The Xbox Series X retail box art has been revealed.
A listing for the Xbox Series X has been spotted on Canadian consumer electronics website The Source, which features an image of the console’s box alongside press shots of the device. The main image on the box focuses on the grating at the top of the device, and symbols in the corner tout features such as the Series X’s 4K 120 FPS capabilities, the Xbox Velocity Architecture system and the console’s 1 TB SSD.
All of this evidence suggests that Ubisoft is raring up to reveal a remake of 2008’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, most likely during Ubisoft Forward.
A video surfaced in May showing test footage of a cancelled Prince of Persia pitch from 2012. For more information, check out our writeup here.
If it is indeed real, a Sands of Time remake would likely go down well – back in 2003 we awarded the original a 9.6/10 review, saying it was “a must own — a soon-to-be-classic worthy of a permanent place in your collection.”
GameStop shoppers will have a variety of payment options to choose from while shopping for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X this holiday season, including a layaway option, third-party installment plans, and a rent-to-own process, according to internal documents obtained by VentureBeat. The expanded payment options were confirmed in GameStop’s quarterly earnings report on September 9.
Here’s a quick overview of the three main payment options:
Layaway: You’ll be able to reserve a console at the store until you pay it off completely, allowing you to contribute smaller payments at a time.
Installment plans: GameStop will offer installment plans with third-party payment services, including Quadpay and Klarna, that allow shoppers to pay off their purchase in four installments over six weeks, with no additional fees.
Rent-to-own: In an internal memo, GameStop said it’s working with a “reputable third-party partner” to offer rent-to-own options for many items, allowing customers to take the product home with them with “minimum upfront money” and pay it off within one to 12 months. You’ll also retain the option to return the product at any point.
Shoppers will also be able to opt for Microsoft’s Xbox All Access plan through GameStop. Available for both the Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox All Access allows you to make payments over a 24-month period, costing $35 per month for the Series X and $25 per month for the Series S. Xbox All Access also includes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and because of that perk, it’s actually cheaper to opt for the All Access plan rather than buy the console and subscription separately, saving you $59 on the Series S and $19 on the Series X. Xbox Series X and Series S pre-orders go live on September 22, so you’ll likely be able to sign up for Xbox All Access then as well.
Unfortunately, no such payment plan has been announced yet for the PlayStation 5; in fact, at this point, all we know about PS5 pre-orders is that the first round will be available on an invite-only basis exclusively from PlayStation’s own store. We don’t yet have a price and don’t even know when or which third-party retailers will have the PS5 in stock. But in a year where so many people have lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced due to COVID-19, having a wider number of payment options, including Xbox All Access, is certainly a positive thing.
A new update for Borderlands 3 is scheduled to arrive today on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC. Aside from adding support for the new campaign DLC Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck, the update also addresses general, character, and mayhem fixes.
As part of the new campaign add-on, the Borderlands 3 level cap has been raised by five levels to 65. In terms of general fixes, the update adds two more ammo SDU upgrades for pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, and grenades, plus two expansion SDU upgrades for the Lost Loot machine on Sanctuary III. It also addresses an issue where the “Refill Ammo” prompt would persist in multiplayer sessions, and made sure player class icons will now show profile pictures for Steam and Epic Games Store players using cross-platform on PC.
When it comes to Mayhem, players will now have a chance to redeem themselves in Fight For Your Life when Slayer is active and they’ve killed an enemy with a melee attack. Damage scaling support has also been added to shields with Nova or Reflect behaviors.
The update makes a number of character changes, too, particularly FL4K The Beastmaster. For instance, FL4K’s Headcount passive skill no longer prevents Rakk Attack from gaining the proper number of charges when scoring critical hits. The Beastmaster’s Friend-Bot class mod now increases pet damage as well, and the Dominance skill will continue to damage beast targets throughout its duration.
Full patch notes for September 10 update
New content
Added support for Borderlands 3’s forth campaign add-on: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck
Increased the level cap by five levels to 65
General
Added two more ammo SDU upgrades for pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, and grenades and two expansion SDU upgrades for the Lost Loot machine on Sanctuary III
Addressed a reported concern where the “Refill Ammo” prompt would persist for clients in a multiplayer session
Player class icons will now show with profile pictures for Steam and Epic Games Store PC cross-platform players
Mayhem
Players will now have a chance to redeem themselves in Fight For Your Life when Slayer is active and they have killed an enemy with melee
Mayhem modifiers will no longer change when players join through matchmaking
Added Mayhem damage scaling support to shields with Nova or Reflect behaviors
Character
Amara’s Ties that Bind augment now only passes gun and melee damages to enemies
Certain types of damage were unintentionally being passed to other enemies caught in the Phasegrasp. This change prevents those interactions, but no other changes have been made to this skill.
