Month: February 2021

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings series is returning to US theatres this week for a special engagement that will bring the movies to IMAX screens for the first time in 4K. Whether or not you want to or feel comfortable going to a cinema, however, is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.

The screenings begin on February 5 in select markets–you can see if your local cinema has the movies on this website. Right now, it appears this event is only for The Lord of the Rings and not The Hobbit.

These will be the new, remastered 4K versions of the trilogy, presented in 4K and with all of the other improvements like color grading that makes each film now look more cohesive.

Jackson has said the Lord of the Rings films (and his Hobbit movies, for that matter) lacked consistency in their coloring and other elements, due to the evolving way in which the movies were shot. Updating them for 4K gave the team an opportunity to go back and address this.

“It was interesting going back and revisiting these films because I realised how inconsistent they were,” he said. “And that’s really due to the way in which the Lord of the Rings trilogy was shot first, about 20 years ago. The lord of the rings was shot on 35mm. The color timing was done on an old-fashioned mechanical way for the first Lord of the Rings movie. Then we switched to digital color timing for the 35mm negative for the next two,” he said.

Jackson also said that the process was not solely about increasing the crispness of the picture–the director said it was important to preserve the “cinematic look” of the films, while also boosting the overall fidelity.

“Great to be able to have all the films looking like they were shot at the same time, finally,” Jackson said.

When updating the Lord of the Rings for 4K, the team noticed that imperfections in the visual effects were more pronounced. Some of the shots did not hold up, Jackson admitted. So with the re-release, the team went back and removed or painted out some of these oddities and imperfections.

To be clear, however, the VFX are not upgraded or enhanced. But Jackson said of them, “They look like they were done today, not 20 years ago” as was the case for the first Lord of the Rings movie.

If you can’t or don’t want to visit a cinema to watch the movies in 4K, you can now do so at home thanks to the remastered versions. Another set is coming this year that will bundle The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as some new bonus features.

In other Lord of the Rings news, HarperCollins is releasing a new Middle-earth book that will, among other things, explain who can grow beards.

Amazon is currently filming a very expensive TV show based on the fantasy series in New Zealand, while there are multiple Lord of the Rings video games in the works, including an MMO and a title featuring Gollum.

Michael Burry, the hedge fund manager portrayed by Christian Bale in The Big Short, has made a fortune on GameStop’s stock after holding it for years.

MoneyWeb reported that Burry’s company, Scion Asset Management, purchased 3 million shares in GameStop back in 2019, which were worth $16.56 million at the time. He’s now turned that into $271 million thanks to the meteoric rise of GameStop.

According to reports, Burry made $800 million from the bets he made during the 2008 financial crisis, and now he’s even richer thanks to his investments in GameStop.

In a since-deleted tweet seen by Business Insider, Burry said the situation going on around GameStop’s stock price is “unnatural, insane, and dangerous.”

“If I put $GME on your radar, and you did well, I’m genuinely happy for you,” he said. “However, what is going on now–there should be legal and regulatory repercussions. This is unnatural, insane, and dangerous.”

Without knowing the specifics of Burry’s holdings and positions, we can’t say for sure how well he’s done with GameStop, but clearly he’s made big money, at least on paper.

As part of his investment in GameStop, Burry is said to have called on the retailer to make changes to its business to improve results. Ryan Cohen, the billionaire founder of Chewy, made an even bigger investment in GameStop with a 10% stake late last year and he has now joined the board of directors at GameStop. Cohen would have made even more money than Burry based on the size of his initial investment, at least on paper.

Keith Gill, an investor who is famous on Reddit as DFV recently lost $13 million on his GameStop investment due to the cratering share price. But he reportedly continues to hold the stock, believing it will bounce back. Gill is credited by many with helping to kick off the short squeeze on GameStop’s stock that contributed to driving the price up.

GameStop is currently trading at around $100 per share at press time, which is down from more than $400 last week.

Multiple adaptations of the events of the short squeeze are being planned, with James Bond studio MGM picking up rights for a film. Netflix is also producing a movie of its own with the writer of Zero Dark Thirty.

The ongoing tug of war between retail investors and hedge funds over GameStop stock has seen many highs and lows, with the latter resulting in a massive loss for one of the early investors in the short-sold market.

