Tag: gaming

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PlayStation pulls PS Now cards from retailers globally amid rumours of Game Pass-like service

PlayStation is removing its pre-paid PlayStation Now subscription cards from retailers around the world.

On January 12th, VentureBeat reported that U.K. retailer GAME had been asked to pull all PS Now cards by January 21st, and now, IGN notes that PlayStation is doing this worldwide.

“Globally, we are moving from PlayStation Now Gift cards to focus on our current cash denomination PlayStation gift cards, which can be redeemed for PlayStation Now,” the company said in a statement to IGN.

While the company didn’t provide any further comment, the timing of the move is certainly curious. In December, Bloomberg reported that Sony is working on a three-tier service, codenamed Spartacus, that combines PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Additional perks, including a larger offering of games from the PS1, PS2 and PSP eras, are also reportedly planned.

Of particular note is that Bloomberg said PlayStation was targeting a Spring 2022 launch for Spartacus. On Twitter, Jason Schreier, Bloomberg‘s gaming reporter and reliable industry insider who originally reported on Spartacus, said the PS Now cards are indeed being pulled now to prepare for the service’s impending launch.

It’s unclear exactly when PlayStation may formally unveil Spartacus. That said, Tom Henderson, another reliable industry tipster whom Schreier has previously corroborated, recently claimed that PlayStation will hold major ‘State of Play’ events in February and March to outline the rest of its 2022 slate. Those events would be a logical place to unveil Spartacus, should they indeed happen.

Source: IGN

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft has officially discontinued the Xbox One family of consoles

Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge that it has ceased manufacturing all Xbox One consoles.

While we learned back in July 2020 that the 4K-capable Xbox One X and all-digital Xbox One had been discontinued, Microsoft is now revealing that the base Xbox One model is also no longer in production.

Notably, this move came not in 2021, but in 2020.

“To focus on production of Xbox Series X / S, we stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020,” Cindy Walker, senior director of Xbox console product marketing, confirmed in a statement to The Verge.

The timing of this reveal is particularly notable, as it comes shortly after Bloomberg confirmed that Sony is looking to produce more PlayStation 4 units in 2022 than originally planned. Per the outlet, Sony is looking to lean on the PS4 amid PS5 shortages, which are expected to continue for some time.

It should be noted, however, that Microsoft’s broader gaming approach isn’t as platform-specific as Sony’s. In addition to the Xbox Series X/S being able to play all Xbox One games via backward compatibility, there are hundreds of Xbox One titles that can also be played natively on PC or even Android, iOS and web browsers through Xbox Game Pass’ Cloud Gaming streaming service.

The company is also still set to support the Xbox One for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. Beyond the fact that many games (like the recently released Halo Infinite) are still coming out on all Xbox consoles, the few titles so far that are Series X/S exclusive, like Microsoft Flight Simulator, will be made playable on the Xbox One via Cloud Gaming.

All told, though, the Xbox One has had a storied run since its November 2013 launch. Under the leadership of executive Don Mattrick, the console had an infamously rocky launch that controversially emphasized general entertainment, the Kinect and an “always-on” internet requirement. Sony took advantage of the early stumbles and used them to get a strong start with its own PS4 console.

In 2014, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appointed then-Microsoft Studios (now Xbox Game Studios) chief Phil Spencer to take over the brand. In the years since, Spencer’s team has helped increase the Xbox brand’s popularity through initiatives like backwards compatibility, Xbox Game Pass, cross-play and major acquisitions.

Looking ahead, Xbox Game Studios’ lineup includes Redfall (summer 2022) and Starfield (November 2022), as well as undated titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, The Outer Worlds 2, Avowed and Everwild. A more extensive breakdown of what to expect from all of Xbox studio’s can be found here.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Global increase of smartphone use results in record download numbers, hours spent on phones: App Annie

People around the world used their phones more often in 2021 than years prior, according to a recent report by mobile data and analytics firm App Annie.

Globally, there were a collective 230 billion downloads. People also spent a total of 3.8 trillion hours on their smartphones. This is a 30 percent increase from 2019.

