Tag: Video games

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ID@Xbox Winter Game Fest Demo event kicks off December 7

As part of Geofff Keighley’s Game Awards, ID@Xbox is launching its ‘Winter Game Fest Demo’ event. The event runs from December 7th to December 21st and allows gamers to play more than 35 demos of upcoming unreleased games for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

According to Xbox, these games are akin to “show floor demos” of titles that may not be out for quite some time.

Xbox will announce the full list of games closer to December 7th, but here are some of the games Microsoft has revealed so far:

  • Loot River: Set in a series of procedurally generated labyrinths, Loot River is a dungeon crawling, action roguelike that combines the tense, real-time combat, and dark fantasy stylings of Dark Souls with the spatial block-shifting puzzles of Tetris.
  • Death Trash: Featuring a post-apocalyptic world where cosmic horrors long for humanity but are meet by punks with shotguns. It combines old-school role-playing, modern action gameplay, and player freedom. Create your own character and explore this unique handcrafted world.
  • Blacktail: A retelling of Baba Yaga’s origin story set in surreal, grim Slavic folklore. A one-of-a-kind blend of exploration and intense archery combat with dark storytelling. Become a fearsome guardian of the forest or the terror nightmares are based on.
  • The Tail of Bistun: A story-driven action-adventure game inspired by the 12th Century tragic poem “Khosrow and Shirin.” You play as a stone carver who wakes on Mount Bistun with no memory of anything before that moment. An insidious blight has spread, bringing forth many dangerous foes. You must battle through mythical enemies and travel between the real world and an ethereal place of forgotten memories to discover the secret of your past.
  • Nobody Saves the World: Complete quests to discover and swap between more than 15 varied and distinct forms. Mix and match abilities to unlock and complete even more challenging quests while exploring a vast overworld and its extensive dungeons, either solo or with a friend online, to stop The Calamity and save the world

Image credit: Xbox 

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation is reportedly working on its own version of Xbox Game Pass

Sony is reportedly working on its own PlayStation video game subscription service to take on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, according to Bloomberg’s often very reliable Jason Schreier.

Codenamed internally at Sony as ‘Sparticus,’ subscribers would pay a monthly fee to subscribe to a library of new and classic titles. According to Bloomberg’s sources, the service will be available on the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5.

The service, reported to launch this spring, will merge PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now under one subscription platform. PlayStation Plus is Sony’s online gaming platform that offers some monthly titles for free, and PlayStation Now lets users stream games via the internet and download select games. Bloomberg says that this new service will still be called PlayStation Plus, but the PlayStation Now brand will be phased out.

Sparticus is rumoured to feature three tiers: the first will offer a standard PlayStation Plus subscription, the second reportedly gives access to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 titles and the third features a library of PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games, game streaming and demos.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Sony’s Xbox Game Pass-like ambitions. According to David Jaffe, the God of War series’ outspoken creator, Sony has been working on a “counterpunch” to Xbox Game Pass for quite some time.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription tier remains one of the best deals in gaming, especially with the addition of Forza Horizon 5 and soon Halo Infinite, the Xbox brand’s marquee title.

Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Android, and iOS in beta. Game Pass for Console and Game Pass for PC each cost $11.99/month.

Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for streaming. On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, an Xbox Live Gold subscription and access to EA Play.

It’s unclear how much Sony plans to charge for its new expanded PlayStation Plus offering. The service currently costs $69.99/year.

Source: Bloomberg’s

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Mobile Syrup

Paper Mario is coming to the Switch Online’s Expansion pack

Nintendo is charging forward with its Switch Online Expansion Pack tier despite it being plagued with emulation-related issues.

The next game to hit the subscription service is Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 on December 10th. The first title in the series, Paper Mario released nearly 20 years ago back in 2001.

Unlike a lot of N64 titles, Paper Mario’s simplistic visuals have aged remarkably well and looked pretty good in high-definition. It’s unclear if Nintendo has plans to fix emulation issues with other titles in the Expansion Pack, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example.

In Link’s N64 Zelda outing, there are several problems with the Switch version of the game, including graphical anomalies and delayed button presses.

Nintendo’s new ‘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). The subscription includes Switch Online, SNES, NES, N64, Sega Genesis and Animal Crossing New Horizon’s first paid DLC, Happy Home Paradise.

Notable launch N64 titles include Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Yoshi’s Story, Mario Tennis 64, Super Mario 64 and more. Along with N64 titles, the subscription also includes access to Sega Genesis games like Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe, Contra: Hard Crops, Shining Force and more.

Image credit: Nintendo 

Source: @NintendoCanada 

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Mobile Syrup

Your iPhone can now run Pokémon Go on native refresh rate

Pokémon Go will now feel more responsive on new and old iOS devices, thanks to its latest ‘version 1.191.0 update.’

As first discovered by The Verge, Pokémon Go can now run on your iPhone’s native refresh rate, which means, it’s not capped at 20 FPS anymore. While Niantic’s update release notes don’t specify the new ‘Native Refresh Rate’ feature, it does mention ‘Quality-of-life improvements.’

The feature is off by default, quoting high battery drain concerns. Here’s how you can turn the setting on and enjoy Pokémon Go on your iPhone’s native refresh rate:

  1. Tap the Pokeball icon and head to settings
  2. Scroll to the bottom and tap on Advanced Settings
  3. Toggle on Native Refresh Rate

The newer iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max users are the ones who will benefit the most from this update, owing to the 120Hz ProMotion display.

However, older iOS devices should get a slight FPS boost too.

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation’s End of Year Deals sale offers games up to 85 percent off

PlayStation’s End of Year Deals sale offers a variety of games at a discounted rate.