Keith Gill, better known as DFV on Reddit, has lost $13 million after GameStop’s stock plummeted throughout the week, settling in at just $100 per share at the time of writing. Gill, who is widely credited with noticing the massive short sells on GameStop stock and instigating the short squeeze that took place this month, hasn’t sold any of his shares and is still holding for more profits in the future.

Gill reportedly owns 50,000 shares in GameStop, with over 500 open call positions in the company. This had led to a valuation of over $33 million earlier in January, according to multiple posts on Reddit. This was at the current height of the squeeze, where GameStop stock soared past $400 before coming down in the days and weeks after.

Since his positions aren’t closed, Gill hasn’t made or lost any money yet, and his insistence to hold onto the shares and not take profits at such a high price might speak to his confidence for it to soar once again. But this week has been tough on GameStop investors, with the share price dropping over 70%.

The Wall Street Journal profiled Gill last week an in extensive look at the lead up to this massive shake up on Wall Street, which has its roots in investments dating back to 2019. Multiple adaptations of the events of the short squeeze are being planned, with James Bond studio MGM picking up rights for a film.

A jury has voted unanimously against Valve in a trial over a patent infringement case focused on the Steam Controller. The verdict awarded $4 million in damages to SCUF and Ironburg Inventions, four years after the original complaint was filed in a Washington court.

Both SCUF and Ironburg Inventions are subsidiaries of Corsair, which is known for its specialization in computer and gaming accessories and customized gear. According to its website, SCUF holds 105 patents for its designs, most of which pertain to its unique trigger and back paddle mechanisms. This is what the case was actually about, with opening arguments in the trial citing “rear-side control surfaces” as the source of the tension. From SCUF’s point of view, Valve wrongfully replicated its controller body back paddles.

Companies licensing these back paddle designs for their own controllers isn’t a new thing. Both Microsoft and Sony have partnered with SCUF in the past to create controllers with the signature back paddles and trigger extenders. But that’s the problem: According to SCUF’s lawyers, Valve didn’t go through the proper channels to use SCUF paddles and triggers on their controllers, and willfully disregarded both the patents and SCUF’s warnings about the infringing Steam Controller.

“Valve did know that its conduct involved an unreasonable risk of infringement, but it simply proceeded to infringe anyway,” SCUF lawyer Robert Becker stated during the trial, which was held via Zoom as reported by Law360. “The classic David and Goliath story — Goliath does what Goliath wants to do.”

But like in the story Becker is referencing, David managed to come out on top during this trial. Tuesday, Corsair announced that it had won the lawsuit after a unanimous decision from the jury that Valve’s infringement was “willful.” This means that Corsair may actually be owed more than the original $4 million fine. This is all coming on top of Valve being hit with a potential class action lawsuit over the company’s alleged violation of antitrust laws, and a €7.8 million fine issued to Valve and five game publishers by the European Commission also related to antitrust laws and “geo-blocking.”

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Following the strong debut of the Apple Arcade in 2019, Apple’s core mobile platform has exponentially increased its suite of high-profile games for users to play. With titles like the first-person surrealist adventure game Manifold Garden, and the AR-focused puzzle game Spek that leans heavily on the modern iPhone’s advanced camera and rendering features, numerous games that have launched on iPhone and iPad go beyond just the standard mobile games releases. While 2020 saw Apple adjust the scope of the Apple Arcade, the hardware and software publisher still aims to keep the momentum going with new games for iOS, and a key part of the company’s plans is to leverage big brands for its mobile audience.

GameSpot recently had the chance to check out an early look at the latest games coming to iOS and the modern iPhone; League of Legends: Wild Rift, Crash Bandicoot: On The Run, and the new update for Marvel: Realm of Champions. In preparation for their respective North American launches this year, we had the chance to hear from the devs behind each title, and they explained what the games will offer iPhone and iPad users. The demos showcased were played on the iPhone 12, which possesses the proprietary A14 Bionic chip. However, all these games will still be playable on current Apple devices. Below, you can check out our rundown of each game and when you’ll be able to play them.

League of Legends: Wild Rift

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Since its debut in 2009, Riot Games’ League of Legends quickly cemented itself as the quintessential MOBA experience, and in 2021, the competitive area brawler remains one of the most popular games in the world. While the core game and its spin-offs have stayed on the PC, Riot Games’ will be launching the mobile spin-off, Wild Rift, in North America this March. First revealed in 2019, Wild Rift brings LoL’s style of team-focused MOBA gameplay on-the-go, offering quick matches and a more accessible way to play League.

