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Pokémon Scarlet and Violet seven-star Tera Raids are taking a break from Starters to focus on other stand-out ‘mons. This time, the Unrivaled Tera Raid event will focus on Dondozo, the giant catfish partner of the tiny Tatsugiri. Up until this point, most of the seven-star Tera Raid events in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet revolved around Starters, so it’s refreshing to see Dondozo get its time in the spotlight as one of the strongest ‘mons introduced this generation. View the full article

Electronic Arts has revised its plans to shake-up the Apex Legends battle pass experience following a backlash from fans. Starting with Season 22, there will be two $10 battle passes per season rather than one, and EA was planning to remove the ability to purchase premium battle passes using the game’s virtual currency, Apex Coins. But following an outcry from players, it confirmed on Wednesday that this will no longer be the case when Season 22 launches on August 6. Read More... View the full article

The developers behind World of Warcraft, one of the world’s biggest and longest-running MMORPGs, have officially unionized. Earlier today, an official vote of over 500 eligible employees working on World of Warcraft was tallied and certified. With this, Blizzard Entertainment has its first ever “wall-to-wall” union, encompassing the entirety of a game development team instead of just one division, like QA. The union includes designers, engineers, producers, artists, QA testers, and other developers, most of whom are based in either Irvine, CA, or are part of a smaller team in Massachusetts. The group is called World of Warcraft Game Makers Guild, or WoWGG, and is a part of Communications Workers of America (CWA). Additionally, a second group of Activision-Blizzard QA workers based in Austin, Texas have formed a separate union with Communications Workers of America, called Texas Blizzard QA *******. The roughly 60 developers involved primarily work on Diablo, Hearthstone, and other games. Both unions concluded their votes today and have been officially recognized under Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement and certified by an independent arbitrator. Something need doing? Speaking ahead of the election’s conclusion, World of Warcraft senior producer Samuel Cooper told me that organizing work on the WoW team began in earnest near the end of 2021 after a (since-settled) California lawsuit alleging instances of harassment, inequality, and bro culture at the company. In the weeks and months that followed, the company put out a series of statements, but in June 2021 Blizzard employees staged a walk-out demanding further action. Cooper tells me the walkout was the “spark” that eventually led to further organizing efforts and, now, WoWGG. So why did it take three years? Organizing takes time, and 500 people is a lot. “You can't just ***** off an email blast and then have a bunch of people swarm in,” Cooper says. “It's mostly individual conversations between people who know and care about each other. It is gradual, but it's also exponential. The more of those conversations you have, the more people there are having them.” Cooper tells me he got involved in organizing in hopes of having “a more democratized way of representing employees in the workplace.” He later convinced senior quest designer Paul Cox to join in. Cox tells me he was frustrated that the voices of ground level employees weren’t being represented in Blizzard’s response to the California lawsuit, and he wanted to make sure they were taken into account. “This isn't an ******* against our World of Warcraft leadership or something where we're like, ‘We hate those guys.’” he said. “We just want to make sure that our voices are being heard and that at some point we don't end up as numbers on a spreadsheet. Because you go up high enough and these people have never met any of us, none of the names mean anything to them.” WoWGG’s initial “spark” and early organizing work took place while the company was still independent of Microsoft, but last year, it was acquired. As a result, Blizzard employees benefited from Microsoft’s prior commitment to labor neutrality, effectively allowing them to organize in the open without company interference. Cooper adds that Microsoft has upheld its commitment with regards to Blizzard. We had CWA folks on campus for weeks on end, right in the middle, next to the big bronze orc. “We had a lot of folks who, rightly or wrongly, felt fearful before,” Cooper says. “There are legal protections for organizing, but it can still be scary to have that change…We had CWA folks on campus for weeks on end, right in the middle, next to the big bronze orc. I think that really made people feel like it's not scary. I know they're not allowed to retaliate, but now I have confidence that they're not going to retaliate.” Once they were able to organize openly, the WoW team’s efforts picked up speed throughout 2024. Cooper tells me the group was also emboldened by other game unions such as those at ***** and fellow Microsoft unions at Zenimax and Activision, many of whom had representatives on the Blizzard campus speaking with employees. The group even had a friendly race with the unionizing employees at Bethesda Game Studios, who won a similar election last week. “In a friendly way, we were seeing who was going