For our next round of Best of Black Friday features, we are diving into the most notable gear in the Google ecosystem. While we will certainly being seeing deals across the Googleverse, including its latest Pixel tablets and Chromecast devices, this po...
Apple launched the new M4 Mac mini with a complete redesign a few weeks ago, and we now have one of the first teardowns of the machine, showcasing what changes the company has implemented on the inside. iFixit is known for its in-depth teardown of Apple and products from other companies and provides how well it is designed for repairability. Apple has greatly reduced the size and overall footprint of the M4 Mac mini, so it will be interesting to see how the teardown goes. iFixit gives a 7 out of 10 repairability score to the redesigned M4 Mac mini […]
STALKER 2 will support DLSS 3.0 and with that, NVIDIA has already teased its numbers, claiming over 2X performance uplift compared to native resolution. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 GPUs with DLSS Performance Mode result in over 2x higher FPS at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p in the upcoming STALKER 2 title NVIDIA has announced official support for DLSS 3.0 in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set for release on Steam on 20th November. This means gamers who own RTX 40 GPUs can turn on DLSS 3.0 with Frame Generation from day one. That said, NVIDIA has released its numbers for the […]
Well, Microsoft's Windows 11 is about to receive its first exclusive ad featuring Xbox's Game Pass promotion under the "Settings" option. News surrounding advertisements on Windows 11 has been circulating for a while now, and it looks like we have finally witnessed the new ad surfacing, promoting none other than Microsoft's gaming subscription service, Game Pass. In the latest Dev channel version 26120.470 (KB5037864), Microsoft says a new Game Pass advertisement will be visible under the Settings home page. Here is how the company describes the change: We are introducing a new Game Pass recommendation card on the Settings homepage. […]
Following the unexpected move to shut down three game studios and merge another with ZeniMax Online, we learned that Microsoft is still planning more cuts to its Xbox division. But that's not the full extent of the company's re-evaluation of its gaming strategy. According to The Verge's Tom Warren, Microsoft is still pondering whether to put Call of Duty on Game Pass. Call of Duty is a big driver of Activision Blizzard's revenue, after all, and there are concerns that adding the games to the subscription service could reduce that revenue as players stop purchasing Call of Duty at full […]
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games, while Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online. This follows nearly 1,900 layoffs earlier in the year, largely from Microsoft’s newly-acquired Activision Blizzard teams. Unfortunately, it seems this isn’t the end of the pain. According to Bloomberg’s reliable Jason Schreier, folks across the Xbox organization have been told more cuts are on the way. It’s unclear at the moment which divisions will […]
For a while in the late 2010/early 2020s, it seemed liked gaming subscriptions may be the future of the hobby. Microsoft certainly wanted us to think it was the future, pushing Xbox Game Pass every chance they got, and Sony eventually joined the party with their own expanded PlayStation Plus service. Ultimately though, enthusiasm for gaming subscription services hit a wall. Xbox Game Pass badly missed growth targets back in 2022, and since then, execs like Phil Spencer have struck a more reserved tone when discussing subscriptions, saying Game Pass would likely never account for more than 10 to 15 […]
In a press release published on the Polish financial website Bankier.pl, CI Games confirmed to have reached an agreement with Microsoft to bring Lords of the Fallen and Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 to Game Pass. Three days ago, we posted a rumor about the first game going to Microsoft's subscription service. Looking at the document, that's the exact date when the two companies signed the agreement. Released in October 2023, the Unreal Engine 5 powered Soulslike game quickly got to the milestone of one million units sold, though sales later slowed down, possibly on the heels of the mixed […]
Excitement has been slowly building for Manor Lords, a unique Middle-Ages-set combination of city building and real-time-strategy, for some time now, and now it seems it’s the latest big indie success. Manor Lords launched into early access today, and peaked at just a hair shy of 160,000 concurrent players on Steam, good for a top 5 place on the charts, even displacing the suddenly-hot Fallout 4 at times. It’s also the top-seller on Steam right now. And these stats don’t capture the whole picture, as Manor Lords isn’t a Steam exclusive – it’s also available via Game Pass on PC […]