Wild Rift isn’t a port of the standard League of Legends, but rather a standalone game built from the ground up for mobile. In addition to a more streamlined experience, using a twin-stick style control scheme, it also runs on a new graphics engine that renders much of the action and its unique roster of 40 champions (mixing new and old characters) in more detail. According to executive producer Michael Chow, he stated that “Wild Rift is the most high fidelity [League of Legends] experience you can get on any platform–including the PC.” While it is a spin-off, Chow also stated that Wild Rift is a core pillar for the League of Legends franchise, offering a solid entry point into the series’ infamously challenging community.

Crash Bandicoot: On The Run

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The Crash Bandicoot series has been one of the most recognizable and iconic platformers in gaming, and the iPhone will see its own take on the zany and challenging gameplay with Crash Bandicoot: On The Run. Reimagining the core Crash platforming gameplay as a runner-style game, On The Run has you maneuver the character around obstacles as he makes a mad dash to get as far as possible in the stage. The main story for On The Run is something of a showcase for all things Crash Bandicoot, bringing back characters from across the entire series–even from the forgotten Game Boy Advance releases. In addition to playing as Crash, you can also play as his sister Coco who has her own set of unlockables to acquire. Along with clearing through stages, you can also help Coco build her base of operations, which can be upgraded throughout the game.

As you play, you can collect resources to spend on new costumes for both Crash and Coco. Most of these are original outfits for On The Run, but others also reference the series’ classic games. During the presentation, producer Robert Woodburn revealed that the game will have a microtransaction system at launch–which wasn’t specified during the demonstration–he explained that the game’s content can be unlocked without spending real money. While Crash Bandicoot: One The Run is out in other territories, the runner game will make its North American debut on March 25, 2021.

Marvel: Realm of Champions

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Released in late 2020, Marvel: Realm of Champions is another game in the long line of Marvel mobile games. Realm of Champions places a deep focus on MOBA-style competitive battles, where you’ll take your squad of customizable superheroes to face off against AI minions and capture territory across the battlefield. You take control of champions with a similar archetype to characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, or the Hulk, each of whom represent different houses vying for control of the game’s Battleworld. You can customize each hero’s look and character builds, and then take your squad out for online battles against other players.

While the game has already had some time out in the wild, 2021 will mark its next phase with the new 2.0 event. This new update will add Thor to the roster, new gear, and a revised story that adds in comic-book style cutscenes. Moreover, the 2.0 update will also introduce world events and team-focused activities that will expand the competitive elements. Marvel: Realm of Champions is out now Apple devices, and its new 2.0 update will launch sometime this year.

There’s much more in store for games coming to Apple’s iPhone and iPad. For more on what’s to come with the iPhone and with the Apple Arcade, be sure to check back in with GameSpot.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Destruction AllStars is Sony’s first PS5 exclusive of 2021, and having just been released online as a free game with a valid PS Plus subscription, the experience has been smooth sailing, except for one aggravating detail: the game’s decision to enable teamspeak by default through the PS5 DualSense controller.

Without a headset, that turns the peripheral into an input device that regularly shrieks at you from a variety of sources. These range from gung-ho drivers to screaming children, users who don’t realize that nobody wants to listen to their Spotify soundtrack in the background and people whose junk food habits make for some of the grossest sound effects ever transmitted through a microphone.

While Destruction AllStars has no option for turning this online chatter off in its own menus, you can save your eardrums from distress with two other methods on your PS5. The quickest route towards a handy mute is to wait for voice chat to start in the game lobby, then press the PS Home Button, and finally on the Activity card press Square to mute the voice chat.

Of course, this goes both ways as you don’t want to be an audio irritation yourself. You can temporarily mute your own microphone by pressing the button beneath the PlayStation icon, at which point the PS5 will inform you that you have toggled the option.

For a more permanent option, navigate to the Settings menu, make your way down to the “Sound” menu, and then select the “Microphone” option. Select the option “Microphone status when logged in” and you’ll be able to make your microphone mute on default whenever you switch your PS5 console on.