to squeak in there first,” Cooper says. “Never happier to be outrun. Huge congratulations to them.” What's worth fighting for Cooper believes that WoWGG’s victory is part of a growing wave of industry unionization in recent years. He hopes their union can serve as inspiration to others, just as *****, Zenimax, and Activision inspired them. “Blizzard's a big name. We make great games, we occupy a position in the industry that I think has a lot of influence. The ability to show folks a large, very successful, very long-standing game…is able to do this and able to do it with all of our development groups, not just design or production and design or production design, engineering and art, but quality assurance, too, brought in and treated correctly as full development partners. We hope that that's the start of a paradigm shift across the industry.” Though WoWGG is still a ways off from contract negotiations, Cox tells me that two big issues the union wants to put on the table are pay equity and work-from-home. On the latter, he says that most of the WoW team is required to be in office three days a week, and exceptions have been very, very limited. That’s been a huge issue for those who moved out of town during the pandemic, or bought houses, or who struggle to afford living in Irvine, CA. “We've lost some really great folks who have just been like, ‘I don't want to come back into the office. I like the fact that I don't have an hour and a half commute every day,’” Cox says. Cooper adds, “Long-standing partners who I personally really relied on that we've had to figure out how to move forward without. It's a huge topic for us. Ultimately, how these things shake out in bargaining, how we prioritize pay against promotion transparency, against layoff protections, against work-from-home and other concerns. That'll really be up to our friends and teammates, our members, to survey, but those are big topics.” Fundamentally, both Cooper and Cox tell me their ******* to unionize comes out of a deep love for Blizzard and the work they do on World of Warcraft. Both of them have been at Blizzard for over 15 years, and feel invested in making it a better place to work for themselves and all their teammates. If you want a place to stay good, you've got to make the place good. “Another one of our organizing committee members said, ‘There's a temptation when things get hard at a job to go look for a job where things are easier. But this is a tough industry, you can jump and you may experience some improvement for a while, but if you want a place to stay good, you've got to make the place good,’” Cooper explains. “Unionizing, I think, it's going to make a difference for us. I think it's going to make a difference for the company, a positive difference that'll help us be more successful in all senses and take better care of our people. I think that's going to ripple out to the industry, even the players. I'm excited for the future.” Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected]. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Tekken 8 had a big Evo. Bandai Namco announced a new free single player story expansion, and a partnership with Nike and Chipotle. There was an incredible Grand Finals that saw Arslan Ash prove to the world that he is still the king of competitive Tekken. And there was also the return of arguably the most iconic and recognizable character in Tekken Lore – one that we were told was ***** *****, like, for realsies this time – Heihachi Mishima. During the show, I got a chance to sit down with Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada, producer Michael Murray, and game director Kohei Ikeda, to pick their brains about Heihachi returning to Tekken, how the game is performing six months in, and much more. So, to start this off, why did you lie to us? How is Heihachi coming back from the ***** and what made you want to bring Heihachi back as the third DLC character for Tekken 8? Katsuhiro Harada, Tekken 8 Series Director: didn't mean to lie or anything about that. It was... Tekken 7 really focused on the story arc between Heihachi and his son, Kazuya, and so, we really wanted to show that kind of final conclusion, and he seemed to **** at that point. Right? But then, after that happened, Tekken 8 was released, and we put a lot of effort into the story and the fans really seemed to be engaged with that. And as that was happening, we were kind of feeling that the players kind of missed him as well. Obviously, we did, too. So, it was kind of decided later on that we would do that. So, it wasn't a lie. And then, also, the timing is right since it's the 30th anniversary of the franchise. And so, we need all three of the Mishimas. This is the most iconic in the series. Right? Its the 30th anniversary of the franchise. And so, we need all three of the Mishimas. Kohei Ikeda, Tekken 8 Director: So, after the fact, we did kind of make the preparations, you know, Reina, kind of that link that she has to Heihachi. And then, also the logo, the 30th anniversary. If you look closely at it, you can see that it's comprised of ******'s wings, two different styles, but if you take a step back and look at, it actually looks like the silhouette of Heihachi's face. Right? So, we were doing some of the preparations in the background. I know it's early, but can you tell us a little bit about how this Tekken 8 version of Heihachi will be different from