2020 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:20:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png 2020 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Microsoft discontinued Xbox One consoles in late 2020 but no one knew https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/joao-silva/microsoft-discontinued-xbox-one-consoles-in-late-2020-but-no-one-knew/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/joao-silva/microsoft-discontinued-xbox-one-consoles-in-late-2020-but-no-one-knew/#respond Fri, 14 Jan 2022 09:15:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=546231 While Sony has reportedly delayed discontinuing the PlayStation 4 to compensate for the lack of PlayStation 5 consoles, it turns out that Microsoft discontinued its previous-gen consoles in late 2020, soon after the Series X|S launch. That's according to The Verge, who had a word with Cindy Walker, senior director of Xbox console product marketing. …

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While Sony has reportedly delayed discontinuing the PlayStation 4 to compensate for the lack of PlayStation 5 consoles, it turns out that Microsoft discontinued its previous-gen consoles in late 2020, soon after the Series X|S launch.

That's according to The Verge, who had a word with Cindy Walker, senior director of Xbox console product marketing. In a statement, Walker confirmed that “to focus on production of Xbox Series X / S, [Microsoft] stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020”.

We already knew that the Xbox One X and S digital edition had been discontinued in mid-2020, but there was no word regarding the standard Xbox One S. Now, we know the console was discontinued soon after the launch of the Series X|S, in late 2020.

Despite Microsoft discontinuing the previous-gen consoles, it is not quite the same situation that Sony is in. The PlayStation 5 is the Japanese company's only next-gen console, but Microsoft obviously has Series models. So while Xbox Series X and the PS5 tend to be hard to find, the Series S isn't, so Microsoft's discontinuation of the One S appears justified.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you been trying to upgrade to one of the new consoles, or are you happy sticking with a last-gen machine for a bit longer?

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God of War Ragnarok’s release window has leaked https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/god-of-war-ragnaroks-release-window-has-leaked/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/god-of-war-ragnaroks-release-window-has-leaked/#respond Tue, 28 Dec 2021 11:19:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=545021 With the unpredictability of video game development, Sony have made it a point to not share release dates for games generally until the title is near completion. Such is the case with God of War Ragnarok which – aside from a delay from 2021 to 2022 – has seen little in the way of any …

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With the unpredictability of video game development, Sony have made it a point to not share release dates for games generally until the title is near completion. Such is the case with God of War Ragnarok which – aside from a delay from 2021 to 2022 – has seen little in the way of any announced release date. Thanks to the PlayStation database however, its intended launch window may have leaked.

Currently, all we know of God of War Ragnarok’s release date is that it is targeting a 2022 release. While the first game in the rebooted series came out on the 20th of April 2018, it looks as though the sequel will be targeting a different season to launch in.

As reported by ‘PlayStation Game Size' – which uses an API to extract information from PlayStation’s database, God of War Ragnarok’s internal release date is currently set for the 30th of September 2022.

As mentioned in the report itself, this may be a placeholder date, as even though it is a Friday (a typical release day for games) it is the final day in PlayStation’s 3rd Quarter, meaning that this date is more used for fiscal purposes. Even so, this does give a clue into the fact that Sony’s Santa Monica Studio may be targeting a release within that Quarter – namely some time between the 1st of July and the 30th of September.

As mentioned, God of War 2018 released on the 20th of April and so it is interesting to see the sequel potentially launch in a different season. Typically franchises will release their sequels around the same time of year, and so this change is interesting. If Ragnarok is indeed intended to launch during the 3rd Quarter, hopefully it is some time during the early months of the season. We will have to wait and see.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this release window? When were you expecting it to launch? When do you think we will get a concrete release date?

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SSDs outsold HDDs for the first time in 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/joao-silva/ssds-outsold-hdds-for-the-first-time-in-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/hard-drives/joao-silva/ssds-outsold-hdds-for-the-first-time-in-2020/#respond Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:52:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=504656 New statistics show that SSDs outsold traditional hard drives for the first time in 2020. While SSDs may have sold more units though, HDDs still take the crown for total storage.  According to the statistics from Trendfocus (via Storage Newsletter), SSD sales have increased by almost 21% in 2020 (333.12M) compared to the previous year. …

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New statistics show that SSDs outsold traditional hard drives for the first time in 2020. While SSDs may have sold more units though, HDDs still take the crown for total storage. 

According to the statistics from Trendfocus (via Storage Newsletter), SSD sales have increased by almost 21% in 2020 (333.12M) compared to the previous year. With a total amount of 207.39 exabytes of SSD storage sold, this value has increased by around 50% compared to 2019. Considering both values, on average, each SSD sold in 2020 had 623GB of storage on average.

Enterprise SSD sales have suffered quite a hit, dipping by up to 34% due to oversupply and low demand. The client SSD market is doing significantly better, for example, M.2 SSD sales rose by 11% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Image Credit: Storage Newsletter

The number of HDDs sold in 2020 (259.81M) might be 18% lower than in 2019, but the storage capacity has actually increased by 13%, to 1018.32 exabytes. This means that each HDD sold in 2020 had around 4TB of storage on average.

