Tag: Video games

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Valve doesn’t want you to mod your Steam Deck’s internal storage

Valve designer Lawrence Yang says Steam Deck owners shouldn’t mod their handheld to feature a 2242 M.2 NVMe SSD instead of the 2230 SSD it comes with.

According to Yang, this causes the handheld to get “very hot” and creates power consumption issues for the handheld. He goes so far as to say that this mod will “significantly shorten the life of your Deck.”

In other Steam Deck-related news, Valve recently confirmed that it will ship more than double the number of handheld consoles it planned to in Q3. It’s still unclear when the Steam Deck’s docking station will release.

In theory, this means that Valve should be able to move through its Steam Deck order backlog far more quickly than expected.

Since its release, Valve has dropped several notable updates to the handheld, including game compatibility and performance fixes and a lock screen.

For more on the Steam Deck, check out my in-depth look at the handheld.

Source: @lawrenceyang, @OnDeck Via: Eurogamer, IGN

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Walmart has PS5 bundles in stock right now

It’s a morning of PS5 restocks.

Alongside GameStop, Walmart also has PlayStation 5 bundles in stock right now. The PS5 disc version bundle include a copy of Horizon Forbidden West and a ‘Starlight Blue’ DualSense Wireless controller for $794.92.

Walmart also has several other PS5 bundles in stock, but most are listed as “almost sold out.”

As always, if you’re hoping to snap a PS5, you need to move fast. In the past, the console has sold out in a matter of minutes (and sometimes seconds).

Image credit: Walmart

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Sony’s PlayStation 5 is now in stock at GameStop

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on the disc version of Sony’s PlayStation 5, now is your chance.

GameStop has a bundle that offers the console alongside Gran Turismo 7 and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga in stock online. It’s unclear how much the bundle costs, but it should be in the range of $799.99.

As expected, “stock is limited” and there is a limit of one console purchase per household.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on a Ps5, you’ll need to move fast. In the past (especially though EB Games), the console has sold out in a matter of minutes.

I’m currently only able to access the now very familiar ‘you are in line’ screen. This story will be updated when the PS5 is no longer available.

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Epic Games to add ratings and polls to combat review bombing

Review bombing is ehrn a swarm of negative reviews (legit or not) are dropped on a product, game, movie or anything else. Now, Epic Games is introducing a way for it to combat review bombing on its online game store.

The Cary, North Carolina-based company, says it’s adding “Ratings and Polls” to its online store that will “allow players to provide direct feedback to the Epic Games Store community for the games they’re playing.”

Instead of allowing anyone to leave a review about a game they own, Epic Games will ask random gamers who have played specific titles lfor more than two hours to rate it on a five-star scale. These scores will then be averaged together to form the “Overall Rating” for each game. “Because these requests are randomized, we won’t spam our players, and we probably won’t ask about every game or app used. This approach protects games from review bombing and ensures people assigning scores are actual players of the games,” says Epic.

In addition to ratings, players may also be asked to answer a poll related to their most recent play session. According to Epic, these polls can cover a wide range of topics regarding the game. “Players might be asked to respond “Yes” or “No” to “Is this game good to play with a group?” Players could also be presented with a multiple choice poll asking “How challenging are the bosses in this game?” said Epic.

The screenshot below shows how these polls would look:


After a sufficient number of players have answered the polls, their responses will be used to generate tags for the respective game pages, which can then be used as filters by other players. “Over time, these tags will also populate our Category pages, and will be used to generate custom tag-based categories driven by our players that will appear on the Epic Games Store home page,” said Epic.

Learn more about the update to the online game store here.

Image credit: Epic Games

Source: Epic Games

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Sun and Moon Ultra Beasts are coming to Pokémon Go Fest

Get ready for the release of Ultra Beasts from Pokémon Sun and Moon in Pokémon Go later this summer.

Pheromosa, Buzzwole and Xurkitree are the three Ultra Beasts coming to the mobile game’s Pokédex. Players attending Pokémon Go Fest events in Berlin, Germany, Seattle, Washington and Sapporo, Japan will get to take part in special research tasks that offer all three Ultra Beasts first.

The scheduled events will kickoff as listed below:

  • Pokémon Go Fest Berlin runs July 1-3, players receive Pheromosa
  • Pokémon Go Fest Seattle runs July 22-24, players receive Buzzwole
  • Pokémon Go Fest Sapporo runs August 5-7, players receive Xurkitree

A new Poké Ball called the Beast Ball will also be added to Pokémon Go following the addition of Ultra Beasts, followed by a finale event on August 27th.

Pokémon Go Fest tickets are currently on sale for all three events:

Seattle – $25 USD (about $32.33 CAD)

Berlin – €32.13 EUR for early admission (around $43.96 CAD), €24.99 EUR for general admission (about $34.19 CAD).

Sapporo – ¥3,000 JPY (approximately $28.50 CAD)

Other Pokémon Go players that are not attending the event receive the Ultra Beasts when the events are over.