previous iterations, and maybe, how he'll use heat to his advantage? Ikeda: Like you imagine, it is a bit too early to be talking many details about his character, but to give some hints, he's a very powerful play style throughout the series, so we tried to recreate that in Tekken 8. So, the focus is on that. But also, if you saw that a story hints about the monks and the footage and what he has to do with them, that maybe will dictate some of his move set as well. So, there's some hints there. We hope that you'll look forward to hearing more about it. So, another thing that you've announced is this partnership with Chipotle and Nike. Can you talk a little bit about how both those deals came about? Harada: It really is several different cases. Sometimes, they approach us, other times, it's something that we ask of them. But there needs to be the right conditions such as it's a win for us, it's a win for them. But more importantly, a win also for the fans. For example, with the Nike thing, Nakatsu and I are both big sneaker... Myself and him, our fans, but there's a lot of people on the team as well that love Nike. And so, it just happened that that's something that there's a lot of sneakerheads in the fighting game community as a whole. And then, also on the Nike side, we found out they really knew about Kazuya's being a sneakerhead, and we had a lot of fighting game fans on the Nike side. So, it was a win-win for everyone. And then, also, Chipotle as well, they've been supporting the fighting game community. It's a good match with gamers and their franchises. And then, also, if it's something the fans are enjoying, obviously, that's good for us from our side as well. So, it came about that, hey, that's a win for everyone, let's do it. Although the start is different, the conditions are pretty similar. So, we're half a year into Tekken 8's life cycle. How happy are you with how the game has been received by fans, and then, separately, how have the sales so far met with your own expectations? Harada: After the game released, it's been six months, like you said, we're happy with how the title's performing. It's continuing at a faster pace than Tekken 7. Also, considering that compared to the other fighting game titles, we haven't done the previous generation of hardware. It's only on the current generation. So, that considered as well, I think it's doing well. And then, also from the community's perspective, the game has been released and it was supported a lot by new players. Some of the people who've been with the series for a long time, they voiced some concerns, et cetera, at the beginning, but those opinions changed over the time. We've noticed, during tournaments progressing, et cetera, people have more time with the game, even the more advanced players kind of got a handle on it. And so, their opinion has seemed to change in the past three months, was what he was saying. Michael Murray, Producer: And I would add the same. We had to make a brand new game. It had to feel like a proper installment. So, Nakatsu and his team really changed the game system a lot, and really clarified the key concepts of the characters and their strengths and weaknesses. And also, we did an update recently that addressed some of the things that the older players didn't like. Maybe, enhancing some of the defensive options, et cetera. So, I think the game's really in a good place currently. Many of the core mechanics of Tekken 8 have changed since the game was first revealed. Specifically, I remember how the heat mechanics worked a little bit differently when I first saw it. Now that you've had six months since release and have heard feedback from both casual players and top-level *****, do you envision any more sweeping changes to the core systems in Tekken 8 or even some new additions? Ikeda: Like you said, we've made some changes to the heat system after release. The reasoning being that, although the concept was clear and we felt we achieved it, that it was very fun to be on the offense and to open up your opponent and to be able to do damage, et cetera, was quite exhilarating, but we realized that some of the elements that people liked about 3D ****** game, being able to have defensive options of side stepping or using that 3D environment to your advantage strategically was a little bit weaker perhaps in past installments. So, with the update like we were mentioning, we enhanced those features a little bit more. So, we currently think that the game is in a good place and there are no further... we've already announced this to the player base as a whole, but we don't plan on making any sweeping changes to the game system itself. We plan on proceeding with this. Although we'll continue to be fixing bugs and things like that. And also, like we talked about today, more about the product as a whole, adding new features or making quality of life improvements, trying to make it the best Tekken we can since it is, after all, the 30th anniversary of the series. So, Tekken has historically been a series that has included some kind of off-the-wall characters like Gon, Mokujin, Roger, Alex and Kuma, and Panda. Since Tekken 6 though, it's only really been Kuma and Panda representing that kind of character archetype. Do you think Tekken, as a series, has largely outgrown those types of characters, or is there a chance that we could see those characters come back? Harada: So, the