Category: Games

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Daily Deals: Save Big on Xbox Game Pass & Other Microsoft Products at Best Buy

This Sunday has brought with it another handful of great deals. Over on Amazon you can grab yourself a great Razer laptop, while Best Buy still has their Microsoft sale going, which lets you snag some Xbox Game Pass on the cheap, as well as other handy Microsoft products. If none of that sounds up your alley, make sure to check further down our listing as there’s always a great selection of games up for offer.

The Best Daily Deals for February 21

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More Video Game Deals

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PS5 DualSense Teardown Shows Potential Causes for Drifting Issues

A new DualSense controller teardown video from IFixIt has revealed potential causes for the drifting issues that some PS5 owners have been experiencing.

The video from IFixIt, which you can watch here, explains how the DualSense uses “off-the-shelf joystick hardware with a long history of predictable, preventable issues.”

These joystick modules are manufactured by a company called ALPS and have been used by such other controllers as PS4’s DualShock 4, the Xbox One and Xbox Elite controller, and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

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The particular model number used in the DualSense controller, RKJXV, has an operating life of two million cycles, while the life span of the center push function is around 500,000 cycles.

IFixIt mentions that, while this number can vary greatly depending on how often you play games and what types of games you play, these parts can exceed their lifespan with just over 400 hours of game time. This “back of the napkin math” is based on IFixIt employees’ Call of Duty gameplay.

However, that is assuming there are no drifting issues experienced before then. Much like the Nintendo Switch, there have already been cases of DualSense drifting issues, and a lawsuit has been filed against Sony for these problems.

However, IFixIt mentions that ALPS is most likely not to blame for these drift issues and “probably aren’t the villain of this story.”

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The main cause of drifting actually appears to be related to the potentiometers, which help sense what type of movement a player is trying to accomplish.

Each joystick has two potentiometers in them that are perpendicular to each other, and they measure both up and down and left and right.

Potentiometers are a three-terminal system that uses voltage to measure the position of the joystick. The third terminal, known as the wiper, slides around a semi-circular track. When you move the joystick, the position of the wiper – relative to a neutral, central position – allows the controller to know where and how you are trying to move.

There are two other parts that can potentially cause issues, a spring that returns the joystick to a centered, neutral position, and one that allows the thumbsticks to be pushed in.

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Over time, the spring can stretch and create a new neutral position off-center. This would make it so the potentiometers think your thumb is moving the joystick even if you aren’t, causing drift.

Contaminants and imperfections can cause also drift, as they can alter the voltage and can cause erroneous readings across terminals. These range from plastic dust from components grinding together to outside elements like food or drink.

IFixIt offers some solutions for fixes, including taking off the potentiometers housing and cleaning or replacing wipers. Some of the more advanced options include soldering and there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do that if you wish to try it.

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If not, it is recommended to try to get a warranty replacement or, unfortunately, purchase a new DualSense. It’s also important to note that drift can occur to a brand new controller, as advanced calibrations are needed to ensure the potentiometers are functioning properly, and sometimes this does not happen.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Rainbow Six’s New Operator Has An Explosive Drone

The Rainbow Six: Siege family is about to get a little bigger, with Flores joining the hero-based shooter as a brand-new attack operator. Flores will be added to Siege at the start of Year 6, Season 1: Crimson Heist. You can try the character for yourself on the PC test server on February 22.

In the video above, GameSpot video producer Jake Dekker and Game Informer video editor Alex Van Aken sit down to discuss their early impressions of Flores, as well as the other changes coming to Siege in Crimson Heist. The new season will also reimagine the Border map and add a brand-new secondary gadget, the Gonne-6.

As an attack operator, Flores is designed to aid his teammates in their assault on fortified defenders. His original gadgets are the RCE – Ratero Charges, drones that can be armed to explode. When used, Flores places a single RCE – Ratero Charge at his feet and a timer begins–once the timer expires, the drone becomes bullet-proof and lights its fuse, ultimately exploding. You don’t have to wait for the timer to expire though, Flores can arm his drone prior to time running out if you’ve already positioned the drone where you want it.

Developer Ubisoft Montreal has also teased what players can expect throughout Year 6. Season 2 will introduce a new operator and a complete rework to the Favela map, Season 3 will add multiple operators and do slight reworks to three existing maps, and Season 4 will add one more operator and a complete rework to the Outback map.

Beast Zelda Commercials & Trailers (1986 – 2021)

Zelda is officially 35 years old, dating back to the original Legend of Zelda’s launch on February 21, 1986. When a series has been around for that long there’s bound to be different advertising styles. From rap commercials in the 80’s to found footage ripoffs in the 2000’s there are a lot of approaches the Zelda series took when advertising over the decades.