China led with the most hours spent on mobile with over 1.1 trillion hours in 2021. India followed with 0.7 trillion, and the U.S. reported 0.2 trillion.

Seven out of every 10 minutes were spent on either social, video, or photo apps, largely accelerated by the pandemic.

This was especially evident in Gen Z. The report lists Instagram, Spotify, Netflix, and Snapchat as the apps most likely used by this age group.

The release of 2 million new apps and games also contributed to the growing time spent on phones in the fight to keep customers engaged. “Every industry is a mobile-focused industry,” the report notes.

The new releases bring the grand total of apps and games released on iOS and Google to more than 21 million. Google Play accounted for 77 percent of app releases in 2021.

In Canada, the most searched terms on iOS app store all related to work-life: job, Zoom, LinkedIn, Indeed, and (Microsoft) Teams.

Gaming

Mobile games also saw a significant increase in 2021 with $16 billion being spent. This brings the grand total of consumers spending on games to $116 billion.

There was a global shift in the types of games being downloaded, with the “astronomical rise” of hypercasual games focusing on actions and puzzles.

Video streaming

Time spent on streaming apps grew by 16 percent globally, compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Netflix leads other apps in this category, with the report stating the app will surpass more than 1 million downloads in 60 countries this year.

This wasn’t the case for China or India, where significant declines in streaming were reported. For China specifically, the report points to the growing popularity of short-form video apps like Kwai and TikTok, over streaming services.

Other highlights

Finance apps also reached a worldwide download total of 5.9 billion in 2021. This is a 28 percent increase from 2020 and was largely fueled by downloads in India. Finance apps in the country have now been downloaded more than 1 billion times.

There was an 18 percent increase in time spent on shopping apps, leading to a total of 100 billion hours being spent on such apps globally.

The full report can be viewed here.

Source: App Annie

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Mobile Syrup

Apple removes multiple Wordle clones from the App Store

Apple has quietly removed a number of games from its App Store that blatantly copy Josh Wardle’s “Wordle” daily puzzle game sensation.

The company didn’t make any public statement about the move, but The Verge notes that games that clearly listed themselves as “Wordle” with the same rules have been delisted. While some “clones” still remain, they don’t use the name “Wordle.”

But it was the copycat app made by developer Zach Shakked, which was released on January 10th, that garnered the most attention. His version took Wardle’s game —  free-to-play, unmonetized and featuring five-letter puzzles — and added six- and seven-letter word options, as well as an unlimited play mode for $30 USD/year (about $37.50 CAD).

Shakked spent the days since launch bragging about well “his” game was doing and how all he wanted to do was “make tons of fucking money.” People were quick to point out how shameless he was, as well as hypocritical, given a previously deleted tweet that his own app was copied. That Wardle originally only made the game for his partner to play, and then opened it up to everyone for free without a desire to monetize it, just made Shakked’s brazenness stand out all the more.

Eventually, Shakked did issue what would seem to be his attempt at an apology in a Twitter thread:

After a few tweets defending himself, he said “I realize I crossed a line. And I surely, surely will never do anything remotely close to this again. I fucked up.” However, he notably never actually apologized to Wardle himself.

Further, Shakked’s more recent tweets have either shifted the blame to Wardle or boasted about other ways he can get rich quickly, without any need for actual talent or originality. He also complained that “Apple is unilaterally removing apps without any recourse,” and that lawyers apparently said “[Wardle’s] claim to ‘Wordle’ was highly dubious.”

While the point about lawyers is harder to verify, Shakked is outright wrong about the app removal. As Apple’s App Store own guidelines explicitly state, “Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own.” Clearly, Shakked did not comply with that.

It’s important to note, though, that it doesn’t seem that Wardle would have any legal recourse. As Shakked notes, the name isn’t trademarked, and Wordle itself does draw inspiration from many other games. That said, that doesn’t exonerate Shakked from the court of public opinion, and it’s clear that many people have (rightfully) condemned him.