This year's Trendfocus storage statistics were complete with the Q4 figures (image above). As seen on the charts, Samsung is still the SSD market leader, accounting for 26.1% of the total amount of SSDs sold and 32.8% of the amount of SSD storage sold. The second biggest SSD seller of 2020 was Western Digital, followed by Kioxia and SK Hynix.

KitGuru says: Did you buy a new SSD or HDD in 2020? 

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67% of all games sold in 2020 were digital https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/67-of-all-games-sold-in-2020-were-digital/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/67-of-all-games-sold-in-2020-were-digital/#respond Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:00:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=500612 Though just a few years ago the idea of a digital-only console could have been considered a laughable prospect, both Sony and Microsoft now offer such a device. It would appear to be for good reason too, as in 2020 across the UK, 2/3rds of all games that were sold were in fact digital, far …

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Though just a few years ago the idea of a digital-only console could have been considered a laughable prospect, both Sony and Microsoft now offer such a device. It would appear to be for good reason too, as in 2020 across the UK, 2/3rds of all games that were sold were in fact digital, far outweighing the number of physical game sales.

In an annual report of the UK video game market released by Gamesindustry.biz based on GSD market data, it was revealed that of the 42.7 million game units that were sold across the UK in 2020, 24.5 million units were purchased digitally, compared to 18.2 million physical game sales.

This means that 2/3rds of all games sold were digital, far outweighing physical sales. This wasn't always the case however. This figure represents a 74% increase in digital sales when compared to 2019, which had a digital adoption of 52%.

It is worth noting that in the UK especially, many retail stores were shut for months at a time due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown measures. Still, online retailers were offering deliveries, meaning that the increase in digital adoption may simply be due to an ongoing shift in market trends.

Of course, for years now, purchasing games digitally has been the dominant way of buying games for PC players. Though there was a delayed adoption, it would appear as though consoles are beginning to follow in the PC’s footsteps.

With such a big jump in digital sales, as well as the release of the PS5 Digital Edition and Xbox Series S, it will be interesting to see what digital adoption looks like at the end of 2021.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised to see such a high digital adoption? Do you buy physical or digital games? Do you think physical games will ever go away entirely? Let us know down below.

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2020’s top 10 best selling games in the UK revealed https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/2020s-top-10-best-selling-games-in-the-uk-revealed/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/2020s-top-10-best-selling-games-in-the-uk-revealed/#respond Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:35:19 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=500428 At the beginning of each new year, it is always interesting to take a look back at the past 365 days and reflect upon the games that came out during that time. For the UK market, it has now been revealed which games managed to make it to the top 10 best selling for the …

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At the beginning of each new year, it is always interesting to take a look back at the past 365 days and reflect upon the games that came out during that time. For the UK market, it has now been revealed which games managed to make it to the top 10 best selling for the entire year.

Though it may come as no surprise, the best selling game in 2020 in the UK across both physical and digital was FIFA 21. The popular football series has a stronghold in the UK and much of Europe, and its 2,182,694 units sold in the UK alone is reflective of this.

The second best selling game also comes as no surprise. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War sold 1,420,353 units, earning it the second place spot. Despite releasing all the way back in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V continues to serve as Rockstar’s cash cow, selling 1,127,222 units and taking third place in the 2020 UK charts.

The rest of the top 10, as reported by the Entertainment Retailers Association is as follows:

  1. FIFA 21 – 2,182,694 units
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – 1,420,353
  3. Grand Theft Auto V – 1,127,222
  4. FIFA 20 – 903,810
  5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – 897,350
  6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 810,462
  7. Assassin's Creed Valhalla – 665,815
  8. The Last of Us: Part II – 539,247
  9. NBA 2K20 – 481,507
  10. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege – 436,957

It is worth noting that the figure for Animal Crossing: New Horizons only represents physical sales, meaning that in reality, the Nintendo Switch exclusive would have likely featured much higher in the top 10 charts.

Lastly, it is also worth pointing out that The Last of Us Part II is the only game in the top 10 (other than Animal Crossing) to be a console exclusive. Though the best selling games for each year can often be predicted with relative ease, it is always interesting to see nonetheless which titles manage to break the mold and surprise the industry.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised by this list? What missing titles would you have expected to make the list? Which game do you think will take the top spot in 2021? Let us know down below.

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Among Us hits half a billion monthly active users https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/among-us-hits-half-a-billion-monthly-active-users/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/among-us-hits-half-a-billion-monthly-active-users/#respond Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:34:36 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=499164 Over the course of 2020, there have been a number of viral games which saw time in the video game limelight. Though titles such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout saw a great deal of popularity, the most viral game of 2020 has to be Among Us. It would appear no …

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Over the course of 2020, there have been a number of viral games which saw time in the video game limelight. Though titles such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout saw a great deal of popularity, the most viral game of 2020 has to be Among Us. It would appear no other game has managed to dethrone the imposter-styled game yet, with November 2020 seeing over half a billion users playing the game.

