Author: Trafficblast

EA Will Rebrand Origin As It Streamlines Services

EA is making moves to rebrand its desktop app, and the name “Origin” looks to be going away. VentureBeat and Gamesindustry.biz are both reporting that EA is planning to change Origin to simply be known as the EA desktop app, which is part of a wider strategy the company is employing to make their services clearer to customers.

The new EA app, which will replace Origin, will let users sign up to EA Play or EA Play Pro, and will also carry the store that is currently featured in the Origin app. VentureBeat has a quote from EA senior vice president Michael Blank on the change: “The EA Desktop app is being designed to deliver a frictionless and socially connected experience that is faster for players to get into their games.” It’s designed to be faster to find, download, and launch games than before.

“This move aligns to the strategy, which is to help players play our games more effectively,” Blank told the site. “We had these different names. The reality is that they all align to the same objective, which is to help our players play.” He also said that EA is taking things like cross-play and cross-save more seriously. “If you’re delivering a similar game experience across multiple different devices, it’s important to be able to let those players play together,” he said.

Blank also spoke to Gamesindustry.biz, saying that they want the EA desktop app to be “the best place for them to connect with the people they want to play with in the games they want to play.”

In August, EA made EA Play the new name for its cross-platform subscription service, ditching the Origin branding. They’ve also recently announced that the EA Play back catalog will become a part of Xbox Game Pass, making Microsoft’s subscription service even stronger than before.

EA is set to release Star Wars: Squadrons and FIFA 21 in October, and will have versions of both FIFA and Madden NFL 21 available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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The Jackbox Party Pack 7, Featuring Quiplash 3, Reveals Release Date

The Jackbox Party Pack 7 has revealed a release date, and it’s not far off. The next collection of multiplayer party games from Jackbox will release on October 16, 2020, and all five games it contains have been revealed and detailed. The game is coming to PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

The first is Quiplash 3 (3-8 players), which is, as the name suggests, the third installment in the popular series. As in previous entries, you’ll be given prompts and asked to come up with fun responses to it, with winners decided with player votes. Here’s an extended video of how it’ll look–it’s not so different from past Quiplash titles.

The Devils and the Details (3-8 players) is a co-operative game with a distinct aesthetic. According to the description on Steam, it’s about “the daily torture of human life,” and it seems like it will involve players needing to collaborate to complete basic tasks.

Champ’d Up (3-8 players) is the next Jackbox drawing game, and it looks a lot like Tee KO. You’re asked to draw something from a prompt you’re given, and everyone’s drawings are then pitted against each other. You vote on a winner, and get to watch the two drawings battle. Tee KO is a popular Jackbox title, so it’ll be interesting to see if this one is similarly successful.

Talking Points (3-8 players) is an “on the spot speech game,” and the key is to keep talking regardless of whether what you’re saying makes sense or not. It seems that this game will combine drawing, talking, and user voting.

Blather ‘Round (2-6 players) is the final game in the pack, and it’s about showing off your pop culture credentials. You have to try and describe a specific thing with very vague terms, and every other player has to take turns trying to guess what you’re talking about. The video below shows an example of how a round with the prompt “Moby Dick” might look.

If you’re social distancing, Jackbox can be played easily through Zoom or similar services–you can each use a phone as a controller, so it works well as a long-distance party game.

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PS5: The Launch Supply Of Consoles Has Been Reduced, Report Says

A new report from Bloomberg has shed some light on changes Sony is reportedly making to the production of the PlayStation 5 this year. The site states that Sony is cutting production by 4 million units due to issues related to the components–specifically the SoC (system on a chip).

Sony was reportedly originally planning to make 15 million PS5 consoles available around the world by March 31, 2021, but that has been reduced to 11 million.

Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad clarified on Twitter that production yield issues like this are normal and expected for new console launches, but he noted that “this does seem more severe than expected.”

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said on Twitter that he’s assuming 3.5 million PS5 consoles will be allocated for the US at launch, which puts it above or close to the PS4 launch window volume. Piscatella said the bigger story is how bold Sony’s original plans were.

In other PS5 news, it was recently reported that Sony would be making the costly decision to speed up shipments to the US by flying them on airplanes instead of by sea.

Sony is hosting another digital showcase this week on September 16, which might finally disclose both the PS5’s price and release date. Currently we know that the company is preparing two versions of its console, one with a disc drive and one without. This is different to Microsoft’s strategy, with the Xbox Series S not only removing the disc drive but also shipping with less powerful components for a drastically reduced price of $300.

