Month: August 2019

Movie and TV giant Netflix does a lot of its business through streaming these days, but some may be surprised to know the company is actually more than two decades old. Its legacy is in the by-mail DVD and Blu-ray rental sector–and that’s still very popular for Netflix.

The company ships 1 million discs every week, and now Netflix’s DVD business has reached a huge new milestone: 5 billion discs shipped.

“Five billion discs delivered is a huge milestone and we owe it all to our amazing members and team members,” Netflix said in a tweet announcing the news.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Elton John biopic Rocketman was the 5 billionth DVD that went out to mail. One of the reasons people keep subscribing to the by-mail service is because not all movies are available to stream; Rocketman is an example of a popular movie that lots of people want to watch.

As of June 30, the end of Netflix’s most recent reporting period, the company had 2.4 million DVD by-mail subscribers. This works out to $157 million in revenue. The company’s streaming business, of course, is much larger; it counts more than 150 million subscribers worldwide and $9.3 billion in revenue.

Netflix is known for its huge number of original, exclusive series. One of the network’s upcoming shows is The Witcher, which stars Henry Cavill as Geralt.

Netflix was founded 21 years ago this week.

One of 2019’s biggest games, Borderlands 3, launches very soon. Those looking to pick up the PC version can now have a look at the minimum and recommend specs, which publisher 2K posted today

In addition to the specs themselves, which appear to be fairly reasonable, 2K posted a list of the many different graphics settings and visual options that PC players can take advantage of. Players will be able to tweak things like the field of view, ambient occlusion, and screen space reflections. Additionally, players are able to adjust things like the foliage detail, draw distance, character texture detail, and shadows, among many other things. Have a look at the lists below to see more.

The PC version of Borderlands 3 is exclusive to the Epic Games Store through April 2020. At that point, it may release on other platforms such as Steam and others.

Borderlands 3 launches on September 13 for PC, in addition to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. In other news, a new crossover event between Borderlands 3 and Fortnite has begun in the battle royale game.

Borderlands 3 System Requirements

Minimum

• OS – Windows 7/8/10 (latest service pack)
• Processor – AMD FX-8350 (Intel i5-3570)
• Memory – 6GB RAM
• Graphics card – AMD Radeon HD 7970 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB)
• HDD – 75 GB

Recommended

• OS – Windows 7/8/10 (latest service pack)
• Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (Intel i7-4770)
• Memory – 16GB RAM
• Graphics card – AMD Radeon RX 590 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB)
• HDD – 75 GB

Borderlands 3 Graphics Settings

Basic

General

• Graphics API: DirectX 11, DirectX 12
• Display: (varies by setup)
• Display Mode: Full Screen, Windowed Borderless, Windowed
• Resolution: (varies by setup)
• Vertical Sync: Off, On
• Resolution Scale: 50% – 200% in 25% increments
• Limit Frame Rate: Smooth 22-62 FPS, Capped 30 FPS, Capped 50 FPS, Capped 60 FPS, Capped 72 FPS, Capped 120 FPS, Unlimited, Custom
• Custom FPS Limit: default 90, minimum 15, maximum 300
• Calibrate Display: Brightness and HDR
• Calibrate Safe Area: Adjust the boundary of the UI
• Field of View: default 90, minimum 70, maximum 110
• Vehicle Field of View: default 90, minimum 70, maximum 110
• HUD Scale: default 1, minimum 0.6, maximum 1.3

Advanced

Preferences

• Display Stats: Off, FPS, All (FPS, CPU, GPU)
• Anti Aliasing: None, FXAA, Temporal
• FidelityFX Sharpening: Off, On
• Camera Motion Blur: Off, OnObject Motion Blur: Off, On

General

• Graphics Quality: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Texture Streaming: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Anisotropic Filtering: 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x
• Material Quality: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Shadows: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Draw Distance: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Environment Texture Detail: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Environment Detail: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Terrain Detail: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Foliage Detail: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Character Texture Detail: Low, Medium, High, Ultra
• Character Detail: Low, Medium, High, UltraAmbient Occlusion: Low, Medium, High, UltraVolumetric Fog: Off, Medium, High, Ultra
• Screen Space Reflections: Off, Medium, High, Ultra

PAX West 2019 is shaping up to be a fun show that’s packed with plenty of cool games to check out. There’s going to be some heavy hitters like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Marvel’s Avengers, but PAX West will also host a number of indie titles looking to leave their mark. Some of the most fun to be had, however, can be found at the panels and community events happening over the course of the show.

