Splinter Cell Reportedly Returning As Oculus VR Game

It appears Sam Fisher is finally coming back with a game of his own, but the next Splinter Cell reportedly won’t be what you expected. Ubisoft is developing a Splinter Cell game exclusively for Oculus devices, if a recent report is to be believed, and it isn’t the company’s only game coming to the headset.

Spanish-language website Vandal reported on September 16 that Splinter Cell will be returning on both the Oculus Quest and unannounced Oculus Quest 2 headsets. That’s today, which is also when the Facebook Connect event is happening. The game is in development primarily at Ubisoft Red Storm, a studio that began its life as the primary Clancy developer for Ubisoft but has subsequently shifted to VR projects.

Alongside Splinter Cell, Vandal reported an Assassin’s Creed game is also coming to the same platforms. Though we’ve certainly gotten plenty of Assassin’s Creed games over the years, the series has only occasionally dabbled with first-person perspective in a few modern-day segments. Jumping off a tower into a bail of hay in first-person sounds like it would make us hurl.

The last full Splinter Cell game, Splinter Cell Blacklist, released in 2013. It received good reviews, but underperformed commercially, and Sam Fisher has been limited to guest appearances in other Clancy games such as Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Rainbow Six Siege. The VR game actually seems like it could be a good fit, as you’d be able to feel like you’re wearing Sam’s signature goggles. It’s unclear if this is the only Splinter Cell game in the works or if Ubisoft is planning a larger-scale revival of the brand.

Ubisoft often supports new consoles and technology out of the gate, with everything from the Xbox One’s Kinect to the PlayStation VR getting plenty of games from the company. VR games were mostly absent from the most-recent Ubisoft Forward presentation aside from a location-based Far Cry spinoff that won’t be playable for most fans.

Now Playing: Splinter Cell Blacklist – Transformation Trailer

The Falcon and Winter Soldier: Anthony Mackie Reveals New Falcon Costume

Anthony Mackie has offered a look at the new suit The Falcon will wear in the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier, after production restarted on the streaming series.

Looking like a close match to concept art we’ve previously seen for the series, Mackie’s suit features the V-shaped chest motif we’ve seen on multiple Falcon costumes over the years, and looks a little less armour-focused than his previous MCU look.

As it turns out, the person taking that photograph was The Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan, who may himself have offered a glimpse at a new look for the character.

While it’s entirely possible that Stan just, you know, dresses like that, his leather jacket resembles another piece of concept art – it may be that both characters will be slightly more casually dressed for their TV starring roles. Well, as casual as you can be while still using a bulletproof robot arm.

Production on The Falcon and Winter Soldier stopped in March, and the show was delayed out of its August release window as a result. With production only now restarting, it’s unclear when the show (and the likes of WandaVision, Loki, and other Marvel streaming series) will air.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a spinoff series focusing on Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson – who was personally handed Captain America’s shield by Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame – and Sebastian Stan’s deprogrammed assassin “Bucky” Barnes (a.k.a. The Winter Soldier).

Returning characters include Daniel Bruhl’s villainous Zemo from Captain America: Civil War, and Emily Van Camp’s Sharon Carter. The series will also introduce Wyatt Russell as John Walker – a.k.a. U.S. Agent.

Click here for a quick rundown of how Sam Wilson became Captain America in the comics, which seems to be where this series is headed given how Avengers: Endgame concluded.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Watch Dogs Legion PC Requirements Revealed: 1080p, 4K, Ray Tracing

With the release of Watch Dogs Legion coming up soon in October, Ubisoft has now announced the PC requirements for the open-world action game.

Ubisoft has provided the full rundown of PC requirements for options including 1080p low, 1080p high, 1440p high, and 4K ultra. The requirements list also has a special section for ray-tracing, so you can find out what you need to run the game on your PC the best.

Other things to note is that the PC edition, which was developed by Ubisoft Kiev, supports multi-monitor and widescreen, while it also allows for uncapped frame rates. Check out the image below and scroll further down the page to see the full PC requirements for Legion. Additionally, Ubisoft has released a video that goes into even further detail on the specs, and you can see this video below the graphic.

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In other news about Legion, Ubisoft recently announced that British rapper Stormzy and Watch Dogs 1 protagonist Aiden Pearce are coming to the game as post-launch DLC.

Watch Dogs Legion releases on October 29 for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Stadia, with free upgrades to Xbox Series X/S and PS5 coming once those consoles have launched. For more, check out our Watch Dogs Legion preorder guide.

