The Halo franchise might not be dead, but it appears support for Halo Infinite will be at least somewhat limited moving forward, with 343 Industries moving on to other projects related to the franchise.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, “at least” 95 jobs, including directors and key contractors, have been cut from the Halo developer. Further, the studio has reportedly switched to Epic’s Unreal Engine following issues with its proprietary ‘Slipspace’ engine for a new project codenamed “Tatanka” currently in development through a partnership with Certain Affinity, a developer with offices in Toronto and Austin, Texas.
Tatanka was initially rumoured to be a battle royale multiplayer title, but Bloomberg‘s report indicates it might “evolve” into something else. The report goes on to say that some developers at 343 Industries are concerned with how Unreal might affect how Halo plays but that Splipspace’s technical issues are too challenging to work through. For example, ‘Assault’ and ‘Extraction,’ two popular Halo multiplayer game types, have reportedly been finished for some time but can’t be added to Infinite because of technical limitations.
The report also mentions that several laid-off 343 Industries developers were working on Halo Unreal prototypes rather than new content for Halo Infinite. The decision to switch to Unreal was reportedly made after studio lead Bonnie Ross and engine head David Berger left 343 Industries in late 2022. Moreover, Pierre Hintze, the studio’s new head, wants the company to focus on “greenlighting,” while still expanding Infinite, though it’s unclear how much of a priority the latter is moving forward. It’s worth noting that several former 343 Industries developers have criticized the studio’s leadership on Twitter.
While Halo Infinite‘s core multiplayer mechanics remain extremely solid and the best the series has offered since arguably Halo 2/Halo 3, new content has been sparse, and the game still doesn’t even feature an overarching progression system. 343 Industries also has a history of botched releases, with Halo: The Master Chief Collection being the most notable example beyond Halo Infinite.
Playing Age of Empires II (AoE II) on an Xbox Series X with a controller is a surreal experience for me.
After all, even though AoE II has received several solid re-releases and expansions (Dynasties of India dropped just last year), the iconic real-time strategy (RTS) title is still the same 23-year-old game I spent hours playing as a child on my parents’ chunky, grey-coloured desktop.
But real-time strategy (RTS) games can really only be enjoyed with a mouse and keyboard, right? With very few exceptions to this rule, including Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2, this is the opinion I’ve held for decades, particularly with titles from the late-90s-to-early-2000s golden era of the genre (I blame StarCraft 64).
Thankfully, Age of Empire II Console Edition for Xbox breaks this trend with surprisingly intuitive and fluid gamepad controls.
“I have to be honest with you and say that the work [on the controls] was more challenging than we originally anticipated. When we first started, we did what everybody does, ‘let’s just take the whole PC game to console and just map to controller.’ It works, but it doesn’t feel great — it’s not smooth…” said Earnest Yuen, executive producer at World’s Edge, in an interview with MobileSyrup.
In A0E II‘s Console Edition, every aspect of commanding your units is cleverly mapped to a controller button. For example, instead of making a square around your troops with a mouse like you would in the PC version of the game, on Xbox, you form a green circle by holding down the A button. You can also select idle Villagers by pressing up on the D-pad, any military unit by hitting left, and access villager properties by clicking the right joystick. Other easy-to-access actions include the left trigger to chain commands, the right bumper to access the mini map and the X button for attack move/special actions.
“The first challenge that we encountered is moving the cursor on the screen, because the PC version of Age of Empires II is all about clicking, in a sense. Translating that experience to a controller using an analogue stick is cumbersome. The first thing we tried was a multi-cursor — that didn’t feel right,” said Alex Liu, design director at Microsoft.
Liu explained that to do Age of Empires II justice, the team needed to reimagine how to control the game.
“How can we make a game that’s 20 plus years old and beloved by fans feel fresh, new and welcoming for new players… The Xbox game introduces quite a few new features, from automation to new ways to build stuff and to control units — all of these are things we developed in the process in order to make the game more accessible for people.”