The Beastmaster’s Headcount passive skill no longer prevents Rakk Attack from gaining the proper number of charges when scoring critical hits
The Beastmaster’s Dominance skill will continue to damage beast targets throughout the skill’s duration
The Beastmaster’s St4ckbot class mod will no longer reset its damage stack increase when an enemy takes damage from a splash source or elemental damage done over time
The Beastmaster’s Friend-Bot class mod now increases pet damage
The Gunner’s Drowning in Brass passive skill now applies bonus damage to both of Iron Bear’s weapons, rather than just the left
Hotfixes
To apply hotfixes, wait at the main menu until you see a sign that says “Hotfixes Applied!” If you are experiencing any issues or want to provide feedback, please submit a ticket to support.2k.com.
Addressed a reported concern that the Legendary Shotgun The Garcia would fire vertically when being used by the client in multiplayer
Yoko Taro is known for doing things his own way, and the upcoming events in his Nier franchise that were just announced by Square Enix are no exception. The first event is titled “We Have a Decent Amount of New Info” special, and it will start September 24 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. Two days later, on September 26, the “Mostly No New Info” special will follow at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET as well. It will be available on YouTube and Twitch.
Join Yosuke Saito, YOKO TARO, Keiichi Okabe, Saki Ito from Toylogic, Daichi Matsukawa from Applibot, Takahisa Taura from PlatinumGames and Hiroki Yasumoto (JP voice actor for Grimoire Weiss) as they reveal the latest information about the #NieR series.
As the above tweet reveals, several staffers known for working with Yoko will attend the event, including Yosuke Saito and Keichi Okabe. Since the surprising success of Nier: Automata raised Yoko’s profile considerably in the West, the Nier series has diversified considerably, albeit in a rather confusing fashion. These events will likely offer new details on the upcoming Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, which is an upgraded version of the original Nier that will be playable on current platforms, like PC, Xbox One, and PS4. (Currently, the only way to play Nier 1 is to dig out your PS3 or Xbox 360, and a used copy of the game is comparatively expensive.)
The announcement also suggests that the event will offer updates on Nier: Automata, which was originally released in 2017, and Nier: Reincarnation, which is an upcoming mobile game with ties to the rest of the series. Over the past few months, Yoko has released a mobile game titled SinoAlice, as well as designing some guest content for Final Fantasy XIV. If you still haven’t played Automata, it came to Xbox Game Pass back in April.
Nier TGS 2020
“We Have a Decent Amount of New Info” special airs September 24 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET
“Mostly No New Info” special airs September 26 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET
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What do you do when Microsoft loans you two for-display-only next-gen consoles? Photograph the heck out of them, of course! While the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S units we received don’t have any silicon inside them, the display units do nevertheless give us a great chance to see the Series X and Series S next to other game systems and finally see how they compare in size and shape to other consoles.
As you can see in the photo gallery below, Microsoft has packed a lot into two relatively small packages. And there are some neat touches you’ll see in the photos as well, such as the tiny “Hello from Seattle” message on the bottom of the Series X’s round base stand, as well as the unique nubs for each port on both consoles that will allow you to better find the correct port you’re trying to plug the cable into when you’re reaching behind the console in your entertainment center in the dark.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
For all the love and attention Borderlands pays its psychos, even using a masked maniac as its mascot since the original game, it’s surprising that it took until the latest DLC for Borderlands 3 to give us the chance to dive into the brain of a shirtless, blood-soaked madman for the world’s most traumatizing episode of The Magic Schoolbus. But while the concept of entering the mind of a psycho to discover the origins of the plague of insanity is a rock-solid concept for the goofiest DLC since Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck doesn’t fully deliver on that promise. To its credit, its middle act is an excellent buildup to one of the best boss fights in all of Borderlands, but everything other than that ends up being a predictable ride filled with bullets, psychopaths, and non-stop screaming.
Fantastic Fustercluck is all about Krieg, the Crimson Raiders’ resident mental case. This shirtless, buzz-axe wielding psycho is known for screaming nonsensical catchphrases as he butchers his way through life. Though Krieg has never been the most interesting or well-developed character in Borderlands 3, Fantastic Fustercluck aims to change that by transporting you into the psychopath’s mind on a quest to understand what makes Krieg tick and the origin of his insanity. You’ll learn about Krieg’s dark and completely unsurprising backstory, see through the bizarre lens through which Krieg views the world, and even be reunited with one of Borderlands’ deceased characters.
While Fantastic Fustercluck does manage to flesh out Krieg as a character quite a bit, it doesn’t do a whole lot to make him more interesting or relatable. Instead, his insanity is mostly used as an excuse to place you in bizarre, mildly entertaining situations, like having to shoot down the moon and use it as ammo in a siege warfare encounter. It’s entertaining for a short while, but even in a campaign that only runs around three hours long you can only hear Krieg shout about how he wants to lick meat flesh off someone or whatever so many times before you become numb to it and bored by the cliche. Yes, I get it: you’re insane.