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation reveals 2021’s best-selling PS Store games in Canada and the U.S.

PlayStation has revealed the top best-selling games on PlayStation 4 and 5 on its PlayStation Store for 2021.

Of course, this only takes into account digital sales, not physical, but it’s still interesting to see.

Here are the PS Store’s top 10 PS5 games for Canada/the U.S. in 2021:

  1. NBA 2K22
  2. Call of Duty: Vanguard
  3. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  4. Madden NFL 22
  5. Battlefield 2042
  6. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  7. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  8. MLB The Show 21
  9. Resident Evil Village
  10. Far Cry 6

Considering that Miles Morales was a PS5 launch title, it’s especially notable to see it in the top three one year later.

Meanwhile, here are the PS Store’s top 10 PS4 games for Canada and the U.S. last year:

  1. Grand Theft Auto V
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  3. Minecraft
  4. NBA 2K22
  5. Call of Duty: Vanguard
  6. Madden NFL 22
  7. NBA 2K21
  8. Red Dead Redemption 2
  9. MLB The Show 21
  10. Mortal Kombat 11

It’s especially notable for GTA V to claim the top spot considering it was originally released on PS3 in 2013 and on PS4 the following year. That game’s popularity hasn’t slowed down, making it more understandable why developer Rockstar hasn’t put out the inevitable GTA VI yet.

Outside of PS4/5, Sony says 2021’s top three PS VR games in Canada and the U.S. were, in order, Beat Saber, Job Simulator and Superhot VR. Additionally, the top three free-to-play games across PS4 and PS5 were Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone and Rocket League.

The full blog post, including Europe’s respective lists in case you want to compare, can be found here.

Image credit: 2K Games

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Mobile Syrup

Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25

Kirby will set out on his next adventure on March 25th, when Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases.

Alongside the release date, Nintendo has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming title.

Like other Kirby games, you’ll be able to copy enemy abilities as you travel across an unknown world. The game also features couch co-op that lets a second player take control as Bandana Waddle Dee.

The game is available on Nintendo Switch for $79.99.

This year is also the 30th anniversary of the Kirby series, and for that, you can download a new wallpaper.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

This 3D-printed PS5 DualSense add-on allows for one-handed play

A content creator has produced an accessory for the PS5’s DualSense controller that allows it to be played with one hand.

In a new video, YouTuber Akaki Kuumeri explains that he 3D-printed an adapter that can snap onto the gamepad’s left thumbstick. From there, it can be placed on a surface, such as a thigh, and physically moving the controller will also move the thumbstick.

Meanwhile, the L1 and L2 buttons are replicated on the right side of the controller.  That said, there’s an inverse option for those who are left-handed.

While many normal gamers may think that playing with one hand is unnecessary, the controller offers various accessibility applications. Those who cannot physically use a second hand well (or even at all) might find a use for Kuumeri’s accessory. Of course, it won’t solve every issue, especially if you don’t have access to a 3D printer, but as a fan creation, it’s quite impressive.

But he also shows how it could be useful if you have two DualSense controllers. As an example, he printed two adapters and use them to play It Takes Two — which otherwise requires two players — by himself. Of course, that’s a bit trickier to pull off, but more ambidextrous players could certainly benefit.

Thankfully, Kuumeri has made his design available online to download and print — you can do so here.

Via: PCMag

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Mobile Syrup

Forza Street mobile game shutting down in Spring 2022

Xbox is shutting down its Forza Street game on Android and iOS, under two years after it first released.

Developer Turn 10 confirmed the news in a Q&A post on the official Forza support site, adding that the racing game will remain playable until Spring 2022. A specific closure date was not provided.

“We’re proud and grateful for the community of players we were able to build with Forza Street, and we want to use what we learned on building new and exciting Forza products,” Turn 10 wrote in response to why the game is closing.