Additions to the AoE II include automation mechanics, a first for the Age of Empires franchise, but a move Yuen and Liu say was necessary to adapt the title to console. You can set Villagers to automatically build farms around town centres or ask them to seek out and gather resources with defined automatic presets like ‘Food and Wood’ foraging, allowing you to concentrate more on building military units and battle.
If this sounds complicated, you aren’t wrong, but after moving through AoE II‘s comprehensive tutorial, the actions became second nature; except for switching to different Command Menus with the Y button (for some reason, that didn’t click with me — at least not yet). Still, I never felt my controls were limited in the few hours I’ve spent with AoE II on the Series X. In fact, I enjoyed leaning back in my computer chair and playing familiar campaigns like ‘William Wallace,’ ‘Joan of Arc,’ ‘Atila the Hun’ and more with only a gamepad. Sometimes I found myself wishing my cursor would move a little more accurately via the joystick, but for the most part, the experience was excellent.
Another critical aspect of Age of Empires II Console Edition worth highlighting is how good the game looks running on the Xbox Series X in 4K. Of course, AoE II is over two decades old, and a remake should look this great on a modern console, especially given it’s a port of 2019’s Definitive Edition for PC. I constantly zoomed in and out of the battlefield and marvelled at its detail. As a long-time fan of AoE II that remembers the game looking stunning back in 1999, even though it didn’t, the fresh coat of 4K paint lines up perfectly in my imagination (our minds have a funny way of preserving gaming memories and making them look better than they actually did).
Of course, you can ditch the gamepad for more traditional mouse and keyboard controls, which I spent a few hours doing. With this control method selected, everything plays exactly like the game’s PC version, only on an Xbox console.
“I personally feel it’s important to give players choice… Let players play the game the way that they want to. If a player wants to play with mouse and keyboard, let them,” said Yuen, when asked why it was necessary to still offer more traditional RTS controls in AoE II‘s console version.
Other things worth noting about AoE II‘s Console Edition include that saved files are transferable between the Xbox and PC, making it simple to start a ‘Skirmish’ on Xbox and then continue that same battle on your PC (this feature definitely would have come in handy for me in the ’90s).
While playing Age of Empires II on Xbox, one of the key things running in the back of my mind was how similarly the Age of Empires IV console port will play when it releases later in 2023. It makes sense for World’s Edge to use the title’s surprisingly capable gamepad controls as a testing ground for AoE IV‘s console release later this year, and that is precisely what the studio plans to do.
“That’s definitely the goal. Alex worked with the design lead on Age IV console as well, so they do exchange notes. Our goal is to make sure that once you learn how to play on console through II, you’ll be able to play Age of Empires IV on console as well in a similar fashion,” said Yeun.
As someone who has spent a lot of time playing AoE II over the past few years, first with the HD remake back in 2012 and then the Definitive Edition in 2019, I’m more interested in diving back into AoE IV on the Series X. While I played the game on PC back when it released, my desktop’s aging hardware didn’t allow it to run at top settings or in 4K. Will I opt for mouse and keyboard controls or gamepad, though? I’m still not sure, but after spending a few hours with the Console Edition of Age of Empires II, I’m leaning more towards the chilled-out experience playing with a controller offers.
Age of Empires II Definitive Edition launches on Xbox consoles on January 31st. It’s worth noting that if you own the PC version of AoE II: DE, you’ll already have access to the Xbox version, and the same goes for the Console Edition.
I’m a PC gamer that primarily games on keyboard and mouse, but from time to time, I like to play more casual titles with a controller. Recently, I’ve been obsessed with FIFA 23 and developing a strong ‘Ultimate Team’ Squad.
I have a DualShock 4 that I bought roughly three years ago, but joystick drift inevitably got to it. The controller is usable, though micro adjustments and moving the analog sticks precisely is almost impossible, as the sticks automatically drift wider than I want them to.
