Sony has been coy with PlayStation 5 details since its big E3 replacement stream in June. That wait might last longer still, with plans for another PS5 event only “tentatively confirmed” for August.
Sony have already announced a State of Play for August, but tempered expectations of the 40-minute event by stating that it would focus primarily on PS4 games. It made it clear that the event would not feature new PS5 exclusives or news on either additional hardware or potential pricing, the latter of which is still being strongly debated amongst fans.
In a Bloomberg report focused on Sony’s recent financial results, the company does state that it has plans for another event in August that will be all about the PS5. No other details about the event were shared, other than wording that suggests plans could still change as the months progress.
“An official at the Sony PlayStation unit, who asked not to be identified because the plan is not yet public, said Sony’s next announcement regarding the PlayStation 5 is tentatively scheduled for this month,” the report reads (via Nibel).
Both Microsoft and Sony have yet to reveal prices for the Xbox Series X and PS5 respectively. Sony has two versions of the PS5 launching this holiday, with the second version omitting the disc-drive. Microsoft reportedly will host another event in August after its games showcase in late July, which will supposedly feature the reveal of the rumored cheaper and less powerful Xbox, codenamed Lockhart.
As part of its cloud streaming xCloud service that will launch on September 15 on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Android devices, Microsoft has detailed how touch controls will work on games coming to smartphones and tablets through the service.
In the latest Microsoft Game Stack stream, The Coalition senior gameplay producer Jarret Bradley revealed how the studio had built a custom layout for Gears 5.
“One of the challenges for us, right from the initial onset, was that there were no other games that we could look at with that touch control,” Bradley explained.
“As we started to dig into it, we realized that the best thing for us to do was to treat this as a different input device. Like we already support keyboard and mouse, controller, and we have customized controls and remapping. We have custom layouts for basically anything you can do in the game.”
The touch controls developed by The Coalition will allow players to engage in the regular Gears experience through these custom layouts, ranging from shooting to reloading, and even having control of vehicles. Gyro controls have also been implemented for action sequences, and the touchscreen controls will also dissolve during cinematic scenes.
“We’ve got compound layers that we’ve done where you can kind of push one button which brings up another view,” Bradley said.
“That’s how we’re doing our weapon changing thing so the D-pad isn’t always visible. What we’re trying to is pull a lot of the icons off the screen that we didn’t need and make kind of contextual layouts when we needed them.”
Microsoft is hoping that The Coalition’s efforts will inspire other studios to design their games with xCloud functionality in mind when they begin development.
A new line of “Designed for Xbox” mobile gaming controllers and accessories for xCloud were also announced this week, ranging from Razer Kishi controllers that can be snapped onto your smartphone, to cradles that can clip onto an Xbox controller and can be adjusted to hold your phone in place.
Untitled Goose Game gained plenty of accolades upon release last year, and its unconventional title perfectly fits its quirky charm. No one explained the joke to Amazon’s retail bots, apparently, as the company altered the listing assuming it was a mistake.
In an exchange on Twitter, Wario64 noted that Amazon was listing the game as simply “Goose Game.” In response, developer Cabel Sasser pointed out that Amazon’s algorithm had mistakenly concluded that the “Untitled” part was a placeholder and removed it, leaving it with the much duller title. As of the time of writing, the mistaken listings are still up.
These listings are for the physical editions, which recently went up for pre-order in advance of their September release. Those include the game, a 24-page catalogue of in-game items, an 11×17 village map poster, and a “No Goose” sticker. A special eco-friendly “Lovely Edition” and equally eco-friendly vinyl soundtrack are also available from iam8bit.
Amazon listing for “Goose Game”
“The important thing is that Untitled Goose Game is a hoot,” James O’Connor wrote in GameSpot’s review. “It’s a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There’s nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it’s charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It’s also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated ‘honk’ button.”
Ahead of QuakeCon this weekend, you can save on a bunch of id Software and Bethesda games at the Xbox Store. The QuakeCon Sale on Xbox One runs through August 10 and features massive discounts on popular franchises such as Doom, Dishonored, Fallout, and more. You can also get 4A Games’ Metro series for cheap this week at the Xbox Store.
The best deals during the QuakeCon Sale are on bundles. If you haven’t played many of the games under the ZeniMax Media umbrella, now’s your chance to do so at really low prices.