Ahead of this, Turn 10 has also rolled out the final update for the game, which includes:

  • A new unreleased car
  • 12 weeks of Spotlight++ featuring Rare & Epic cars, starting on January 17th, 2022
  • Faster Energy recharge and increased Energy storage
  • Reduced wait times on car shows
  • Reduced prices on the vast majority of items purchased with in-game currency

This is the latest Microsoft mobile game to shut down, following the closure of both Minecraft Earth and Gears Pop last year. That said, the company seems to be focused more on Xbox Cloud Gaming on mobile. Available through a $16.99 CAD/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows you to stream dozens of games to mobile devices, including Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and Minecraft Earth. 

While it’s unclear how many people use Cloud Gaming overall, the company revealed in December that 20 percent of the service’s overall player base uses touch controls.

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

Near-complete build of Horizon Forbidden West has leaked online

A playable and almost complete build of PlayStation’s Horizon Forbidden West has leaked online, over one month before the game releases to the public.

Images of what appears to be the PS4 version of the Guerilla Games-developed title began hitting the web earlier this week and have since been hit by copyright strikes by PlayStation. VideoGamesChronicle (VGC) also corroborates that the leaked build is indeed legitimate.

It’s unclear how this may have happened, but VGC reports that outside of some missing art assets, the leaked build contains the “entire core content” of the game. Therefore, those looking forward to Forbidden West may want to tread lightly online for spoilers, perhaps even by muting Twitter keywords related to the game. Forbidden West is one of the two major confirmed first-party PlayStation games for the year alongside Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarok.

This isn’t the first time a major PlayStation game has suffered a leak. In 2020, significant story beats from Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II had leaked months before the game ended up releasing. One of the developer’s earlier games, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, also leaked a couple of weeks early in 2016.

The Last of Us leak was reportedly due to a hacker exploiting a vulnerability that granted access to a server, while Uncharted 4 leaks surfaced early due to physical copies of the game getting stolen in the U.K. It’s unclear whether something similar to either situation may have happened with Horizon Forbidden West.

Horizon Forbidden West is set to release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 18th. Little has been revealed about the game’s plot, but we do know the game follows huntress Aloy as she journeys to a mysterious frontier to find the source of a deadly plague. Some of Forbidden West‘s new gameplay features include explorable underwater areas, enhanced melee combat and a Breath of the Wild-esque ‘Shieldwing’ hang glider.

Image credit: PlayStation

Source: VGC

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Mobile Syrup

Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy top most mentioned games on Twitter in Canada in 2021

Twitter has revealed the most-tweeted-about gaming topics in 2021.

Per the social media giant, here are the 10 games/gaming franchises that received the most Twitter mentions in Canada last year:

  1. Genshin Impact
  2. Final Fantasy
  3. Minecraft
  4. Call of Duty
  5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  6. Fortnite
  7. Super Mario
  8. The Legend of Zelda
  9. Grand Theft Auto
  10. Roblox

For comparison, here’s data for global Twitter users:

  1. Genshin Impact
  2. Apex Legends
  3. Ensemble Stars!
  4. Final Fantasy
  5. Fate/Grand Order
  6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  7. Knives Out
  8. Minecraft
  9. Project Sekai
  10. Fortnite

It is worth noting, though, that Canada didn’t even crack the list of 10 countries tweeting the most about games:

  1. Japan
  2. United States
  3. South Korea
  4. Thailand
  5. Brazil
  6. Philippines
  7. Indonesia
  8. United Kingdom
  9. France
  10. India

Further, here are the five gaming events that people were tweeting about the most globally in 2021:

  1. E3 2021
  2. The Game Awards
  3. Xbox Games Showcase
  4. Gamescom 2021
  5. Summer Game Fest 2021

It’s worth noting that Summer Game Fest, Gamescom and The Game Awards are still set to happen this year. E3, however, recently cancelled its in-person 2022 event and would not commit to a digital alternative, so it’s unclear what’s happening with that show.

The Xbox Games Showcase, meanwhile, was held during E3 last year, so it remains to be seen when Xbox will hold its inevitable major games event(s) this year.

What were some of the games that you tweeted most about in 2021? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: Square Enix

Source: Twitter