I invested in a new PS5 DualSense, considering that it is compatible with PC just like its predecessor. The simplest way to connect a DualSense to your PC is via a USB-A to USB-C cable. You can also use a USB-C to USB-C cable if your PC/laptop has a USB-C port and enjoy your favourite titles on the go. Similarly, the DualSense can connect to your PC via Bluetooth, so you can game completely wireless on your PC, but there are some configurations that you’ll have to perform.
Firstly, you need to pair the DualSense with your PC:
Press the Windows button on your keyboard to pull up the taskbar and type in “Bluetooth”
Click on ‘Bluetooth and other device settings’ to pull up the Bluetooth settings screen, as seen the first screenshot below
Toggle Bluetooth on and click on ‘Add device’
Click on ‘Bluetooth’ in the ‘Add a device’ list, as seen in the second screenshot below
Now, press and hold the PS button and the Create button on your DualSense 5 until the lights on it start blinking
The controller should pop up in the list of Bluetooth devices nearby
Click on ‘Wireless Controller’ to pair. The screen will say, “Your device is ready to go” once pairing is successful
Your DualSense is now connected to your PC via Bluetooth, but it’s not completely functional yet. Your PC would read the controller as an Xbox Gamepad, so we need to make some changes and tweaks to make the experience seamless, and make your PC read the controller as a PlayStation gamepad.
If you’re playing titles via Steam, the configuration process is rather simple:
Run Steam and click on ‘Steam’ in the top left corner
Click on ‘Settings’ and then choose ‘Controller’
Click on “General Controller Settings” and enable “PlayStation Configuration Support”
Steam will now automatically configure your controller, which it’s reading as an Xbox controller, into a PlayStation one. On the same screen, you’ll see ‘PlayStation 5 controller’ under the ‘Detected Controller’ tab. From here, you can calibrate your controller and adjust the dead zones on the analog sticks, and even define the layout in case you want customized binds.
This setting will work for all games initiated through Steam. If you want to play a title from a launcher other than Steam, you’ll have to use a community tool called DS4Windows (follow the link to download — no virus, I promise).
Once downloaded, the tool might download any missing drivers that are required to run the controller. With the DS4 app open, connect your controller to your PC via Bluetooth, and it should appear under the list of controllers, as seen in the first screenshot below. You can now head to the ‘Profiles’ tab and set assign custom buttons, change analog stick dead zones, customize the lightbar colour, customize the touchpad, gyro and more.
Many PC games let you unlock the full potential of the DualSense. Games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, F1 22, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and many others support haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on PC. Check out a full list of supported games at PCGamingWiki.
HBO has officially confirmed that The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season.
Along with the reveal, the company also announced that the first episode of the critically-acclaimed TV show based on Naughty Dog’s video game series, surpassed 22 million viewers in the U.S., making it the network’s biggest debut next to House of the Dragon. In Canada, The Last of Us is available to stream through Bell’s Crave platform. Bell has yet to release the TV show’s Canadian streaming numbers.
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations,” said game director and executive producer of the show Neil Druckmann. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Those who are familiar with The Last of Us Part II will know that the sequel introduces several new characters, including Abby. Though many think that Shannon Berry will play Abby in season 2, an official announcement hasn’t been made.
Given I’m a big fan of The Last of Us video games, I went into the HBO adaptation cautiously optimistic. As Brad Shankar outlines in his review of the first few episodes of the TV show, mimicking everything in the TV show would make for uncompelling television, and I had hopes that this wasn’t the direction Druckmann and Mazin would rake the series.
Thankfully, at least so far, that hasn’t been the case, and if rumours are accurate, episode 3 is set to diverge even farther from the video game franchise.
GoldenEye 007 has finally released on the Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
While the Xbox version of the game is available as part of Xbox Game Pass ($11.99/month) and on the Switch through Nintendo’s Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription tier ($64/12-months), the two versions of the Nintendo 64 classic feature several key differences
First off, the Xbox version of GoldenEye 007 features 4K, a smoother frame rate and split-screen local multiplayer (it seems to be similar to the cancelled, leaked Xbox 360 remake in 4K). On the other hand, Nintendo’s version of the iconic first-person shooter offers online multiplayer, an HD resolution and more limited controls options.
