Two years ago, EA filed a patent for a dynamic difficulty adjustment system, the same patent that spawned a class action lawsuit over claims that EA uses dynamic difficulty to push players towards microtransactions in games like FIFA. That lawsuit was eventually dropped after a conversation with EA's engineers and …
Read More »Apple facing production delays for MacBooks and iPads
While Apple has mostly managed to maintain its production through the pandemic, the global chip shortage is finally starting to have an impact on the company. According to a new report, Apple is facing production delays for MacBooks and iPads due to component shortages. According to Nikkei, “a portion of …
Read More »Xbox reportedly in talks to publish next game from Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima has had a long history of partnering with PlayStation, from the early days of Metal Gear all the way up to Death Stranding. With that in mind, many of us have assumed that Kojima Productions' next game will also end up being a PlayStation exclusive, but that may …
Read More »Microsoft to launch Surface Laptop 4 next week
Last month, we learned that Microsoft was nearing the launch of the Surface Laptop 4, featuring both Intel and AMD configuration options. We now have more details, as Microsoft went live early with support pages for these unannounced laptops. According to WinFuture, the Surface Laptop 4 will include Ryzen 4000 …
Read More »Oculus co-founder confirms Facebook cancelled Rift 2 shortly before production
As we learned yesterday, the Oculus Rift line of VR headsets is no more. Once current units of the Rift S are gone, there will be no more stock and we're unlikely to see a Rift 2. Interestingly, a Rift 2 had been developed and was nearing production, but Facebook …
Read More »Airpulse launches new A80 speakers with ribbon tweeters
Renowned audio engineer Phil Jones and AirPulse are teaming up again in 2021 with a new pair of speakers. The new Airpulse A80 offer a new entry-level price point without sacrificing quality. The Airpulse A80 speakers come loaded with the company's signature horn-loaded aluminium ribbon tweeter and a proprietary 4.5-inch …
Read More »Nvidia Reflex now in Overwatch, feature also coming to Rust and Ghostrunner
Last month, Nvidia and Blizzard announced plans to add Nvidia Reflex technology into Overwatch, which can reduce input latency by up to a whopping 50 percent for PC players. After a couple of weeks of testing in Overwatch's Public Test Realm servers, Reflex is officially rolling out to all Overwatch …
Read More »Diablo 2: Resurrected gets its first playtest this month
Blizzard is making good progress in Diablo 2: Resurrected, with the first technical play test set to begin this month. Blizzard has invited players to sign up for the first alpha test, which will focus on the single-player portion of the game. The technical alpha test for Diablo 2: Resurrected …
Read More »BioWare details gameplay improvements coming to Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remasters
We've known for a while now that BioWare is working on some fairly major gameplay tweaks for the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remastered trilogy. In particular, Mass Effect 1 needs some gameplay changes, as a lot changed during the jump to Mass Effect 2. Fortunately, BioWare is finally starting to …
Read More »Apple demands thousands of documents from Facebook ahead of Epic Games lawsuit trial
We're just a month away from Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple going to trial. In recent months, Apple has been contacting various companies across industries requesting information that could help its defence. We already know that Valve was forced to hand over data from Steam and it seems that Apple …
Read More »LG might be planning to upgrade ‘selected devices’ to Android 12 despite mobile division closure
This week, LG officially announced that it is shutting down its mobile business and will no longer make or sell smartphones. However, LG says it will continue to offer Android OS updates, with some devices set to get Android 12. As spotted by XDA Developers, LG's Korean press release regarding …
Read More »The Oculus Rift S has been discontinued
Shortly after announcing the Oculus Quest 2 last year, Facebook confirmed that the new standalone VR headset would replace the original Quest and eventually, the Rift S too. We're now coming to the end of the Oculus Rift S life cycle, with Facebook confirming that it will no longer be …
Read More »Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft and more will appear at E3 this year
The ESA is finally starting to reveal some of its plans for E3 2021 following months of leaks and rumours about this year's show. While we were unsure how many major publishers would support E3 this year with its new all-digital focus, the turnout is presently surprising, with the likes …
Read More »Sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sets new record, sells for $660,000
The original Super Mario Bros. is one of the most historically significant video games of all time. With that in mind, it is no surprise that a sealed copy of the NES game often fetches a high price at auction. Previously, the record set for a sealed copy was $114,000 …
Read More »Outriders cross-play a ‘high priority’ fix, devs promise transparency on launch issues
Outriders launched last week and while it was hugely successful in terms of day-one sales and concurrent players, there have been on-going connectivity issues with servers and other features like cross-platform play between PC and console. People Can Fly has been addressing these issues in the days since launch and …
Read More »FBI investigating CS:GO match fixing, bribes and illegal bets
We’ve known for a while now that several CS:GO teams engaged in match-fixing in an effort to make extra money through bets. Journalists and league officials like the ESEA have investigated these instances, uncovering plenty of proof along the way. Now, the FBI appears to be getting involved too. As …
Read More »Hong Kong customs reportedly seized 300 Nvidia CMP 30HX mining cards
Around three hundred Nvidia CMP 30HX mining cards have been seized by Hong Kong Customs. The new GPUs are intended to be used for cryptocurrency mining, but there is a ban on crypto mining farms in some Chinese regions. The initial news came from MyDrivers, which reported the seizure of …
Read More »Outriders launches as one of the biggest games on Steam
As a brand new IP, it was difficult to estimate how successful Outriders would be at launch, even after the game’s very successful demo. Fortunately, now we have some hard data to look at and so far, Outriders is doing a lot better than Square Enix’s previous online co-op attempt. …
Read More »Personal data of 533 million Facebook users leaked online
It looks like Facebook is going to be making headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week, as personal data from 533 million accounts has leaked online. The leak sees accounts from users in 106 countries compromised, including 32 million users in the US and 11 million users from the UK.