In addition to our general coverage of the show, which you can keep track of on our PAX hub page, GameSpot will also host a panel on September 1 focusing on games that left a notable impression on us–despite making a poor first impression on us. Joining editor Michael Higham and video producers Jean-Luc Seipke and Jake Dekker are, Giant Bomb’s Abby Russell, USGamer’s Mike Williams, and freelance writer Ginny Woo, all of which will highlight their dark horse picks. You can find all the panel info you need on the PAX West official site, but here’s the rundown on what our panel is all about:

GameSpot Presents…The Best Games We Thought We Wouldn’t Like

Sunday, September 1, 2019 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST | CAT THEATRE

Surprise! It’s your favorite game you thought you’d never touch. Join GameSpot and friends as they unpack why certain games overcame our apparent disdain for a certain genre or style of game. Attendees will have a chance to share their picks as well and convince us it’s the next best game you didn’t know you needed!

Panelists

• Michael Higham, Editor at GameSpot
• Jean-Luc Seipke, Video Producer at GameSpot
• Jake Dekker, Video Producer at GameSpot
• Abby Russell, Video Producer at Giant Bomb
• Mike Williams, Reviews Editor at USGamer
• Ginny Woo, Freelance Writer

If you’re attending PAX West 2019 on Sunday, September 1, feel free to swing by for our panel. For more on all things PAX, including news on Cyberpunk 2077 and our growing gallery rounding up the most interesting games of the show, be sure to check back with GameSpot over the course of the show.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

Fortnite‘s 10.20 update has arrived, and it’s kicked off a limited-time Borderlands crossover event. From now until September 10, all Fortnite: Battle Royale players can take on a special set of challenges that will unlock Borderlands-inspired cosmetic rewards, even if you haven’t purchased a Season X Battle Pass.

Most of the Borderlands challenges are fairly straightforward and have you searching for loot or eliminating opponents in the new Pandora Rift Zone, but there are a couple that will require a bit more legwork, like the task to find Claptrap’s missing eye and then return it to him. If you’re unsure of where to look, we’ve put together the map and guide below to help you complete the challenge.

Where To Find Claptrap’s Eye

First things first: like the other Borderlands crossover challenges, this mission is centralized in the new Pandora Rift Zone, which is located in the desert to the south of Paradise Palms. This particular challenge involves two steps: first you’ll need to track down Claptrap’s missing eye, and then once you’ve collected it, bring it back to him.

Claptrap himself can be found alongside the road near the westernmost entrance of the desert, while his eye is hidden inside a building to the south; once you make your way inside the correct building, you’ll spot it in front of a television. You can see exactly where Claptrap and his eye are located on the map below.

How To Complete The Challenge

Once you know where to go, all you need to do is collect the eye and bring it back to the robot. If you need a visual guide, you can watch us complete the challenge in the video above. Once you’ve returned the eye, you’ll unlock a Crunk Bunny spray for your troubles, and you’ll be another step closer to unlocking the Mayhem wrap–the reward for completing all six of Fortnite’s Borderlands challenges.

As previously mentioned, the Borderlands crossover event will be live until September 10, so you have until then to complete its related challenges. Most are self-explanatory and can be cleared easily with enough persistence, but the only other one that may give you some trouble is to search different Vault Symbols. You can see where those are located in our Vault Symbol locations guide. You can find helpful tips for other challenges from this season in our full Fortnite Season X challenges roundup.