With roughly 500 million monthly active users in November, Among Us has taken the record for the biggest game ever when it comes to monthly users, as reported by SuperData Research. By November, Among Us was only available on PC and mobile, making the feat even more impressive, especially when considering the fact that the game costs money (albeit only a small amount) on PC.

Among Us recently launched on the Nintendo Switch, meaning that the game is likely to only grow even larger. Furthermore, the game has also been confirmed to be coming to Xbox in 2021, again, increasing its potential.

While most games – free or otherwise – will never ‘sell’ 500 million copies, Among Us has somehow managed to retain that number of players within a single month. With many countries still suffering with COVID-19 as we go into 2021, it’ll be interesting to see just how much bigger Among Us can get.

KitGuru says: Are you still playing Among Us? What would you like to see added to the game? Will a game ever surpass 1 billion monthly users? Let us know down below.

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The 2020 Steam Awards have been announced https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/the-2020-steam-awards-have-been-announced/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/the-2020-steam-awards-have-been-announced/#respond Tue, 22 Dec 2020 16:22:36 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=499115 As 2020 begins to wind down, many video game enthusiasts have been looking back at the past year, thinking of their favourtie gaming experiences in 2020. Your voice can now be represented and heard, as the 2020 Steam Awards are almost live, allowing you to vote for your favourite PC games of the year. At …

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As 2020 begins to wind down, many video game enthusiasts have been looking back at the past year, thinking of their favourtie gaming experiences in 2020. Your voice can now be represented and heard, as the 2020 Steam Awards are almost live, allowing you to vote for your favourite PC games of the year.

At 6pm GMT later today, fans will be able to have their say on what ther favourite games of 2020 have been, as voting for the Steam Awards goes live. The year’s best games are split across 10 categories, many of which offer more unique takes than a majority of other award shows:

VR Game of the Year is between Half-Life Alyx, Phasmophobia, The Room VR A Dark Matter, Thief Simulator VR and Star Wars Squadrons. ‘Labor of love’ pertains to many older titles, namely Counter-Strike Go, Among Us, Terraria, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt and No Man's Sky. ‘Better with friends’ is of course multiplayer games: Fall Guys, Sea of Thieves, Borderlands 3, Deep Rock Galactic and Risk of Rain 2.

Most innovative gameplay is between Death Stranding, Control, Superliminal, Noita  and Teardown. The nominees for Outstanding Story-rich Game are: Red Dead Redemption 2, Detroit: Become Human, Mafia: Definitive Edition, Metro Exodus and Horizon Zero Dawn. ‘Best game you suck at’ is an interesting title for a category, and is between Apex Legends, Crusader Kings III, Ghostrunner, FIFA 21 and GTFO.

Outstanding Visual Style Is self-explanatory, with the nominees being Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Battlefield V, There is no Game, Marvel's Avengers and Black Mesa: Definitive Edition. Best soundtrack is between Doom Eternal, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Helltaker, NFS Heat and Persona 4 Golden. ‘Sit Back and Relax’ is for those games which help you to destress after a long day. The nominees are: The Sims 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Satisfactory, Untitled Goose Game and Factorio.

Last but not least, the nominees for Game of the Year are:

  • Red Dead Redemption II
  • Hades
  • DOOM Eternal
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
  • Death Stranding

Voting will go live later today, and will be open until the 3rd of January.

KitGuru says: Are you going to vote in the Steam Awards? What was your PC game of the year? Which category is your favourite? Let us know down below.

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The 2020 Game Awards nearly doubles viewership to 83 million livestreams https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/the-2020-game-awards-nearly-doubles-viewership-to-83-million-livestreams/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/the-2020-game-awards-nearly-doubles-viewership-to-83-million-livestreams/#respond Fri, 18 Dec 2020 13:18:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=498553 Each year, following the conclusion of The Game Awards, the show’s creator shares details on the success of the show. The 2020 Game Award once again saw major growth, achieving over 8.3 million concurrent viewers and 83 million livestreams in total. Taking to Twitter, The Game Awards’ creator Geoff Keighley stated that “This year #TheGameAwards …

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Each year, following the conclusion of The Game Awards, the show’s creator shares details on the success of the show. The 2020 Game Award once again saw major growth, achieving over 8.3 million concurrent viewers and 83 million livestreams in total.

Taking to Twitter, The Game Awards’ creator Geoff Keighley stated that “This year #TheGameAwards viewership grew over 83% to more than 83 million livestreams”. Commenting on the circumstances surrounding the show – which was produced all digitally this year – he said “This is beyond our wildest expectations; I was just happy we could even produce the show this year.”