The sale is available until December 23rd and offers titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition, Mortal Komba 11, Jurassic World Evolution Deluxe Edition, God of War and more at a discounted cost.

Check out the game deals below:

To check out the complete list of games on the PlayStation Store, click here. 

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Mobile Syrup

Meta launches new patch for Oculus Quest 2 with Cloud Backup and more

Facebook Meta has launched a new patch for the Oculus Quest 2 that adds several new features to the standalone virtual reality headset, including Messenger calls in virtual reality, a mixed reality camera and Cloud backup.

Cloud backup gives users a way to save data in the cloud, including game saves and headset settings. This will come in handy if you ever need to reset your Oculus Quest. The feature is available within the ‘Device’ tab in the settings menu. Developers can opt not to use Cloud Backup, but it will be optional by default.

There’s also a new mobile mixed reality camera feature that enables users to see, record and share videos of themselves in a VR game or app. This feature is a step above ‘version 29’s’ ‘Live Overlay’ functionality, which superimposes you in the real-world over footage from your headset’s point of view. Instead, this new feature pulls the camera back so you can see yourself actually in the game.

The new mixed reality overlay is available on the iPhone XS or newer running iOS 11 or higher. Meta says it will be available in various apps, including Pistol Whip, Superhot VR, Synth Riders and more.

There are several other more minor updates included in the patch. Meta is also opening up Oculus Quest beat testing to more users.

If you’re interested in checking out Oculus Quest 2 features before they’re available, you can sign up here.

Source: Meta Via: The Verge 

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox app will soon support sharing of gameplay clips through public links

If you’ve used the Xbox app to share gameplay footage, you’ll be aware that the process isn’t very intuitive.

For example, in the iOS app, I need to download the clip to my iPhone 13 Pro first and then share it through social media. Thankfully, it looks like that will change.

According to a recent tweet from Microsoft’s Larry Hryb (Major Nelson), users will soon be able to create publically sharable links directly in the Xbox mobile app. These links will then be located in a new ‘trending content’ section that features other public links shared by players on your friends list. You can also take these public links and share them on a social media platform like Twitter or Facebook.

The feed itself will be very TikTok-like, allowing users to scroll through content and like, comment and share videos.

These new features are currently being tested with a small number of users but will roll out to everyone soon, according to Hryb.

As someone who often shares Halo Infinite clips on Twitter, I’m hoping that the ability to share public links makes that process a little more seamless and intuitive.

Source: @majornelson

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Xbox app will soon support sharing of gameplay clips through public links

If you’ve used the Xbox app to share gameplay footage, you’ll be aware that the process isn’t very intuitive.

For example, in the iOS app, I need to download the clip to my iPhone 13 Pro first and then share it through social media. Thankfully, it looks like that will change.

According to a recent tweet from Microsoft’s Larry Hryb (Major Nelson), users will soon be able to create publically sharable links directly in the Xbox mobile app. These links will then be located in a new ‘trending content’ section that features other public links shared by players on your friends list. You can also take these public links and share them on a social media platform like Twitter or Facebook.

The feed itself will be very TikTok-like, allowing users to scroll through content and like, comment and share videos.

These new features are currently being tested with a small number of users but will roll out to everyone soon, according to Hryb.

As someone who often shares Halo Infinite clips on Twitter, I’m hoping that the ability to share public links makes that process a little more seamless and intuitive.

Source: @majornelson

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Here’s our best look at Razer’s Qualcomm-powered Switch-like handheld yet

Qualcomm is working with gaming accessory maker Razer on a Nintendo Switch-like handheld video game console built on its Snapdragon G3X chip.

Leaked slides presumably set to be shown off during Qualcomm’s annual Tech Summit in Hawaii that VideoCardz obtained, show off a device called the ‘Snapdragon G3X Handheld Developer Kit.’ With the portable’s name in mind, Qualcomm and Razer could be trying to more directly target developers with this device.

Other notable features related to the handheld include a USB-C Port, DisplayPort support over USB-C, a 6,000mAh battery and a 1080p webcam. The portable’s screen is reportedly an HDR OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The device also supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and 5G mmWave.

While Razer’s handheld console bears a striking resemblance to the Switch, it also looks a lot like Valve’s upcoming Linux-based Steam Deck. The Steam Deck’s release was recently pushed back to 2022 due to supply-chain issues.

It’s unclear if this will end up being a consumer product or is a proof-of-concept offering an example of how hardware makers could take advantage of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3X chip for portable gaming devices. For example, the chip maker adopted a similar approach a few years ago with a concept virtual reality headset.

VideoCardz also says that Qualcomm’s next flagship smartphone processor will be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

With the Snapdragon Tech Summit currently underway, we likely won’t have to wait long for more details regarding Razer and Qualcomm’s handheld gaming project.

Image credit: VideoCardz

Souce: VideoCardz Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Xbox Cloud Gaming gets ‘Clarity Boost’ for better streams on Microsoft Edge

Xbox Cloud Gaming now offers crisper, less blurry pictures on Microsoft’s Edge browser through a feature called Clarity Boost.

In a blog post, Microsoft noted that Clarity Boost “uses a set of client-side scaling improvements to improve the visual quality of the video stream.”

Refer to the image below from the Canadian-made Gears 5 for an idea of how Clarity Boost looks in action:

Xbox Cloud Gaming Clarity Boost

For now, Clarity Boost is only available on Microsoft Edge Canary, but the company says the feature will come to all Edge users sometime in 2022.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is included with a $16.99 CAD/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription alongside Game Pass for Console and PC, Xbox Live Gold and EA Play. The service launched on Xbox consoles earlier this month and is also available on Android and iOS (via browsers).

Source: Xbox