Bethesda Joins the Xbox Game Studios Family

Announced quite literally, moments ago, the official Xbox Twitter account has announced that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda studios. Many have insinuated and guess that this deal may have been on the table for quite some time, but today we have the official verdict. So, what does this mean? Well, any forthcoming IPs coming from the legendary studio will be exclusive to the Xbox Ecosystem and will likely release Day and Date on GamePass.

Bethesda has had some missteps (most recently Fallout 76, which has thankfully seen plenty of positive refinements and updates), but the studio’s pedigree is irrefutable. Dropping news like this just before pre-orders go live tomorrow is a strong, momentum building move and will definitely pay dividends down the road. The next big question is whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will become exclusive or release as a multiplatform title since it’s already in development. You can read more official information on the acquisition right here!

Either way. Awesome gaming news to start the day with!

Sony FINALLY gave us what we wanted

After what has felt like a grueling, year long standoff between Microsoft and Sony, we finally have details on the Playstation 5’s release date and pricing. Let’s get right into it.

As far as games go right now we only know that Spiderman: Miles Morales is confirmed for launch. We’ll most likely get extra details in the coming weeks.

The internet has let out a collective sigh of relief as we are no longer waiting with bated breath for Sony to stop playing coy and give us concrete details on their upcoming hardware. They managed to land on the best price point not only for consumers, but for themselves as well. They are absolutely taking a loss on the All Digital console, but can make that up down the road with digital purchases and services.

The future is bright for gaming no matter what platform you prefer. Let’s celebrate and enjoy one of the greatest hobbies in the world.

Talk to us, Sony

It seems that all the juicy gaming news is breaking over night these days. Coming in the evening hours yesterday, Bloomberg’s Chinese division’s original report stated that due to an unsteady production yield (a concerning 50%) of the console’s custom-designed system-on-chip, Sony has decreased its projected hardware allocation units to 11 million worldwide for the first fiscal quarter. 

Supposedly yields are gradually improving, but are still facing problems reaching satisfactory levels of stability. So, what does this potentially mean for Sony and the Playstation 5? A few things. 

  •  Hardware will be scarce and difficult for the average consumer to secure come launch day. This was already suspected after Sony’s imposed e-mail pre-order lottery, but coupled with production issues and hardware stability, it could spell sad times for a lot of fans.
  • We know the PS5 was initially developed and intended to launch in 2019, but was then reworked and clocked up once data on the Series X was finally available. This means that the PS5, for all intents and purposes, is a patchwork of software and hardware solutions hurriedly fit together so as not to fall behind the competition. 
  • They will be as aggressive as they financially can with their pricing to match Microsoft, but undercutting them is just no feasible at this point.
  • In a very worst case scenario we might get a delay roughly a few weeks after this weeks Playstation Event and the Tokyo Game Show.

Now, should we be playing a Requiem for the Playstation division and wallowing in all the Doom and Gloom? Not in the least. My personal take is that Sony is going to push forward with tomorrow’s event where we will get a date and pricing (I’m going to sit on $500 for the Standard Edition and $450-$400 for All Digital at best) and we’re going to get a launch date that will fall at least a week or so after the Series X and S. The week of Black Friday sounds about right.  

What IS concerning to me is the biggest question; What exactly are we playing on day one? Right now we have Godfall (which can only be pre-ordered on the Epic Game store for now), Spiderman: Miles Morales (no official date, but still slated for Holiday 2020), Bugsnax (Holiday 2020 again), Astro Boy’s Playroom (The only one I can confirm at launch at this time), and a serving of 3rd party games you can view here. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the PS5’s launch, and if there is more trouble brewing beneath the surface than we are aware of, I’d much prefer for Sony to delay and focus on ironing out all the kinks while building their allocated units in the process.

All told, we should get most of our answers during tomorrow’s presentation. Fingers crossed, people! 

PS5 Event Announced Ahead of Tokyo Game Show

Just when the silence was becoming palpable, Sony has finally thrown us a bone and announced earlier this morning via its official blog and Twitter that there will be an event held this Wednesday, 9/16/2020 at 1:00PM PDT. According to the blog post, the event will be focusing on “the latest titles from Worldwide Studios and our world-class development partners.” and a “look at some of the great games coming to PS5 at launch (and beyond!).”.

