Back when the Xbox One S first launched in 2017, teardowns revealed that the console hid a tiny stylized Master Chief in the form of an etching on one of its internal components. Now, teardowns of the newly released Xbox Series S have revealed that the same is true of Microsoft’s latest console, as picked up by Kotaku.
A teardown posted by Modern Vintage Gamer found the easter egg, this time in the form of a tiny Master Chief helmet stamped on the console’s power supply.
It’s a cute touch for a part of the console that most users will never see–gaining access to your Xbox Series S’s internals requires removing two security stickers that will absolutely void the console’s warranty. The Xbox Series S’s minimalist black and white design was a stark departure from Xbox’s classic green and black consoles, so it’s nice to know that Xbox staple Master Chief is still keeping an eye on things from the inside.
The Xbox Series S officially released on November 10, though stock has so far been limited for those who didn’t manage to snag a pre-order. Check out our launch-day buying guide to see what retailers are stocking the Xbox Series X and S, though don’t be surprised if you can’t get your hands on a new console straight away. You can also check out our full review of the Series S here.
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It’s the week you’ve been waiting for: the next-generation of Xbox has officially arrived with the Series X and Series S. We discuss the launches of Microsoft’s two new consoles. Plus: EA and BioWare finally confirm Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, the 4K remaster of the classic sci-fi trilogy. We discuss that as well as the future of the fan-favorite RPG franchise.
Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, featuring an interview with Brian Raffel, the cofounder of Raven Software – the studio behind Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast, Soldier of Fortune, Heretic, Hexen, Star Trek Voyager Elite Force, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, X-Men Origins Wolverine, and this year’s Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, among many others:
It’s already been an incredibly fun year of Xbox coverage, and the best is yet to come. Join us! Oh, and feel free to leave us a video Loot Box question below using Yappa and you might be featured on an upcoming episode!
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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.
One of the PlayStation 4’s most beloved games, Marvel’s Spider-Man has received a face lift (quite literally) for Sony’s brand-new PlayStation 5, so we compared it to a version of the game running on PlayStation 4 Pro.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered for PlayStation 5 is able to be played in two modes. In Performance Mode, the game runs at 60fps, but doesn’t have all the bells and whistles afforded to the next generation, such as ray tracing. In Fidelity Mode, the game is locked at 30fps, but has lighting enhancements, ray tracing, and additional visual effects. We compared the PS5 version’s Fidelity Mode to the PlayStation 4 Pro version of the game, which runs at 30fps in an upscaled 4K resolution.
We also show some more footage of Peter Parker’s new face, so you can compare it to the old one, and judge which you prefer. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Ultimate Edition includes Spider-Man Remastered. You can buy the game separately, or upgrade your PS4 version.
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, there isn’t a waypoint for everything. In fact, a great deal of the coolest side quests and things to do or discover in the game aren’t even tracked in your Quest log. You just have to go out and find them, and mark down what you’re supposed to do in your mind or on a piece of paper. It’s so cool.
Below, we outline a few of our favorite hidden quests and secrets to discover in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla–not all of them mind you, just the ones that tickled our fancy or caught our eye. Don’t worry, no spoilers here. We’re just going to point out where to go to kick off a secret side quest or find a cool discovery.
Take A Beat To Take A Break
As per tradition, a great deal of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is someone in the present-day using an Animus to relive the memories of someone in the past. Unlike older games in the series, however, Valhalla doesn’t pull you out of the Animus all that often. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t just hop out every once in a while.
There’s actually a gold mine of lore to pick through in the modern-day. Check Layla’s laptop for some intriguing tidbits of lore, as well as a mention of how the COVID pandemic is affecting the world of Assassin’s Creed. Layla can talk to her allies as well, and the two will usually have new things to talk to Layla about after significant developments in Eivor’s story. The game won’t tell you about this, though. If you want to hear those conversations, you’ll need to choose to leave the Animus on your own.
Work In The Dark…
Upon unlocking the Hidden One Bureau in your settlement, Eivor will be able to learn the leap of faith, begin their quest to hunt down the Order of Ancients, and start helping Hytham collect codex pages. All of these are marked in your quest log, but there aren’t waypoints assigned to the latter two. Hunting down the codex pages are a definite highlight, especially if you like the lore behind the Hidden Ones and Assassin Brotherhood. Plus, each page is located in a spot that also hides pieces of something really cool.
To find these pages and the extra reward, you’ll have to think like an Assassin. Look at your map and think about the history of England. Who was in power the last time the Hidden Ones were here? Where would the Hidden Ones have set up in order to keep watch over the leaders of the people? Follow your instincts and you’ll discover the remnants of the Hidden Ones, claiming one of Valhalla’s coolest surprises in the process.
…To Serve The Light
Behind the longhouse in your settlement, you’ll see a pond. Walk over to the pond’s edge and you’ll get a prompt for something fairly cool that you can add to your brand-new home–provided you have some in your inventory. It’s sure to light up the place.