GoldenEye 007 is also available to play now on Nintendo Switch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members, with all the benefits the platform offers! Good to have you back, 007. https://t.co/SwCemJNtCL
It’s worth noting that on Xbox, if you already own a digital copy of Rare Replay, you’ll also get access to GoldenEye 007 for free. Both versions can’t be purchased separately and require an Xbox Game Pass or Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription.
As someone in their mid-30s who played a lot of GoldenEye 007 in the late 90s, I’m incredibly excited to jump back into the game, particularly its multiplayer mode. While I initially thought I’d go with the Switch version to play online, my tune has changed since I learned the game doesn’t offer online matchmaking. Also, there’s something kind of hilarious about playing a 24-year-old N64 game in 4K.
On that note, the Switch version of GoldenEye 007 doesn’t feature any control options that didn’t exist in the original version of the game, which means you can only assign firing your weapon to the left trigger or A button (since I have the Switch version of the classic N64 controller, this won’t be an issue for me), and that movement controls are mapped to one joystick. If you’ve played a console first-person shooter in the last 20 years, this control scheme feels very archaic.
The Xbox version takes a different approach with its “Diamond” control option that switches the control scheme to feel more like a modern FPS, with movement being controlled by two joysticks. However, the Xbox version of the game doesn’t appear to feature the original release’s cheat codes, which means you’ll need to unlock additional features and levels the old-fashioned way.
As someone whose primary gaming platform is PlayStation, I’ve long wanted the Japanese gaming giant to come out with its own version of Xbox’s well-received Elite Controller.
Sure, there’s been third-party offerings from the likes of Scuf, but an official first-party product is naturally more exciting. Now, PlayStation has finally answered the call with the DualSense Edge, a highly customizable expansion of the PS5’s standard gamepad. Truthfully, I was hard on the controller when it was originally revealed due to its whopping $270 price tag.
But I have to say that while it’s still undeniably expensive, I’m quite impressed with the gamepad now that I’ve spent a couple of days with it. Of course, that’s not enough time for this to be a proper review, but for now, here are my initial, largely positive impressions.
Look and feel
While I initially thought that the Edge so closely resembling the regular DualSense was a little boring, the aesthetic has certainly grown on me. For one, it creates a sense of visual unity between the white-and-black PS5 console, controller and other accessories. More importantly, it helps accentuate the subtle iterations that PlayStation has made.
This includes rubberized inside grips and texturized little grooves on the L2/R2 buttons, both of which add a welcome level of comfort. There’s also an undeniable charm in seeing PlayStation’s iconic Square, Circle, Triangle and Cross buttons patterned across the touchpad and L2/R2.
Parts
And that’s just what’s there at default. Of course, the core appeal of these “pro-style” controllers is the fact that they are modular. In that regard, the breadth of options with the DualSense Edge really is exceptional.
For context, here’s everything you get with the controller:
Carrying case
Connector housing
USB braided cable
Two standard caps
Two high dome caps
Two low dome caps
Two half dome back buttons
Two lever back buttons
In terms of the packed-in physical components, my favourite, by far, is swappable analog stick caps. The default “low domes” are identical to the DualSense’s flat, slightly indented sticks, which were themselves based on the PS4’s DualShock 4. But you can instead replace them with mushroom-esque “high dome” caps which stick upward. In practice, they’re much like the curved thumbsticks of the PS1-3 DualShock controllers, creating a sense of nostalgia that also just feels satisfyingly smooth on my fingers. Best of all, the caps can be easily removed and swapped using just your fingers, so you can always go back and forth to see what you prefer. PlayStation is also selling separate $25 replacement stick modules — a surprisingly affordable solution should you run into issues down the line.
