Red Dead Redemption 2 is a stunning game, and one that will easily tax the most powerful PCs out there to run at its highest level of detail. That makes today’s release of Nvidia DLSS support for the open-world game so exciting, letting Nvidia customers enjoy higher framerates without much compromise.
If you’re unfamiliar, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is Nvidia’s proprietary upscaling solution, utilizing specific machine-learning cores in its RTX line of GPUs. Games that support it can be rendered at a lower resolution, allowing you to enjoy higher framerates, while the deep learning algorithm upscales the result with little to no image quality impact.
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This improvement will allow you to play Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K in excess of 90fps at its highest settings on a RTX 3080 Ti, or above 60fps at 1080p with any RTX graphics card. The patch is out now and available for anyone with an RTX 20 or 30-series GPU.
The update arrives with a new content drop for Red Dead Online. Blood Money adds a bunch of new lawless activities to the connected American frontier, including new high-stakes robberies and tense showdowns.
Update 7/13: Added details from the EA <3s Independent Studios spotlight panel.
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EA was one of the first publishers to announce their non-E3 2021 plans with a showcase in July. This year’s EA Play Live may be planned further away from all the other events, but hopefully, it will give us a much-needed dose of game announcements, especially since there’s usually a drought of news after E3. If you’re wondering what EA has up its sleeve this year, here’s everything you need to know to watch its showcase and what to expect from it.
When is EA Play Live?
EA Play Live is scheduled to stream on July 22 with a pre-show starting at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST. That’s on July 23 at 3am AEST. EA has yet to announce exactly how long its main showcase will run for. In addition to the main EA Live Play event, the company has also announced an EA Play Live Spotlight Series that includes four broadcasts happening weeks to days in advance
Madden NFL 22 All-Access – July 19, 4:00pm PT
More EA SPORTS! – July 20, 10:00am PT
The Future of First-Person Shooters – July 8, 10:00am PT
EA <3s Independent Studios – July 13, 10:00am PT
How to Watch EA Play Live
You’ll be able to watch the EA Play Live showcase right here on IGN through the website and our social networks. Additionally, EA Play Live will run on EA’s YouTube channel and a few other platforms.
EA held a panel featuring indie developers Josef Fares, Melissa Phillips, Abubakar Salim, Guha Bala, and Oliv Redmalm, where they discussed the role indie games play in the industry. The showcase highlighted A Way Out, Lost in Random, Knockout City, and more. Check out the entire discussion above
The Future of First-Person Shooters
IGN’s own Stella Chung sat down with Vince Zampella and heads of Apex Legends and Dice to discuss well the future of first-person shooters.
We got one little tidbit that Battlefield 2042 will feature a third multiplayer mode. So far it has only been described as a “love letter” to series fans that will bring back some fan-favorite maps to Battlefield 2042. Leaks have pointed to this new mode being called Battlefield Hub and it will supposedly also bring back previous weapons and maps to give them a Battlefield 2042 twist with new features and mechanics.
Additionally, DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson also said that cloud computing will bring big changes to first-person shooters in a couple of years. Gabrielson explained Battlefield, for example, cloud computing could benefit the game’s destruction and visual fidelity. However, Gabrielson wouldn’t comment on whether cloud computing would come to Battlefield 2042.
What to Expect from EA Play Live
While EA hasn’t officially revealed what it plans to show at the showcase, it’s been banking up a collection of new games and developers over the last couple of months, so we might see quite the showcase come July. Here are some guesses at what we could see.
Battlefield 6 got its own reveal event on June 9th and we got to see some of the first multiplayer footage from the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase during E3 2021. We expect EA will show off more gameplay footage or another trailer during its Play Live event. We’d love to get a deeper dive into the weapons, tools, specialists, maps, and more about the game. So far we know Battlefield 2042 will use AI bots to fill multiplayer matches and the game will feature some of the series’ largest maps ever.
Another year, another football game. Madden NFL 22 will have to wow the online crowds as last year’s Madden NFL 21 was a disaster. So far the newest game is confirmed to add a few new features like home-field advantage, M-Factors, and Gameday Momentum. Madden NFL 22 also promises to bring more realism to the game with better stadiums, close-up shots of the virtual crowds, and an improved presentation of the Super Bowl. We’ll see plenty more of Madden NFL 22 during its dedicated All-Access livestream on July 19 at 4:00pm PT.