Best deals at Xbox Store
The Arkane Anniversary Collection contains every Arkane Studios game available on Xbox One for $30, down from $100, including Dishonored: Definitive edition, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, and Prey. The Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection is on sale for $32 and comes with all four modern Wolfenstein titles: Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Meanwhile, the Doom Slayers Collection is only $13.49 and contains Doom (classic), Doom 2, Doom 3, and Doom (2016).
The Metro franchise sale lets you grab all three games in the post-apocalyptic FPS franchise for around $20. Metro Exodus, which released last year, is discounted to a new low price of $13.19. The Metro Redux Bundle, which contains 2033 Redux and Last Light Redux, is only $7.49.
In addition to all of the deals ahead of QuakeCon, you can claim the PC version of Quake for free via the Bethesda Launcher this weekend.
Microsoft has announced a new series of “Designed for Xbox” mobile gaming controllers compatible with its cloud streaming service xCloud. These controllers are available for pre-order today from either the Microsoft Store or other retailers worldwide.
The Razer Kishi Controller
The Razer Kishi controller, designed for Xbox
The first is the $100 Razer Kishi, a compact, collapsible controller compatible with “most Android smartphones.” It features a dedicated Xbox button, an array of face and bumper buttons, clickable analog sticks, a D-pad, and a low-latency USB-C connection. The Razer Kishi also packages pass-through charging so you can play and charge simultaneously. The “Designed for Xbox” version of this controller includes a 14-day free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial. The Razer Kishi controller is available for purchase right now.
PowerA’s Bluetooth Controllers
The MOGA XP5-X Plus Bluetooth Controller
PowerA has also partnered with Microsoft for the “Designed for Xbox” series, introducing the new MOGA XP5-X Plus Bluetooth Controller. This $70 accessory looks just like an Xbox One controller and comes equipped with Bluetooth-enabled technology, a detachable phone clip, and mappable “Advanced Gaming Buttons,” as well as an integrated 3000mAh rechargeable Power Bank. The MOGA XP5-X Plus Bluetooth Controller will be available on September 15, the same day xCloud is set to launch. xCloud will also be available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on Android starting September 15.
That’s not the only “Designed for Xbox” controller PowerA is working on, as the accessory manufacturer is also developing the PowerA MOGA XP7-X Plus Bluetooth Controller. This $100 extendable controller is compatible with “most Android phones and tablets” and can be played in two ways: either attached to your phone like the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode or detached from your phone like the Nintendo Switch in TV mode. It includes a removable phone stand, an integrated 2000mAh Qi Power Bank for wireless charging, and two mappable “Advanced Gaming Buttons.” The PowerA MOGA XP7-X Plus Bluetooth Controller will be available this winter.
8BitD’s SN30 Pro Controller And Clip
The 8BitDo SN30 Pro Controller
8BitDo is also working on the “Designed for Xbox” lineup, releasing two accessories of its own: the SN30 Pro Controller and a standalone Mobile Gaming Clip. The $50 SN30 Pro is a compact controller that works with Android devices, including phones and tablets. It features the company’s proprietary Precision Software for customizable button mapping, stick and trigger sensitivity adjustments, and controller profiles. It also comes with an expandable gaming clip of its own. Meanwhile, the $15 Mobile Gaming Clip will be compatible with a variety of Xbox One wireless controllers. It’s also expandable and features two-axis adjustable positioning.
8BitDo’s standalone Mobile Gaming Clip
Both the SN30 Pro and Mobile Gaming Clip will launch on September 21.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Headset
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless 4-in-1 gaming headset
Finally, there’s a new SteelSeries headset included in the “Designed for Xbox” suite. The $100 SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless is a 4-in-1 wireless gaming headset that lets you seamlessly move from console/PC gaming to mobile gaming thanks to the USB-C phone attachment. It’s compatible with most Android devices, features a noise-canceling detachable ClearCast mic, and the same speaker drives found within the SteelSeries Arctis 9X. The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless is available for purchase right now.
Microsoft recently announced its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will begin including xCloud streaming integration. Now the company has given more details, including a release date and some of the lineup we can expect. You’ll be able to stream onto your Android devices starting September 15–iOS support won’t be available right at launch.
An Xbox Wire post from corporate VP Kareem Choudhry states that Game Pass Ultimate members will get streaming access to more than 100 games. The company hasn’t announced a full list but has shared more than 30 of the games that will compose the initial streaming lineup. Those include some big names like Gears 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and the recently launched Grounded. You can check out all the announced games so far below.