strategy, the thinking behind the franchise hasn't changed. It's not like we're intentionally removing those characters per se, but if you really take a close look at how they were back in those iterations, it was more of like they were... We call them compatible characters in *********, which means like the move set is another character and it's just the skin is different, right? There are many of those characters in the past, not just the animals that you mentioned. And over the series, we've tried to flesh them out and to do away with that portion. So, making sure that each of the characters are unique. So, even if you have Kuma and Panda, their moves might be slightly different or the Rage Arts or whatever, they're their own unique character. That was the main thinking behind that. It wasn't intentional that the other characters are not making an appearance. That said, in order to get everyone's favorites, and then, also include characters like that, we'd have to have a roster of like 60-some characters, which just isn't viable from a launch, and then, also, for the player base to learn how to play against that number of characters is a lot. So, we wouldn't say they're not going to make a appearance ever again. That's just the current state. Guest characters have been an important trend in fighting games, and Tekken, obviously, no stranger to them. What are your thoughts in general of having guest characters in your games, and do they come with any sort of unique challenges that, maybe, the average Tekken fan might not think about as just, from the perspective of a fan? Harada: There [are] some things that maybe are behind the scenes that most people won't notice – there's got to be a variety of conditions that align. We want that particular character in our game is the start. Does that IP owner want their property in our game? And then, maybe, both say, yeah, that's awesome, but there's a timing, like for our franchise, when do we want that character to appear? And for them, maybe, they're like, no, we have plans, we can't have it until later. Or we have plans that are coming later, so it has to be right now. And then, the fans want to see that in the game. So, there's a variety of conditions that have to occur before all of this can work out to be in the game. And then, I was just mentioning that, even if that happens, which is the hard part, right, and then if you're using a famous character that has a well-known actor attached to it and their schedule is insane, you have to be able to find time to get them into the studio to record voice lines and things like that. So, there's so many obstacles that have to be overcome for that to happen. So, it is quite a challenge. I wanted to ask you if you are familiar with the recent rise of creator-led team tournaments like the Sajam Slam, which, I know you had a thing with yesterday. And the CR Cup. Have you checked any of these out, and what do you think of the team format of having teams that are led by professional players, but then, the teams themselves are mostly made up of non-FGC streamers, YouTubers and other content creators? Harada: watch those events, and [I'm] a fan of some of the YouTubers or streamers as well that maybe might not be a FGC person. So, [I'm] aware of it, and [think] it's really a great thing that's happening. Because you have these ***** who know their games quite well, but you have the streamers who haven't, perhaps, played some of these games, and they all have their own communities who, maybe, don't play fighting games that are, then, become interested because of their favorite streamer. Another thing that's quite interesting that happens is that, even if some of these people watch that stream and they find it interesting, maybe, they're not even motivated to play the game themselves, but they still enjoy watching it and being a part of the audience and enjoying that experience. So, that's a cool thing to see fighting games reaching a new audience, but maybe, they're not playing it. That's still cool though. Murray: I would say the same thing. I mean, I'm a close friend of Sajam and some of these people, and we're not directly involved that often, although we did make an appearance, it's great to see what they're doing with the game and to see the journey. For me, especially, I was watching LilyPichu and to see her start off with no knowledge of Tekken, and then, she just becomes so engrossed and I see her face, the hurdles that beginner players face, and then, she overcomes them as she's playing people online, and, then to see her face new problems as an intermediate player and to see that journey is really cool. And to see her community experience that and grow with her is just totally awesome. I want to just really quick touch on how it was launching on console and PC without an initial arcade release, and how has that changed development and post-launch updating? Harada: Back in the day, it was, I guess, you could say a bit easier, because we started off the arcade iteration which just includes the battle portion of the game. So, that allowed us to put some time into polishing that portion before moving on to the console in which you start adding the various modes and other features that the console version received. But since we don't have that now, it's like you have to provide everything from the start. You have to do the brand new game systems, all the stuff that