Skate 4
Possibly the most demanded game ever, Skate 4 would be a wonderful post-E3 surprise. At the start of the year, EA announced that a new studio named Full Circle is developing a Skate sequel. Whether it’s going to be Skate 4 or a total reboot for the whole series remains to be seen.
Fan-Favorite Series Revival
Apparently, we can expect to see a fan-favorite series revival according to corroborate reports from GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb and Eurogamer. The two reports confirmed that EA Motive is working on an “established IP” that will be revealed during the event. EA Motive previously released Star Wars Squadrons and worked on Star Wars Battlefront 2, but with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla director Eric Baptizat joining its ranks, the studio could be moving in a new direction. There’s open speculation as to whether this revival might just be Stake 4, a remake of Dead Space, or something entirely different.
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Diablo 2: Resurrected’s technical Alpha let players go hands-on with the updated ARPG classic back in April, and now Blizzard is outlining what changes are coming to the game based on players’ feedback.
Most of the changes are minor in nature, but do go to show the attention to detail Blizzard is putting into the remaster, which keeps the gameplay of the original Diablo 2 intact but features new visuals which can be toggled on or off. Spell effects, like the Sorceress’ Lightning and Blizzard, have been updated in the game’s new visuals to more closely match that of the original game, as has the Paladin’s Holy Freeze ability. Icons for various items like potions, weapons, and armor, have been slightly tweaked to add more clarity and color.
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Now Playing: Diablo 2 Resurrected (Alpha) vs Diablo 2 Gameplay Comparison
One larger change Blizzard says came about after “careful consideration” and that will make loot hoarders happy: The game’s shared stash is increasing in size from one tab to three.
“When it comes to a player’s personal storage chest, we understand it’s serious business,” Blizzard writes. “This change will enable players to better organize their loot across three tabs (100 slots each) of storage space and store many more items.”
Numerous quality-of-life features have also been tweaked. Players can now toggle off the compare item tooltip, and players also have the ability to toggle item names on or off at the press of the button. The game’s automap has had its color tweaked for easier readability as well. Players can also enable an in-game clock, should they so choose, and Blizzard says overall load times should be faster post-Alpha and that characters will no longer spawn in a hostile area until the game is fully loaded, “preventing characters from getting attacked or harmed during a loading screen.”
Players will get to experience the changes coming to Diablo 2: Resurrected soon, as the game’s beta is coming in August. Those who preorder Diablo 2 on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation will gain entry to an early-access beta, with an open beta on those platforms following soon after. Unfortunately, it looks like the beta will not be available for those who plan to play on Nintendo Switch.
Something funny is going on with Call of Duty: Warzone’s Red Doors, and Activision continues to tease them ahead of the Season 4 Reloaded update.
Warzone‘s Red Doors were added with the launch of Season 4, and initially, they were randomly spawning doors that would appear in the walls of buildings at major points of interest such as Hospital, Stadium, and Summit. Entering a Red Door instantly warps the player to a loot-filled room in another area of the map. And since players are sent somewhere completely random, it really doesn’t serve as proper fast travel. It’s just a great way to gear up with high-quality weapons and killstreaks.
However, we’re very close to the mid-season “Reloaded” update for Season 4, and now the doors are behaving differently. They’re no longer randomly spawning. All 30 known Red Door locations are now appearing in each match, but they all despawn after so many have been opened. If you’ve recently found a Red Door in Warzone, but it dematerialized right in front of you, it’s likely the quota had been met for your match.
ALL of the Red Doors are now spawning in #Warzone, but once 10 players open one up, they all disappear, so find them quick. Here’s a handy guide to where they all are – easy way to get an Advanced UAV and Durable Gas Mask! RT and share! https://t.co/MxUVHk3bqL
The recent changes in behavior could just be the developers balancing Red Door portals in Verdansk, but Raven Software usually addresses Warzone’s balancing tweaks in weekly patch notes. And with Activision continuing to tease the doors in this week’s blog, it’s highly possible that the Red Doors are part of Warzone’s narrative, and the mysteries of the Red Doors will likely get even weirder.