That’s to say nothing of the back attachments. Like the Xbox Elite Controller, you can opt to equip your DualSense Edge with rear paddles, which PlayStation refers to as ‘lever types.’ These are great because you can bind inputs to them for your middle fingers to handle that would otherwise require your thumbs. But the DualSense expands on this concept with a second type of rear attachment, which it calls ‘half dome’ buttons. These little ovular, pill-shaped attachments go in the same slot but otherwise function the same. Once again, it’s really up to preference. Personally, I liked the half dome variants because they’re smaller and, therefore, less intrusive than the longer paddles. This means that they also require more pressure and you’re less likely to accidentally graze them as you might with the paddles — a nice option for people with fatter fingers like me. At the same time, I found having two both middle fingers higher up on the rear to be a bit awkward, so I later swapped one of the domes for a peddle so I could more naturally reach it.
Then there are the trigger stops, a pair of sliders beside the L2/R2 buttons that limit how far the triggers can be pressed. There are three options — full, limited and very limited travel distance. Naturally, the less travel distance you have, the quicker response time when pulling the triggers. These precious milliseconds are most tangible in shooters, where you want aiming and firing to feel as snappy as possible. It’s not something that will single-handedly make you a Call of Duty pro, but that added responsiveness nonetheless makes a pleasing and tangible difference over time. Keep in mind, however, that using the stops will disable the DualSense’s unique adaptive trigger functionality. You’ll also want to consider that games that require a full press of the trigger (i.e. racing games like Gran Turismo 7).
Software
Perhaps the best aspect of the DualSense Edge is just how seamlessly it integrates into the PS5’s ecosystem. As soon as you plug it into your console via USB-C, you’re given a brief-yet-useful overview of the controller. You can also scan a QR code in the surprisingly sturdy carrying case to instantly jump to a series of handy in-depth PlayStation Support videos on individual aspects of the Edge. This makes the whole setup process feel extremely smooth.
It doesn’t stop there. Directly beneath either thumbstick are two ‘Function’ buttons. At any point, you can hold these down to bring up a quick menu related to Profiles. These are sets of button configurations that you can fine-tune to your liking, and you can create as many as you want. In other words, you can absolutely have game-specific Profiles. Four Profiles can then be assigned to face button shortcuts when you press down Function. And because the Function button itself is a shortcut to Profiles, you graciously don’t have navigate to Settings > Accessories > DualSense Edge each time.
Honestly, being able to easily customize and swap between button layouts on the fly was probably the biggest highlight of the total experience. That’s because I underestimated just how much I’d end up loving the ability to play around with controls. For example, I set the D-pad’s Up button to the back-left dome for Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. This meant that I could simply use my otherwise idle middle finger to ping waypoints and enemies for my teammates, thus freeing up my thumb to focus on actual movement. Likewise, I set the other dome for X so I could jump and clamber more easily and have that thumb prioritize camera rotation. On the flip side, Fortnitehas such colourful taunts that I wanted to switch from D-pad Up to Down to quickly get my groove on. Players who prioritize inventory checking, however, might want to leave it on D-pad Up or go Right (Augments) or Left (ping).
Admittedly, though, I’m predominantly someone who enjoys single-player experiences, so I didn’t get nearly as much mileage out of this as others would. Much to my pleasant surprise, then, when I started digging into all of the ways I could tailor Profiles to benefit my offline gaming. Take Uncharted 4: I’ve always found that game’s binding of reload to Triangle to be a bit clunky. With the Edge, though, I can simply assign that to a rear button. Beauty. I then decided to set the other dome to Square, which swaps weapons while aiming, to allow me to more quickly toggle guns while maintaining consistent fire. This was especially handy in firefights where I was spraying a nearby enemy with a rifle then swapping to my pistol to send off more precise single shots. In a similar vein, I appreciated the convenience this had in one of my favourite games, Final Fantasy VII Remake. Here, I could set one dome/paddle to Circle to dodge roll more easily and the other to D-pad Up/Down to quickly swap between characters (essential for the quick on-the-fly reactions that game requires).
