PUBG Corp. announced cross-platform play between consoles during the Gamescom edition of Inside Xbox. PUBG will be updated for cross-platform matchmaking between Xbox One and PS4 late September, with the aim to update the live server by early October.
“It will make the pool bigger globally and also offer more competition,” said Koosung Jeong, PUBG Corp. console producer.
Keep in mind, cross-platform matchmaking will not include PC.
The long-awaited cross-play news was delivered after showcasing the PUBG Season 4: Aftermath trailer. Season 4 of PUBG is coming to Xbox One on August 27.
As promised, Microsoft made some hardware announcements during its big Inside Xbox show at Gamescom. We didn’t get any new details on Project Scarlett, but the company did announce two brand-new Xbox One controllers that add to the already-massive lineup of gamepads.
The first of the newly announced controllers is the Night Ops Camo controller. As you can see in the images here, this gamepad features a camouflage design and a metallic golf D-pad. The trigger grips, meanwhile, are etched for a unique look of their own. The controllers will be available for pre-order soon at the links below.
The other new Xbox One controller announced during the briefing is the Sport Blue controller. It has a unique geometric design and it also features metallic flourishes. The D-pad is also metallic, while the grips are rubberized for better feel.
Microsoft already sells Sport Red and Sport Blue Xbox One controllers, while the new Night Ops controller follows the Armed Forces and Winter Forces models that also have camouflage designs. The Night Ops controller will be available October 8 for $69.99 USD. The Sport Blue, meanwhile, will be available beginning September 17 for $69.99 USD.
These are just a few of the options available, as Microsoft also offers a series of other special designs including Ocean Shadow, Recon Tech, and Phantom Black options, along with Minecraft-themed controllers, and more. In the US, Microsoft also offers the Xbox Design Lab program that allows you to create your own controller and customize it to your liking, while an Xbox Adaptive Controller designed for people with limited mobility is also available.
If you want to complete the Night Ops Camo or Sport Blue look, matching charging stands are also available. Each Xbox Pro Charging Stand comes also includes a battery cover, rechargeable battery and 6-foot power cord. They are available for $49.99 each with the Night Ops variant available from October 8 and the Sport Blue from September 17.
Two new Xbox wireless controller special editions have been announced: Night Ops Camo and Sport Blue.
Announced during the Gamescom edition of Inside Xbox, the Night Ops Camo edition “will take on the classic and iconic camouflage and includes a metallic gold D-pad and etched trigger grips”, while Sport Blue “features a geometric design with eye-catching metallic accents, a metallic D-pad and rubberized grip.”
Sport Blue will be available from September 17, and Night Ops Camo will be available from October 8. Both controllers will cost $69.99 USD (no UK or AU prices available at time of writing), and are open for pre-orders now.
The two new designs will precede the release of the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2, which arrives on November 4.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds developer PUBG Corp. had some big news to share during this week’s Inside Xbox livestream. Along with a trailer for the game’s upcoming Season 4 update, which is set to kick off soon on Xbox One following its PC release last month, the studio revealed that it is working on implementing a highly requested feature: cross-play on consoles–and it’s coming soon.
According to PUBG Corp., cross-platform play will be enabled on the game’s public test server in late September, with a live rollout expected to follow in early October. Once the feature is implemented, players on Xbox One will be able to jump into matches in the popular battle royale game with those on PS4.
“Our first goal with cross platform play was for 100 players from both console communities to be able to play in the same match,” PUBG Corp. community manager Cecillia Lee wrote in an Xbox Wire post. “Our second goal was to improve our matchmaking times, which we expect to be shorter for due to the wider matchmaking pool.”
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has successfully web-slinged its way to the top of the box office, as Spider-Man: Far From Home has now become Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing global release ever.
Variety reports Spider-Man: Far From Home reached $1.109 billion globally this weekend, swinging past James Bond’s 2012 adventure Skyfall, which earned $1.108 billion (without adjusting for inflation), to become Sony’s biggest box office hit.
Last week, it was announced that the action horror movie The Hunt had been pulled from release schedules by distributors Universal, following the shootings in El Paso and Dayton and criticism from President Donald Trump. Now director Craig Zobel has commented on the film’s cancellation.
