Month: January 2019

You’ll soon be able to buy a TV that can disappear from your living room, thanks to a new OLED TV LG is showing off at CES 2019. The rollable TV is based on a prototype the company showed off last year, and which can roll down into an unobtrusive piece of furniture when it’s not being used.

As GameSpot sister site CNET reported, LG intends to make the new TV, which right now is called the Signature OLED TV R, available in the second half of 2019. When off, it rolls up into what looks like a small table, and cloth covers a Dolby Atmos sound system as part of the machine. When you turn the TV on, a sliding door on top moves out of the way to allow the screen to roll up.

The Signature’s moving screen also supports at least one screen configuration beyond just “on” and “off.” You can also set it to “line” mode, which raises part of the screen to display a home screen with information like weather and a clock, or to a 21:9 ratio mode to display ultra-widescreen movies without the letterbox bars. It can also just play music with no screen present.

LG says the only version of the rolling set available this year will be a 65-inch version. It hasn’t said what it’ll cost–but it seems likely the Signature OLED TV R will be pretty expensive. Still, the set sounds like it impressed the folks at CNET, and could be the first step toward what your future living room could look like.

There has been a lot of interesting stuff showed off at CES 2019 in Las Vegas this week, including huge new TVs from Samsung and LG, and a bunch of new virtual reality goodies from HTC. For all our CES coverage throughout the show, check out our CES hub page.

The Year of Legendary Pokemon may have ended, but The Pokemon Company has another free gift in store for fans. For a limited time, anyone with a copy of Pokemon Sun and Moon or Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon can receive a bundle of Berries for free via Mystery Gift.

The bundle consists of five different types of Berries: Enigma, Micle, Custap, Jaboca, and Rowap. You’ll receive 12 of each variety as part of the gift, which you can then equip to a Pokemon for use in battle or plant in Isle Aplenny of the Poke Pelago in order to grow more.

What makes these particular Berries special is that they can’t otherwise be obtained in Sun and Moon or their Ultra counterparts, making this your first opportunity to get your hands on them in the seventh-generation titles. You can read about the effect each one has when it’s equipped to a Pokemon below:

• Enigma Berry: Restores some HP after being hit by a super-effective attack
• Micle Berry: Raises accuracy one time when your Pokemon is in a pinch
• Custap Berry: Allows your Pokemon to move first one time when in a pinch
• Jaboca Berry: Opponent also takes damage when your Pokemon is hit with a physical attack
• Rowap Berry: Opponent also takes damage when your Pokemon is hit with a special attack

To claim the Berries, you’ll first need to select Mystery Gift from your game’s main menu. Choose the option to receive your gift via the internet, and the Berries will be downloaded into your game. You’ll then need to pick them up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.

A new Pokemon RPG is slated to release for Nintendo Switch this year. Unlike Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, which were designed to be more welcoming to newer and younger players, The Pokemon Company says this year’s title will be a “core” installment, although few details have been announced beyond that. You can read everything we know about Pokemon for Switch here.

In June 2018, From Software announced that its upcoming Souls-like action RPG, titled Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, would not have online multiplayer. The developer has now further clarified that, because Sekiro lacks this feature, it will allow you to pause your game.

With the exception of Dark Souls Remastered on Switch, no From Software Soulsborne game has allowed players to pause wherever they want since Demon Souls. For anyone who might think this will make Sekiro somehow easier in comparison to Dark Souls III or Bloodborne, don’t worry. Sekiro is just as hard, if not much harder, than its predecessors. In an interview with Game Informer, From Software revealed that, without the option for online play, every environment and boss has been specifically catered to providing a challenging experience for a single person.

“When creating these playspaces, we don’t have to take into consideration how players will operate with one another in these maps, or how they may exploit the playspace by cooperating or something like this,” From Software marketing and communications manager Yasuhiro Kitao said. “So it allows us, again, to hone in on the player experience, and really capitalize on that lack of restriction that comes with creating a multiplayer-based game, and let our imagination run wild in these places.”

Just because Sekiro is abandoning the online features of previous Soulsborne games–such as leaving notes, teaming up with other players, and invading–doesn’t mean From Software is done with them entirely. “Of course, we at From, we love those online elements,” Kitao said. “We love to create our own characters just as much as everyone else. We hope players are looking forward to something in the future where we might go back to that, but for now, Sekiro is very much its own thing.” From Software hasn’t yet announced what the future past Sekiro might be, but the company has revealed that it is already working on two unannounced games. There’s a chance that one might be an Armored Core sequel.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice releases for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 22. The standard version of the game releases alongside a Collector’s Edition, both of which are available for pre-order.