The Elite are headed back to Illinois for a followup to the PPV that changed the world of wrestling in 2018. This time, though, they have built a wrestling promotion since their last visit. Last year, All In was a revolutionary wrestling event and the seed for what would eventually become All Elite Wrestling.

And AEW is coming back to where it all started–the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL–on Saturday, August 31.The PPV, titled All Out, will begin at 6 PM CT that day, and you can watch the event live on B/R Live for the price of $50 if you live in the United States. Outside of the US, you can watch All Out on Fite, the streaming service that originally aired All In. Check out the start times for the event below.

AEW All Out start time:

• 4 PM PT
• 6 PM CT
• 7 PM ET
• 12 AM BST (September 1)
• 9 AM AEST (September 1)

One of the most-anticipated matches for the evening was Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley; however, Moxley revealed he will not be at the show as he will undergo surgery to deal with MRSA in his elbow and has bowed out. Moxley has been replaced with Pac, a wrestler who was originally part of AEW’s first press conference but has not competed in any of the events that have taken place this year. You might remember him as WWE’s Neville.

Returning to All Out is the Casino (Battle) Royale from the Double or Nothing PPV. 21 wrestlers will come to the ring in groups and must throw each other over the top rope to be eliminated. This time around, the battle royal will consist entirely of women wrestlers, with the winner getting an AEW Women’s Championship title shot when the wrestling promotion’s TNT series begins in October. Here are all the confirmed wrestlers in the match.

Confirmed Casino (Battle) Royale entrants:

• Jazz
• Teal Piper
• Ivelisse
• Aerial Monroe
• Sadie Gibbs
• Big Swole
• Nyla Rose
• Dr. Britt Baker
• Yuka Sakazaki
• Allie
• Brandy Rhodes

In total, there are 10 matches on the card, two of which will be on the pre-show called The Buy-In, which is the first hour of the event. The Buy-In matches can typically be streamed for free on B/R Live. Here are all the confirmed matches for All Out.

All Out match card:

• Casino (Battle) Royale [BUY-IN]
• Private Party vs. Angelico & Jack Evans [BUY-IN]
• Riho vs. Hikaru Shida
• Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, & Marko Stunt vs. SCU
• Pac vs. Kenny Omega
• The Dark Order vs. The Best Friends (AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament)
• Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havok vs. Darby Allin
• Cody vs. Shawn Spears
• The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros. (AAA Tag Team Championship Ladder Match)
• Hangman Page vs. Jericho (AEW World Championship)

While there are plenty of good sales floating around this week just in time for Labor Day, nothing beats free, and there are two Free Play events kicking off for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Starting today, August 27, The Elder Scrolls Online is free to play until Tuesday, September 3. Meanwhile, starting tomorrow, August 28, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will also be free to play until Wednesday, September 4. On Xbox One, this round of games is available to both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. On PS4, you must have PlayStation Plus.

The base game for The Elder Scrolls Online includes four character classes, 23 zones, the main story questline, the Morrowind chapter, and the Elsweyr Prologue quest. Any new ESO accounts made during the free play event will receive 500 crowns for the in-game Crown Store. You can learn more about the ESO free play event at the game’s official website.

Meanwhile, anyone who jumps into Rainbow Six Siege during the free play event will be able to experience the game with access to all maps, modes, and 20 Legacy operators. The tactical shooter has received continual updates in the years since its release and is now considered one of the best multiplayer experiences in modern gaming. During the free play week, you can play with anyone who already owns the game or with friends also taking advantage of the week-long offer. You can read more about the Rainbow Six Siege event at Ubisoft.

Both games are also on sale so you can purchase them at a discount and continue playing while retaining any progress or achievements earned. You can check out those deals, as well as detailed times for the event, below.

