Tag: Video games

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Will you miss Google Stadia?

Google is finally shutting down its cloud gaming service, Stadia, on January 18th, 2023. The tech giant is refunding all Stadia hardware purchased through the Google Store and games and add-on content bought from the Stadia store.

Stadia allowed players to game on the Chromecast Ultra, Android TV and desktops via Google Chrome, Safari and on Android devices/iPhones. The game streaming service streams games at up to 4K resolution at up to 60fps, and offered notable games like Cyberpunk, Destiny 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and more. But unlike competing services like Xbox Cloud Gaming — which is bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — you needed to purchase titles individually on Stadia in order to play them.

I only ended up using Stadia a few times, and I wasn’t a big fan of it. I don’t have anything against cloud gaming, but I wasn’t too fond of the latency I’d occasionally encounter, though it’s worth noting that the underlying tech powering Stadia is some of the best in the game streaming industry.

That said, I’m definitely not going to miss the service.

Will you miss Google Stadia? Let us know in the comments below.

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Here are the free games hitting Xbox Games with Gold in October 2022

Xbox has announced two games that will be offered at no additional cost to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in October 2022.

It’s worth noting that up until July, Xbox offered one or two Xbox 360 titles with Xbox Games with Gold. The titles could be played on the Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. In July, the company announced that “we have reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalogue.” At the time, Xbox said that Games with Gold will continue to feature “exciting Xbox One titles and exclusive savings” each month, which is what we’re getting in October.

In Canada, an Xbox Live Gold subscription costs $11.99 for one month or $29.99/three months. Additionally, Xbox Live Gold is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is priced at $16.99/month and also offers Game Pass and PC Game Pass, Cloud Gaming (mobile streaming) and EA Play.

Find out what came to Xbox Games with Gold in August here.

Image credit: Xbox

Source: Xbox

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It will take new players 100 matches to unlock all original heroes in Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 will have a bit of a grinding curve for new players.

While someone like me who owned the original game will have access to all of the title’s characters at launch, it will take new players about 100 matches before they can play as the characters on the original roster.

According to a recent Overwatch 2 blog post, Blizzard has received feedback that its pool of characters is overwhelming for new players, so it’s implementing a ‘First Time User Experience’ (FTUE) for people new to the game.

FTUE occurs in stages. The first stage has new players unlock game modes and chat functions, which will happen quickly. In phase two, players will unlock the original Overwatch heroes by playing roughly 100 matches. In contrast, they’ll only be able to unlock new heroes like Kiriko from the battle pass.

Competitive play won’t be unlocked until a new player wins 50 Quick Play matches, but FTUE functions are lifted when playing in a group for most game modes.

This should also help with ‘smurfing,’ the act of making a brand-new account — usually to help friends climb the ranks — and playing ranked far below your actual skill level.

You will not have to play through FTUE if you have an account with Overwatch playtime or if you own the Watchpoint Pack.

Overwatch 2 hits consoles and PC on October 4th.

Source: Blizzard Via: Destructoid

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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer reveals totally new Pokémon Wiglett

In the latest Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer, we see a special showcase of the Pokémon World Ecology Society with various clips of a new Pokémon called Wiglett.

While it looks like the Diglett that’s been around since Pokémon Red and Green, Wiglett isn’t the Paldean form of the Pokémon, but a new species entirely. In the video, we see so much more of the Pokémon than we’ve ever seen of Diglett, revealing that the Pocket Monster likes to stretch from its hole.

Details are currently scarce, so we don’t know its type, abilities or anything else outside of its name. Hopefully, the Pokémon Company will fill in some blanks sooner than later.

The actual Diglett will be in the game as well.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet come out on November 18th.

Via: Serebii

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Sony confirms Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales PC port is coming in Fall 2022

Following Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales will soon be making its way to PC.

We’ve known about the port for a while now, but Sony dropped a PC teaser trailer earlier today to confirm the game is coming to PC in Fall 2022.

The title is available to wishlist on Steam and the Epic Games Store. It’s unclear how much the game will cost, but if Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is any indication, it should be priced at $69.99.

For more on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morale, check out our in-depth look at the PS5 version of the game.

Learn more about the upcoming PC port here.

Image credit: Steam

Source: Marvel Entertainment

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Hacker behind GTA VI hack reportedly 17-year-old from London

Last weekend, over 90 videos and images of GTA VI leaked online. The anticipated game has been in development for years, but nothing official regarding the title had been shown off yet.

Now, a 17-year-old hacker from London, U.K., known by the online handle ‘White’ and affiliated with the hacking group Lupsus$, has been arrested. London police say they arrested the hacker on September 23rd following an investigation supported by the National Crime Agency.

While the London police have yet to confirm the link to the GTA VI hack, journalist Matthew Keys recently tweeted that the arrest is “related to intrusion on Rockstar Games and possibly Uber Technologies.”

Keys says that police are expected to provide more details regarding the arrest shortly. This story will be updated when London police confirm the link to the GTA VI hack.

Though many of the leaked GTA VI clips have been pulled down, they’re still widely available on the internet and feature what seems to be an alpha build of the game. The leaks confirmed that the game will feature male and female playable characters, a Miami-like Vice City setting, and more intricate robbing mechanics.

It’s worth noting that the same hacker is also reportedly responsible for a recent cyber attack on Uber. Though an obviously serious situation, in an amusing twist, the 17-year-old hacker wouldn’t even be able to legally purchase Grand Theft Auto VI given its U.K.-based PEGI 18 rating title that requires the buyer to be 18 or older.