But I think the biggest benefit came with Resident Evil 4. I’ve been revisiting the Capcom classic ahead of March’s remake, although it’s admittedly taken some getting readjustment. After all, I’m going back to tank controls after the modern controls of games like Resident Evil 2and Village. This means that you can’t aim and move or even fully rotate the camera (the right analog stick only partially looks in that direction). And because X is the sprint button, you can’t properly run and rotate the camera. Thankfully, the Edge can simply bind X to a rear dome/paddle, freeing up my thumb to rotate the camera while Leon runs forward. That situational awareness is especially helpful when fighting large groups of enemies.
Of course, these are but a few use cases. All in all, the interchangeability between button and rear attachment configurations was staggering, and I loved discovering — and constantly tweaking — my preferred set-ups per game. Throw in such additional customization options as stick sensitivity and stick and trigger deadzones (the input range that isn’t registered) and you really can get a lot out of the Edge.
That battery, though
…Except, perhaps, battery life. Indeed, one of the main issues with the DualSense Edge is it simply doesn’t last for too long. Reports vary depending on exactly how you’re using the Edge, but generally, it seems to last for anywhere between four and eight hours. (Sony hasn’t released an official battery life estimate.) In my experience, I got closer to six hours, although I was primarily playing games that didn’t take advantage of adaptive triggers — or even other draining features like the microphone and speaker — to begin with. Last year, Sony told The Vergethe reduced battery life is due to the Edge’s “many more features” over the roughly 12-hours-long standard DualSense, but it’s still frustrating.
Early verdict
Once again, I haven’t spent that much time with the DualSense Edge, so I don’t have a fully-formed take on it. Further, it remains to be seen whether people will run into any issues in the weeks ahead. I immediately think of the several broken Xbox Elite Controllers that our editor-in-chief, Patrick O’Rourke, has gone through. Could the Edge suffer from similar build quality issues? Only time will tell. Then there’s the matter of the steep price tag, which is more than half the cost of the $520 PS5 Digital Edition itself. Frankly, it’s difficult to wrap my head around such a price for a controller.
Therefore, I can’t really tell you if it’s “worth” spending $270 on it. What I can say, though, is that those who regularly play on PS5 will undoubtedly get a lot out of this gamepad, thanks to its sleek and comfortable form factor, solid lineup of swappable buttons and robust in-game customization options. If you’re part of the PlayStation faithful and any of that sounds appealing to you, the DualSense Edge would be a fine addition to your collection.
Anyone hoping Nintendo would announce a successor to the Nintendo Switch in 2023 will be disappointed to learn the Japanese gaming giant plans to ramp up Switch production in the coming year — and with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom scheduled for a May release, this isn’t entirely surprising.
Sources familiar with Nintendo’s production plans told Bloomberg that Nintendo had informed its parts suppliers and assembly partners that it would increase Switch production during the company’s 2023/2024 financial year.
According to the publication’s sources, now that the component shortage is mostly over, Nintendo can finally produce the number of consoles the market wants. And with Tears of the Kingdom aiming to replicate the critical and sales success of Breath of the Wild, the anticipated game will likely again push Switch sales, just like its predecessor.
While Nintendo’s Switch remains popular, the console is headed into its 6th year and was released back in March 2017. Given Nintendo’s console release history, at this point, the company is usually ramping up to release a new system, or at the very least, its current console is entering its twilight years. In the case of the Switch, it appears the system is still going strong.
Rumours surrounding a Switch Pro or Switch 2 have circulated for years, but the closest thing that’s appeared so far is the Switch OLED model, a minor upgrade to the original home console-handheld hybrid system that features a larger, higher-quality display.
The majority of game developers aren’t interested in NFTs, Web3 and other blockchain technology.
In the latest annual study commissioned by the organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), more than 2,300 developers were asked about various subjects about their work and the industry as a whole. When asked about their studios’ interest in blockchain, 75 percent of people said they were “not interested,” while seven percent responded with “very interested,” 16 percent noted they were “somewhat interested” and two percent mentioned they were “already using it.”