Trouble In Paradise
Speak to the members of your settlement and you’ll learn more about them, eventually unlocking new quests and abilities. This is also how you can start relationships with certain members of your community. Unlike Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Valhalla’s romances are a bit more long-term. You have to break them off in order to start a new one.
There is one romance in the settlement that will likely get you into a bit of trouble, as it possibly could direct you towards Valhalla’s “bad” ending depending on how you go about it. Keep talking to people and expanding your settlement so that you can attract even more settlers to talk to. The romance we’re talking about will present itself soon enough. Whether you want to pursue it and see how people react to Eivor afterward is totally up to you. If you do decide to go for it, don’t worry–you’re not locked into the bad ending of the game. You can still salvage Eivor’s reputation if you make certain decisions at key points in the story.
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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review
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Deep in the lands of East Anglia is a small, ransacked home. An almost mystical aura hangs in the air, and scattered notes tell a frightening story of a man and his three daughters. It is not a welcoming place, but those willing to press on will find a nearby tomb, hiding a piece of gear behind a locked door. And the door needs three keys. If you’re having trouble finding this place, go to the eastern-most area of the country.
Become The King Of Puzzles
Ah, Stonehenge. Such a well-known landmark. You know, I bet if you looked at a map of England and then used that knowledge to determine where Stonehenge is, you’d be able to find it in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Who knows what type of secret is hidden there–or perhaps, close by? We’d advise you to check out any nearby caves. And then get ready for Valhalla’s take on the platforming-focused challenges seen in previous games. You’re about to do a lot, but it will be worth it.
A Snake In The Grass
You can actually find quite a few hidden secrets by zooming in on your map as close as you can and looking at the layout of the land. Are there some ancient-looking ruins that surround what appears to be an arena? Or a small town located deep in a forest? Or perhaps there’s…there’s…is that a snake designed into the hillside of Cent, Wessex? Huh…wonder what’s over there?
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Before leaving Norway for England, you may have noticed that there’s an area that asks you to be power level 280. If you’re willing to flee from some very angry polar bears, you can actually survive the area even in your lowly power level state. Your destination is the Hordafylke mountains. You’ll know you’re in the right place if thunder booms in the distance, likely scaring off the polar bears that are trying to eat you.
If you’ve already left Norway, don’t fret. You can easily sail back to Norway after setting yourself up in England. Now, when it comes to actually completing the quest you’ll find in those mountains, that’s a whole other thing entirely. Prepare yourself for a long journey, fraught with lots of tough battles–you’ll likely be power level 280 by the next time you’re back here. If you’re having trouble figuring out where to start, might we point you back to the East Anglia tomb mentioned earlier?
A Drug Trip
Okay, this one is kind of cheating because it’s not only added to your quest log when you start it, but you get a waypoint marker for it too. However, none of those show up until you actually unlock the quest, so we’re going to count it.
To be blunt, one of the coolest questlines in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is tied to Valka, the Raven Clan’s seer that you leave behind in Norway at the beginning of the game. She will not join your settlement in England until it has grown to a certain size. So early on in the campaign, your number one goal should be expanding the size of your settlement. And then when Valka shows up, you should build her home immediately. It’s not only common courtesy, but you’ll unlock a really fun questline that’s worth jumping into and completing as soon as you’re able.
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What is expected to be 2020’s biggest game, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, is releasing very, very soon. If you want to get started right away when the game unlocks on November 13, you’ll want to pre-load, and you can do that now on nearly every platform.
Pre-loading on PS4 and Xbox One started on November 5, and PC players were added to the pre-loading party on November 10. People picking up the game on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can start pre-loading as soon as they get their console.
Pre-loading is a good idea, too, because Black Ops Cold War is a gigantic download. You can see the file sizes below.
Black Ops Cold War Download Sizes
PlayStation 4: 95GB
PlayStation 5: 133GB
Xbox One: 93GB
Xbox Series X|S: 136GB
PC:35 GB (Multiplayer Only) / 82GB (Full Game) / 125GB (Full Game on Ultra Graphics)
Everyone who preorders Black Ops Cold War digitally gets the Woods Operator pack for Modern Warfare and Warzone, along with the Confrontations Weapon Pack for Black Ops Cold War. This includes two rifles that are meant to demonstrate the eastern and western Cold War factions.
Xbox Game Pass is getting a lot of games in November. Totaling 11 titles, the new additions include Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Halo MCC: Halo 4, River City Girls, and more. Not all will be available on all platforms included in Xbox Game Pass–Android, console, and PC–and nor will the games be made available at the same time. Below is a full list of new titles announced so far for November’s Xbox Game Pass, as well as what platforms you can find them on and what their arrival date will be.
Additionally, if you have the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, EA Play is available now. EA Play will be available on December 15 for those who have the PC edition of Xbox Game Pass. The fold-in of EA Play will make available over 60 EA games, and standout titles include FIFA 20, Titanfall 2, Mass Effect, and The Sims.
Microsoft also recently announced that it is partnering with Disney+ to offer a perk to Xbox Ultimate Game Pass subscribers. Members will get a free 30-day subscription to Disney+, but it is an offer only available to new subscribers.