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Top 10 Call of Duty: Black Ops Killstreaks

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases this November. Taking place in the early 1980s, the game’s weapons and equipment will represent the time frame (For better or worse). However, since the Black Ops series has been everywhere from the 1960s to 2060s, we wanted to take a look back at some of the best killstreaks and scorestreaks the series has brought us over the years.

Starting off at number 10 is the iconic RC-XD. This explosive RC car is a low-level killstreak featured in every Black Ops title. The 2010 Black Ops “Prestige” collector’s edition even came bundled with a controllable (non explosive) RC-XD to call your own. While it’s not the strongest streak, it’s easily the most memorable. At number 9, we have the Lightning Strike. This scorestreak is featured throughout most of the Black Ops titles and even in most Modern Warfare titles. It’s fast, user-friendly, and has some deadly potential. It’s a solid mid-level streak that lets players select three points of attack. Almost immediately after, fighter jets swarm on and off screen and attack with excellent precision. Maybe even too precise…

Number 8 is the Guardian from Black Ops 2-3. Instead of a sentry gun, why not microwave and annoy enemies with the underrated guardian? Number 7 is the SAM turret from Black Ops 1. With numerous airborne killstreaks, it’s nice to have something other than your rocket launcher to aid you in air control. The SAM turret can help. It’s only job is to fire missiles at airborne killstreaks. It’s only flaw? It can be destroyed easily. Number 6 is the menacing carpet bomber from Black Ops 1 and 3. Once this mammoth b-52 bomber is called in, nothing can help you. Dropping dozens of bombs from above, this killstreak can entirely wipe out small maps, and can even kill you in the process! Our number 5 spot goes to the Loadstar from Black Ops 2. Its precise, laser-guided missile system may take a second to land your hits, but its accuracy guarantees them. Following that at number 4 is the chopper gunner from Black Ops 1. You take control of a chopper gunner with infinite ammo for 60 seconds. While it has no missiles or bombs, you soon learn that the attached gatling gun is all you really need.

Number 3 is the Stealth Chopper, an excellent streak for those who want to remain on the ground with their gun in-hand. Stealth choppers are in most Black Ops games and traditionally secure the map without any assistance from you. You stay on the ground and let the chopper do the killing for you. At number 2 we have the Swarm from Black Ops 2. This is the final scorestreak and for good reason: it punishes the enemy team. Raining down masses of hunter-killer drones, the Swarm rains of the enemy team for 45 seconds. The only way to avoid certain death is to take cover. For number 1, we’re calling in the dogs. Attack dogs have been featured in one way or another throughout all four Black Ops titles (and even prior in Call Of Duty: World At War). For 60 seconds, attack dogs are spawned in and are unleashed at the enemy team. This high-level killstreak is easily one of the most memorable and certainly one of the best.

Grand Theft Auto Company Boss Isn’t Sold On Video Game Subscription Services

The next generation of Xbox, including the Xbox Series X and Series S, is going all-in on subscriptions and payment plans, with both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox All Access providing customers with over a hundred games, and potentially a whole new console, for a nominal fee each month. Xbox’s revenue is on the rise, and many developers seem very happy with the deals they’ve made with Microsoft, but not everyone is convinced.

Speaking to Barron’s for a piece about Microsoft’s strategy with the next Xbox models, Strauss Zelnick, who is the CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software (the parent company that owns Grand Theft Auto V developer Rockstar Games), has expressed some caution towards this strategy.

“I think it may be somewhat hard to do in the interactive entertainment business,” Zelnick said. He cites the fact that TV and movie subscription services make more sense because, on average, people watch far more content than they play–150 hours a month of TV and film against 45 hours of gameplay. This makes something like Netflix far more attractive than Game Pass, he argues.

“It’s not clear that it would be a great deal to spend $35 a month to have one of the two platforms, even with a good deal of content,” Zelnick argues.

Curiously, two major Rockstar titles, Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption II, have both appeared on Xbox Game Pass in the past. Neither title was available on the service for long, though, and judging by Zelnick’s comments it’s unlikely that their games will join a service like Game Pass long-term.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will expand on September 15 in many territories with Cloud Gaming. The next wave of Xbox Game Pass titles has also been announced.

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Nintendo Switch 10.2.0 Update (September 14) Out Now But It’s Not A Big One

The latest firmware update for the Nintendo Switch has landed, but as usual, you should not expect much from it. Version 10.2.0, which was released on September 14, is another general stability patch.