Now Playing: Destruction All Stars Mayhem Mode Gameplay

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The PS5 is nearly three months out from launch, and with 2021 in full swing, the PlayStation Store is starting to ramp up its digital deals and offers. The Critics’ Choice Sale is the latest promotion on the PlayStation Store, adding over 100 more deals on games, bundles, and DLC, and there are some great options available. This is a nice opportunity for PS5 owners to snag deals on both current-gen and last-gen games to play on their new console, but of course, there’s plenty here for PS4 owners as well. The Critics’ Choice Sale runs until February 18, so be sure to check it out and grab anything on your wishlist before then.

The sale includes several cross-gen games that launched on PS4 and come with free PS5 upgrades, such as Ubisoft’s Breath of the Wild-inspired adventure Immortals Fenyx Rising, which is down to $36. You can also nab Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for $30 and $40, respectively. Meanwhile, Destiny 2’s latest major expansion, Beyond Light, is on sale for $26.79, while Mortal Kombat 11’s Ultimate Edition is discounted to $36.

One hidden gem in this sale: Annapurna Interactive’s The Pathless, which launched alongside the PS5 last November. Though it’s also available on PS4, the open-world action-adventure game looks stunning on PS5 and makes full use of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The Pathless is down to $32 (from $40) in this sale, the first discount we can recall seeing on its digital edition.

Best Critics’ Choice Sale Game Deals

Some of the best game of the past console generation are also seeing major markdowns this week, including our 2019 Game of the Year, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The latest game from Dark Souls developer From Software has dropped to $39 this week, and you’ll get its Game of the Year Edition with bonus DLC. Resident Evil 7 is down to 10 bucks and is an excellent pick-up for those who missed it and want to play Resident Evil Village. You can also snag Red Dead Redemption II for $30, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 for $30, and both Doom Eternal and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for just under $20 each.

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There’s more than what we’ve mentioned here, so you can check out the full Critics’ Choice Sale on the PlayStation Store below. There are other sales happening right now on PS5 and PS4 as well. For those on a tight budget, the Games Under $20 sale is still running until this Thursday, February 4, while the Remasters and Retros sale is available until February 11, offering steep discounts on games like Devil May Cry HD Collection and Gravity Rush Remastered.

As part of Sony’s latest earnings report, the company announced that it is losing money on every PlayStation 5 that it sells–but this is not unusual for Sony or the wider gaming industry.

In its statement, Sony said it is incurring a loss of every PS5 due to its decision to set a “strategic” price point for the next-generation system. The consumer price of the disc version of the console, $500 USD in the US, is less than what it costs to manufacture it, thus leading to an overall loss.

Sony did not provide a specific dollar amount for how much money it’s losing on every PS5, but the company said its results during the October-December period were also negatively impacted due to higher general and administrative costs associated with launching the PS5.

The report does not provide a breakdown between the disc version of the PS5 and the digital-only edition, which costs $400 USD, but presumably the losses apply to both.

Although Sony sustained losses on PS5 hardware, the gains in revenue that the company posted for software and network services–which were booming–were enough to offset the losses, according to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad.

Ahmad also reminded people that the PS4, too, was sold at a loss when it originally launched back in 2013. It took “a few months” before Sony was able to make it a profit-driving machine.

The PS4 now makes money, and Sony said in the report that PlayStation division’s revenue was positively impacted by “higher profit margins” on PS4 hardware. Sony sold 1.4 million PS4 consoles in the October-December period, and each of them made money.

Consoles are often sold as loss-leaders, and Ahmad pointed out that the next-generation Xbox consoles are no different.

Selling a lot of consoles is good, of course, for bragging rights and revenue, but the real money in games comes from software and services. Phil Spencer laid this out in a 2019 interview with The Verge:

“The business isn’t how many consoles you sell. The business is how many players are playing the games that they buy, how they play. I think it’s easy from the outside to judge the health of our business around how many consoles any company sells. In the end, how many subscribers you have to something like Game Pass, how many games people are buying, those are much better metrics on the health of the business.”

Nintendo, however, has bucked the trend in recent years. In 2016, prior to the release of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo said it would make money on every Switch it sold right away, according to VentureBeat.

Sony sold 4.5. million PS5 consoles in the October-December period, and it could have moved even more were it not for the supply constraints.