In fact, most of Fantastic Fustercluck feels like a generic Borderlands expansion that takes no real risks and thus reaps few rewards. Aside from a few interesting new areas and a particularly strong second act, the expansion offers surprisingly little that we haven’t seen before. You fight lots of the usual psychopaths, Hyperion loaderbots, and of course, skags, until you reach a final boss encounter that’s so dull I literally fell asleep in the middle of it.
Dont get me wrong: there are some awesome new areas that feature demented body horror the likes of which could only come from Krieg’s mind, like levels that are made up of disfigured body parts and eyeballs that follow your character around as you move. But aside from an amusing new type of psycho that rides a giant bullet like something out of Dr. Strangelove, there just aren’t a ton of surprises or things to get excited about.
Side quests in Fantastic Fustercluck are similarly unimpressive, mostly consisting of bite-sized fetch quests like one where you go find an umbrella or throwaway gags like one where you stare at inkblot tests so Krieg can tell you if you’re sane or not. It’s all incredibly shallow, which is surprising, since historically side quests like these have been some of Borderlands’ most entertaining content.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=You%20suddenly%20find%20yourself%20hunted%20by%20a%20sentient%20train%20called%20the%20Locom%C3%B6bius.”]Though most of Fustercluck is an extremely by-the-book romp through piles of murdered man meat and exploding robots, the impressive middle act is so unique it almost redeems an otherwise monotonous campaign. As you dive deeper into Krieg’s psychotic psyche, you suddenly find yourself hunted by a sentient, anthropomorphic train called the Locomöbius, which turns an entire area into one frantic, dangerous, and memorable boss fight. As you work your way through the area, the Locomöbius relentlessly tries to run you over by spontaneously manifesting ghostly train tracks anywhere it chooses before popping out of a portal and chugga chugga choo choo-ing its way through anything unfortunate enough to get in its way. It can appear seemingly anywhere and in any orientation, no matter how gravity-defying, and isn’t afraid to run over its own allies as it tries to maim you. It even blows holes through level terrain, altering the map’s makeup in the process and adding another layer of difficulty to progressing.
The area concludes once you reach the train’s lair (because of course it has a lair) and face off in a final battle that literally and figuratively goes off the rails. It’s easily one of the most memorable encounters in the Borderlands series, even if it’s sandwiched between a pretty boring first and third act.
Microsoft’s next-gen consoles are looking really sleek, and the two-pronged approach of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S doesn’t just mean a difference in power, there’s also a difference in physical design philosophy. I had the chance to get an up-close-and-personal look at both consoles courtesy of Microsoft, which sent over official mockups of the actual systems well-ahead of their November 10 release date.
These prototypes are non-functional and do not feature any processing parts–they’re essentially dummy models. Their weight is not indicative of the actual consoles, but the design and dimensions reflect the final product. With that in mind I took a few photos to examine their form factors, see how they look and fit in a home setting, and compare their size to current-gen consoles.
The Series X (left) and Series S (right) standing vertically next to each other.
Examining Their Form Factor
Surprisingly, the Xbox Series X doesn’t seem to be as bulky as I thought it would be. The vertical design looks nice as a unique, yet minimalist piece of hardware. Its rectangular build might make it stand out among the familiar consoles, but it certainly doesn’t feel out of place.
We already knew its exact dimensions, but it’s another thing to try fitting the actual box in spaces at home. I didn’t have trouble finding a spot for it, but if your setup already has tight vertical spaces, the height of the Series X, even when laid horizontally, may prove a challenging fit. The most important thing to note is giving the top fan enough room for airflow to keep the system cool.
The Xbox Series S (top left) and Series X (top right) alongside the three current-gen consoles in a poor person (me) TV stand.
It’s clear that the Series X is intended to stand up vertically, given the orientation of the logo on the power button logo, ports on the back, and the rubber stand attached to the bottom of the console (although there are tiny rubber feet to accommodate horizontal orientation).
Of the two, personally, I think the Xbox Series S takes the crown in terms of having an aesthetically pleasing design. It’s a very compact system that sports a simple, traditional shape with no extraneous flair–unless you count the massive fan vent at the top that looks like a speaker, turntable, or hot plate. There are tiny rubber feet to help the Series S stand vertically, but it’s intended to be laid flat, given the orientation of the power button logo and back ports.
The Xbox Series S is simple and clean, shouts out to Hikaru Utada.
Microsoft states that it’s 60% smaller than the Series X and that much is true. While the Series S shares the same measurement in length, when stood up vertically you can clearly see that it’s slightly shorter in height and much thinner than the Series X.
The Xbox Series S stacked on the Xbox Series X.