Watch Dogs Legion PC Requirements:

1080p / Low Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 / AMD Ryzen 5 1400
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 290X
  • VRAM: 4 GB
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage Space: 45 GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

1080p / High Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480
  • VRAM: 6 GB
  • RAM: 8 GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage Space: 45 GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

1440p / High Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060S or AMD Radeon RX 5700
  • VRAM: 8GB
  • RAM: 16 GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage Space: 45 GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

4K / Ultra Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700K
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon VII
  • VRAM: 11 GB
  • RAM: 16 GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage Space: 45 GB (+ 20 GB HD Textures Pack)
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

Ray Tracing On – 1080p / High Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
  • VRAM: 8 GB
  • RAM: 16 GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage Space: 45 GB
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

Ray Tracing On – 4K / Ultra Settings

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
  • VRAM: 11 GB
  • RAM: 16 GB (Dual-channel setup)
  • Storage Space: 45GB (+20 GB HD Textures Pack)
  • Operating System: Windows 10 (x64)

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You Can Now Watch The Undertale Orchestral Concert Free On YouTube

As part of the celebrations for Undertale‘s 5th anniversary, a fully orchestrated performance of the game’s soundtrack was streamed on YouTube, and now is available in full for everyone to watch. The concert is a recording of MUSIC Engine’s live performance in Tokyo in May last year, and is well worth a watch (or a listen) for fans of good video game music.

Organized by Fangamer and 8-4, the stream also included a section of original piano pieces played just for the anniversary concert by creator and composer Toby Fox, so be sure to stick around for that too.

Released in 2015, retro RPG Undertale became an immediate hit for its in-depth story and dark themes, as well as a catchy soundtrack that has been covered in every way imaginable. Undertale’s Sans was even added to Smash Ultimate last year, along with one of the game’s most popular tracks, Megalovania (which the concert leaves until right near the very end, in case you were wondering).

Developer Toby Fox is currently working on Undertale sequel Deltarune, and gave a substantial update on the game’s progress as part of the anniversary celebrations. The new game is being released chapter by chapter, with the first already available for free on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PS4.

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Twitch Is Testing Compulsory Mid-Stream Ads

In a move that’s already hated by both streamers and viewers, Twitch recently announced that it would begin testing mandatory mid-roll ads for some viewers, effective immediately. While the revenue from the ads would go to creators, the new ads would happen without their control or knowledge.

The ads will be enabled for both affiliate and partner channels for non-subscribing viewers, with creators getting a share of the ad revenue. The mid-roll ads will play in picture-in-picture format, supposedly reducing disruption, but creators still aren’t happy about the change–which is likely why Twitch has been careful to frame it as an experiment. The mid-roll ads will only be shown to a select group of viewers as part of the initial trial.

As pointed out by The Verge, mid-roll ads have long been a part of the platform–though previously they would be triggered manually by the creator, allowing them to sync ad breaks with a pause in streamed content. Twitch’s own best practice guide says creators should warn viewers when an ad break is coming, which is made impossible by the new change.

While creators are able to disable pre-roll ads if they include their own manual ad breaks, there is no way for them to disable Twitch’s new ad experience, other than the fact that viewers won’t see automatic ads if they’ve recently watched a creator-run ad. Most creators have agreed that the small amount of money they see in ad revenue isn’t worth the new disruption to their viewers.

Twitch has yet to respond to the backlash to its new ad experience, but this is likely why it’s been framed as an experiment rather than a permanent change.

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Xbox Will Soon Be More Transparent Over How It Uses Your Data

The Xbox One collects data from players, as will the Xbox Series X, as do most objects that can connect to the internet. Now, Microsoft has vowed to be more transparent over what data is collected and what it’s used for, and it’ll be more straightforward to withhold data, too.

In a post on Xbox Wire by Dave McCarthy, the corporate vice president of Xbox Operations, some changes have been outlined. Xbox users will receive “an overview of the required diagnostic data” being collected, the post explains, and details of how it’s being used.

Players will also be given the choice of sharing or opting out of providing additional diagnostic data, depending on their preferences.

Following an update on November 10–the launch date of the Xbox Series X and Series S–players will see the screen below.

An Xbox data use explanation
An Xbox data use explanation

Here are the required diagnostic data points that Microsoft will collect:

  • Details of errors that might hamper the console’s ability to run games and apps
  • Details of console setup success and failure to diagnose issues that would keep you from using the console
  • Details of software update success and failure, as well as other console errors

Xbox will also stop collecting data from any voice searches, as well as speech-to-text. Xbox has been fairly open about what data is shared for a while now–here’s everything they share with publishers about how you use the console.