Keighley concluded by thanking fans, saying “Thank you for watching and being a part of this global community”. The Game Awards is an annual awards show which began in 2014. Back then, the show received only 1.9 million viewers. Each year since, the show has managed to grow significantly, with viewership nearly doubling each year since 2017.

With 2020’s show seeing such a massive jump in viewership despite the circumstances surrounding its production (going all digital due to COVID-19, with fewer spectacles as a consequence), it’ll be interesting to see how the 2021 Game Awards performs, and whether Geoff Keighley can continue to grow the ceremony each year at the current pace with which it has managed so far.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you watch the 2020 Game Awards? What did you think of it? What changes would you like to see made for 2021? Let us know down below.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 gets minimum, recommended and ideal PC specs https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-gets-minimum-recommended-and-ideal-pc-system-requirements/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020-gets-minimum-recommended-and-ideal-pc-system-requirements/#respond Wed, 22 Apr 2020 08:12:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=463281 After getting a surprise announcement at E3 last year, Microsoft Flight Simulator has been quietly going through a series of closed alpha tests. Now, it appears that we are nearing the road to release, as system requirements have now been revealed.  System requirements are broken down into three segments, a minimum spec, a recommended spec …

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After getting a surprise announcement at E3 last year, Microsoft Flight Simulator has been quietly going through a series of closed alpha tests. Now, it appears that we are nearing the road to release, as system requirements have now been revealed. 

System requirements are broken down into three segments, a minimum spec, a recommended spec and an ‘ideal' spec. As you may expect, the ‘ideal' is a very high-end gaming PC, after all, the simulator does contain a true to life version of Earth, 37,000 real-world airports and updates with real-time air traffic information.

The minimum specifications are sensible enough, calling for a Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-4460 CPU, a Radeon RX 570 or GTX 770 GPU, 8GB of RAM and 150GB of HDD space. The recommended specification bumps that up to a Ryzen 5 1500X or Intel Core i5-8400, 16GB of RAM and a Radeon RX 590 or GTX 970 GPU.

The ‘ideal' specification is a significant jump, calling for the following:

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-9800X
  • GPU: Radeon VII or Nvidia RTX 2080
  • RAM: 32GB
  • HDD: 150GB (SSD recommended)

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Judging by the system requirements, MFS 2020 will be very scalable. You can run it on modest hardware but cranking up all of those settings will be taxing. Have any of you tried Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 in alpha or beta? 

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Razer unveils its new Blade 15 gaming laptop with 300Hz display https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/joao-silva/razer-unveils-its-new-blade-15-gaming-laptop-with-300hz-display/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/joao-silva/razer-unveils-its-new-blade-15-gaming-laptop-with-300hz-display/#respond Fri, 03 Apr 2020 09:30:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=460368 Razer is set to release its updated Blade 15 series of laptops, coming with the new 10th Gen Intel i7 processors with up to 8 cores, Nvidia RTX Super GPUs for mobile platforms, and the choice of a FullHD 300Hz display or a 4K OLED display. There will be two models, the standard Base model …

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Razer is set to release its updated Blade 15 series of laptops, coming with the new 10th Gen Intel i7 processors with up to 8 cores, Nvidia RTX Super GPUs for mobile platforms, and the choice of a FullHD 300Hz display or a 4K OLED display. There will be two models, the standard Base model and the more elegant Advanced model.

The 2020 version of the Razer Blade 15 will be equipped with Intel's latest Comet Lake CPUs for mobile platforms. Buyers will be able to choose between the Base model, equipped with the 6C/12T Intel i7-10750H with a max turbo boost of 5.0 GHz and 12MB of cache, or the Advanced model with the 8C/16T Intel i7-10875H, with a max turbo boost of 5.1 GHz and 16MB cache. Both models will come with Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 wireless module, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, clocked at 2933Mhz.

Each model also has different GPU options, with the Base model coming with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070, and the Advanced model comes with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super, both using MAX-Q design. This will bring ray tracing cores to the Blade 15 laptops, offering improved graphical quality in games that support ray tracing and reducing render times in specific workloads.

According to Razer, the display options also differ on both models. The Base model options are a 144Hz FHD display or an OLED 4K display, while the Advanced model comes with either a 300Hz FHD display or an OLED 4K Touchscreen display. All panel options come “custom-calibrated for colour accuracy”.

The upcoming Razer Blade 15's chassis is similar to its predecessors, with its “signature black aluminium chassis”, but the keyboard layout, I/O ports, and storage options will be different. The keyboard comes with a longer right shift and half-height directional keys, and the typical n-key rollover and anti-ghosting features. The laptop's keyboard lighting system will also be customisable through Razer Synapse 3, with up to 16.8 million colours and multiple lighting effects. The Base model's keyboard comes with Single-zone RGB, while the Advanced model's keyboard has per-key RGB.

Connectivity options include USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 1x HDMI port, 1x USB Type-C port and 1x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port. Some models of the Blade 15 will support charging through the USB Type-C ports, and will also come with a UHS-III SD card reader.