The omission of anything insinuating the announcement of pricing and release date is disappointing, but not altogether unexpected. Following the Xbox’s recent information blowout, Playstation fans have been chomping at the bit waiting for any kind of information. I for one, am looking forward to hopefully a handful of surprise announcements at the very least and maybe some more gameplay of previously announced titles.

No matter where your preferences lie, it’s an exciting time for gaming and we should all spend more time sharing that energy and excitement. See you on the 16th!

By the way…What do YOU hope to see at the show? Any particular IPs you want to make an appearance? Any particular game you want to see more of? Accessories? Sound off in the comments!

What’s Going on at Team Blue’s Home Base?

In what can only be described as one of the most random and iconic gaming moments of 2020, the public was leaked not only confirmation of the Xbox Series S, but also it’s price, release date, and full spec sheet in the middle of the night last Tuesday. Microsoft’s PR team gracefully dove into action and not only met the leak head on by confirming it hours later with their own official announcement, but they did so while meme’ing and having fun with the whole situation. Literally over night we were given the full breakdown of the Series S and Series X’s pricing and release dates. Not only this, but developers began springing forth with confirmation of games releasing with the consoles on launch day, as well performance specs. Most notably being Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla confirmed to be running at 4K 60fps.

Social and Gaming Media were absolutely abuzz for the past 48 hours, and the fire is showing no signs of being put out. So, what does that mean for Sony? Surely they would seize the opportunity to leverage all the excitement and make their own announcement. Surely they would want to capitalize on the fact that all eyes would subsequently on them, especially on the day of the PSX’s anniversary, right? So far, the answer has been a disappointingly loud NO.

Not only has there been no response, reveal, or announcement of any kind during the height of the buzz, but it has recently come out that the PS5 was potentially going to be more expensive than the Series X. The sudden reveal of Microsoft’s hardware seems to have pushed Sony back to the drawing board to reevaluate their pricing and marketing strategy so that they can find something to One Up Microsoft with. The PS5 being the more expensive console was always within the realm of possibilities. Sony’s Bill of Materials was outed to be as high as $470 USD, meaning that if they were to try undercutting Microsoft anywhere below $500, they would stand to lose substantially more per console sold.

 

Now, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that regardless of what happens between now and launch day, the PS5 will sell and sell well. The Playstation has an immense amount of Mindshare built up from the PS4’s wholly successful run and their marketing team is diabolically talented at roping in the average consumer with their messaging. However, I can’t help but feel that this particular moment in time has been one huge missed opportunity for Team Blue, and has put them under further scrutiny by their fan base and shareholders. Remember, there is still plenty we don’t know about the PS5’s functionality, pricing, release date, capabilities, and exactly when 1st party games will be available.

Insomniac’s Spiderman: Miles Morales is slated to be a launch game,  but as of right now, the official date still says Holiday 2020. Ratchet and Clank:  a Rift Apart is set in the PS5’s launch window; Same as Horizon: Journey to the West. After having multiple successful presentations that got consumers excited and eager to know when they can get their shiny new PS5s, it seems as though Sony is inadvertently trying to quell expectations. First we have their limited pre-order system that was presented not too long ago. The parameters for being selected give the the pre-order process an air of being in the Cool Kid’s Club, when in reality it only creates confusion for the average consumer. 

Follow this up with Sony’s peculiar silence after their last presentation and you have a fair bit of people scratching their heads. Sure, Sony doesn’t really have to meet Microsoft head on in this scenario. They are still the most popular of the two brands after all. What’s concerning is that with the very real implications of the Global Pandemic affecting production and marketing, one has to wonder if Sony will actually be able to make it to market for a Holiday 2020 release. While they have increased their initial production allocation from 5-6 million up to 10, we still have no confirmation of what the retail unit truly looks like and whether they’ve even begun full production. Their absence from the recent Hot Chips Symposium   has also raised a few eyebrows. Where the Series X has been stripped down to the very last CU, the PS5’s overall internal composition is still far from having substantial and concrete data available beyond Mark Cerny’s presentation earlier in the year. 

If it sounds like I’m lighting the Signal Fires and raising the alarm…Well, I think I am. Again, the PS5 selling well is not in question. It’s Sony’s seemingly lackadaisical demeanor and response to the demand for info on their product. I plan to purchase a PS5 for myself whenever Blue Point Studio’s Demon’s Souls: Remake is released, but prior to that…Well Sony is doing a pretty swell job on not reaffirming that purchase. 