Manor Lords is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam ahead of games like Hades II and Black Myth: Wukong, having surpassed two million wishlists earlier this year. There's obviously a lot of hype for this upcoming medieval indie strategy game, which likely explains why NVIDIA has already released a Game Ready driver optimized for it ten days before the early access launch date. You can download Game Ready driver 552.22 now via the NVIDIA app beta, GeForce Experience, or GeForce.com. The driver is also optimized for No Rest for the Wicked by Moon Studios (which launches on Steam Early […]
In the latest episode of Pachter Factor, Wedbush Securities Analyst Michael Pachter made some interesting statements on Game Pass, starting with the reported subscriber figure. According to him, Microsoft is not actually counting Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold) members in the 34 million subscribers. Pachter also made a bet with any viewers that the subscription service would go all the way up to 200 million. That's twice his previous prediction, albeit this time he specified he is referring to a time frame of ten years. Their Xbox Live Gold membership was 50 million. Their Game Pass subscription number […]
While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox – at least Xbox as a distinct brand with its own hardware and exclusives – has never been more in question. Last month Microsoft tried to calm worries with an Xbox Business Update, in which they revealed several older, smaller-scale games were going multiplatform, but that others, like Starfield, aren’t for now. Furthermore, they vowed to continue working on new hardware which will, apparently, deliver the “largest technical leap ever” (how they plan to deliver on that boast, I don’t know). That all sounds good, […]
Microsoft has revealed the titles they’ll be adding to Xbox Game Pass on PC and consoles in early-to-mid March, and there’s a decent array of stuff to choose from. The headliner is Sony’s own MLB The Show 24, and as in the past couple years, Xbox owners actually get a better deal on the game (it won’t be on PS Plus on Day 1). Those who buy the Digital Deluxe Add-on can even get in on the MLB The Show 24 early access period via Game Pass. Subscribers can also look forward to a few more solid options, includng Control […]
Dead Island 2 has been shadow-dropped on Xbox Game Pass, and is available for download as we speak. Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed the arrival of various new titles on its subscription service. Among those games were Tales of Arise as well as the magnificent Resident Evil 3 Remake, NFL24, and various others. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we now have another splendid game being added to Game Pass - 2023's Dead Island 2. The game suddenly showed up as "recently added" without any official announcement from Microsoft or publisher Plaion/Deep Silver. Dead Island 2 is a great […]
Microsoft has revealed the titles they’ll be adding to Xbox Game Pass on PC and consoles in late February and very early March, and it’s a varied lineup. Madden NFL 24 released on Game Pass earlier this month, but now it can be played via the cloud. Players can also look forward to Bandai Namco RPG Tales of Arise, Warhammer 40K: Bolt Gun, and more. Of course, if you have kids, your Xbox will likely be monopolized by them playing Bluey: The Video Game. Here are your headliner Game Pass titles for the next couple of weeks: Tales of Arise […]
Well, Microsoft's Windows 11 is about to receive its first exclusive ad featuring Xbox's Game Pass promotion under the "Settings" option. News surrounding advertisements on Windows 11 has been circulating for a while now, and it looks like we have finally witnessed the new ad surfacing, promoting none other than Microsoft's gaming subscription service, Game Pass. In the latest Dev channel version 26120.470 (KB5037864), Microsoft says a new Game Pass advertisement will be visible under the Settings home page. Here is how the company describes the change: We are introducing a new Game Pass recommendation card on the Settings homepage. […]
Following the unexpected move to shut down three game studios and merge another with ZeniMax Online, we learned that Microsoft is still planning more cuts to its Xbox division. But that's not the full extent of the company's re-evaluation of its gaming strategy. According to The Verge's Tom Warren, Microsoft is still pondering whether to put Call of Duty on Game Pass. Call of Duty is a big driver of Activision Blizzard's revenue, after all, and there are concerns that adding the games to the subscription service could reduce that revenue as players stop purchasing Call of Duty at full […]
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including Arkane Austin (Prey, Redfall), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush), and Alpha Dog Games, while Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online. This follows nearly 1,900 layoffs earlier in the year, largely from Microsoft’s newly-acquired Activision Blizzard teams. Unfortunately, it seems this isn’t the end of the pain. According to Bloomberg’s reliable Jason Schreier, folks across the Xbox organization have been told more cuts are on the way. It’s unclear at the moment which divisions will […]