At CES 2019, Samsung revealed a new TV that is irresponsibly large. The television comes in at 98 inches and 8K QLED resolution, giving it more than 33 million pixels. Those who want to play Red Dead Redemption 2 with horses that appear actual size, the new model will go on sale this year.

However, it may prove a difficult sell. CNET reports that Samsung’s line of 8K TVs offers upscaling, but for a TV that size you’d probably want native 8K. So far most programming isn’t offered at such a high resolution.

Last year Samsung released the first 85-inch 8K QLED TV, which goes for a cool $15,000. No price has been given for this new 98-inch model. Samsung says sales of TVs with screens above 75 inches have more than doubled in the United States over the past year.

Samsung’s super-sized TV is one type of showpiece for CES, as existing technologies get bigger and better. Meanwhile we’re seeing a big uptick in the development of new technologies, including displays like VR headsets. We’ve also seen new announcements in gaming hardware like the Mad Box console and a slate of new gaming laptops from Nvidia. You can check our full coverage of CES 2019 for more details.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has acquired Audiokinetic, the creators of Wave Works Interactive Sound Engine (Wwise). Wwise is a piece of software specifically tailored for audio design in video games and other interactive media, and it’s been used by dozens of both triple-A and indie developers in hundreds of games.

“A rich and all-encompassing audio experience is increasingly critical to the overall gameplay experience, further enhancing immersion and emotion for the player,” said Sony Interactive president and CEO John Kodera. “Audiokinetic is a preeminent provider of audio solutions for the gaming industry, and we are confident that this acquisition will allow us to further grow the PlayStation platform and contribute to the broader gaming industry.”

The acquisition is expected to close by the end of January, but Audiokinectic will continue to operate on its own. “It’s our goal to support Audiokinetic’s efforts to advance its audio technology while maintaining independence and platform neutrality,” Kodera said.

Wwise has been used by developers for pretty much every system platform for the past two generations, including Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, Switch, PC, and mobile devices. Games that have used Wwise include several mainline Assassin’s Creed games, BioShock Infinite, Rocket League, Destiny, Firewatch, Alien Isolation, Monster Hunter World, Overwatch, PUBG, Nier: Automata, and many more.

Sony’s PS4 had a fairly good year in 2018. The console continues to support some of the best first-party exclusives on the market–some of which are on sale right now. However, Sony made a few missteps with the console as well. The company stubbornly refused to reverse its position on cross-platform play with Xbox One and Switch until finally relenting with the success of Fortnite. PlayStation Now’s potential continues to remain unfulfilled, and PlayStation Classic pales in comparison to what Nintendo delivered with its NES and SNES Classic consoles. Sony’s acquisition of Audiokinectic suggests the company is looking for new avenues to improve its products, which points to a more promising future for whatever comes after PS4.

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Overwatch is launching a new update that packs in a limited-time event, with some special rewards for the taking. The event is based on the new short story Bastet, which Blizzard published recently. Ana’s Bastet Challenge kicks off today, January 8, and will last through January 21.

During the event dates, scoring wins will earn you special new cosmetics on top of your usual rewards. You can earn a player icon (win 3 games), a victory pose (win 6 games), and an epic Bastet Ana skin (win 9 games). On top of that, watching promoted Twitch streamers during the event can net you five Ana’s Bastet Challenge sprays. Check out the official blog for more details.

The update also includes skins for the Overwatch League. You can snag a Hero skin for the Atlanta Reign, Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, Paris Eternal, Toronto Defiant, Vancouver Titans, and Washington Justice. You can get each one for 100 OWL tokens, which includes both the home and away outfits. The 2019 season will kick off on February 14.

The Bastet short story also made waves in the fan community for confirming that Soldier 76 identifies as gay, due to a revealing dialogue exchange with Ana about a past relationship. This makes him the second queer character in Overwatch fiction, in addition to Tracer.

Though Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a From Software game through and through, the studio’s making sure to separate the upcoming action-adventure game from its recent titles. One way it’s doing so, aside from ditching online multiplayer, is modifying how character progression works. In a feature published by Game Informer, the studio detailed the way progression works and how it differs from other games like Bloodborne and the Dark Souls series.

In Sekiro, you play as a shinobi dubbed The One-Armed Wolf. Because From has created an established character, there are no customization options in regards to changing class; players start the game with a sword and will likely end the game with a sword (though secondary equipment by way of the prosthetic arm may change). With this limitation in class customization, Sekiro will feature a skill tree that allows players to unlock new moves and abilities.