Activision’s blog says: All Operators should report to Verdansk to either escort or halt important Payloads crossing the region, taking note of any additional Red Doors they may see after this update…
There’s also another Red Door tease in the blog with part of the information redacted: Brave Operators across Verdansk have gone through the Red Doors, stepping out into parts unknown…
Further intel suggests that these Red Doors will appear [[REDACTED]] and take you to [[REDACTED]].
As Perseus sleeper cells are still at large in Verdansk, we caution you to [[REDACTED]].
The mention of sleeper cells in Verdansk ties into the Season 4 teaser trailer from June 8. All the vibes from the trailer point to Stitch trying to restart the Numbers program, which is the brainwashing narrative from the Black Ops storyline. Stitch needed to take down satellites that were interfering with the broadcast signal used to activate his sleeper agents, which are those satellites that came crashing down in the beginning of Season 4’s Ground Fall event. It looks like his sleeper agents might be activating with Season 4 Reloaded.
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Black Ops Cold War & Warzone – Season Four: Mauer Der Toten Gameplay Trailer
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Maybe the Red Doors simply play into this Warzone narrative, but maybe there’s an even bigger picture. It could be likely this is meant to tease a new Easter egg or in-game event to reveal the next Call of Duty title. Nearly one year ago, Activision used Warzone’s bunkers to tease and eventually reveal Black Ops Cold War via Easter egg quests and a live in-game event. Activision could be cooking up a repeat of that with Warzone’s Red Doors and sleeper agents. Maybe one of those Red Doors warps us back to the middle of World War II, but the Red Doors did already play a major role in the Black Ops Cold War storyline.
I’d definitely suggest keeping an eye on those Red Doors as Warzone’s Season 4 Reloaded update arrives on July 15. We’ll keep you updated on all Easter egg details that could emerge.
The Xbox Family Settings app is getting an update that will allow parents and guardians to set spending limits on microtransactions for their children.
Xbox announced this news today, revealing that parents and caregivers have been requesting options to track and manage their child’s spending since last year. The next Xbox Family Settings app update will finally bring these options and more to the app.
The first of three spending limit-related features coming to the app is the ability for parents to set spending limits. Parents and caregivers will be able to manage how much their child spends on games, microtransactions, and more by adding money directly to the Xbox account in the app. Xbox says this new feature is a great way for parents to reward their children for good grades, for example, or as part of their weekly allowance if they have one.
The second spending limit feature coming to the app is an Ask to Buy option. When this is turned on, the parent or caregiver will receive a notification each time their child wants to make a purchase that they don’t have the sufficient funds to make.
“Parents can then make the purchase on their child’s behalf (if it’s a game or app), or add money to their account for an in-game purchase, like a new skin or accessory,” Xbox’s blog post reads. “And if you don’t want to approve the purchase, simply select the ‘deny’ button on the notification you receive.”
The third new spending limit-related feature coming to the Xbox Family Settings app is the ability to view a child’s account balance. If someone is interested in how much money their child has left on their account, they can review that balance at any time and add additional funds if they’d like to.
“Parents can also view their child’s spending history to keep track of their recent purchases,” the blog reads. “We know it’s important to parents to track and manage their children’s spending when they game to avoid any unexpected surprises or bills. With these new features, parents are empowered to customize their family’s access to spending money in games or in the Microsoft Store to fit what’s right for them.”
Xbox’s blog post detailing these upcoming features does not list a date for the update so it’s unclear when these features will go live in the app.
HyperX is a well-known brand when it comes to great gaming headsets, and for a good reason. Its headsets are comfortable, sound great, and are generally affordable, which makes this Amazon deal on the HyperX Cloud Alpha S difficult to ignore. The Cloud Alpha S is currently on sale for $40 off, dropping the price below $100 and matching its lowest price ever.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is the company’s top-tier wired headphones, building on the success of both the original Cloud Alpha and the consistently popular Cloud II. The construction is like the Cloud II, with the same metal headband, memory foam and leatherette earcups, and detachable microphone. What the Cloud Alpha S offers on top of that is a dual-chamber 50mm driver, adjustable bass slivers on the read of each earcup, and virtual 7.1 support via the headset’s detachable USB cable.