For a while in the late 2010/early 2020s, it seemed liked gaming subscriptions may be the future of the hobby. Microsoft certainly wanted us to think it was the future, pushing Xbox Game Pass every chance they got, and Sony eventually joined the party with their own expanded PlayStation Plus service. Ultimately though, enthusiasm for gaming subscription services hit a wall. Xbox Game Pass badly missed growth targets back in 2022, and since then, execs like Phil Spencer have struck a more reserved tone when discussing subscriptions, saying Game Pass would likely never account for more than 10 to 15 […]
In a press release published on the Polish financial website Bankier.pl, CI Games confirmed to have reached an agreement with Microsoft to bring Lords of the Fallen and Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 to Game Pass. Three days ago, we posted a rumor about the first game going to Microsoft's subscription service. Looking at the document, that's the exact date when the two companies signed the agreement. Released in October 2023, the Unreal Engine 5 powered Soulslike game quickly got to the milestone of one million units sold, though sales later slowed down, possibly on the heels of the mixed […]
Excitement has been slowly building for Manor Lords, a unique Middle-Ages-set combination of city building and real-time-strategy, for some time now, and now it seems it’s the latest big indie success. Manor Lords launched into early access today, and peaked at just a hair shy of 160,000 concurrent players on Steam, good for a top 5 place on the charts, even displacing the suddenly-hot Fallout 4 at times. It’s also the top-seller on Steam right now. And these stats don’t capture the whole picture, as Manor Lords isn’t a Steam exclusive – it’s also available via Game Pass on PC […]
Manor Lords is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam ahead of games like Hades II and Black Myth: Wukong, having surpassed two million wishlists earlier this year. There's obviously a lot of hype for this upcoming medieval indie strategy game, which likely explains why NVIDIA has already released a Game Ready driver optimized for it ten days before the early access launch date. You can download Game Ready driver 552.22 now via the NVIDIA app beta, GeForce Experience, or GeForce.com. The driver is also optimized for No Rest for the Wicked by Moon Studios (which launches on Steam Early […]
In the latest episode of Pachter Factor, Wedbush Securities Analyst Michael Pachter made some interesting statements on Game Pass, starting with the reported subscriber figure. According to him, Microsoft is not actually counting Game Pass Core (formerly Xbox Live Gold) members in the 34 million subscribers. Pachter also made a bet with any viewers that the subscription service would go all the way up to 200 million. That's twice his previous prediction, albeit this time he specified he is referring to a time frame of ten years. Their Xbox Live Gold membership was 50 million. Their Game Pass subscription number […]
While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox – at least Xbox as a distinct brand with its own hardware and exclusives – has never been more in question. Last month Microsoft tried to calm worries with an Xbox Business Update, in which they revealed several older, smaller-scale games were going multiplatform, but that others, like Starfield, aren’t for now. Furthermore, they vowed to continue working on new hardware which will, apparently, deliver the “largest technical leap ever” (how they plan to deliver on that boast, I don’t know). That all sounds good, […]
Microsoft has revealed the titles they’ll be adding to Xbox Game Pass on PC and consoles in early-to-mid March, and there’s a decent array of stuff to choose from. The headliner is Sony’s own MLB The Show 24, and as in the past couple years, Xbox owners actually get a better deal on the game (it won’t be on PS Plus on Day 1). Those who buy the Digital Deluxe Add-on can even get in on the MLB The Show 24 early access period via Game Pass. Subscribers can also look forward to a few more solid options, includng Control […]
Dead Island 2 has been shadow-dropped on Xbox Game Pass, and is available for download as we speak. Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed the arrival of various new titles on its subscription service. Among those games were Tales of Arise as well as the magnificent Resident Evil 3 Remake, NFL24, and various others. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we now have another splendid game being added to Game Pass - 2023's Dead Island 2. The game suddenly showed up as "recently added" without any official announcement from Microsoft or publisher Plaion/Deep Silver. Dead Island 2 is a great […]
Microsoft has revealed the titles they’ll be adding to Xbox Game Pass on PC and consoles in late February and very early March, and it’s a varied lineup. Madden NFL 24 released on Game Pass earlier this month, but now it can be played via the cloud. Players can also look forward to Bandai Namco RPG Tales of Arise, Warhammer 40K: Bolt Gun, and more. Of course, if you have kids, your Xbox will likely be monopolized by them playing Bluey: The Video Game. Here are your headliner Game Pass titles for the next couple of weeks: Tales of Arise […]