The new Razer Blade 15 will be available in May at Razer.com and retailers at the USA and Canada, starting at $1599.99/€1799.99. If you want to learn more about the Razer Blade 15, click HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you ever owned a Razer laptop? Would you buy the new Razer Blade 15?

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A new Worms game is in development, due in 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/a-new-worms-game-is-in-development-due-in-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/a-new-worms-game-is-in-development-due-in-2020/#respond Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:40:44 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=455991 The iconic Worms series is getting a new game later this year. The announcement was made through Team17's official Twitter account that came with a video showing multiple Worms games and teasing the release of a new game in 2020. For those of you who don't know, “Worms” is a game where two or more …

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The iconic Worms series is getting a new game later this year. The announcement was made through Team17's official Twitter account that came with a video showing multiple Worms games and teasing the release of a new game in 2020.

For those of you who don't know, “Worms” is a game where two or more teams of tiny armed worms try to kill each other with rockets, grenades, fireballs, martial-arts techniques and doomsday/apocalypse-level weapons. The first team to kill all the members of the other wins the match. The first instalment of the Worms series was released in 1995, for multiple platforms including PC, MegaDrive, PlayStation, and many more.

In the tweet made by Team17, there are no details regarding the upcoming game besides the release date tease and the message “things are getting real in 2020”. The teaser trailer posted alongside the tweet recaps the history of the 2D Worms games, including the original Worms, Worms 2, Worms 3 and Worms 4. The teaser is played in an old school TV, which seems to be a reference to the history of the series.

It's not yet known what type of game this one will be. It may be a remaster of an older title, Worms 5, or a spin-off. According to PCGamesN, there are also fans speculating that the new game may be a “3D title based on the clip”.

Fortunately, we may not have to wait much longer for new details, as Team17 stated “more details coming soon” in the tweet. Let's hope that the new Worms game will be worth the wait.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you a fan of the Worms series, and would you play a new Worms game?

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E3 2020 in question again as Los Angeles declares state of emergency https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/e3-2020-in-question-again-as-los-angeles-declares-state-of-emergency/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/e3-2020-in-question-again-as-los-angeles-declares-state-of-emergency/#respond Thu, 05 Mar 2020 12:13:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=455133 A few days ago, following the cancellation of GDC, the ESA reaffirmed that E3 2020 was still set to go ahead as planned. Since then though, the City of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus, putting the event in question once again.  Currently, the ESA is still planning for “a …

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A few days ago, following the cancellation of GDC, the ESA reaffirmed that E3 2020 was still set to go ahead as planned. Since then though, the City of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus, putting the event in question once again. 

Currently, the ESA is still planning for “a safe and successful E3 show” but they are also “monitoring and evaluating the situation daily”. This includes developing “measures to further reduce health risks at the show”, such as increasing the number of hand sanitising stations, frequently cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and additional medical staff that can attend to anyone who becomes ill while on site.

However, the ball isn't entirely in the ESA's court, as prominent exhibitors could pull out of attending E3 due to health concerns. If big publishers and developers decide to not attend, then similarly to GDC and MWC, E3 could end up being cancelled regardless.

The ESA is bound to do everything it can to try and keep the event in-tact this year though, as the launch of next-gen consoles and next-gen games will draw a lot of interest. This is also an experimental year for E3 as the show attempts to appeal to the public and distances itself from its trade show, industry-only roots.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Given how big of a year 2020 is set to be for gaming hardware and software, I do hope that E3 goes ahead. However, it does seem more and more likely that the event will be cancelled or postponed at this point. There is still a couple of months to go though, so it makes sense to hold off on any definitive decisions for now at least. 

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The ESA is revamping E3 and the media registration process to avoid data leaks https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-esa-is-revamping-e3-and-the-media-registration-process-to-avoid-data-leaks/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-esa-is-revamping-e3-and-the-media-registration-process-to-avoid-data-leaks/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2020 09:32:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=449467 E3 has been in some trouble for a while now, with publishers losing interest and the number of attendees paving the way for very lengthy waiting lines for short gameplay demos. The situation reached new heights last year when the ESA leaked personal details of media attendants via a security flaw on its website. The …

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E3 has been in some trouble for a while now, with publishers losing interest and the number of attendees paving the way for very lengthy waiting lines for short gameplay demos. The situation reached new heights last year when the ESA leaked personal details of media attendants via a security flaw on its website. The ESA has not apologised for the incident but today, the association did say that “earning back your trust is our top priority”.

Over 2,000 media attendees had their details leaked last year, including the names of publications they work for, their home address and phone numbers. The security flaw was fixed but by that point, the damage was already done. In preparation for E3 2020 registration, the ESA has announced that it has “upgraded the media registration process, which received a lot of attention this past summer”.

The ESA goes on to say: “we rebuilt the E3 website with enhanced and layered security measures developed by an outside cybersecurity firm. This included updating our data management processes, including the handling of personally identifiable information, and we will no longer store that data on our site. We have also changed our registration practices and will collect the minimum information necessary to complete your registration.”