Free Play Days: Dates and deals

The Elder Scrolls Online

Live now; ends Sept. 3 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET

• Standard edition — $10 (50% off)
  • Elsweyr upgrade — $24 (40% off)
  • Elsweyr Collector’s Edition upgrade — $30 (40% off)
• Elsweyr — $36 (40% off)
• Elsweyr Collector’s Edition — $48 (40% off)

Xbox One:

See deals at Microsoft Store

PS4:

See deals at PlayStation Store

PC:

See deals at Steam

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

• Standard edition (PC only) — $8 (60% off)
• Deluxe Edition — $12 (70% off)
• Gold Edition — $28 (60% off)
• Ultimate Edition — $44 (60% off)
• Year 4 Pass — $24 (20% off)

Xbox One

Begins Aug. 28 at midnight PT / 3 AM ET; ends Sept. 4 at midnight PT / 3 AM ET

See deals at Microsoft Store

PS4

Begins Aug. 28 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET; ends Sept. 4 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET

See deals at PlayStation Store

PC

Begins Aug. 28 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET; ends Sept. 4 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET

See deals at Steam

See deals at Uplay

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has graced Xbox One players with some free content. From now until September 1, you can grab the action-RPG’s first DLC chapter, the Fields of Elysium, for free.

Part of the Fate of Atlantis expansion pack–which also includes two additional DLC chapters–the Fields of Elysium sends Kassandra on a quest to Elysium to face off against Persephone and uncover a mystery surrounding the city of Atlantis. While the other two DLC chapters–Torment of Hades and Judgment of Atlantis–are not sold separately, the entire Fate of Atlantis expansion pack is 50 percent off on Xbox One, slashing the cost to $12.50 USD.

Target is also having a huge sale on Xbox One digital games, with a handful of titles seeing a 20 percent discount. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and its season pass are both part of the sale, as well as other Xbox One exclusives like Forza Horizon 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sea of Thieves, and State of Decay 2.

In our Assassin’s Creed Odyssey review, we said, “While its large-scale campaign–clocking in at over 50 hours–can occasionally be tiresome, and some features don’t quite make the impact they should, Odyssey makes great strides in its massive and dynamic world, and it’s a joy to venture out and leave your mark on its ever-changing setting.”

Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.

Astral Chain is the latest from developer Platinum Games and it brings a fresh take on stylish action exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. Now that some of us have played through the entire game, we can share just how long it takes to finish. Of course, your mileage may vary since time to completion depends on your playstyle and the amount of optional content you engage with, but here we can give a general range.

As the reviewer of Astral Chain for GameSpot, I spent a total of 35 hours with the game to roll credits. This included a full playthrough on the Platinum Standard difficulty, an earnest effort to find and finish every side quest possible, and plenty of time spent exploring for leftover hidden missions–side quests also factor into your overall mission grade. I spent an extra five hours in an attempt to find the remaining content within the story chapters, and try out the hardest difficulty (Platinum Ultimate).

You may want to rescue all the cats as well, which might be hard, but it’ll warm your heart.

Astral Chain features an achievement list called “Orders” which act as challenges to complete throughout the game. There are 185 of them, and while they’re not essential, they grant you rewards like upgrade materials, items, or new cosmetic options for your character. Clearing out that list will add an inordinate amount of time to your playtime as some challenges require story completion on the hardest difficulty, S+ ranks on everything, among other things.

The game would be much shorter if you simply go through the main story questline without looking at anything else, to which I would estimate to around 15 hours–you would be doing the bare minimum, however.

As for install size, Astral Chain requires 9.8 GB of storage space on your Switch or SD card if you plan on purchasing the digital version of the game.

Astral Chain launches this Friday, August 30 exclusively on Nintendo Switch. To get up to speed on it, be sure to read my Astral Chain review in which I say, “Astral Chain’s shortcomings don’t overshadow what it does best. It’s an incredible execution of a fresh take on Platinum Games’ foundation, standing among the stylish-action greats. And its own anime-inspired swagger makes fights all the more exhilarating.”