GDC also asked developers to provide anonymous reasons for why they’re for or against the blockchain. Interestingly, the first response was more balanced. “Like any tech, it has its positives and negatives. I think it became too fashionable to be openly opposed, and score points on social media, yet I know many devs who are exploring its use more quietly.”
“Now that the hype has died down and the scammers have moved on I think now is a good time to seriously investigate its utility for any positive player experiences. I don’t believe something as large as blockchain is entirely without use,” said another.
However, many of the other responses were negative.
“Blockchain is a textbook example of a solution looking for a problem. Despite being well known for over a decade, it has no practical use-cases — outside of cryptocurrency, which itself has a single use-case of enabling finance fraud. I am distrustful of any company that pursues blockchain technology, as it tells me that they either lack a firm understanding of the technology or are acting unethically,” said one respondent.
One developer was much more blunt: “I’ve designed a game for use of blockchain, and having spent three months doing nothing but researching use-cases, I have concluded firmly that there aren’t any worth pursuing.”
Metaverse
Another buzzword in the industry is also not being all that well-received. While companies like Mark Zuckberg’s Meta continue to talk about the idea of shared, all-encompassing virtual worlds, just under half of developers (45 percent) said they think the so-called “metaverse” won’t ever deliver on its promise. This was in response to which companies they think would be best suited to actually succeed with the metaverse concept.
Meanwhile, 14 percent said Epic Games (Fortnite) is best positioned in this regard, with Meta (Horizon World) and Microsoft (Minecraft) getting seven percent of the votes each. Google and Apple, meanwhile, only got three percent each.
Developers cited a variety of hurdles that the metaverse will have to overcome, including proper monetization, cheaper VR hardware and better standardization of controls across experiences. One developer, though, put it best: the lack of a proper definition. “The ‘metaverse promise,’ as it stands, is nothing. The people trying to sell it have no idea what it is, and neither do the consumers. Remember what happened, and keeps happening, with cloud gaming a decade ago?”
When asked what kind of impact these waves of acquisitions will have, 44 percent of respondents said they’ll have a “negative” one. A further 32 percent said “unsure” or “N/A.” Only 17 percent of people said “positive” and seven percent said “no impact.”
Some respondents were fairly realistic — “Consolidation is going to happen and we should not be afraid of it” — or indifferent (“As long as they pay the bills and let people make the games they want, I’m fine with it.”)
Others were more pessimistic. “Consolidation is bad for innovation, diversity of products, addressing consumer needs, and ability for new voices to compete on an equitable playing field.”
“I’m a Blizzard baby who’s still traumatized by the Activision Blizzard merger. Major acquisitions will always leave a sour taste in my mouth. There is a lot of money to be made in this industry, and business interests know this. If the trends of these past two decades are any indication, these most recent acquisitions will be terrible for the industry.”
Perhaps the most dryly humorous response: “Big companies get bigger. More homogenization. Less originality. But hey, I guess Banjo-Kazooie can show up in Guitar Hero now.”
Accessibility
One area of game development that’s continuing to see increased support, though, is accessibility. When asked whether their games include options for players with disabilities, the number of people who said “yes” was 38 percent (in line with the 39 percent last year), while the percent of people who said “no” dropped from 36 to 32 percent. Specifically, respondents said they’ve added such features as text captions, reduced motion blur, a colourblind mode and an “arachnophobia mode” to alter the look of enemy spiders.
It’s a good trend to see, especially since there are 400 million gamers around the world have some form of disability, according to Microsoft. In recent years, we’ve seen a number of high-profile games lead the charge on accessibility, including Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part Iand Part II, Santa Monica Studio’s God of War Ragnarökand Eidos Montreal’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Further, PlayStation recently followed Xbox’s suit by revealing an accessibility controller for the PS5.