goes into the console version. You have to polish them at the same time, as well as, create it. And it's really intense. That said, back in the day with the arcades, there wasn't a worldwide connected internet and the fan base and all that. So, the communities were really localized and to get feedback, it was very hard. You'd have to pretty much go to that location. Where now, although we have to create everything at the start and it's quite intense, we're more easily able to get feedback from the community because they're connected to each other across the world. And it's easier to access some of the more advanced players as well to get their feedback with the game. So, that does help. So, there are the challenges and drawbacks. And then, also, the feedback, it's easier to get, but you're kind of overwhelmed by it, because before, you're looking at just the battle portion for the arcade. But when we released Tekken 8 without an arcade version, you're getting feedback about the balance of the game, the brand new system, some kind of characters. Maybe, one of the features of the game, the people. There's so much that encompasses, that it's quite difficult to sift through it, and then, decide what do you prioritize, because we can't do all of it at once, right? Final question, I'm asking this to all the fighting game developers and producers that I'm talking to. But what do you believe is the next step forward for the fighting game genre? We just kind of overcame Netcode with most games coming out now having rollback Netcode. What do you envision as any sort of new innovation or technology that you think could improve the genre and bring it into a new era of fighting games? Harada: Like you said, there's been various changes like rollback, et cetera, that have changed, but what [I'm] looking for in particularly is more of the community aspect and how that changes. Because we've seen a change outside of games, just the internet as a whole, in how people interact with each other and make friends, et cetera, that, perhaps, that will, somehow, make its way into fighting games. We've seen a change outsode of games in how people interact with each other and mke friends. Perhaps that will, somehow, make its way into fighting games. And there's kind of earlier iteration of ****** launch in Tekken 8 that you can experience that to some degree. But then, also, just the way that you play the game. For example, currently, it's... Normally, a one-on-one match is maybe ranked or something like that, where maybe we start to see more of a team-based battles, which are quite popular in areas like Japan. Just seeing the way that people interact with each other in a fighting game, not just directly in the battle is something that will probably evolve. Maybe, perhaps, the way that you cheer on someone in a fighting game. You're not playing directly, but you're still enjoying it as you watch them. Or maybe, the way that you interact with that certain group who are playing the games online in some kind of a lobby, et cetera. These are the areas he thinks will maybe see changes in the future. Ikeda: There's a lot of possibility in the AI features that we included. For example, in Tekken 8, we can play against more refined CPU character because they mimic tendencies, et cetera. But the AI characters, the Ghosts example that we have, there are various uses, it's not just to battle against them. It helps point out your flaws and help you practice and enhance your weak areas. Or maybe, it's a AI version of yourself and allows you to more take a step back and see your own weaknesses more effectively. And so, it kind of complements what Harada was talking about, that online community and how you interact with them. But then, you also have this kind of AI companion to help you in your journey as a player, and they're kind of interwoven as he sees it. Harada: Maybe, from the AI players, when you beat them, they're going to start sending you salty messages like real players. [laughter] Murray: I agree with Nakatsu, that I think the fun part of fighting games, and Harada mentioned this, is not going to change. It's that chess between you and your opponent. But we see that, it's often hard to get people who have no knowledge of fighting games to get to that step where they find out why fighting games are so amazing. So, I think like Nakatsu and his team, some of the things that they've done with AI characters, or... I don't think he talked about it today, but the replay against you and opponent where you can see that, but then, you can practice a certain iteration, I think those kind of things where it helps people get to that point where they can enjoy the chess is some of the evolution we're going to be seeing as well. Mitchell Saltzman is an Senior Producer at IGN. You can find him on twitter @JurassicRabbit View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Cute and ferocious animals have taken over the Limited Draft and Sealed Magic: The Gathering format, with the Mouse archetype potentially being the best Aggro build within Bloomburrow Draft. This article should help you head into Prerelease, Draft, and Sealed events at local game stores or through MTG Arena confidently while playing the Mouse archetype. And don’t sleep on our exclusive spreadsheet of every card in Bloomburrow graded for Limited play that’s available to all MTG Madness subscribers. View the full article