While media will be a big part of E3 as usual, the ESA is also looking to turn this into more of a fan-driven event. This will involve ‘shaking things up' by inviting influencers and companies like iam8bit, which make gaming-oriented memorabilia and collectables.

KitGuru Says: E3 has been changing for a few years now and it sounds like the in-person experience is going to be very different this year. For those of us at home though, we'll still get the usual big announcement streams from publishers and console makers.

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Sega will announce Sonic-related news on the 20th of every month for the whole of 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/sega-will-announce-sonic-related-news-on-the-20th-of-every-month-for-the-whole-of-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/sega-will-announce-sonic-related-news-on-the-20th-of-every-month-for-the-whole-of-2020/#respond Mon, 20 Jan 2020 13:52:06 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=447771 It would appear as though Sega is gearing up for a big 2020, as it recently announced the creation of the Sonic 2020 Initiative, in which the company will reveal new Sonic The Hedgehog information on the 20th of every month. January’s announcement was, of course, the unveiling of the initiative itself, with more to …

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It would appear as though Sega is gearing up for a big 2020, as it recently announced the creation of the Sonic 2020 Initiative, in which the company will reveal new Sonic The Hedgehog information on the 20th of every month. January’s announcement was, of course, the unveiling of the initiative itself, with more to follow in future months. 

Translated by Gematsu, the initiative will be leading up to Sonic’s 30th anniversary, which takes place in 2021. Sega are known to create games specifically in service of milestone anniversaries. For the Blue Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary, Sega announced both Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. In honour of Sonic’s 20th anniversary in 2011, came ‘Sonic Generations’.

The franchise has been relatively silent in recent years, aside from a number of spin-off titles, so the announcement of the initiative is interesting to say the least. The 20th of January announcements came in the form of the unveiling of the initiative itself. Furthermore, Sega released new smartphone and PC wallpapers, 21 character icons, and also a new page on its ‘Sonic Channel’ website.

Currently, the page features only today’s announcements, but be sure to check it out on the 20th of each month, when new announcements will be made. Sonic games have been hit-or-miss in the past, but with the Sonic 2020 initiative, hopefully Sega’s learning to correct past mistakes – at least when marketing is concerned.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the Sonic 2020 initiative? Are you looking forward to seeing what announcements Sega will be making on the 20th of each month? What's your favourite Sonic The Hedgehog game? Let us know down below.

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Epic Games will continue to offer weekly free games in 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/epic-games-will-continue-to-offer-weekly-free-games-in-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/epic-games-will-continue-to-offer-weekly-free-games-in-2020/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2020 08:00:47 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=446831 During 2019, Epic Games offered 73 different free games to its users, all with more than an 80% score on OpenCritic and a total value of $1455, resulting in over 200M+ copies claimed. With the beginning of the new year, Epic has kept on giving, with new games such as Darksiders, Darksiders 2, Steep, and …

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During 2019, Epic Games offered 73 different free games to its users, all with more than an 80% score on OpenCritic and a total value of $1455, resulting in over 200M+ copies claimed. With the beginning of the new year, Epic has kept on giving, with new games such as Darksiders, Darksiders 2, Steep, and Sundered: Eldritch Edition. Still, the weekly free game program was supposed to be supported only throughout 2019. To clear things up, Epic has officially announced that it will continue its weekly free game program throughout 2020.

With this announcement, Epic Games also shared their milestones. Since Epic Games Store launched back in December 2018, it counts with 108M PC customers that spent $680M on the platform, from which $251M was spent on third -party PC games. Epic also funded over $23M+ in coupons and discounts.

The most popular video games in the Epic Games Store range from AAA games, like Borderlands 3 and Control, to indies, such as Untitled Goose Game and Satisfactory. Some upcoming exclusive games include the recently announced Godfall and Rogue Company, and others like Magic: The Gathering, Auto Chess, and Predator Hunting Grounds.

In 2020, Epic will maintain its “developer-friendly store terms”, including 88% revenue share for the developer, keyless purchasing integration with Humble (other stores coming soon), and support for developer and publisher payment systems. Besides this, Epic also enables integration with its platform-independent and store-independent online services, which are already being used by Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Google, Apple, and more.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you been claiming the free games that Epic has been offering? Are you happy with Epic's decision to continue to offer free games throughout 2020?

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PlatinumGames is planning multiple announcements for 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/platinumgames-is-planning-multiple-announcements-for-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/platinumgames-is-planning-multiple-announcements-for-2020/#respond Tue, 07 Jan 2020 08:43:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=444831 Kenichi Sato, the president of PlatinumGames, alongside Atsushi Ishida, studio head at PlatinumGames, stated that the studio will make various announcements throughout 2020, some bigger than others. According to Sato, this series of announcements will start early this year. As per InsideGames, translated by Siliconera, both Sato and Ishida talked about what they expect of 2020 …

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Kenichi Sato, the president of PlatinumGames, alongside Atsushi Ishida, studio head at PlatinumGames, stated that the studio will make various announcements throughout 2020, some bigger than others. According to Sato, this series of announcements will start early this year.