Players kill enemies to gain experience and collect gold; in other recent From games, experience and currency were one in the same. After killing enemies, new levels are achieved upon filling an experience bar. Once players unlock skill trees by finding particular items within the game’s world, players can invest those experience points in one of three skill trees shown to Game Informer: samurai arts, a traditional warrior archetype that favors power and aggression; shinobi arts, skills focused on evasive and crowd-control maneuvers; and the prosthetic arm.

As noted by From’s president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, during E3 2018, Sekiro is “probably even more challenging than previous From games.” As such, death will likely come swift and often. However, unlike previous From games, Sekiro won’t feature the infamous corpse run. Instead, experience and gold collected during that life will stay with the player upon either restarting or resurrection. While this may seem to be a strange departure for the masters of the masochistic action game, Miyazaki told Game Informer that “death will have a detrimental effect” but didn’t divulge how or in what way.

Though players can use experience points to upgrade attributes and spend gold to purchase items, improving The One-Armed Wolf’s other stats require more exploration. Similar to The Legend of Zelda’s heart pieces, Sekiro will have prayer beads scattered throughout the world–either hidden in rooms or on enemies and mini-bosses–that increase the protagonist’s health. According to From, there may also be upgrade tools for the prosthetic arm and ways to build upon the game’s resurrection mechanic.

With the absence of online multiplayer and honing in on a single-player experience, From says this method of character progression allows it to fine-tune the depth of individual encounters. It also allows them to focus on character progression instead of just player progression “While you are a fixed shinobi protagonist, you do feel like there’s a sense of progression, there’s a sense of building your own character and finding your own playstyle, and experimenting with this throughout the game,” Yasuhiro Kitao, From’s manager of marketing and communications, told Game Informer.

Sekiro is scheduled to launch on March 22, 2019.

HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel TV show still doesn’t have a proper name, but its cast is getting bigger. The show, which will star Naomi Watts and Josh Whitehouse in leading roles, has added eight more names to its roster of stars.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the newly revealed cast includes Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: Episode IX), Toby Regbo (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Denise Gough (Angels in America), Ivanno Jeremiah (Black Mirror), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia), and Alex Sharp (To the Bone). Much like everything else about the series, all character details are a tightly held secret.

What we do know is that the new show is set long before the events of Game of Thrones. A logline, per THR, reads “Only one thing is for sure: From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend–it’s not the story we think we know.”

George R.R. Martin, who wrote the novels the franchise is based on, teased on his blog that the prequel would be called The Long Night. He later noted that HBO says a name has not been given to the series. In Game of Thrones lore, the Long Night refers to a time roughly 8,000 years before the events of the series during the Age of Heroes. It’s during this time that the White Walkers make their first appearance in Westeros in the middle of a particularly brutal winter.

Directing the pilot episode for the series will be SJ Clarkson, who is also signed on to helm the next Star Trek film. Clarkson has an impressive TV resume, that includes directing episodes of Orange Is the New Black, Jessica Jones, Bates Motel, and Dexter, among others.

Jane Goldman, who wrote the pilot script and collaborated with Martin on the story, will serve as showrunner on the prequel. A production start date has yet to be revealed, though THR says more casting announcements should be announced at a later date. The final season of Game of Thrones will premiere in April.

The holidays have come and gone, but Sony’s PSN Holiday SaIe is still going strong. At long last, we’ve reached the fifth and final week of this promotion, which offers discounts on over 1,600 games, expansions, and digital items for PS4, PS3, and Vita (and PS Plus members get an extra discount on many of the items). So take a look at some of the best deals available. Just make sure to finalize your purchases before the discounts go away on January 15.

So what’s on sale? It might be easier to list what isn’t, but let’s look at some of the highlights. New discounts this week include $15 for Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first game in the series, which originally appeared on PS2 in 2006. And if you still have a PS Vita, you can grab what’s arguably its best game, Persona 4 Golden, for just $10.

Aside from that, you can get PS4 exclusives like Bloodborne for $7, Shadow of the Colossus for $14, and The Last Guardian for $11. Both Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End can be scooped up for $16 each. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, a standalone coda to the series that focuses on characters besides Nathan Drake, is down to $8. And for longtime PlayStation fans, each installment in the Jak trilogy is available for $6.

Many third-party heavy hitters are on sale for fantastic prices as well. Grand Theft Auto V is down to its lowest-ever price at $15. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is on sale for $18, and the content-rich game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is $20. You can find a somewhat exhaustive list of our picks below, or you can head to the PlayStation Store to find a fully exhaustive list of every item on sale until January 15.