It’s compatible with pretty much every PC and console thanks to its dual AUX and USB input, and at just $90, it’s a compelling reason to upgrade to some of the most comfortable cans out there. For more recs, check out our guide to the best PC gaming headsets for 2021.
On the next episode of NXT, airing Tuesday, July 13, on USA, WWE superstar Johnny Gargano has the chance to become a two-time NXT champion when he steps in the ring with reigning title holder Karrion Kross. And while Kross, thus far, has been one of the most dominant stars in NXT history, Gargano likes his odds.
“I think I have a need to win,” the man fans have dubbed Johnny Wrestling said during an appearance on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast. “You talk about Karrion Kross, you talk about the most dominant NXT champion of all time, maybe. He is the big bad, he is the big boss at the end of a video game. And who better to go against the big boss at the end of the video game than Johnny Wrestling himself, right?”
What makes Gargano the man to beat Kross and represent the NXT brand once again? His reasoning is simple. “I think when you’re the NXT champion, people think that they have this idea that you’re the best, right? You have the title, that means you are the best at what you do,” he explained. “I do not want to live in a world where people think Karrion Kross is better than Johnny Gargano. That is why I need to win.”
And the ace up his sleeve, in Gargano’s mind, is the inclusion of Samoa Joe as guest referee. “I think Joe is my best friend,” the superstar proclaimed. “I think Karrion Kross is going to get out of hand. I think he is not a law-abiding citizen like I am. So Samoa Joe is going to step in to make sure he plays by the book. And if he has to play by the book, I think Johnny Gargano has his number.”
While Joe may be there to uphold the rules, Gargano doesn’t always play fair–and one look at the stone-cold enforcer makes it clear that he doesn’t view Gargano as a friend. So whatever happens, it should be a pretty captivating main event. And should Johnny Wrestling walk away with the win, he will join the very short list of two-time NXT champions.
Will that happen? Find out when NXT airs live, July 17, on USA. And make sure to check out Gargano’s full appearance on Wrestle Buddies, in which he talks about creating his faction The Way, going to Avengers Campus at Disneyland, and more.
She is power, she is grace, she will kick you in… to another dimension! America Chavez is a no-nonsense heavy hitter that you definitely want on your side. Born in another dimension called the Utopian Parallel and capable of opening portals to other worlds with a punch, no one understands the madness of a multiverse like America. It’s a good thing she’ll be there to help Stephen Strange when the time comes to explore other dimensions in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Xochitl Gomez will play the character in the upcoming Marvel film.
“Miss America” Chavez debuted in the underrated 2011 comic miniseries Vengeance. The enigmatic powerhouse made her first appearance alongside other young heroes like the Ultimate Nullifer as part of the Teen Brigade.
It was 2013’s Young Avengers that made America Chavez a Marvel mainstay. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s must-read series gathered a group of young heroes, including America, Wiccan, Hulkling, Kid Loki, and more, to fight an extradimensional parasite. America’s ability to punch portals to other dimensions led the team across time and space as they tracked down their elusive enemy.
The young heroine’s past was briefly explored in the landmark series, but it wasn’t until her solo series in 2017 and 2021 that readers finally got an up-close look at her childhood and heritage.
Amalia and Elena Chavez raised their daughter, America, in another dimension called the Utopian Parallel. The peaceful paradise was created by the wondrous magic of a being called the Demiurge. Her mothers ultimately sacrificed themselves to save their world from destruction.
Left all alone, America fled from her home dimension to Earth at just six years old. She was found by the Santana family in New York City. They brought her to their home in Washington Heights and took her in as one of their own.
Determined to honor her mothers by becoming a hero herself, America became a vigilante—against her adoptive parents’ wishes—as she got older. She would go on to join superpowered teams as a teenager. She’s been in a few relationships with women both superpowered and ordinary; young Hawkeye Kate Bishop remains her steadfast best friend.
America finally found out more about her ancestry once she began attending Sotomayor Interdimensional University. During her time at college, she met her grandmother and Amalia’s mother, Madrimar, who revealed the truth of their family’s past. They came from Planeta Fuertona. When young Amalia’s planet was invaded by the merciless La Legion, she and Madrimar escaped to the Utopian Parallel.
