Category: Games

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The Gears 5 multiplayer technical test kicks off this Friday, July 19. Ahead of that, Microsoft has launched the game’s download client, allowing players to download and install it so they can get started exactly when the servers go live.

You can find the Gears 5 Tech Test download on the Xbox Store for Xbox One and PC by searching for it. The file size is 10.89 GB on Xbox One, and Microsoft says in a FAQ that it should be about the same for PC. Developer The Coalition warns that players may have to wait in a queue because the developer is trying to “protect server stability as much as possible.”

The tech test begins July 19 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and it runs through the same time on July 22. A second tech test runs the following weekend, from July 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET through July 29 at the same time.

The Gears 5 Tech Test includes three modes (Arcade, Escalation, and King of the Hill), along with two multiplayer maps–District and Training Grounds. The test also includes the new Bootcamp mode, which is a tutorial mode of sorts that teaches players the basics. Also included in the tech test is “Tour of Duty,” which is a progression system that rewards players with the “Tester Weapon Skin” by completing certain challenges; the skin will be available in Gears 5 when it releases.

To access the Gears 5 tech test, you need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass or pre-order the game on Xbox One or PC. For lots more on the granular details on the Gears 5 tech test, read this FAQ. You can also see the minimum and recommend PC specs posted below.

Minimum Spec (AMD)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: AMD FX-6000 Series
• GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280 or RX 560
• VRAM: 2GB
• RAM: 6GB
• HDD: 15GB

Minimum Spec (Nvidia)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: Intel i3 Skylake
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 760 or GTX 1050
• VRAM: 2GB
• RAM: 6GB
• HDD: 15GB

Recommended Spec (AMD)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 570 or RX 5700
• VRAM: 4GB
• RAM: 8GB
• HDD: 15GB

Recommended Spec (Nvidia)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• Intel i5 Skylake
• Nvidia GTX 970 or GTX 1660 Ti
• VRAM: 4GB
• RAM: 8GB
• HDD: 15GB

Ideal Spec (AMD)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• AMD Ryzen 7
• AMD Radeon VII
• VRAM: 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• HDD: 15GB + SSD

Ideal Spec (Nvidia)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• Intel i7 Skylake
• Nvidia GTX 2080
• VRAM: 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• HDD: 15GB + SSD

Streaming giant Netflix announced earnings results for its Fiscal 19 Q2 today, and as part of that, the company confirmed a massive miss for subscribers, addressed the forthcoming removal of The Office and Friends, and also reiterated that the streamer will not introduce ads.

Starting with the subscriber numbers, Netflix announced that it added 2.7 million paid subscribers during the quarter. That’s down from 5.5 million new subscribers during the same period last year. It’s also far below the 5 million new subscribers that Netflix forecast for Fiscal 19 Q2.

Looking ahead, Netflix said it expects to add 7 million paid memberships in the current fiscal quarter, which would be ahead of the 6.1 million new paying members that Netflix added in Fiscal Q3 2018. The release of Stranger Things Season 3 on July 4 (during Netflix’s Fiscal 19 Q3) is surely baked into that ambitious subscriber growth forecast.

Despite the huge subscriber miss for the latest quarter, Netflix maintains that consumers globally continue to be eager to “move from linear television to internet entertainment at a remarkable rate.”

Netflix missed its subscriber growth targets across “all regions,” the company said, though it was “slightly more” in parts of the world where subscription prices went up. Competition was not a factor in the subscription increase miss, Netflix said, explaining that there wasn’t a “material change” in the competitive landscape during the quarter.

Netflix had a lot of new releases during Q2, including Dead to Me Season 1, which Netflix says was seen by 30 million households over its first four days. Netflix has renewed Dead to Me for a Season 2. Also during Q2, Netflix launched When They See Us, a limited series based on the real-world Central Park Five case. Netflix says 25 million homes worldwide watched the show in its first four weeks.

The new David Attenborough nature show, Our Planet, also premiered during Fiscal 19 Q2, and it became Netflix’s most-watched “docu-series” over its first four weeks, reaching 33 million homes. In terms of movies, some of Netflix’s Fiscal 19 Q2 releases included the Adam Sandler movie Murder Mystery, which is the most successful of Sandler’s Netflix movies to date with 73 million households watching it in its first four weeks. Other popular new movie releases on Netflix in the quarter included The Perfect Date (48 million homes over its first four weeks) and Always Be My Maybe (32 million household views in first four weeks).

A “view” according to Netflix is when an account watches 70 percent of an episode of a show or 70 percent of a movie.

Also in the earnings report, Netflix addressed the fact that it is losing two of its most-watched shows: The Office and Friends. Netflix spun the news by saying losing those shows is good because it “[frees] up budget for more original content.” The shows would have been expensive to keep, as it was reported that The Office went to NBC’s new streaming service for a reported $100 million per year over five years.

Netflix also spoke broadly about the wave of competition coming its way in the next year, with companies like Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia, and NBCU planning to join Netflix (and others) in the video-streaming market. “The competition for winning consumers’ relaxation time is fierce for all companies and great for consumers. The innovation of streaming services is also drawing consumers to shift more and more from linear television to streaming entertainment,” Netflix said.

Netflix said it still has a lot of room to grow because currently in the United States, which is Netflix’s “most developed market,” the company only commands roughly 10 percent of the time people spend watching TV. The percentage is lower for streaming on mobile, Netflix said.

The company added that it will differentiate itself from some of the newcomers in that it has no plans to introduce ads. “That remains a deep part of our brand proposition; when you read speculation that we are moving into selling advertising, be confident that this is false,” Netflix said. “We believe we will have a more valuable business in the long term by staying out of competing for ad revenue and instead entirely focusing on competing for viewer satisfaction.”

You can read Netflix’s full earnings report here.

HBO has confirmed that a number of key names involved in the production of Game of Thrones will no longer be attending San Diego Comic-Con this week, as previously indicated. The list includes showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, as well as director Miguel Sapochnick. Additionally, actors Ian Glen, who played Jorah Mormont, and Nathalie Emmanuel, who portrayed Missandei, will no longer appear.

These five people were originally announced to appear as part of the panel, which is being held on July 19 in Hall H. The panel is described as a “triumphant celebration” of the show, which remains one of HBO’s most successful productions, despite having an ending that has been heavily panned.

Remaining panel members include Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Raleigh Ritchie (Greyworm), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Isaac Wright (Bran Stark), John Bradley West (Samwell Tarly), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Conleth Hill (Varys).

As is custom for Comic-Con panels, there will inevitably be a Q&A period where fans in the audience will be able to put their questions to those involved in the show’s creation. This, particularly for Benioff and Weiss, would no doubt have been interesting considering that negative response from very passionate, vocal fans of the long-running series. Those fans will no longer get the chance.

Despite the tepid response to the show’s finale, Game of Thrones’ final season is being recognized through Emmy Awards, where HBO shows has set a record with a total of 32 nominations. The categories it is nominated in include Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Actress in a Drama for Emilia Clarke, and Outstanding Actor in a Drama for Kit Harrington.

Looking further ahead for the Game of Thrones universe, HBO is working on a prequel series, which stars Naomi Watts in the lead role and has reportedly started filming in Northern Ireland. A name for the series hasn’t officially been announced, but A Song of Ice and Fire–which the Game of Thrones TV series is based on–creator George R. R. Martin is lobbying for The Long Night.