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Microsoft is bringing mouse/keyboard support to Xbox Cloud Gaming

Microsoft has revealed that it will soon bring mouse/keyboard support to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

As first reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren, the tech giant confirmed the news during its developer-focused XFest 2022. Though Xbox consoles have supported keyboard/mouse input for years (even Halo Infinite supports mouse/keyboard on console), the tech giant’s Cloud Gaming platform has only worked with controllers, even on PC.

It’s unclear when the feature will launch, with Microsoft only stating that it will arrive “soon.” Mouse/keyboard support will be added to Xbox Cloud Gaming titles automatically with no additional work on the developer’s end.

It’s worth noting that one of Stadia’s few remaining advantages over Xbox Cloud Gaming was the fact that it has offered mouse/keyboard support with all of its titles since its launch a few years ago.

If you’re a frequent Xbox Cloud Gaming user, this is a great move on Microsoft’s part. I also secretly hope that this is a sign Age of Empires IV is finally coming to the service.

In other Cloud Gaming-related news, Microsoft recently revealed that it plans to release a dedicated streaming stick currently codenamed ‘Keystone‘ at some point in the future.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Microsoft Game Dev (YouTube) Via: The Verge

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YouTuber makes enormous Xbox Series X that’s the size of a fridge

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X looks like a fridge.

It really does, and in fact, the ongoing joke even inspired Microsoft to get in on the fun with its own Xbox Series X fridge.

However, why someone would want to make a fridge-sized Xbox Series X is perplexing. Michael Pick, a YouTuber known for creating a massive functional Nintendo Switch, is back at it again — this time, with Microsoft’s current-gen console.

The massive Xbox Series X is 2.08m (roughly 6.82ft) tall and 0.7m (about 2.41 ft) wide and weighs 113kg (approximately 250lbs). Undeniably, this monstrosity is a big boi that starkly contrasts the homemade PS5 slim I recently covered.

In the video, Pick details that the most difficult part of creating the giant Series X was copying the console’s curved top that’s full of dozens of cutouts. He said he was able to create the look by printing out tiny sections and then gluing them together, which took him a total of two weeks just for that particular part of the project.

Of course, the giant console functions as a standard Xbox Series X despite its massive housing. Even its iconic Xbox button works by sending a signal to an Arduino microcontroller that presses the button on the actual Series X inside it. The creation also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Xbox ever made.

Image credit: Michael Pick (YouTube) (Screenshot)

Source: Michael Pick (YouTube) Via: Polgyon

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GameStop offering free $50 Xbox gift card with purchase of Xbox Series S

GameStop has unveiled a new Xbox bundle that offers a pretty sweet deal if you’re looking to purchase a new Xbox Series S.

If you buy an Xbox Series S console online or in-store, you’ll now receive a free $50 Xbox Digital gift card. This gives you enough credit to buy most of a game of choice alongside your new Xbox Series S.

Xbox Series S costs $379.99 at GameStop Canada in-store and online.

It’s worth noting that Gamestop says the bundle is only available for a limited period of time and while supplies list.

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YouTuber builds an impossibly small PS5 slim that actually works

Sony’s PlayStation 5 is massive.

So naturally, YouTuber DIY Perks took it upon himself to rectify the situation by creating an unofficial ‘slim’ version of the current-gen console that’s still capable of running like normal.

As you may have already guessed, the project didn’t exactly go as planned.

First, DIY Perks started by removing all of the console’s cooling components and swapped them for a homemade water-cooling system created out of copper sheets. Unfortunately, a basket he was using to balance the power brick fell over and airflow was disrupted, causing the PS5 to overheat.

Of course, Perks eventually resolved the issue or there wouldn’t be a YouTube video about the process. Given how hot the normal PS5 runs, it’s amazing Perks was able to pull this Frankenstein-like setup off that’s capable of running games for several hours.

To put the PS5 slim mod’s size in perspective, it’s less than 2.54cm wide (1-inch), whereas the sizable standard PS5 is 6.06cm and 10.4cm (3.6-inches and 4.1-inches) wide, respectively, for the Digital and Standard versions of the console.

The full video is available on DIY Perks’ YouTube channel. At some point, Sony will likely release its own PS5 slim, but given the console only launched two years ago, it will likely be at least a few years before it appears.

Image credit: DIY Perks (screenshot)

Source: DIY Perks (YouTube)

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Pokémon Snap is coming to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack

1999 Nintendo 64 Pokémon photography game Pokémon Snap is coming to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack members on June 24th.

The subscription service gives players access to retro Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles like Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Tennis and Super Mario 64.

In Pokémon Snap, players snap pictures of Pokémon roaming freely on Pokémon Island. A sequel to the title called New Pokémon Snap was released for the Switch back in 2021.

Nintendo’s ‘Expansion Pack’ online tier costs $63.99 for a 12-month individual membership (one account) or $99.99 for a 12-month Family Membership (up to eight accounts).

Image Credit: Nintendo 

Source: Nintendo