Star Citizen Is Free To Play Through End Of May

The space exploration and combat simulator Star Citizen has a free-to-play trial period that is now live on PC, developer Cloud Imperium Games announced. You have 11 days to check the game out.

From now until Monday, June 1, you can download and play the full Star Citizen experience at no charge. With the game having a free trial period, Cloud Imperium Games is giving players the chance to test-fly a lot of Star Citizen’s ships for free as well. Every few days, the in-game ship manufacturers will rotate their selections, giving you something new to fly each time you log back in.

In addition to the free ships you can fly, you can also head over to the game’s Hologram Hall to check out a variety of vessels currently in production. It’s unclear if any of these in-development ships will be ready to fly while Star Citizen’s free trial period is going on.

You can download Star Citizen from its official website. We’ve also compiled the game’s system requirements below so you can check to see if your machine can run it.

Full Star Citizen PC System Requirements

Minimum:

  • Memory:16 GB
  • Graphics Card:AMD Radeon R5 M330
  • CPU:Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000
  • Star Citizen File Size:40 GB
  • OS:64 bit version Window (Windows 7 service pack 1 (64 bit) or higher)

Recommended:

  • Memory:16 GB
  • Graphics Card:AMD Radeon HD 7990
  • Star Citizen CPU:AMD Ryzen 5 1600
  • File Size:40 GB
  • OS:Windows 7 (64-bit), Windows 8 or 8.1 (64-bit) or Windows 10 (64-bit)

Star Citizen has been in an alpha state for a few years now, with Cloud Imperium Games raising more than $300 million for the ambitious space sim. Recently, the studio pulled in some $17.25 million from investors in its latest round of funding. While the game isn’t feature-complete just yet, Cloud Imperium has been periodically releasing bits and pieces of content over the years to get Star Citizen closer to its intended vision.

In unrelated news, GameSpot will be hosting Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming–starting on June 1. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of our friends from around the gaming world.

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The Best Memorial Day 2020 Sales and Deals Are Live Now

Memorial Day might be on Monday, May 25 but many retailers have already kickstarted their Memorial Day Sale. This is one of the best times of year to score on gaming computers, laptops, and TVs. It’s not as big of an event for gaming, but that doesn’t stop some video game retailers from dishing out the best PS4, Xbox, and PC deals we’ve seen so far for 2020. Click on the table of contents below to skip to a particular vendor or just scroll down and browse away. There will be more deals added as we get closer to Memorial Day.

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Dell Memorial Day Sale

Click here for all Dell Memorial Day Sale deals

The Dell Memorial Day Sale arguably has better deals than the Dell Black Friday Sale. There’s a 10% coupon code that works on most Alienware gaming PCs, and it stacks with the sizeable Memorial Day instant discounts that have already gone live on the site.

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HP Memorial Day Sale

HP is the other big name in the PC industry. Their top of the line OMEN gaming PCs are no slouches; they feature premium construction, an excellent design (especially if you like red and black), and premium components. There are currently 5% and 10% off coupon codes that work most of the OMEN PCs, which sweetens the deal.

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More Laptop Memorial Day Deals

Want more brand options? There are some more great deals on Razer Blade, Origin PC EVO, and Lenovo Legion laptops as well.

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PS4 Memorial Day Sale

Make sure you snag the PS Plus deal at 42% off.

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Xbox One Memorial Day Sale

The Cyberpunk controller is only discounted at Adorama. Like all Xbox One controllers, this one is going to be compatible with the upcoming Xbox Series X.

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Nintendo Switch Memorial Day Sale

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Apple Memorial Day Sale

The Apple AirPods Pro is at the lowest price it’s ever been (lower than Black Friday). The newest Apple Watch, Apple iPad, and MacBook Pro 16″ are all on sale as well.

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TV Memorial Day Sale

It’s not a Memorial Day Sale without TV deals. Right now Dell is offering low prices on several LG, Sony, and Vizio TVs.  These prices match the best you’ll find anywhere else, but in addition you get a bonus gift card that you can spend on anything at Dell’s site.

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Epic Game Store Memorial Day Sale

Epic’s sale is, for lack of a better word, epic. Not only do you get the outstanding Civ 6 game for free, you get $10 off $15 on any number of games. This deal is hard to beat.