A Quick Look At Their Features
Both systems feature the same ports on the back, although they are laid out a bit differently to accommodate the intended orientation. Behind the consoles are two USB 3.0 ports, an ethernet port, the power socket (same for both Series X and S), HDMI out, and the storage expansion slot for the external Seagate SSD cards sold separately.
A closer look at the ports on the back of both the Series X and Series S consoles.
On the front, you have one USB port, the wireless connection sync button, and the power button, but as you may know, the Xbox Series S does not feature a disk drive while the Series X does.
Compared To The PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One X
When sat horizontally next to the PS4 Pro, it’s clear how the Series X is much thicker in height but saves space by cutting down on length. From this perspective, the two systems share a similar width, though. The Series S has about the same height as the PS4 Pro, a bit less width, and like the more powerful Series X, it has about half the length of Sony’s console. The compact nature of the Series S really shines in this comparison.
The Series S beside a PS4 Pro, and Series X atop a PS4 Pro. Use the slider to check out both photos.
When you have your Nintendo Switch docked, it sports about the same height as the Series X laid flat, which should give Switch owners an idea of how much space they’ll need if they’re looking to get this new console. Of course, the comparisons of a handheld hybrid console and traditional systems isn’t a fair one, but showing the Switch undocked alongside the Series X and Series S should give you an idea of how Microsoft’s new consoles physically shape up.
The Nintendo Switch atop (undocked) and beside (docked) the Xbox Series S and X. Use the slider to check out both photos.
Xbox One X owners are sure to be interested in how the Series X and S stack against the current-gen powerhouse. Horizontally, the One X and Series X share the same width, but of course, the overall height is a clear and major difference. When looking at length, the Series X cuts off about a third compared to the One X.
The Xbox Series X on top of the Xbox One X, the differences in height and length are quite noticeable.
Things get more interesting between the One X and Series S. They have about the same height, but the Series S shaves off a little bit of width and, like the Series X, cuts around a third in length. When looking at it from all angles while alongside the One X, you really get a sense of the slick and compact nature of the Series S, especially with its unified body and form factor.
The unified body of the Series S makes it look even more sleek than the One X and even chops down on width and length.
We Out Here Tryna Function
We were sent these Xbox Series X and Series S non-functioning prototypes less than a day before publishing this article, so this serves as a casual comparison and up-close look at Microsoft’s next-gen consoles. And while these are the complete final shells of the physical design, we don’t have anything to share about the gameplay experience, which should go without saying. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty of coverage about the power these next-gen consoles offer.
The Xbox Series X is set to launch at $499 USD while the cheaper Xbox Series S will go for $299, and both consoles release on November 10. For information on what makes them different from a technical perspective, be sure to read our big Xbox Series X and Series S comparison. And for all our other coverage, check out the stories below.
Activision has revealed how the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Open Beta will work, following the game’s multiplayer reveal.
According to an Activision blog post, the open beta will take place across two “weekends,” October 8-12 and October 15-19, and each beta will begin at 10 AM on Thursday morning (precise global timings are yet to be revealed.)
Weekend 1 starts with the PS4 early access beta, which will run from October 8-9. The PS4 open beta will follow, starting on October 10 and ending on October 12.
Weekend 2 of the beta includes crossplay and kicks off with the Xbox and PC early access beta, and another PS4 open beta, both of which will run from October 15-16. To round things off we have an “Open All Platforms” beta which everyone can access, which starts on October 17 and ends on October 19.
The rest of the blog posts details a series of “Deniable Operations” maps, taking players around the world, from Angola to Uzbekistan, Moscow and Miami. We caught a glimpse of a VIP Escort match that takes place on the Miami map recently after the Multiplayer Alpha was leaked on Twitch. You can read more about what to expect from the Open Beta here, based on what we found in the footage.
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13 for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
The third episode of CD Projekt Red’s Night City Wire livestream showcase for Cyberpunk 2077 will take place on Friday, September 18 at 9am PT/12pm ET/6pm CEST and will “take you on a tour around Night City, check up on its gangs, and give you a sneak peek into the creation of #Cyberpunk2077 original score.”
Cyberpunk 2077’s official Twitter announced the news alongside a brief video that gives another glimpse at some of Night City’s gangs, including the Animals, Aldecaldos, Maelstrom, The Mox, 6th Street, Tyger Claws, Valentinos, Voodoo Boys, and Wraiths.
Join us on Friday, September 18 at 6PM CEST, at https://t.co/y8iUIM0gBv for the 3rd episode of Night City Wire! We’ll take you on a tour around Night City, check up on its gangs, and give you a sneak peek into the creation of #Cyberpunk2077 original score. pic.twitter.com/FoplKXn7Ic
Cyberpunk 2077’s last Night City Wire focused on the game’s music, weapons, and the three branching paths that players will be tasked with choosing at the start.