The second Pokémon Go Ultra Unlock following Go Fest 2024 has arrived, and it’s all about the arrival of Togedemaru’s Shiny version. The latest event is called Strength of Steel, with distinct Pokémon encounters, several raids, and multiple Field Research tasks for you to complete. Although not everyone has been happy about the latest Pokémon Go Ultra Unlock events, it still offers a variety of opportunities for players to earn rewards. The Strength of Steel event features several Steel-type Pokémon that might normally be rare to encounter in your local area. We’re going to break down all wild Pokémon encounters, raids, and Field Research tasks you can work on during the event. View the full article

Starfield may be a game about exploring the unknown and expanding the knowledge of the human race, but one player's discovery is a good reminder that sometimes it's necessary to take a break and just relax. Due to the sci-fi RPG's gigantic scale, there are plenty of random encounters that some players may never actually see while they're off in their corner of the cosmos. Generally speaking, these small events aren't too interesting in isolation, but one of the more enjoyable finds has apparently been missed by dozens of explorers. View the full article

Nihon Falcom's hybrid between Trails and Ys returns, this time on Nintendo Switch and touting a great new English script. View the full article

When logging into World of Warcraft after The War Within Pre-Patch, players will have to complete a short quest in order to get the Warband Bank Distance Inhibitor, allowing them to access their Warband Bank anywhere in the world. While the base Warband Bank is available right away, World of Warcraft fans will have to unlock this useful spell, and make sure they have gold to buy the tabs of this special storage area. View the full article

Zoochosis bills itself as a "bodycam horror simulation game," and I'm not going to say that's inaccurate. But at Summer Game Fest last month I played most of the opening hour of Zoochosis and had no idea what to make of it, because it was far more bizarre and awkward than horrifying... Read more.View the full article

If you’re trying to complete the entire Pirates of the Caribbean Cursed Sails event in Fortnite, there are lots of quests you have to navigate through. One of these tasks asks you to speak to a character before taking damage. This quest can be difficult to do since it requires you to act quickly and locate NPCs who can sometimes be tough to find. If you plan ahead, this quest can be an easy one to get done, so here’s how to speak to a character before taking damage in the Pirates of the Caribbean Fortnite event. View the full article

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge More than 500 developers at Blizzard Entertainment who work on World of Warcraft have voted to form a union. The World of Warcraft GameMakers Guild, formed with the assistance of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), is composed of employees across every department, including designers, engineers, artists, producers, and more. Together, they have formed the largest wall-to-wall union — or a union inclusive of multiple departments and disciplines — at Microsoft. This news comes less than a week after the formation of the Bethesda Game Studios union, which, at the time of the announcement, was itself the largest wall-to-wall Microsoft union. These unions represent a major shift in video game union organization strategy, and The... Continue reading… View the full article

There are loads of different objectives you can complete in League of Legends’ new PvE game mode Swarm, but one quest is giving many players problems: Surprise for Seraphine Two. This mission has been eluding many different players as they ramp up through the various maps in the mode after they’ve completed the main storyline, taken down Aatrox, and unlocked character story quests. Some players are also reporting that this objective is bugged because they’ve been fulfilling the required tasks, only for them to fail the quest anyway. View the full article

Respawn Entertainment has made a statement promising to revert the controversial changes to the Battle Pass in Apex Legends that were announced at the start of this month. Going forward, Battle Passes in Apex Legends will remain purchasable for 950 Apex Coins like they always have been. View the full article

Atlus will host a new livestream for Metaphor: ReFantazio on July 29 at 6 PM PT, 9 PM ET. This will be the fourth broadcast of Metaphor: ReFantazio, presented by director Katsura Hashino, and it will focus on the RPG's characters. View the full article

You’ll find multiple puzzles available for you to work on throughout your time playing Once Human as you explore each region. For one of the seasonal goals, there’s a request to complete a Devious Painting, and it might not be entirely clear what you need to do. Devious Paintings are in-game events you can find while exploring Once Human. These are distinct puzzles at ruins scattered throughout the game. You’ll need to go out of your way to find them, and figuring out the solution can be challenging. Here’s what you need to know about how to solve a Devious Painting and where you can find one while playing Once Human. View the full article

The final character for Mortal Kombat 1's Kombat Pack DLC is Takeda, a returning fighter from Mortal Kombat X who comes back with familiar combos and moves, but new fatalities for you to explore. In the New Era, Takeda comes equipped with his twin chain whips once again with fast attacks to overwhelm his rivals. Pairing Takeda with the right Kameo can create a team ready to take on anyone. View the full article