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Humble Memorial Day Sale

Humble has great deals on a number of games, but the best deal is definitely the Humble Choice bundle. For only $15 you can get XCOM 2 and Jurassic World: Evolution as well as 10% off all your Humble purchases for the rest of May.

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Mattress Memorial Day Deals

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Memorial Day Deals on Subscriptions and Services

Click here for more free subscription deals

Nothing’s better than signing up for a great service for free (or close to it). These subscriptions will offer you plenty of enjoyment while you’re holed up at home.

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Online Learning Courses from Stack Social

Want to be more productive at home? Stack Social has plenty of practical courses that can kick start your career. For under $40 per bundle you get dozens of hours of online instruction in programming, game creation, video production, ethical hacking, and more… all from the safety of your home.

More Memorial Day Deal Coverage

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.

The Evolution of the Xbox Controller

For nearly twenty years, Microsoft’s Xbox has been a constant force in gaming, nestled alongside Sony’s PlayStation as one of the most popular gaming brands. With the coming shift that the upcoming Xbox Series X will bring, fans have been clamoring for more details on what’s to come with next-gen. While the console itself has some impressive features, the one thing that players are especially excited to see more of, and to get their hands on, is the controller itself. The many controllers throughout Xbox’s history have placed themselves among the pantheon of gaming’s most iconic devices, and the Xbox Series X’s controller looks to continue on a tradition of being an accessible peripheral to get a grip on.

With this in mind, we wanted to take a look at the history of the Xbox’s key controllers and upgrades. Many of these controllers would possess features and innovations that would go on to become trailblazers for more exciting and accessible ways to play for the audience. In this video, video producer Jay Julio takes us back to the beginning with the Xbox’s original controller–often known as The Duke–and explains how each device in the console’s history paved the way for what came next.

The Evolution Of The Xbox Controller

The Xbox Controller AKA

The Xbox Controller AKA “The Duke” | Release Date: November 15, 2001

The controller that would define the early years of the Xbox came about as a compromise. Former Xbox designer Seamus Blackley, whose previous works include Looking Glass Studios’ System Shock and Thief, and artist/designer Denise Chaudhari produced the initial concepts for the original Xbox’s controller. The features of the controller possessed many aspects from the latest trends in gaming around the turn of the millennium, which included two analog sticks, an 8-way directional d-pad, six face buttons, two analog triggers, and two slots for add-ons like memory cards. Due to a variety of factors, which mostly point to bulky internal parts, the released controller was a noticeably large device, which would give the console something of a negative reputation.

While it was known as just the Xbox controller, the device would receive many unofficial names over the years. The one that stuck was “The Duke,” which was named after project manager Brett Schnepf’s son. In an article from engadget breaking down the history of the original controller several of Xbox’s key architects detailed the key moments leading up to the launch of the console. During production, talks with Japanese manufacturer Mitsumi Electric–which produced the PlayStation 2’s DualShock 2– fell through, which meant that potential designs that were smaller weren’t possible to produce prior to the US launch. Microsoft went forward with a design that was ultimately more bulky and larger in size compared to other controllers on the market.

When the console and the controller were revealed at CES 2001, with both Microsoft head Bill Gates and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson introducing the new hardware, all eyes were glued to the device meant for the player’s hands. The original Xbox controller would not only go on to become infamous for its massive size, but it would also become the Guinness world record holder at the time for the largest gaming controller ever. Despite the reception that the controller would have at launch, it did find an audience of players who took a liking to the added size, making it more of a comfortable fit for them compared to the more compact Dual Shock or GameCube controllers.

In 2018, the massive controller had a minor resurgence when Microsoft and third-party manufacturer Hyperkin issued a re-release of the controller for modern Xbox consoles and PC, allowing fans of the console and the original controller to relive the early Xbox days. While The Duke was the controller that most players got to experience with the Xbox in its first year, the Japanese market would see a different controller when the console launched in 2002.