They were welcomed with open arms and made their new home there. Amalia met Elena, and the two fell in love. Together they had a baby and named her after the birthplace of the Demiurge. (The Demiurge was Billy Kaplan, the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch also known as Wiccan, but that’s another story.) America was overwhelmed by her grandmother’s revelations, but she was also thrilled to find part of her family again.
America Chavez’s Powers and Abilities
America can punch star-shaped portals to other dimensions and travel through them. On Planeta Fuertona, this ability was rare, and the ones who wielded it were called Starlings. She’s also super-strong, super-tough, super-fast, and can fly due to her exposure to the cosmic magic of the Utopian Parallel.
She’s headstrong, tough, and fiercely independent, but America is a team player and natural leader.
TV: America is part of the team in the animated series Marvel Rising, fighting alongside Squirrel Girl, Quake, and other young Marvel heroes.
Games: She’s also been an unlockable character in several video games, including LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel Avengers Academy, Marvel Puzzle Quest, and Marvel Strike Force.
Xochitl Gomez: America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Xochitl Gomez will be donning the stars-and-stripes denim jacket in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Our first look at Xochitl as America Chavez came courtesy ofofficial art recently shared on Twitter. Posing alongside Stephen Strange, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff, America seems poised to add her own brand of cosmic magic to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We see that star-shaped portal behind our beloved heroes. Where in the multiverse is America Chavez headed next?
Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has reiterated his commitment to delivering the theatrical experience.
During a recent interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige said that every Marvel movie is made with a theater audience in mind. He explained how those working on the movies build specific moments into stories, knowing they will garner a range of reactions from those seated inside a packed theater experiencing a movie on the big screen together.
“[Every] time we make a film, it is with the expectation of delivering on a promise of an experience, to be experienced together in a theater,” Feige told the outlet. “And seeing where people laugh or seeing where people get very quiet and still, or where people cheer if we should be so lucky, in moments in the movie…
“We spend years and years trying to work up to those moments, and being in a theater and seeing it and seeing it happen, there’s nothing better,” he added, acknowledging the pay-off of witnessing an audiences’ response. “Every decision we make is from the point of view of sitting in a crowded theater experiencing the story.”
As the first movie of MCU’s Phase 4, Black Widow is the most recent Marvel release to debut in theaters. It achieved the largest US box office opening since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and it earned more than $215 million globally. The movie also opened to more than $60 million on Disney+ with Premier Access, proving that both can coexist and bring success.
IGN’s review of Black Widow recognized that the movie benefitted from “a post-Endgame era that has unshackled the Marvel Cinematic Universe from its own precise format,” though we felt it sometimes struggled to “strike a balance between action and family drama” and, ultimately, it didn’t quite turn out to be “the stellar solo film the fallen Avenger deserves.”
Beyond Black Widow, there’s a whole slate of Phase 4 movies still to come. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be the next to debut in September, with Eternals in November, and Spider-Man: No Way Home in December. After that, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will premiere, serving as the first Marvel flick of 2022.
The Entertainment Software Association has released its “Essential Facts” report about video games in the US for 2021, and the numbers and statistics speak to the continued and growing strength of gaming in America.
The big takeaway from the report is that more people are playing video games than ever before in the US, and people who are playing are doing so more–growth that was fueled in part no doubt by the pandemic.
The Essential Facts report said there are about 227 million people in America who play games, which is about two-thirds of the US population. The study showed that the average gamer is 31 years old and that 80% of people who play games are 18+.
Another finding was that 77% of people play games socially with others online or in person at least once per week, which is up from 65% in 2020. Additionally, 74% of parents said they play games with their children at least once per week (up from 55% in 2020). What’s more, the study found that–as anyone might have guessed–55% of respondents reported playing more games during the pandemic overall. 90% of them said they expect to keep playing games when social distancing rules become relaxed.
The ESA’s Essential Facts report is based on responses from around 4,000 Americans aged 18 and older; the study had a margin of error of 1.55%.
“This year’s report is a snapshot of the American video game playing community following a year of social distancing, just as the country was starting to open again,” ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said. “Today, nearly 227 million Americans play video games. Players across the country embrace the ability of games to inspire, provide stress relief and mental stimulation or simply bring joy through play.”
You can read more about the ESA’s Essential Facts report on the ESA website.