The single-sentence patch notes state that the update provides “general system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.”

As usual, it’s possible there are other, unnoted changes that the community will have to discover. But for the time being, you should not expect anything major.

Switch firmware updates are automatically downloaded if your console is connected to the internet. You can visit the System Settings menu to confirm that you’re running the latest firmware.

The Switch is performing well very for Nintendo. By the company’s latest count, it has sold 61.4 million Switch consoles and more than 406 million games. According to reports, an upgraded version of the Switch will be released in 2021.

Ver. 10.2.0 (Released September 14, 2020)

  • General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.

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Minecraft Dungeons Will Support Touch Controls Through Cloud Gaming

Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is launching on September 15 in multiple markets, including the US, and it’ll let you stream your Game Pass titles to an Android phone or tablet. For most games, you’ll still want to sync up a controller with your phone for play, but if you’re deep into Minecraft Dungeons, that won’t be necessary.

In a post to Xbox Wire, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of cloud gaming Kareem Choudhry outlined how the Minecraft spin-off has been adapted for mobile players who stream the game through Game Pass Ultimate. The UI and controls have been optimized for touch screens, they explain, with on-screen buttons being used for all the functions usually assigned to a controller.

UI changes will be made to your inventory and the menu screens, too, making them easy to navigate through touch controls. Choudhry says that it’s received the same attention that the mobile version of Minecraft has. You can see this in action in the video below.

Players who choose to stream the game to their mobile devices will be able to play co-op with friends on Xbox One, and when crossplay is enabled later this year they’ll also be able to team up with PC, PS4, and Switch players.

While this news is specific to Minecraft Dungeons, it’s likely that other games–when possible–will do something similar for Cloud Gaming customers.

While Cloud Gaming will be available to many players tomorrow, unfortunately it looks unlikely to come to iOS devices.

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PS5 – What’s In The Box? | Save State

In this video, Persia talks about PlayStation 5’s box contents being reported by Niko Partners’ senior analyst Daniel Ahmad. The contents include the console, wireless DualSense controller, attachable base, an AC power cord, HDMI cable, and more. Astro’s Playroom will also come pre-installed on both consoles but might need to be updated when you get it. There is a PS5 showcase coming up on September 16th.

She also talks about rumors of Microsoft potentially acquiring Bungie being debunked by the CEO of Bungie, Pete Parsons on Twitter. DeeJ from Bungie’s community team also requested that people use Bungie’s new logo when “circulating gossip” about the company.

Lastly, Persia talks about Halo 3: ODST arriving on PC on September 22 as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. ODST’s description on Xbox Game Pass says, “Firefight is joining The Master Chief Collection on console and PC for the first time, with online matchmaking, dedicated servers, and new custom game modes.” This inclusion could imply that Firefight is also coming to Xbox One on September 22, but it’s not explicitly confirmed.

Ikea And Asus’ Republic Of Gamers Will Release A Gaming Furniture And Accessories Line

Ikea and Republic of Gamers (ROG), Asus’ PC gaming hardware and accessories line, will be releasing a new affordable gaming furniture and accessories line. The two companies plan to deliver around 30 products, starting in China in February 2021. Other Ikea markets will receive the items after October 2021.

So far, no details on what type of furniture or accessories have been revealed. But considering that ROG mainly carries PC gaming attachments and other related hardware, it could be a good bet that Ikea and ROG’s collaborative gaming line skews more towards PC gaming items.

The new gaming line is being spearheaded by the Ikea Product Development Center in Shanghai. Ikea and ROG emphasize that as part of the design process, employees from both companies have held workshops together with professional gamers and other people who love games.

Global business leader of workspace Ewa Rychert stated that Ikea hopes to create a line that emphasizes the positive benefits of gaming and the way it enhances home life. “There are a lot of existing conventions about gaming which are often stereotypical or negative, for example, all the games are built on violence, gaming is asocial and it is predominantly a men’s activity,” he said.

“In fact, figures show that gaming is among the most truly cross-demographic activities, and it can improve an individual’s mental health and general well-being. It’s a source of relaxation, independence, fun; through gaming, people develop skills within problem solving, teamwork and communication. Playing games also provides a new way of connecting with others which has become even more important recently to feel connected remotely. We hope that the new gaming range will help to embrace and enable the benefits of gaming in life at home.”

We’ll have to wait until 2021 to see what Ikea and ROG’s gaming furniture vision looks like. But in the meantime, if you’re looking for gear, you can check out our roundup of the best cheap gaming chairs and best gaming desks.

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