Alleged Rainbow Six Siege Copycat Gets Killed By Ubisoft Lawsuit

Last week Rainbow Six Siege developer Ubisoft filed a lawsuit against Google and Apple because of Area F2, a mobile free-to-play shooter developed by Alibaba and Ejoy. Area F2 has been taken down permanently, with refunds being issues to players who purchased items via microtransactions.

The notice of termination, shared by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, stated that Area F2 would be taken offline yesterday, May 20. Although the notice makes no mention of Ubisoft and their lawsuit, the timing suggests Alibaba and Ejoy decided against trying to defend their product in court. Players who made purchases during the game’s beta period can apply for refunds, either through the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or third-party retailer.

Ubisoft pointed towards Area F2’s user-interface and end match score screen as particularly egregious examples of the game’s copyright infringement. The French publisher also noted that it had pre-emptively warned Apple and Google of the game before it filed its lawsuit, but that neither took the game down in response.

Rainbow Six Siege is one of the largest multiplayer shooters globally, with Ubisoft building upon the foundations it laid with the game’s original release in 2015. Recently two new operators (the game’s playable characters) were revealed, while Ubisoft have confirmed that the game will make the jump to Xbox Series X and PS5 later in the year. Ubisoft rolled out a battle pass model for the game late last year, and recently said it’s doing very well.

Recently we re-reviewed Ubisoft’s shooter, awarding it a 10/10 in our Rainbow Six Siege review. Critic Mat Paget praised the game’s complex action and rewarding action, saying, “It rewards patience, persistence, and teamwork, and over the past four years, Siege has not only become Ubisoft’s crown jewel of multiplayer action but also one of the best first-person shooters ever made.”

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First Assassin’s Creed Game Had Side Content Added In Five Days

When you think of AAA game development, images of designers, programmers, and engineers creating and iterating on their titles for months and years likely come to mind. The original Assassin’s Creed spawned an enormous franchise developed today by thousands of people, but its side missions were actually developed in a span of just five days.

Charles Randall–a former Ubisoft employee who worked on the first two Assassin’s Creed games–shared that the original game was essentially finished when the company’s CEO apparently had his son give it a try.

He found that version of the game to be boring and didn’t think there was enough to do, and the team then decided to add in side missions as a result. They only had five days to implement them, as the build they produced was going to be burned directly to discs and shipped.

One bug seemed to have made its way into Assassin’s Creed during this five-day crunch period, which can result in a Templar leader falling through the map and becoming impossible to kill. This can make it impossible to get all available Gamerscore without restarting.

Despite the tough deadline, Randall said there was less overtime on Assassin’s Creed than any other game he has shipped. No new art had to be used for the side missions, which instead used existing assets in new ways. It’s a far cry (sorry) from current Assassin’s Creed games, which are stuffed to the gills with side content that many players might never see.

The next game in the series, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, releases later this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, and PC.

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Xbox Series X Mock-Up Halo Infinite Design Is Good Enough To Be Real

Immediately after the Xbox Series X was announced, fans remarked that its refrigerator-like design makes it an excellent canvas for custom editions. Microsoft has yet to announce any special-edition Xbox Series X designs, but one fan has put together a very good-looking one for Halo Infinite. It’s sharp and rugged, yet it isn’t gaudy, and it looks good enough to be an official design if Microsoft launches a limited-edition console when the game releases.

Noted designer Xbox Pope created the lovely-looking mock-up that you can see below. It features the Halo franchise’s signature green color scheme and a distressed “117” in reference to Master Chief’s name. Xbox Pope also created a mock-up for an Xbox controller that matches up with the console design. Check it out below, but remember again that this is not an official design.

Given that Halo is one of Microsoft’s crown jewel franchises, and that Infinite is one of Microsoft’s marquee launch titles for Xbox Series X, it stands to reason that the company may actually create a special-edition console for the game. That’s just speculation for now, though.

Xbox Pope has also created mock-ups for Xbox Series X consoles Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, SpongeBob SquarePants, and even the popular sugary drink Arizona Ice Tea. You can see all of the designs over at Xbox Pope’s Instagram page.

Halo Infinite is a launch title for the Xbox Series X, releasing later this year. The game is also coming to the regular Xbox One as well as PC. Microsoft will finally show more of Halo Infinite as part of its first-party games showcase in July.

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