As per InsideGames, translated by Siliconera, both Sato and Ishida talked about what they expect of 2020 in their new-year's discussion. Sato started by highlighting Platinum Games' achievements, such as the release of Astral Chain for Nintendo Switch, the first new IP in six years. Besides that, it also thanked all the fans of NieR: Automata for their help on reaching 4 million copies sold worldwide (physical and digital sales).

He also said that 2019 was supposed to be the year when Platinum would “rise the curtains for a new stage”. Although late, there will be multiple announcements in 2020 for that matter, some to be delivered soon.

With the Tokyo Olympics coming in 2020 to Japan, the world's eyes will be set on the country. Platinum will use the opportunity by going “all-out, to get attention from fans around the world, and bring smiles to everyone”.

Ishida also told InsideGames he is “grateful to head into yet another year with PlatinumGames” and is motivated to take on new challenges. Just like Sato, Ishida also pointed out the announcements that Platinum Games will do.

Meanwhile, the studio is working on Bayonetta 3 and Babylon Fall, the latter being scheduled to release in the Summer of 2020.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you a fan of Platinum Games? What do you think that the studio is planning to announce in 2020? 

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A new Switch model is rumoured to release this year, with production beginning soon https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/a-new-switch-model-is-rumoured-to-release-this-year-with-production-beginning-soon/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/a-new-switch-model-is-rumoured-to-release-this-year-with-production-beginning-soon/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:04:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=444802 Ever since the Nintendo Switch first released in 2017, fans have been asking for a ‘Switch Pro’, bringing a mid-generation refresh to the handheld-console hybrid in a similar vein to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Last year, rumours of a Nintendo Switch Pro, alongside a smaller dockless switch, began to circulate. With the …

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Ever since the Nintendo Switch first released in 2017, fans have been asking for a ‘Switch Pro’, bringing a mid-generation refresh to the handheld-console hybrid in a similar vein to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Last year, rumours of a Nintendo Switch Pro, alongside a smaller dockless switch, began to circulate. With the Nintendo Switch Lite being announced and released last year, it appears that the ‘Switch Pro’ might come to light soon, with rumours of production beginning in “Q1 2020.”

Reported by Digitimes, “Nintendo is reportedly planning to release in mid-2020 a new model of Switch, which will begin volume production at the end of first-quarter 2020, according to sources from the related upstream supply chain.” This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard reports of a potential Switch Pro: Back in March of 2019, Takashi Mochizuki from The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo would be releasing two new Switch models. The first was revealed to be the Switch Lite, but the second new model remained nowhere to be seen – save for the updated SKU which released with improved battery life. 

Mochizuki later reported in August that “Nintendo has ideas for further updates to the Switch lineup after those two models to make the platform’s lifecycle long”. It now seems that Nintendo is preparing to announce this new Switch, as mass production is reportedly set to begin in Q1 2020. Upon this news, Mochizuki doubled down on his previous statement, adding further confidence to this rumour.

Nintendo has made no reference to a Switch Pro so far, although with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launching later this year, the Switch hardware is threatening to feel two generations behind its competition – unless Nintendo acts soon. Time will tell whether Nintendo has another Switch up its sleeve.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the idea of a Switch Pro? Would you buy it? What features would you like to see added/improved? Let us know down below.

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2020 will bring at least two unannounced Wii U ports to the Switch – according to leaker https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/2020-will-bring-at-least-two-unannounced-wii-u-ports-to-the-switch-according-to-leaker/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/2020-will-bring-at-least-two-unannounced-wii-u-ports-to-the-switch-according-to-leaker/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2020 13:47:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=444712 When the Nintendo Switch released in 2017, a feature missing from the console-handheld hybrid was backwards compatibility. This meant that a number of Wii U titles remained stranded on a console which sold fewer than 14 million units. Since then, Nintendo have slowly been porting these titles to the Switch. According to Emily Rogers, an …

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When the Nintendo Switch released in 2017, a feature missing from the console-handheld hybrid was backwards compatibility. This meant that a number of Wii U titles remained stranded on a console which sold fewer than 14 million units. Since then, Nintendo have slowly been porting these titles to the Switch. According to Emily Rogers, an industry insider with a positive track record when it comes to Nintendo leaks, 2020 will be seeing at least two currently unannounced Wii U ports come to the system.

Responding to a ResetEra thread on Nintendo Direct speculation, Rogers stated that Nintendo will be focusing more on re-releases in 2020, saying “I say this as someone who is optimistic about this year. My only concern about 2020 is that Nintendo might lean a little too hard on re-releases of older stuff as a crutch to fill out their calendar. Nintendo has already officially announced Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE and Xenoblade Chronicles 1 remaster/remake for this year.”