In this video we’ve selected the best of them all, and at least 1 from each mainline game. This includes trailers and commercials, and those aren’t limited to just US or Japan. Some are comedic, some are epic, and some are just downright memorable.

In terms of what Nintendo is doing for the 35th anniversary of Zelda, it recently revealed that Skyward Sword HD will be making its way to the Switch 10 years after its original Wii release. It also revealed that more information about Breath of the Wild’s sequel will be revealed later this year.

DualSense Teardown Shows Drifting Issues Should Have Been Expected

With a class-action lawsuit recently filed against Sony over issues with DualSense controllers’ drifting analog sticks, the company could be looking at ways it can improve the design. Unfortunately, the problem doesn’t look like it has an easy fix.

In a new video from iFixit, the site looks into the reasons why the problem is becoming more prevalent, and it found the DualSense is using “off the shelf” joystick modules that have been prone to drifting in the past. The same module is used by a lot of other controllers, too, including the Nintendo Switch Pro controller and the Xbox Elite controller, the latter of which has seen drifting issues of its own.

The joysticks aren’t easy to remove for quick replacement, either. On the DualSense, haptic motor wires are soldered to the board, and these must be removed before you can do anything else. Once that’s done, 14 different solder points must be melted to get off the joystick module at all.

Getting into the module reveals potentiometers that can be worn down over time, which can lead to inconsistencies, plastics that can grind and cause dust buildup, and a spring inside can stretch and no longer go completely back to center–giving your controller a new neutral point that could lead to your character walking to one side when you aren’t using the stick at all. What’s more? these parts are rated as having a lifespan that could cause them to fail in just a few hundred hours of playtime, depending on the game in question.

If your controllers aren’t under warranty and you don’t want to fix the problem yourself, your only real option right now is to buy a new controller. With modern controllers being pretty expensive, however, that’s not an ideal solution.

Guilty Gear Strive Adds I-No To Roster, Game Has 15 Fighters At Launch

Guilty Gear Strive will see a returning face among its character roster, as the deadly rocker I-No has been confirmed for the upcoming fighting game. She’s supremely confident in her own abilities, and based on what we’ve seen from her so far, that confidence is warranted. This reveal came during a special fighting game developer roundtable, with members of Arc System Works going into detail about what players can expect from the return of the time-traveling, guitar-wielding witch.

In the new gameplay and announcement trailer, we get to see I-No in action, her guitar in hand as she delivers furious kicks. At one point, she ducks under a projectile attack and delivers a devastating uppercut to punish, sending her opponent to the floor. I-No also has projectile attacks of her own that she can use to control space and keep her opponents from playing too defensively, and her counters should also keep her opponents from being too aggressive. You’re between a rock and a hard place with I-No, but at least she can shred on the guitar for you as she’s pummeling you into the ground.

In addition to the reveal of I-No, Arc System Works also revealed during the developer livestream that Samuari Showdown and Guilty Gear will have a collaboration, which will come in the form of a guest character arriving in the former. Also revealed was a special Saiko x Guilty Gear watch that fans of the series can purchase.

Guilty Gear is a notoriously complex fighting game, and arguably Arc System Works’ toughest series to get into. Still, the series has a dedicated following, and Guilty Gear Strive is keeping up with the franchise’s sense of style and sophisticated combat. The Japanese studio is legendary in the 2D fighter genre and is also responsible for BlazBlue and Dragon Ball FighterZ. Their last game before Guilty Gear Strive was 2020’s Granblue Fantasy Versus.

Guilty Gear Strive releases on April 9 for PS4, PS5, and PC. There will be 15 characters on the roster out of the gate, and a beta is available with 13 of the characters included. You can play several different modes in the beta, including a Versus mode against CPU or local players, as well as online play. You don’t need a PlayStation Plus membership to access it, either.

Now Playing: Guilty Gear Strive – Official I-No Character Gameplay Reveal Trailer

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Hitman 3 PC Players Can Now Import Previous Hitman Levels If They Own Them

Hitman 3 PC players are now able to import levels from Hitman 1 and 2 at no additional cost if they already own either of the first two games of the World of Assassination Trilogy.

Developer IO Interactive shared the news alongside a Location Importing Guide, noting that all players need to do to unlock these other levels is sign in to their IOI Account and make sure their platform accounts that own the games (i.e. Steam and The Epic Games Store) are linked as well.