As of this writing, news has surfaced that Sony has plans to make some kind of announcement today that was indeed planned for yesterday’s anniversary, but moved for obvious reasons. There is also an event scheduled for the 14th, so hopefully all the concerns raised above will be addressed. Fingers crossed, everyone. 

Your Move, Sony

 Microsoft and Sony have been engaged in what is irrefutably the longest game of chicken the gaming industry has ever seen. Neither side has been willing to play their hand and announce pricing and launch date(s) first. That is, until last night. Tech enthusiast Brad Sams fundamentally broke the internet by unveiling not only the physical design of the Xbox Series S, but its price point as well. Shortly after, Windows Central Gaming confirmed via Twitter not only the information for the Series S, the Series X as well!

Series S: $299.99

Series X: $499.99

Both launching November 10th, 2020. Continue reading “Your Move, Sony”

Lenovo’s Lightweight Luxury Laptop

As part of their new Holiday showcase, Lenovo’s Legion Slim 7i Gaming Laptop is set to be released around October. Coming in just under four pounds, the Legion Slim also sports NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus graphics switching and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q. Utilizing Optimus Tech, the Legion can switch back and forth between lower power consumption in less-intensive moments and increased power in GPU-heavy situations. Ideally this can lead to better framerates and improved battery life. Continue reading “Lenovo’s Lightweight Luxury Laptop”

The Analogue-Pocket is the ‘Do it All’ Portable you didn’t know you wanted

Analogue have been making quite the name for themselves by specializing in the development of quality, retro inspired devices that allow you to use the original cartridges for your favorite platforms of yesteryear. Not only this, but each device from the Mega SG to the NT mini sports a slew of enhancements such as 1080p resolution, zero latency input, onboard quality control applications, and support for each system’s original RGB and/or composite formats. Just to name a few. Now, they’re about to release their newest creation: The Analogue Pocket. Let’s take a look, shall we? Continue reading “The Analogue-Pocket is the ‘Do it All’ Portable you didn’t know you wanted”

T’was the Night before Xbox-mas

Let’s cut to the chase. Tomorrow is going to be a pivotal moment in gaming history for MS and the Xbox brand. Ever since Don Mattrick’s damning presentation, Resolution Gate, and innumerable UI updates, it has been an uphill battle for Phil Spencer and the team to lift Xbox from the mud and back on its feet. Thanks to their tenacity, they’ve done exactly that. The Xbox ecosystem is, without question, the most pro-consumer and best value dollar for dollar in gaming right now. There’s just one very important piece of the puzzle missing; Original, High quality, Game of the Year contender IPs. Tomorrow-July 23rd-We get to see if all the studio acquisitions (a whopping 15 so far), the consumer focused marketing and infrastructure changes, a focus on delivering the most powerful console platform to game on, and the wholly successful GamePass + xCloud service(s) can help deliver just that. Continue reading “T’was the Night before Xbox-mas”

Lenovo’s New Gaming Phone has a Neat Trick

As per a listing on the Chinese website JD.com, Lenovo is set to release its newest smartphone dubbed, Legion. Centered on its side is a 20 megapixel camera that pops out on command in a very secret agent esque manner. It doesn’t necessarily seem like a feature many people have been clamoring for, but perhaps it could make for some interesting live streams while gaming on the go.

It takes approximately 0.496 seconds for the camera to pop, and about 0.5 seconds to retract. Pretty speedy. Lenovo also wants to temper concerns over general use wear and tear by confirming that it will have, at the very least, a lifespan of over 400,000 activations. You know, just in case your little niece or nephew get a hold of it and go crazy with the function.

Credit: JD.com

Now, the cute little camera is a neat trick, but what do the specs look like? Well, the Legion is actually a bit of a beast on its own. Sporting a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and 90 watt fast charging, the Legion is out to flex a little in Mobile Gaming market. You also get a 64-megapixel main and 16-megapixel wide-angle cameras, along with dual front speakers, and RGB lighting.

The Legion is set to release July 22nd to the tune of about $670.00 after conversions. Release in North America and Europe have yet to be confirmed, but is quite likely.