Here’s Roger Ebert Showing Off the Greatest Entertainment System of 1988

A fantastic video from 1988 has resurfaced that shows legendary American film critic Roger Ebert showing off the greatest entertainment system of 1988 – the LaserVision.

Shared by Jeremy Herbert on Twitter, the late Roger Ebert appeared with Gene Siskel in a 1988 Holiday Gift Guide and he welcomed viewers to his basement entertainment center as part of one segment to show off his setup.

While showing off his entertainment center, which he called “The Orson Welles Room,” Ebert began by explaining that he had a 45″ screen because the 50″ screen would not fit down the stairs. He then proceeded to say how “anyone with any kind of large TV screen needs LaserVision in order to get a good picture on the screen because it gives you a lot more definition.”

The LaserVision, or LaserDisc, first arrived in the US in 1978 and was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. LaserDisc was a big upgrade from VHS, offering 425 lines of resolution as opposed to VHS’s 240 lines. LaserDisc also offered Digital Audio over Analog Audio.

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

LaserVision also had, by today’s standard, giant optical discs that resembled the size and shape of vinyl records. Ebert even commented that they looked like “what they would eat off of in the spaceship in Close Encounters [of the Third Kind].”

While it never quite reached the popularity of DVD in the US, it was popular in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. It also laid the foundation for CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray.

Roger Ebert was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and worked for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1987 until his death in 2013 at the age of 70.

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Demon Slayer Has Overtaken Mortal Kombat at the Weekend Domestic Box Office

After losing a close battle in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train has officially taken the top spot from Mortal Kombat.

As detailed by Box Office Mojo, Demon Slayer earned $6.4 million this past weekend, which narrowly defeated Mortal Kombat’s $6.2 million. Godzilla vs. Kong held on to the #3 spot with a total of $2.7 million. Rounding out the top five are Separation’s $1.8 million and Raya and the Last Dragon’s $1.3 million.

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In their box office debuts, Mortal Kombat earned $22.5 million and klaimed the top spot over Demon Slayer’s $19.5 million.

Not only did Demon Slayer pass Mortal Kombat at the domestic box office, but it also has passed its total gross of $34.1 million by collecting $34.11 million as of May 2, 2021.

Both films saw an earnings drop of about 70% at the box office, while Godzilla vs. Kong dropped about 36% week-over-week.

In our Mortal Kombat review, we said, “it may not be a flawless victory but the new Mortal Kombat movie is a fun time for fans of the game franchise.”

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In our Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train review, we said, “Ufotable’s jaw-dropping visuals alone make Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train well worth a watch, even if the film stumbles a bit at the climax. Those who enjoyed the TV series will no doubt enjoy the film as it is a solid continuation of the show’s main story and will no doubt be a major moment that shapes the next step in our heroes’ lives.”

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition’s First Patch Is Bigger Than Each Mass Effect

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is set to be released in just a couple weeks, and a possible day one patch has just appeared on PlayStation servers that is bigger than the individual file sizes of Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3.

As reported by Twisted Voxel, this patch appeared on OrbisPatches.com and includes improvements to performance, stability, Ambient Occlusion (AO), and lighting (both visual and performance-related). It also fixes crashes and “miscellaneous content.”

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At 11.8 GB, this patch is bigger than the base game of the original Mass Effect’s 6.83 GB, Mass Effect 2’s 9.25 GB and Mass Effect 3’s 10.60 GB. It is not, however, bigger than Cyberpunk 2077’s Day Zero and Day One patches that came in at 43 GB and 28 GB, respectively.

Things have obviously changed since 2007 when the original Mass Effect was released, and the advancements in technology and resolution also come with a higher required file size. Besides the fact that this patch most likely improves all three games, it’s for a package that includes the entire trilogy and more than 40 pieces of downloadable content that are playable in 4K Ultra HD and HDR.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition, when it is released on May 14 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, will tell the complete tale of Commander Shepard except for Mass Effect’s Pinnacle Station DLC that was cut due to corrupted source code.

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We’ve called Mass Effect Legendary Edition less than a remake, but it’s much more than a basic remaster. BioWare also detailed a ton of the gameplay tweaks fans can expect, including for combat, the Mako, and more.

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Microsoft Documents Reveal a Plan to Increase Revenue Share by 18% for Xbox Devs

According to confidential documents, Microsoft was planning to reduce its 30% revenue share for Xbox Store games by 18%, moving the split between the developers and itself from 70/30 to 88/12.

As reported by The Verge, these documents were filed for the upcoming Epic Games vs. Apple case in January 2021 and state that “all games will move to 88/12 in CY21.”

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Also stated on the same page is the already announced news that Microsoft will be increasing the revenue share of PC games on the Microsoft Store by the same 18% on August 1, 2021.

This would be a significant move for the console games industry as Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony currently all have a revenue share split of 70/30. Microsoft’s move on the PC side has put it in line with Epic Games’ 88/12 split and moved it away from the 70/30 split that Steam still uses.

However, a Microsoft spokesperson did tell The Verge that “We have no plans to change the revenue share for console games at this time.” As The Verge notes, this could mean that the plans have fallen through, have changed, or Microsoft isn’t ready to announce or commit to them.

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Microsoft also refused to comment on another important part of the documents that revealed Microsoft would offer this 88/12 split for PC games revenue share “for all games in exchange for streaming rights to Microsoft.” This would clearly be a move to bolster Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass service.