While two re-releases have already been confirmed for the Switch for 2020, Rogers claimed that “Nintendo has (at least) two more unannounced Wii U ports” saying “they are not difficult to guess because there aren't many Wii U games left to port”. Of the Wii U titles which are still missing from the Switch, the biggest omissions include: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD; The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD; Pikmin 3; Super Mario 3D World; Paper Mario Color Splash; The Wonderful 101; and Star Fox Zero.

With other titles such as New Super Mario Bros. U, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and the Bayonetta Duology all having been ported to the Switch already, it’s only a matter of time until the entire Wii U first-party catalogue is available on the handheld-console hybrid – if the current trajectory continues.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What two Wii U games are you hoping to see announced? What was your favourite game from the system? Would you buy re-releases, or do you think Nintendo should implement backwards compatibility? Let us know down below.

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Assassin’s Creed Kingdom to release next year, will focus on Vikings https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/assassins-creed-kingdom-to-release-next-year-will-focus-on-vikings/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/assassins-creed-kingdom-to-release-next-year-will-focus-on-vikings/#respond Mon, 08 Apr 2019 06:00:59 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=409719 There is a long standing history of Assassin's Creed games leaking long before their intended announcement dates. That hasn't changed in recent years, even with Ubisoft giving the series extended time between releases. There won't be a new Assassin's Creed in 2019 but when the series does return, it looks like we'll be trading in …

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There is a long standing history of Assassin's Creed games leaking long before their intended announcement dates. That hasn't changed in recent years, even with Ubisoft giving the series extended time between releases. There won't be a new Assassin's Creed in 2019 but when the series does return, it looks like we'll be trading in Ancient Greece for Vikings.

Ubisoft tends to tease some of its upcoming projects through Easter eggs in various titles. In The Division 2, players have noticed a teaser poster picturing a Norse warrior holding the apple of Eden with the word ‘Valhalla' written at the top. According to Kotaku's sources, this is indeed a teaser for the next Assassin's Creed game, which will focus on Vikings.

Ubisoft's focus this year will continue to be Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which is continuing to get content updates. In 2020, the next mainline Assassin's Creed game will release. Currently, it is being developed under the name ‘Assassin's Creed Kingdom', this could be a code name, so it will likely change by the time the game is announced.

Late 2020 is currently the rumoured release window for next-gen consoles too, so this could end up being the first Assassin's Creed for new console hardware.

KitGuru Says: Assassin's Creed Origin and Assassin's Creed Odyssey were both fantastic. With the series taking another year-long break this year, it will be interesting to see how much the RPG elements improve in the next instalment. Are any of you looking forward to the next Assassin's Creed game? 

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NASA’s 2020 rover MOXIE unit will make O2 from Martian air https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasas-2020-rover-moxie-unit-will-make-o2-from-martian-air/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasas-2020-rover-moxie-unit-will-make-o2-from-martian-air/#respond Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:03:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=311652 NASA has been sending rovers to Mars since the '90s and currently operates both Opportunity and Curiosity on the red planet. However it has plans for something much grander in the near future, with a 2020 launch of the next rover set to take with it a number of new and exciting instruments. One of …

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NASA has been sending rovers to Mars since the '90s and currently operates both Opportunity and Curiosity on the red planet. However it has plans for something much grander in the near future, with a 2020 launch of the next rover set to take with it a number of new and exciting instruments. One of them, known as MOXIE, will attempt to make oxygen from Martian carbon dioxide.

Built on a similar framework to the previously launched and landed Curiosity, the next-generation of Mars rover will carry much more sophisticated equipment and upgraded hardware. These scientific instruments will be used to conduct a number of experiments which will help determine soil composition, habitability of the environment, as well as searching for signs of possible Martian life.

roverevolutiion2

One of the most exciting instruments that will be aboard the 2020 rover though is the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, or MOXIE. It will be used to convert Mars' carbon dioxide dominant atmosphere into oxygen, which could pave the way for breathable air generation in future manned Mars missions.

Other instruments include: the Mascam-Z, an advanced camera system which can produce panoramic and stereoscopic images; SuperCam, which can provide imaging and chemical composition analysis, as well as detecting organic compounds in rocks from a distance; the PIXL system, which will provide an in-depth look at the chemical composition of Martian surface materials; the SHERLOC spectrometer, which provides fine-scale imaging through ultraviolet laser which will also help detect organic compounds; the environmental dynamics analyser sensor suite, which will draw information from the atmosphere and its various factors, and a ground penetrating radar which will give us centimetre-scale resolution of the ground's geologic structure for the first time.

roverevolution

All of that advanced kit will be fitted to a Curiosity-like frame and locomotion system, as it's proven to not only be capable of traversing Mars, but landing safely.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The timetable for NASA's plan to get people to Mars is much more conservative than the commercial space sector. It will be interesting to see which is more accurate in the long run. 

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