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Video Game Chat

Gaming industry news, reviews and rumours
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Microsoft has announced a significant overhaul of its digital store for Xbox, and the end result is a much faster browsing experience and more straightforward navigation. “Far more than a typical app update, we’ve rebuilt the experience from the ground up to be faster, safer and easier to use than ever before,” wrote the Xbox team’s Cody Bird in a blog post. The new Microsoft Store app for Xbox will roll out to some Xbox insiders on August 5th before expanding to other testers in the coming weeks and ultimately reaching all Xbox One owners — and the Xbox Series X — this fall. To me, the current store can be a genuine hassle to browse, and this feels like a huge step in the right direction. The new store is dramatically faster than the current version. Microsoft says it’s “more than twice as fast as before” and can load in under two seconds — sometimes even in less than a second. It’s been restructured to make it easier to get to whatever section you want using the Xbox controller. The side navigation pane is similar to the Xbox app for PC. You can get a good feel for all the changes by watching the Major Nelson video below. The revamped Xbox Microsoft Store has been fully optimized for the era of Game Pass, and it now shows more details about a title at the top level as you browse without making you dig deeper. The design does a better job highlighting deals/sale pricing and makes it easy to compare various editions of a game where applicable to know what you’re getting with each choice. There’s a focus on parental controls; users must now be signed in to browse the Xbox store, and content filters should ensure younger players in your house don’t see anything inappropriate. Microsoft has also thought of some smaller, helpful additions. There’s now a “recently viewed” section that’ll let you get back to a game you’ve been considering but haven’t yet added to your wish list. “The new Microsoft Store on Xbox is just the first of many updates we’re rolling out in the coming weeks, all built to keep the gamer at the centre of the entire gaming experience,” Bird said. Microsoft is expected to announce a lower-cost Xbox Series S sometime this month as it continues to prepare for a holiday face-off with Sony’s PlayStation 5.
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.
Last year, Phil Spencer, spoke about bringing Microsoft's Game Pass service to more platforms. While the company has now achieved this within its own ecosystem, these comments have still got many people questioning if the subscription service will be made available on other systems, like the Nintendo Switch or Playstation. Since he previously spoke about this, Spencer has said the company is more focused on its next generation of Xbox gaming, and also mentioned how he's a little over the rumours about select Xbox titles coming to the Switch. Now, in a recent video interview with the German website Game Star, he's explained how there are no plans to bring Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service to other platforms. The reason behind this is that these companies simply "aren't interested in having a full Xbox experience" that Microsoft wants to deliver with its Game Pass service. Here's exactly what he had to say, courtesy of TweakTown:
During yesterday’s Stadia Connect, it was confirmed that Google Stadia will be getting 20 new games – including five exclusives. A few months ago, it was revealed that one of the primary reasons Google Stadia has such a sparse library has to do with the fact that Google isn’t offering devs enough money. As a result, Stadia hasn’t necessarily had the best run so far. In fact, Google actually reduced the Stadia Premiere Edition to £89.99/$100 last month – although they also took away the Pro Trial. However, Google announced 20 new games for Stadia during today’s Stadia Connect event. Five of these games will be exclusive, whereas the other 15 are third-party titles. Here’s a list of the third-party titles that have just launched or are due to launch on Stadia: One Hand Clapping (available now) PUBG season 8 (launching July 30, 2020) Serious Sam 4 (launching August, 2020) PGA Tour 2K21 (launching August 21, 2020) Super Bomberman R Online (launching Fall, 2020) NBA 2k21 (launching Fall, 2020) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (launching Fall, 2020) Dead by Daylight (launching September, 2020) Hitman (launching September 1, 2020) Hitman 2 (launching September 1, 2020) WWE 2K Battlegrounds (launching September 18, 2020) Hello Neighbor (launching September 20, 2020) Outriders (launching Holiday, 2020) Hello Neighbor: Hide & Seek (launching Holiday, 2020) Hitman 3 (launching January, 2021) The five exclusives coming to Google Stadia include Outcasters, which is being made by Gears Tactics developer Splash Damage. It’s due to launch in Fall 2020. Meanwhile, Stadia exclusive Orcs Must Die! 3 is out now. The other three exclusives haven’t been officially announced yet – all we know is that they’re being developed by Harmonix, Supermassive Games, and Uppercut Games, known for Rock Band, Until Dawn, and Submerged, respectively. It’s unclear how big of an impact this will have at present. While announcing exclusives is one way to generate interest, the fact remains that Stadia’s library is seriously wanting.
The PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition will launch via Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 7, publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Guerrilla Games announced. A new trailer highlights the PC version’s new features, including ultra-wide support, unlocked frame rates, dynamic foliage, graphical customization, improved reflections, controller options, and a benchmarking tool.
Ubisoft will be holding their "Forward" on July 12th. Looks like Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, and Hyper Scape will be front and centre. I'm personally hoping for more Gods and Monsters, and Rainbow 6 Quarantine though. Looks like Far Cry 6 will be announced on the 12th as well, starring none other than Gus Fring himself as the baddie
Toys for Boy has said Crash Bandicoot 4 will not have microtransactions after a page on the Microsoft Store noted the title would have in-game purchases. Crash Bandicoot 4 will not feature microtransactions, according to developer Toys for Boy. Over the weekend, a Microsoft Store listing for the game featured an addendum at the bottom noting it would feature in-game purchases. The developer took to Twitter to clarify the matter, as you can see in the tweet below.
Had on the heels of the Steam Game Festival we now have the Steam Summer Festival. The Steam Summer Sale 2020 is live and there are plenty of discounts available. There are plenty of discounts to be had during the Steam Summer Sale 2020 which kicked off today and runs through July 9. Along with the sale, Valve is also offering an additional savings of £5 for when you spend £30. Games on sale right now include Doom Eternal (£24.99), Half-Life: Alyx (£34.86), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (£27.49) and Halo: The Master Chief Collection ($23.99) You can also pick up Dragon Quest Builders 2 (£29.99), Borderlands 3 (£24.99) and A Plague Tale: Innocence for 66% off. Bohemia Interactive is also offering discounts on Arma 3, DayZ, and other titles. The Total War franchise is also on sale for up to 75% off, you can save up to 70% off on Max Payne games, and up to 80% on the Street Fighter franchise. Also, when you buy games you will earn points to spend on items such as stickers, backgrounds, avatars, frames, and more.
I can't remember whether I've mentioned this device to you or not, but.. https://ps-io.com/ If you have an old PlayStation console lying around and know of someone who is decent with electronics and a soldering iron, it may be worth considering. It allows you to boot your entire game collection from a single SD card, and generally does a pretty good job of it. There's one or two compatibility issues that keep cropping up, but CybDyn do a decent job of fixing them and are continuing to improve things. However, an ODE is in development by the same company which appears to allow either direct replacement of the laser unit or to be used in conjunction with it, possibly without the need for modification of the motherboard. It could be a while before we see it though as it's not even been officially announced yet, and they have promised to continue to support and develop the PSIO.
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