The film is a variation on the familiar plot used in movie such as The Most Dangerous Game, Battle Royale, and The Hunger Games, in which humans hunt each other for sport or survival. In an interview with Variety, Zobel explained that the movie had been misrepresented in the press, and that it satirized both sides of the political divide. “If I believed this film could incite violence, I wouldn’t have made it,” he said. “Our ambition was to poke at both sides of the aisle equally. We seek to entertain and unify, not enrage and divide. It is up to the viewers to decide what their takeaway will be.
“I wanted to make a fun, action thriller that satirized this moment in our culture–where we jump to assume we know someone’s beliefs because of which ‘team’ we think they’re on… and then start shouting at them. This rush to judgment is one of the most relevant problems of our time.”
Nevertheless, Zobel stated that he supported the decision to pull the movie following the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton. “I was devastated by going to sleep to El Paso and waking up to Dayton,” he said. “These types of moments happen far too often. In the wake of these horrific events, we immediately considered what it meant for the timing of our film. Once inaccurate assumptions about the content and intent of the movie began to take hold, I supported the decision to move the film off its release date.”
The Hunt is produced by Blumhouse Films, who also made The Purge series, as well as movies like Get Out, Us, and Paranormal Activity. It’s co-written by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and stars Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank, and Glen Howerton. The movie’s trailer was released at the start of August.
The movie was set for release on September 27, but it was pulled on August 11. The studio commented on the cancellation, stating: “After thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film. We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.”
During the latest Inside Xbox, seven new titles were announced for Game Pass. All seven will be available via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with six available via Xbox Game Pass and one available via the PC version of Xbox Game Pass.
If you only use Game Pass on Xbox One, you’ll be able to play Devil May Cry 5 and Stellaris starting today with Ape Out, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Bard’s Tale IV: Directors’ Cut, and Blair Witch coming later in the month. Blair Witch will be available August 30, as it’s already been announced that the game will be coming to Game Pass on day one. On the PC version of Game Pass, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is available starting today.
Of the games being added to Game Pass, both Devil May Cry 5 and Blair Witch are the two notable standouts. Devil May Cry 5 is one of our most highly rated action games of the year, while Blair Witch caught our attention at E3 2019 with its surprise announcement and spooky-looking, Outlast-like gameplay.
In GameSpot’s Devil May Cry 5 review, Matt Espineli wrote, “DMC5 thrives on the stylistic and mechanical prowess of its predecessors. It sticks to tradition above all else, pursuing a few ambitious new ideas along the way, but mostly maintaining the series’ focus on intricate fighting systems and campy bravado. Rarely does the game stumble, consistently leveraging its spectacle and mechanical depth to push aside any small frustrations. All the while, the story exudes a charismatic charm that keeps you constantly intrigued as you’re refining your skills. DMC5 proves the series can still be brilliant and imaginative without compromising its longest-held traditions.”
New Game Pass Titles
August 19
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
Devil May Cry 5: (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
Stellaris: (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and coming soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC)
August 22
Ape Out: (Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance — (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
August 27
Bard’s Tale IV: Director’s Cut — (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
August 30
September 5
Dead Cells: (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
As the streaming wars heat up, Amazon is betting big on The Lord of the Rings. The company is spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing a prequel series set long before the events of the movies. This as-yet-untitled series will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, an important time that literally reshaped the face of the planet.
If you’re not familiar with the extensive backstory behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, don’t worry. Here’s everything you need to know about Middle-earth’s Second Age and what it could mean for the plot of the prequel series.
Alienware is upgrading it compact Aurora gaming desktop with a new look and cutting-edge internals at Gamescom 2019.
On the outside, the Alienware Aurora is finally getting the same Legend industrial design that the Alienware Area 51m gaming laptop debuted. With the new design, the Alienware’s compact gaming PC looks more like a space pod form a future NASA space program rather than one from another planet. It comes sporting new hexagonal-shaped cutouts on the left side for ventilation, a sort of wind tunnel opening on the front, and alien-inspired characters etched onto the left side.
