications were required to get it to work. At this point you might be wondering,...
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In September, Apple revealed new App Store guidelines for game streaming apps. However, these rules were not conducive to streaming as they required games to be downloaded first from the App Store. This sort of requirement is not workable, so companies such as Microsoft with Project xCloud and NVIDIA with GeForce NOW sought workarounds. It seems NVIDIA was the first to the pass, as it is now offering GeForce NOW in the iOS browser, Safari. According to NVIDIA, “GeForce NOW transforms underpowered or incompatible hardware into high-performance GeForce gaming rigs.” Previously, only Android devices had the game streaming capability due to Apple’s draconian rules. That changes...
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Fortnite remains one of the most popular games around, and is a veritable golden goose for developer Epic Games, despite being free-to-play (there is big money earned through in-game purchases). Perhaps in an attempt to ensure it stays that way, Epic Games has just added a new and intriguing feature to Fornite, that being in-game video chat. The new feature comes courtesy of a partnership with Houseparty, a free social networking app that recently enjoyed a rise in popularity. Apps and services like Houseparty are seeing increased usage in large part because of COVID-19 and continued calls to social distance from one another, and work and play from home. The latest Fortnite update integrates...
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As we wait for the fifth episode of Night City Wire to showcase some of Cyberpunk 2077’s décor, CD Projekt Red has given us some in-game footage. The video released on YouTube today shows a player navigating around Night City in first-person on the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. Without spoiling the game, CD Projekt Red jumps between several story-lines and locations in Night City. This isn’t just cinematic footage either, as we get to see some driving, NPC interaction, gunfights, explosions, and even a saber of some sort. Overall, the 10-minute video is well worth the watch. If you looked closely during the video, it looked like the Xbox One X struggled slightly more than...
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The folks at Nintendo are getting ready to serve up a free 'Winter Update' for its highly popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, and it can not get here quick enough. Fortunately, it is right around the corner. As in, Nintendo plans to push the update out on Thursday, November 19, which is now just a couple of days away. This could have just as easily been called a Holiday Update, because of two very distinct themes that will play out, those being Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it arrives just in time—the latest CDC guidelines point out that "small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases," and many families are opting to skip getting together...
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The next-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles launched last week, but it looks like Bud Light felt left out? The design team at Bud Light decided to whip up a new console that combines two of our favorite things: beer and gaming gear. The BL6 is the “world’s first ever self-cooling six pack that also plays video games,” which is “½ koozie, ½ projector & ½ gaming console.” While we are not sure the math checks out there, it is still an interesting piece of tech that you could get your hands on soon. Bud Light did not give many details on their webpage for the device, but what we know is that the BL6 is a console, projector, and two-can...
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If there is one thing we can count on whenever hot new component hardware arrives, it's that it will not be long before Dell integrates it into their Alienware gaming systems. So naturally, with the release of Nvidia’s latest and greatest GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards, it was no surprise to see Alienware desktops already shipping out with these cards on deck. The Alienware Aurora R11 we have in our lab today features Dell's highest-performance configuration with an RTX 3090 to create what representatives at Dell are calling a “Benchmark Bruiser.” We will, of course, get to those benchmarks, but first let’s get familiar with this new Alienware machine itself....
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Imagine a company that has the audacity to revive a handheld game system from 40 years ago, and do it at a time when there is a glut of new and powerful gaming hardware on the market, including the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, and a bunch of new graphics cards for PCs. That company could only be Nintendo, and what it has brought back into the limelight is a modern take on the ancient Game & Watch. Many gamers have fond memories of the original NES and Super NES, but the Game & Watch? The first version came out in 1980, before The Simpsons existed, and when a gallon of gasoline ran about a $1.20. A sort of precursor to the Game Boy, these were single-game handhelds with a LCD screen,...