Also detailed were some of the exclusivity deals in place for Microsoft games, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s three-month deal, Tetris Effect: Connected’s six-month deal, and a deal that would make The Gunk “exclusive in perpetuity.”

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

Mass Effect Lore: Krogan And The Genophage

While many long-term fans are excited to dig back into Mass Effect with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, there are also plenty of new players picking up the beloved trilogy for the first time. There’s no shortage of lore in the series—it’s incredibly dense with it—so if you’re new to Mass Effect, here’s a primer to get you started. Or, if you’re a veteran fan, a way to refresh your memory before you play the remaster.

In the above video, Jordan Ramée discusses the fascinating history of the ferocious Krogan: a species bred for war. From the unusual anatomy that makes them almost impossible to kill to their warmongering nature, the Krogan are regarded as the brutes of the galaxy, always spoiling for a fight.

Their nature made them very useful to the Citadel Council when faced with the Rachni, a species threatening to conquer the galaxy. Unfortunately, the Krogan ran rampant, conquering numerous planets and breeding faster than they could be killed. The solution: a genetic mutation called the Genophage, which was designed to cut birth rates among Krogan dramatically in order to keep them in check.

The Genophage plays a huge role throughout the Mass Effect trilogy and informs some of the biggest decisions the player has to make throughout the games. For more lore videos, make sure to subscribe to gamespot.com/gamespot. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition launches on May 14 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Save $20 On First-Party Nintendo Switch Games In Rare Sale

Nintendo very rarely offers discounts on its own first-party games for the Switch, as they’ll continue to sell without needing sales for years after launch. However, a rare sale happening now has dropped the price on some of the best Nintendo Switch games to just $40, including a few featuring Mario.

Currently live at GameStop, the sale includes four first-party Nintendo Switch games as well as Bandai Namco’s Jump Force: Deluxe Edition. The games are all priced at $40, which is a $20 discount off their standard price. You can also get all of them either as physical or digital copies, so you can immediately start playing.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Super Mario Odyssey are available via the sale, and both are excellent and very different platformers. While New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a traditional 2D platformer that is reminiscent of the classic Mario games, Super Mario Odyssey is an exploration-heavy 3D game with tons of secrets and Easter eggs to discover.

If role-playing games are more your thing, GameStop still has you covered with the sale. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is on sale, and offers an enormous adventure that has never looked better than on Switch. Fire Emblem: Three Houses just might be the best game in its series, too, with tons of replay value because of the choices you make early in the story.

The sale follows a separate one still happening for Ubisoft games on the Nintendo Switch eShop. That deal offers savings on some of the publisher’s biggest Switch games, including Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.

Microsoft Reportedly Only Has Three-Month Exclusivity On STALKER 2

Allegedly leaked documents that also showed Microsoft’s plan to cut its profit share for games sold on the Xbox Store also suggest STALKER 2 will not be an Xbox console exclusive for long.

Currently set to a 30% revenue split on game sales, the Xbox Store will change to give Microsoft just 12% of the profits from digital game sales, according to court documents obtained by The Verge that also touch on a potentially very limited exclusivity period for STALKER 2. According to the document, it will only be on Microsoft systems for three months before it can come to other platforms.

Tetris Effect: Connected is listed with a six-month exclusivity period on the Connected updates, which means those will likely be coming to PS4 very soon. Meanwhile, The Gunk will never come to other platforms, if the document is accurate, and will be available on Game Pass “in perpetuity.”

The documents say the Xbox Store change will happen at some point this year, but it’s not clear if a provision requiring exclusive streaming rights for PC games will take effect. PC games using the split would need to be on xCloud, should that still stand.

Not everyone is so sure such a generous profit split will be implemented, however. NPD analyst Mat Piscatella is skeptical, tweeting that the increased audience size such a move would encourage would need to be “massive” for it to work.

Microsoft has more money than Scrooge McDuck, however, so it’s very possible the company is willing to take a hit for years in order to strengthen the Xbox brand further. Its profits in just three months were high enough to pay for its $7.5 billion ZeniMax purchase twice.

Now Playing: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — Official Gameplay Teaser Trailer

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Nier Reincarnation Is Nierly Ready For English Release

Nier Reincarnation–a mobile game set in the same universe as Nier and Drakengard–has been playable in Japan for several months now, but it looks like the game is almost ready for a Western launch, as well. The game’s localization process has been completed, and a pre-registration phase is going to kick off very soon.

The news came via the game’s official Twitter account, where director Daichi Matsukawa thanked players for being patient.

“I apologize for the long wait, but we’re doing our very best to ensure that everyone will enjoy playing Nier Reincarnation and it would be greatly appreciated if everyone could wait a little longer until the pre-registration announcement,” Matsukawa added.

Matsukawa is just one director on the project, with series creator Yoko Taro also contributing to development. Nier Reincarnation will feature a different battle system than the other games, and it makes use of a gacha mechanic. However, it looks to retain the melancholy storytelling Taro is known for, and details on where it fits in the timeline are being kept under wraps for now.

In the meantime, you can play the upgraded Nier Replicant on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game retains the story of the original 2010 version but adds in a fifth ending and an additional story thread within the main questline. It also massively overhauls the combat to make it more similar to Nier Automata. Check out our interview with Yoko Taro to learn why he didn’t mean to make the games so darn sad.

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