Xbox Series X and Series S will cost $499 and $299, respectively, at launch. Here’s why Microsoft is pricing them so aggressively.

Microsoft Says It Didn’t Need Halo Infinite To Be A Launch Title For Series X To Succeed

Halo Infinite was supposed to headline the launch lineup for the Xbox Series X/S, but Microsoft delayed the game to 2021 due in part to the impact of COVID-19 and working from home. It’s a big loss for the console’s launch, as it would have marked the first time since the original Halo in 2001 that a Halo title was released day-and-date with new Xbox hardware.

But in a statement to The New York Times, Xbox spokesperson Cindy Walker downplayed the Halo Infinite delay. Walker said Microsoft of course would have wanted to have Halo Infinite ready for the Series X/S launch, but despite the delay, Walker remains confident that there will be enough games available at launch to encourage people to buy in.

“Having Halo at our launch would have been tremendous,” but “we are not reliant on massive exclusive titles to drive console adoption,” Walker said. “Our players will have thousands of games from four generations of Xbox available to play on launch day.”

After the Halo Infinite delay was announced, Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed that Microsoft considered releasing a portion of Halo Infinite earlier before deciding to push the entire game to a new release date in 2021.

The “thousands” of games that Walker is referring to comes from backwards compatibility support for original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games. But looking directly at first-party games, Microsoft only has one “new” major game coming, at least so far. The console edition of the strategy game Gears Tactics will be released as a launch title for Xbox Series X/S, and it will also play on the standard Xbox One. An upgraded version of the previously released Gears 5 will also be available on Series X/S on launch day.

Third-party Xbox Series X/S launch titles include Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Dirt 5, FIFA 21, Fortnite, Marvel’s Avengers, NBA 2K21, Watch Dogs Legion, and Tetris Effect: Connected, and these games will also be available for current-gen. Check out GameSpot’s full roundup of Xbox Series X/S launch titles here.

The Xbox Series X/S is scheduled to launch on November 10, and pre-orders will begin from September 22. The S model costs $300 USD and the X edition is going for $500 USD, and those prices are intentionally low. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart recently explained that Microsoft went with relatively low prices to help create a large install base more quickly.

Now Playing: What Halo Infinite’s Delay Means For Xbox Series X’s Launch | Generation Next

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Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase Coming Later This Week

A Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase is coming later this week, airing on Thursday September 17th at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3 PM UK (that’s midnight AEST on September 18).

Information will be shared about Nintendo Switch titles on the way from Nintendo’s publishing partners, so don’t expect any news about first-party titles.

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The last Mini Partner Showcase arrived in late August, a surprise drop from Nintendo that gave us more details about Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Fuser, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 and more. For all of the announcements and to get an idea of what to expect from the upcoming showcase, check out our writeup here.

In other Nintendo Switch news, check out the new games coming to Nintendo Switch Online in September 2020, which include Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest and Mario’s Super Picross, among others.

A recent report suggests that a new version of the Nintendo Switch will launch in early 2021, and will feature improved “interactivity” and a better display.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

 

Nintendo Direct Mini Announced, Will Showcase Upcoming Switch Games From Partners

Nintendo has announced that it will host a mini Direct event, with the focus being on showcasing Nintendo Switch games from its partners. The Nintendo Direct mini will take place on September 17 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST.

In a press release, Nintendo invites viewers to tune in “for a live-streamed Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, featuring information on upcoming Nintendo Switch titles exclusively from Nintendo’s publishing partners.” No further information has been provided on the games or companies that will be part of the showcase.

Nintendo has held these mini Directs numerous times in the past, showcasing projects from third-party partners.

There had been some questions of late about what Nintendo’s plans are for the Switch for the remainder of the year, especially as Sony and Microsoft are preparing to launch new consoles. Nintendo recently announced a number of significant releases, the next one being Mario 3D All-Stars, which brings together Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy into one package and will be available on September 18. Beyond that, there’s a re-release of Pikmin 3 Deluxe in October and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in November.

There are still some announced Switch games that have been noticeably absent of late, including Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 3, Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong, and id Software’s Doom Eternal. It could be that we get some sort of update on these titles, among others.

Now Playing: Super Mario 3D All-Stars – Official Announcement Trailer