Read More »Apex Legends to get more Titanfall content in next season
While Respawn was rumoured to be working on Titanfall 3 a few years ago, plans changed when Apex Legends released and became an immediate success. The game is continuing to do well in its eighth season but those who miss Titanfall will want to keep an eye on the game’s …
Read More »LG confirms it is shutting down its smartphone business
Last week, local reports from South Korea claimed that LG was indeed shutting down its smartphone business after buyout negotiations with several interested companies fell through. At the time, LG claimed that “every possibility is still on the table” but that changed today, with LG making the decision official. In …
Read More »MLB The Show 21, a PlayStation published game, is launching on Xbox Game Pass
MLB The Show 21, a PlayStation published game, is launching day-one on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft announced the deal yesterday, marking another astonishing turn of events as Sony begins to open up to the idea of multi-platform releases. Weirdly, this means Xbox gamers will get a better deal, being able …
Read More »The Witcher Season 2 has wrapped up filming
After multiple delays due to the coronavirus and an on-set injury, filming has officially wrapped on The Witcher Season Two. The next season will adapt the Blood of Elves novel and will introduce The Wild Hunt. The second season for Netflix’s The Witcher began filming last year, but the coronavirus …
Read More »Quantum computing breakthrough could greatly accelerate production and research
It looks like Quantum Computing could arrive sooner than expected, as a UK-based company has discovered a method for manufacturing quantum chips at scale using existing processes – something that could greatly accelerate research. Quantum Motion, a startup founded by UCL and Oxford University students, have been able to create …
Read More »TSMC reportedly investing $100 billion to expand chip making capacity
Late last month, Intel announced plans to invest $20 billion to build new foundries to produce chips for other companies and compete with the likes of TSMC. It seems that TSMC has some major plans of its own, with the semiconductor company reportedly set to invest $100 billion in expanding …
Read More »GeForce Now will add 34 games in April, including Outriders
March was a big month for GeForce Now, with a ton of games added to the library, improved integration with other platforms and a revamp of the subscription tier. Things aren't slowing down in April, as another 34 games will be added to the GFN library. This week's GFN library …
Read More »Microsoft is selling over $21 billion worth of custom HoloLens headsets to US Army
Back in 2018, Microsoft found itself in the middle of a controversy after selling $480 million worth of HoloLens headsets to the US Army. Employees spoke out against the decision at the time, but Microsoft stood its ground. Now, Microsoft has signed a much bigger contract with the military, selling …
Read More »E3 2021 will be digital, but there won’t be any paywalls for content
E3 is just a few months away and the ESA is slowly starting to confirm its plans for digital content in lieu of a physical event this year. While reports yesterday claimed that parts of the show may be tucked behind a paywall, the ESA has since stated that the …
Read More »Cyberpunk 2077 DLCs and expansions still on the way
While CD Projekt Red has decided to “reconsider” its plans for a standalone Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer game, the studio is not dropping future plans for additional single-player content, with free DLCs and expansions still on the way. Speaking on a conference call with investors, CD Projekt's Senior VP of business …
Read More »Alan Wake 2 is reportedly in development and funded by Epic Games
We learned last year that Remedy was working on two unannounced projects, both of which are being funded and published by Epic Games. Now, we may know what one of this projects is, as sources this week claim that Remedy is indeed working on Alan Wake 2. Alan Wake originally …
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