Following widespread reports of layoffs at Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries and Halo veteran Joseph Staten leaving the studio to rejoin Xbox’s publishing team, a former developer has criticized the studio’s leadership.
Patrick Wren, a former senior multiplayer designer on Halo Infinite who is now working on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at Respawn, doesn’t cite specific leaders in his tweet but has harsh words for the developer’s top management.
The layoffs at 343 shouldn't have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state. The reason for both of those things is incompetent leadership up top during Halo Infinite development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.
Wren goes on to remind fans to be kind to the remaining developers working on 343 Industries, highlighting those who pushed “for a better Halo” were laid off for it.
The people I worked every day with were passionate about Halo and wanted to make something great for the fans. They helped push for a better Halo and got laid off for it.
Devs still there are working hard on that dream. Look at Forge. Be kind to them during this awful time.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier first reported that Joeseph Staten, the game’s creative lead, is leaving 343 Industries to return to Xbox Publishing. Back in 2020, Staten was brought in to solve many of Halo Infinite’s key issues, including the game’s lack of online co-op, new multiplayer content and poor communication from the studio to fans.
While Halo Infinite’s situation has improved drastically over the past few months — online co-op is finally available, Forge launched and content updates are arriving at a faster pace — the game still doesn’t offer what most would consider a “live service.”
According to Schreier, 343 Industries was “hit hard” with layoffs, though it remains unclear exactly how many employees have been cut from the studio. Starfield developer Bethesda also suffered layoffs. Microsoft announced that it will cut 10,000 jobs over the next two months, slashing roughly 5 percent of its total workforce.
It’s no secret that I’ve played Halo Infinite a lot over the past year and a bit, so this news is disappointing to me. The game suffers from undeniable issues related to a lack of new content, but the underlying multiplayer mechanics and single-player campaign are the best in the series since 2007’s Halo 3.
It’s unclear what these layoffs and Staten leaving the studio mean for the future of Halo Infinite, but the situation doesn’t look good.
Toronto rapper Drake showed off a used PSP in his new ‘Jumbotron Shit Poppin’ music video that’s probably unlike any other.
The plastic case usually enclosing the device is replaced with a solid gold one. Jacob & Co appears to have created the item, according to Vanity Fair, and producer Pharrell Williams previously owned the handheld.
Williams recently sold several Jacob & Co items, including the PSP Drake shows off in the video. It reportedly sold for $19,375 USD (roughly $26,000 in Canada).
Check out the PSP for yourself in the video below. Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) released back in 2005 as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s DS. The PSP ended worldwide production in 2014.
“I have to be honest with you and say that the work [on the controls] was more challenging than we originally anticipated. When we first started, we did what everybody does, ‘let’s just take the whole PC game to console and just map to controller.’ It works, but it doesn’t feel great — it’s not smooth…” said Earnest Yuen, executive producer at World’s Edge, in an interview with MobileSyrup.
Liu explained that to do Age of Empires II justice, the team needed to reimagine how to control the game.
Another critical aspect of Age of Empires II Console Edition worth highlighting is how good the game looks running on the Xbox Series X in 4K. Of course, AoE II is over two decades old, and a remake should look this great on a modern console, especially given it’s a port of 2019’s Definitive Edition for PC. I constantly zoomed in and out of the battlefield and marvelled at its detail. As a long-time fan of AoE II that remembers the game looking stunning back in 1999, even though it didn’t, the fresh coat of 4K paint lines up perfectly in my imagination (our minds have a funny way of preserving gaming memories and making them look better than they actually did).
While playing Age of Empires II on Xbox, one of the key things running in the back of my mind was how similarly the Age of Empires IV console port will play when it releases later in 2023. It makes sense for World’s Edge to use the title’s surprisingly capable gamepad controls as a testing ground for AoE IV‘s console release later this year, and that is precisely what the studio plans to do.
Once again, I haven’t spent that much time with the DualSense Edge, so I don’t have a fully-formed take on it. Further, it remains to be seen whether people will run into any issues in the weeks ahead. I immediately think of the 