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A handful of viral videos might have you believing that some early Xbox Series X adopters caught on video their shiny new consoles going up in smoke, an apparent result of overheating. Indeed, that would be a major fire hazard, if true. But it's not true. Instead, some dingbats figured out they could blow vape smoke into their console and have it exhaust through the top, which prompted Microsoft to put out a statement saying that is not a good idea. "We can't believe we have to say this, but please do not blow vape smoke into your Xbox Series X," Microsoft stated on Twitter. Microsoft is keeping a good sense of humor about the situation, posting several follow-up tweets, one of which reads, "The...
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Sony makes some...curious decisions from time to time, doesn't it? The company has been known to rile up gamers on occasion, like dragging its feet with cross-play support. However, it is Sony's decision to not offer native 1440p support on the PlayStation 5 that is the most recent example, which could potentially make the console a bad candidate for gaming on a PC monitor. Fortunately, the decision is not set in stone. Should native 1440p support never materialize, it would not be the end of the world. Sony likely reckons the vast majority of PS5 owners will connect their console to their TV set and either play at 1080p or 4K. And for those who do want to play at 1440p on a PC monitor, the PS5...
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When you make as much money as Google does (its parent company, Alphabet, raked in more than $46 billion in the last quarter alone), you can afford to gift hardware to consumers, especially if it is tied to a subscription service. And that is precisely the deal here—if you are a YouTube Premium subscriber, you might be eligible to receive a free Stadia hardware bundle. There are some caveats which we will get to in a moment. But first let's talk about Stadia. This is Google's cloud gaming service, and if you have not done so already, check out our Google Stadia review for our full thoughts an analysis. The short version is, while promising, there are some limitations and caveats. That said,...
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Aya had originally hoped to launch its handheld Neo game console based on an AMD Ryzen "Renoir" APU last month, but after a short delay, the company is now accepting pre-orders, albeit only in China with what appears to be limited quantities at the outset. Nevertheless, it is here in Founder form, which is basically a special edition variant. Called the Aya Neo Founder, it sports a translucent casing, and sort of looks like a PC version of the Nintendo Switch. Aya is apparently anticipating high demand to go along with whatever inventory it has available, hence why it is only available to pre-order in China for the time being. "Aya is currently available for a limited time at a special price...
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Ah nuts, Kerbal Space Program 2 will stay grounded this year, and instead will launch sometime in 2022. This adds to a string of delays for various reasons, one of which was attributed to the Coronavirus pandemic. But hey, at least it has not been cancelled (and 2022 is not far away, though it's not clear when exactly next year the game will launch). Kerbal Space Program 2 has a bit of weird history that includes talent poaching and a cancelled contract. It is the sequel to Kerbal Space Program, which launched to PC in 2015, followed by releases to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 a little over a year later. Had things gone to the initial plan for Kerbal Space Program 2, it would have launched...
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Look, we all make bad decisions from time to time, like slathering ketchup on scrambled eggs or ordering a pizza with ham and pineapple. And maybe you think those specific examples are controversial. Fine (you're wrong, but fine). What some people may not find to be fine, however, is if Sony ends up shunning native 1440p support for its upcoming PlayStation 5 console. At this point, we are exactly one week away from the retail launch of the PS5, both the regular model for $499, and the Digital Edition (read:disc-less) for $399. And it is already in the hands of reviewers and, as much as I hate to use the term, social media 'influencers'. While the rest of us wait, and interesting report has emerged....
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It does not appear as though Epic Games and Apple are close to kissing and making up, which means Fortnite remains a no-show in the App Store. However, that does not necessarily mean there is no way to play it on an iPhone or iPad device. Fortnite could be making a semi-triumphant return to iOS devices, and without Epic Games conceding its dispute with Apple. And NVIDIA would be the one to thank. Say what, now? NVIDIA does not have a dog in this fight, but it does have a cloud gaming service. I am of course talking about GeForce NOW. The streaming service has been expanding its catalog of games, and also extending its reach, having added support for Chrome OS devices (Chromebooks, mostly) this...
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