This is being called a beta launch across 22 countries, to ensure stability as it scales up from there. Those markets include several countries in North America and Europe, as well as South Korea. You can check out the list of supported markets below as well.
As noted above, iOS devices will not be supported when xCloud first launches for Game Pass users. It’s unclear when that might debut, although iOS xCloud testing did begin earlier this year.
To play Game Pass titles on your mobile device, you’ll need to download the Xbox Game Pass app from the appropriate Android store when it launches on September 15. In addition, Microsoft announced partnerships with Razer, PowerA, 8BitDo, and NACON to create new accessories like phone clips and split-apart controllers. You’ll also be able to play with your existing Xbox One and PS4 controllers.
Wonder Woman 1984 may be coming soon (or at least, we think it is), but director Patty Jenkins is already looking ahead to a third film. In an interview with German magazine Geek, quoted by Twitter account @DCMovieNews2, Jenkins has said that three Wonder Woman films may be it for her.
“WW84 gave me a chance to do a lot of things that I couldn’t accommodate in the first movie,” Jenkins told Geek. “I was so happy to tell the Wonder Woman origin story. It was almost her birth, but we really haven’t seen what she is capable of. It is exciting for me to show her at the peak of her strength. But it is also very important that she fights an internal struggle: she is a Goddess and tries to help humanity. She is not only someone who fights evil, she tries to show bad people how to improve. It’s an interesting dilemma.”
While nothing is set in stone yet about a third movie, it’s heartening for Wonder Woman fans to hear Jenkins has a strong plan for the character’s arc across the trilogy.
“The next one is probably my last Wonder Woman movie,” she continued, “so I have to put everything I want to show there. We have to think carefully.”
Jenkins has talked about her plans for the threequel as early as April this year, when she told Total Film Magazine, “I’m not going to nail down a fresh thought about it until [Wonder Woman 1984] comes out, because I kind of want to give myself a palette cleanser, and be fresh of mind.”
Unfortunately for her, the latest Wonder Woman movie has been delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is currently scheduled for an October date that’s still liable to change. In late June, Jenkins confirmed that she had put planning for the third movie on hold, saying “the truth is, where that plotline was coming from was our state of being six months ago. And so I want to make sure that I’m totally absorbing whatever the result of this pandemic is.”
Diablo Immortal, the mobile revealed at BlizzCon 2018 to considerable controversy, has debuted some new footage. The new trailer shows off six of the game’s classes, and how the combat in this spin-off is shaping up.
We get a quick look at the Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard classes, which seem likely to return in this game.
The new footage, which was uploaded to the Chinese Diablo Immortal website, is direct from Chinese gaming convention ChinaJoy. As pointed out by Polygon, it also shows off Baal, the villain from Diablo II. It seems like they will be returning.
You can watch the trailer, uploaded by Blizzard Watch, below. The trailer has not actually been uploaded by the official Blizzard channels, or in English, as of yet.
GameSpot went hands-on with Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018, and writer Alessandro Fillari came away cautiously optimistic. “I was surprisingly pleased with how Immortal played, and it’ll be interesting to see how the game will pan out once it launches,” he wrote.
On July 15, a Twitter hack targeting some of the platform’s most high-profile users caused chaos on the site, with Twitter temporarily restricting verified users from posting at all. The hack had users like Bill Gates, Kanye West, and Obama tweeting out a bitcoin scam to millions of followers.
Now, a 17-year-old Florida teenager has been arrested over the hack, and a New York Times profile has delved into his history of hacks and online scams. Friends told the New York Times that Graham Ivan Clark started playing Minecraft at age 10 to escape an unhappy home life, and soon became adept at scamming other players.
Like many young gamers, Clark dabbled with YouTube, building an audience playing Minecraft in PVP-oriented servers. He reportedly used the username Open, or OpenHCF. The Times report tracked down a number of players who had been scammed by someone with the same username–usually offering to sell a username or a rare cape and then blocking the user once money had been sent.
One player described how he offered to buy Clark’s own username “Open” for $100, but then was blocked once the transaction was sent. “I was just kind of a dumb teenager, and looking back, there’s no way I should have ever done this,” the user told the Times. “Why should I ever have trusted this dude?”
Clark’s seemingly practiced Minecraft scams are now preserved in a number of YouTube videos by other Minecraft players, exposing the most common ways he scammed other players.
After the Twitter hack, Clark is being charged as an adult with 30 felonies. He had previously been involved in a large bitcoin theft, but was not charged due to being a minor.