Lupsus$ is also responsible for hacks tied to Cisco, Samsung, Microsoft and more.

Image credit: Rockstar

Source: @CityPolice, @MatthewKeysLive Via: The Gamer 

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Twitch cracks down on gambling streams, shifts monetization

Sorry xQc — it looks like Twitch is making a few changes.

The live streaming video game platform has shifted its policies regarding monetization and gambling content.

First, monetization: for the first $100,000 USD (roughly $134,634 CAD) collected via Twitch, the split remains 70 percent (the streamer) and 30 percent (Twitch). After, the split shifts to 50/50. This change won’t occur until June 2023, and Twitch says it will only affect the top 10 percent of streamers.

The current Twitch model for revenue is a 50/50 split, with bigger streamers getting the more generous 70/30 split.

The second change prohibits the streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette or dice games that aren’t licensed in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection. Twitch will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports and poker. This change will take effect on October 18th.

One of the gambling sites included in the ban is ‘Stake.com,’ which is often featured by notable streamers like xQc (Felix Lengyel) and Trainwreck (Tyler Faraz Niknam).

Livestreaming gambling on Twitch has become a controversial topic, given how young the platform’s audience is. Earlier this week, streamer ItsSilker admitted that he defrauded hundreds of thousands of dollars from streamers to support his gambling habit with no way of paying them back. However, streamers like xQc and Ludwig (Ludwig Ahgren) have offered to pay back Twitch viewers and streamers who’ve bit scammed by Sliker.

xQc has lost more than $2 million CAD while gambling on Twitch.

Source: Twitch, (1)

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Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond are heading to FIFA 23

Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is coming to EA Vancouver-developed FIFA 23.

Specifically, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, Roy Kent and the rest of the AFC Richmond English football club will be featured in EA Vancouver’s upcoming sports game.

EA and Warner Bros announced the crossover, and you’ll be able to even have Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) as a manager in Career Mode for AFC Richmond or on another team. You can also create your own character and join the AFC Richmond team.

FIFA 24 launches September 27th on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia and Windows PS5. EA says that specific will be available in the Series X and PS5 versions of the game.

Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham, Jono Temple and more. The first two seasons of the show have already aired on Apple TV+, with the third season still lacking a premiere date.

Image credit: EA

Via: EA

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Upcoming PS5 redesign could feature detachable disc drive

An upcoming PlayStation 5 revision could feature a removable disc drive that connects to the console through USB-C, according to a new report from Insider Gaming.

The report suggests that this refreshed version of the PS5 will launch in September 2024. Sony currently sells two versions of the PS5, including one that features a built-in disc drive ($649) and a cheaper Digital Edition ($519) that doesn’t offer a disc drive.

Though it’s still unclear, it seems like Sony aims to get rid of the disc/disc-less version of the PS5 and plans to sell one version of the console that you can upgrade with an external disc drive.

Given Sony recently increased the PS5’s price in Canada due to inflation in a move that SIE CEO Jim Ryan called a “necessity,” this could be new for Canadian gamers hoping to buy the console at a slightly cheaper cost.

Insider Gaming says that this new version of the PS5 will “completely replace” the current design of the console but that its internal hardware will remain the same. It’s unclear how much Sony intends to charge for this new version of the PS5 or its disc drive accessory.

Though it doesn’t feature the same underlying technology powering it, this rumour reminds me a lot of the ill-fated Xbox 360 HD DVD player that Microsoft released in 2006 and then abruptly cancelled in 2008 when Blu-Ray won the physical format war. While physical discs are still crucial in the gaming space, I’ve shifted nearly all of my gaming to digital. For example, I don’t own a single physical title for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series x and don’t plan to change that soon.

For more on Sony’s PlayStation 5, check out our review of the console.

Source: Insider Gaming Via: The Verge

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GTA VI footage appears online in massive leak

What looks like very early footage of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) has leaked online.

A user with the online handle ‘teapotuberhacker’ posted a substantial 3GB zip file containing 90 leaked GTA VI videos to GTAForums alongside the message, “It’s possible I could leak more data soon, GTA 5 and 6 source code and assets, GTA 6 testing build.”

At the time of publication, the link to the zip file is still active on GTAForums.

The clips are now widely available on Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, and show off what seems to be an alpha build of GTA VI that includes voice conversations between characters, gunplay and more.

For example, a video posted to YouTube featuring the early in-development leaked footage shows a female character named Lucia robbing a restaurant. The leaked clips also offer a look at GTA series staples like a seedy strip club, a police chase and the gunplay the series is know for. Overall, the leaked footage hints that GTA VI will likely play very similar to GTA V, though the title’s on-foot controls seem to expanded significantly.

The leak also appears to confirm GTA VI’s fictional Miami setting, Vice City, and that it will feature a male and female main character.

While Rockstar has not officially confirmed this leak is legitimate, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier recently tweeted that his sources at the developer have confirmed that the leak is “indeed real.”

It’s unclear how the videos leaked or who teapotuberhacker is. Rockstar is notorious for its tight security surrounding its in-development games.

Rockstar and its publisher Take-Two confirmed GTA VI is in development earlier this year but didn’t offer a release window.

GTA V was first dropped on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2013 and was recently re-released on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Image credit: Rockstar

Source: GTAForums ‘teapotuberhacker, @jasonschreier Via: IGN, The Verge