Introducing the PDP Riffmaster wireless guitar! A groundbreaking release after almost a decade, enabling you to unleash your inner rock star in Fortnite Festival, Rock Band 4, and Clone Hero. Officially licensed by Xbox, it's your key to rocking out with unparalleled freedom and style. If you want a controller that makes you feel like a musician, this is the one. It enhances the playing experience and looks the part. If you're a fan of rhythm games, then this is one of the best PC controllers you'll find. It does for musical games what PC steering wheels do for driving games - adding a whole new level of realism and immersion. This is really the first guitar controller of the modern age. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Our favorite gaming SSD just hit 8TB, and it's cheaper than most AMD is going to love this Intel Arrow Lake CPU benchmark ***** Best Marvel Rivals settings for max fps View the full article

It looks as though there are already a few samples of Arrow Lake CPUs in the hands of tech leakers right now, as a series of Intel Core Ultra 9 285K benchmarks have seemingly just been leaked. The leaked Intel Arrow Lake benchmark results are better than those from any CPU you can buy now, but it looks as though Intel is going to have a hard time beating AMD in the forthcoming CPU battle. Both Intel and AMD will be competing to make the best gaming CPU in 2024, but AMD has a head start, with the Ryzen 9000 release date fast approaching. Intel's competing Arrow Lake CPUs aren't expected to come out until at least October 2024, and if that's what happens, it looks as though Intel is going to have a serious ****** on its hands. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: These new AMD Radeon cards just copied Nvidia in the worst way AMD's Strix Halo laptop CPU just got benchmarked, confused everyone AMD takes on Nvidia Reflex Analyzer with free new latency meter tool View the full article

WD has just announced a new version of its popular PCIe 4 SSD, making it one of the cheapest yet fastest 8TB M.2 SSDs around. The new 8TB WD ****** SN850X is still a pricey option, but could save you as much as $220 compared to some other 8TB drives. The 2TB version of this WD drive has the top spot on our best gaming SSD guide, thanks to its great balance of performance and value. However, for most gamers, we wouldn't recommend paying so much money for the 8TB version, especially when most motherboards these days can accommodate two or even three M.2 SSDs. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: PDP Riffmaster Guitar Controller review AMD is going to love this Intel Arrow Lake CPU benchmark ***** Best Marvel Rivals settings for max fps View the full article

Half-Life 2 is a beloved FPS that absolutely does not need a film or TV adaptation. Though games like Halo, Fallout, The Last of Us, and even League of Legends have had varying levels of success moving from game to screen, Half-Life 2 doesn't have the kind of story that makes sense for cinema. As it turns out, that doesn't matter at all, as Valve's 2004 classic may now be taking a roundabout path to the big screen through a Michael Bay-directed version of the viral Skibidi ******* web series, a wildly successful internet hit created and featuring characters from Half-Life 2. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Half-Life 2's vehicle levels *****, and it's time we all admit it Half Life 2 RTX won't use AI textures, devs are crafting "every pixel" Forgotten Half-Life 2 mod from 2007 suddenly has 1,700% more players View the full article

Xbox Game Pass subscribers are now free to play the entirety of the 2023 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 through their subscription. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was one of the best-selling video games of 2023, and is quite easily one of the most significant new additions to the Xbox Game Pass library to date. View the full article

Low input latency is crucial for fast-paced games where split-second reactions can mean the difference between winning and losing. The lower the latency between clicking your mouse and seeing that action play out on-screen, the better. Measuring latency requires cumbersome workarounds, like using high-speed cameras to capture mouse clicks and... Read Entire Article View the full article

Marvel Rivals closed beta test is already drawing in huge player numbers, with over 50,000 logging on in just the first day. Earlier this year, NetEase Games announced that it was working with Marvel to develop a 6v6 superhero shooter title that would combine the frantic match-ups of Overwatch with the heroes and villains of the popular comic and movie juggernaut. As of this writing, Marvel Rivals has 21 confirmed playable characters, each with their own special attacks and abilities pulled from the printed page and silver screen. View the full article

Necesse is an impressive game but the graphics were a bit on the plain side. This changes dramatically on August 10 with the exciting Graphics Update. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article