This has been an ongoing issue for PC players due to the fact that Hitman 3 is exclusive to The Epic Games Store. While the original Hitman is available on that digital storefront as well, Hitman 2 is still only on Steam. This meant there was no way to prove you owned Hitman 2 prior to this new import procedure.

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IO Interactive shared a few important things to consider before you initiate this process, and they are as follows;

  • Double check all your choices before claiming content. They cannot be undone or reversed.
  • The content you claim will be an ‘Access Pass DLC’. For example, if you own HITMAN 2, you can claim the HITMAN 2 Access Pass. It’s that simple.
  • Once you have claimed an Access Pass, restart HITMAN 3 to access the relevant content. (There are no codes you need to redeem.)
  • We recommend using a PC browser, the location importing site is not fully optimised for mobile browsers.

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To make up for some of the frustrations, IO Interactive made the Hitman 1 GOTY Access Pass free to all PC players who pre-purchased Hitman 3 or bought the game within the first ten days after release. Now, those who own the previous games will be able to play older locations with all the upgrades that come along with this new title.

Fortunately for console players, this has never been an issue and importing locations has been available since launch.

For more on Hitman 3, check out our review, our full guide on how to get Hitman 1 and 2 locations into Hitman 3, and IO Interactive’s comments on Hitman 3’s DLC.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

WoW Is Finally Letting You Ride A Huge Tree And It Looks Amazing

World of Warcraft‘s new Chains of Domination update for the Shadowlands expansion is adding a brand-new mount that is a giant ancient tree that you can ride and stomp around on. Finally. It’s probably my most-anticipated part of the update (I am only joking a little).

At BlizzConline, I spoke with WoW principle game designer Jeremy Feasel about this mount, including how it came about, why it’s so unique, and how it connects to the wider lore.

Blizzard launched a player survey some time ago asking fans what they would like to see from a new mount, allowing them to vote to determine what it would be. The idea was to work closely with the community in a new way to help players feel a greater sense of connection to Azeroth and the Warcraft universe. Some of the other options in the survey included a giant book you could ride, a kitty cat made of jelly, a caterpillar, and a creepy spider.

The Wandering Ancient was the most popular choice by far, Feasel said. “By a wide margin, everywhere, riding a giant walking tree won,” he said.

Fans of The Lord of the Rings are likely familiar with big walking trees with the Ents, but the Ancients are also a central part of the Warcraft lore and Night Elves specifically.

“There’s this mythology of riding on top of a giant tree,” Feasel said about the portrayal of giant walking trees in media like The Lord of the Rings. “But also, Night Elves have this long and extensive lore about ancient protectors and … it goes all the way back to Warcraft 3. I feel like there is a sect of the player base that has always wanted to ride one of those things. They finally got their way.”

The Wandering Ancient is among WoW’s largest-ever mounts, and as such, Feasel said players can expect it to feel very unique in that respect. “This is the mount for stomping across the landscape,” he said.

The Wandering Ancient is also unique in that it will change colors with the seasons–check out the animated GIF above to see that in action. Additionally, its special ability shakes the tree and different color leaves will drop off depending on the season. Feasel teased that the Wander Ancient mount will also feature some “unique extra little things” to be announced later.

One of these surprises may have already been revealed. If you look closely, you’ll notice that one of the mount ideas that didn’t get enough votes–the caterpillar–actually has a home on top of Wandering Ancient mount. The bug is positioned in a place that looks like he’s controlling the mount, which is a nice touch.

As part of BlizzConline, the studio released an in-depth video for the Wandering Ancient in which developers across disciplines talk about how they brought the mount to the game from the very beginning to the final model. It’s an impressive video and it really showcases how special and unique the mount is. Check out the video below.

The Wandering Ancient isn’t the only new mount coming to Shadowlands in the Chains of Domination update. There will be a series of new flying mounts, too, and you can see them below.

Chains of Domination is the first major update to Shadowlands since the expansion launched last year. It will include a new 10-boss raid, an eight-boss mega-dungeon that will have a Hard mode, additional PvP content, changes to the Maw, and more. On the story side, players will finally get to fight Sylvanas, which is a battle that’s been brewing for years.

We spoke with Feasel, as well as technical designer Frank Kowalkowski, about a series of other topics related to Shadowlands, Chains of Domination, and the wider World of Warcraft universe. Check back soon with GameSpot for our full interview.

For now, you can check out some of the top BlizzConline stories below, as well as our roundup of all the big BlizzConline news:

Now Playing: World of Warcraft: Shadowlands: Chains of Domination Trailer | BlizzCon 2021

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