Video Game Chat

Went for the one-off payment, try not to do loans unless I have to.

Not quite Game Pass but a good deal for anyone who hasn't played the games or wants to play them again.

Start planning out space for your PS5 games on the system's SSD now, because they are going to take up a lot of room. In fact, it might not be too long before you have to start deleting games if the file sizes Sony has revealed are anything to go by. On the PlayStation Direct website, which lets you buy PlayStation games and accessories directly from Sony, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon's Souls both have their file sizes estimated. Here are the details of the two — or three, depending on how you think of it — launch game file sizes: Demon’s Souls: 66GB Spider-Man Miles Morales Standard Edition: 50GB Spider-Man Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (including Spider-Man Remastered): 105GB Miles Morales looks to be 5GB smaller than Spider-Man Remastered, a PS4 title remastered and re-released as part of the PS5 mini-sequel. With updates down the line, these file sizes could get even bigger. The titles need to be on the PS5’s internal hard drive or external drives to play. While games can be stored on the USB 3.0 HDDs like on current-gen consoles, they aren’t playable from said drives.

The new Xbox look starts rolling out today, along with the updated Guide. The August Xbox 2020 update will start rolling out today, and it includes a variety of improvements. The new Xbox look was designed to be faster, much more approachable, and “visually appealing.” This new look with be shared across the Xbox mobile apps, Xbox Game Pass on PC, and Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X. With the upgraded dashboard, the text is more readable, and getting from one feature to the next will be much faster. You can expect updated tile shape, fonts, illustration style, and more. The Home screen will also load 50% faster when you boot and is around 30% faster to load when coming back from a game. It has also been improved to the point it will use 40% less memory. The recent look at the revamped Microsoft Store was also highlighted, as the app now launches in about two seconds, and features updated navigation. There’s also a new Xbox mobile app in the works featuring better integration and allows you to send messages or launch parties even when on the go. Notifications have been consolidated across mobile, PC, and console. Activities like Parties and Chats have also been combined into a single tab in the Xbox console Guide. Other updates in the works, which Insiders will see, are a visual update to their Xbox One consoles to better match experiences on the PC and mobile devices. This includes some changes to tile shape, fonts, and focus indicators which will also be available in the new UI when Xbox Series X launches. Insiders will also get a look at new themes for profiles, and the ability to sign in on multiple devices. If you want a closer look at all of these updates, the team walked through them on Major Nelson’s latest video podcast.

Those of you looking for some Xbox One or Xbox 360 bargains will want to check out the freshly-launched the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale. You’ll find over 500 games reduced by up to 50 per off in Microsoft’s biggest sale of the year so far. As there are so many games in the sale to list here, browse through the full Xbox Ultimate Game Sale for yourself. The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale is live right now and will run until 24th August. Just some of the highlights Arkane Anniversary Collection – £25.49 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – £38.99 Red Dead Redemption 2 – £26.99 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Ultimate Edition – £32.19 Resident Evil 3 – £29.99 Ark Survival Evolved – £8.99 Ghost Recon Breakpoint Ultimate Edition - £29.99 Sniper Elite 4 Deluxe Edition - £14.99 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – £7.47 Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition – £29.99 https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/collections/UGSFY21/xbox?icid=Store_UGS21_mscom_marcom

With the PS5 and Xbox Series X due to release later this year, publishers that are releasing games in the months before the next-gen consoles launch are in somewhat of a sticky position as some fans will hold off buying these new games on current generation consoles as they'll want to pick up the next-gen version of the game when it releases instead. To combat this issue with the upcoming release of Madden 21 and FIFA 21 – both which are releasing in the next few months - EA has announced its Dual Entitlement feature. Similar to Xbox Smart Delivery, EA Dual Entitlement allows those who own the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Madden 21 and FIFA 21 to upgrade to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of these games for free. But this free upgrade feature isn't as clear cut as it seems. Want to know more? Then read on for everything you need to know about Dual Entitlement. What Is Dual Entitlement? Dual Entitlement is a feature (or initiative) from EA that allows players who buy Madden 21 or FIFA 21 on current-gen consoles to upgrade to the next-gen version of these games for free. How Does Dual Entitlement Work? You can upgrade using Dual Entitlement whether your games are digital or physical. If you buy the digital version of Madden 21 or FIFA 21, then you can simply download the upgraded version for free on the PS5, PS5 Digital and Xbox Series X. However, if you buy the physical edition of these games then you can only upgrade your current-gen version of the game using a next-gen console with a disc-tray and you need to keep your disc - in other words, you can't upgrade a physical version of FIFA 21 on a PS5 Digital. When it comes to the upgrade, digital owners can simply download the upgraded version of these games on their PS5 or Xbox Series X, while physical disc owners will need to insert the disc to make use of the upgrade. It goes without saying, PS5 versions of these games can only be upgraded to the PS5 versions, while Xbox One versions can only be upgraded to Xbox Series X versions. When Does Dual Entitlement Run Out? You can use Dual Entitlement to upgrade your version of FIFA 21 or Madden 21 to the next-gen version up until the release of the next games in the series. So that means that you can only use this upgrade feature until the release of FIFA 22 and Madden 22, likely in mid- to late-2021. Will You Still Be Able To Play On PS4 and Xbox One? Yep! You can still play FIFA 21 and Madden 21 on PS4 and Xbox One, even if you've got the upgraded version on a next-gen console. But check below to see exactly what elements of game progress move between the consoles. Will Game Progress Move Over Too? Yes and no. When it comes to Madden 21, EA says that Ultimate Team binder content and Madden Points will transfer, while progress in certain Franchise modes can also be imported from current generation to next generation. When it comes to FIFA 21, EA says: "All progress you make or content you acquire within FIFA 21 Ultimate Team (including players, items, coins, FIFA Points, match record, and leaderboard placement), as well as all progression in VOLTA FOOTBALL will transfer from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 and back, or Xbox One to Xbox Series X and back. Progress within all other modes including Online Seasons, Co-Op Seasons, Career Mode, Pro Clubs, etc. will be specific to the console you are playing on and won’t transfer between consoles."

For the past few weeks, we have seen a few changes to Xbox Live and now we can add Xbox Game Pass to the equation. Microsoft announced today a subtle, but important change. The company is rebranding Xbox Game Pass to simply Game Pass. This move distances the companies Game Pass subscription from being explicitly tied to its gaming console. The company is also changing Xbox Game Pass for PC to simply Game Pass for PC. While this is a minor update, this may be the start of a bigger transition for Microsoft. The company recently removed Xbox Live pre-paid cards for 12 months from its website and many, myself included, believe that this is the start of phasing out Xbox Live Gold. What will be replacing Xbox Live Gold? The logical conclusion is that GamePass will be the new way that you pay for online services from Microsoft. Does this mean that you will need to subscribe to GamePass instead of Live Gold? Possibly, but keep in mind, Xbox Live Gold is £6.99/$9.99 a month before discounts and GamePass is £7.99/$9.99 a month as well. Ultimate, which will include xCloud when it is publicly available, is £10.99/$14.99 a month and also includes Games Pass on PC too. The point here is that this likely won’t cut out a significant amount of revenue from users migrating to the updated service. Microsoft also recently announced that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer will be free too. This is likely more evidence pointing to the fact that you may no longer need Xbox Live Gold to play online in the near future.

I'm surprised by this news. I didn't think they would drop Xbox One support for a leading game so quickly.