Red Dead Redemption 2 – PC Environmental Showcase Trailer

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Red Dead Redemption 2 PC’s 4K / 60 FPS Gameplay Trailer Is So Very Pretty

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Rockstar has released a new trailer for the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2. The trailer showcases how RDR2 will look in 4K at 60fps, and is narrated by protagonist Arthur Morgan. You can watch it for yourself below–it’s quite stunning, showing off the game’s potential if you have the necessary hardware to run it.

In a press release, Rockstar said that the PC version of RDR2 will “include increased draw distances, improved shadows and lighting, new grass and fur textures, and much more–complemented by a host of exciting new content additions for the game’s Story Mode.” Your PC is going to need some impressive specs to run RDR2 in full 4K at 60fps though. Prior to the release of the trailer, Rockstar revealed the minimum and recommended specs for running the game on PC–both of which are listed below. However, it’s unclear what the requirements are for a 4K/60fps experience.

Minimum Specifications:

  • OS: Windows 7 – Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K / AMD FX-6300
  • Memory: 8GB
  • Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB
  • HDD Space: 150GB
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible

Recommended Specifications:

  • OS: Windows 10 – April 2018 Update (v1803)
  • Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
  • Memory: 12GB
  • Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB
  • HDD Space: 150GB
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible

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On PC, RDR2 will include added bounty hunting missions, gang hideouts, weapons, and “more.” Red Dead Online will also be included, and the PC version of the game will support the latest version of the online multiplayer mode. If you pre-order RDR2 prior to October 22, you’ll be able to pick two free Rockstar games to add to your Rockstar Games launcher library.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will release on PC on November 5, with a Stadia release to follow later in the month. A Steam version arrives in December.

Google Stadia Controller Won’t Work Wirelessly With Everything At Launch

Google has set a release date for its Stadia streaming platform, and at the same time outlined what to expect at launch. That includes the new revelation that wireless play with the first-party Stadia controller will be exclusive to the Chromecast Ultra that comes in the Founder’s Edition.

In a video that accompanied the announcement, the company included a disclaimer that read, “At launch, wireless play with the Stadia Controller is only available on TV using a Chromecast Ultra.”

The company further clarified the limitations in response to a question on the Stadia subreddit. A community manager said, “As for wireless gameplay, this is limited to Chromecast Ultra. When plugged in via USB cable, the Stadia Controller acts as a standard USB HID controller and may work on other platforms depending on the game and setup.”

Founder’s Edition owners will have both a controller and Chromecast included with their purchase, which is the only way to play Stadia this year. Google may expand the controller’s wireless options before its full launch next year. But that does mean that for early purchasers, you’ll need to tether your controller to your phones or tablets if you want to swap between devices.

The Stadia controller is touted as the best way to assure low-latency for playing through the streaming service, since it communicates directly to the Stadia service rather than passing through an intermediary device. The Founder’s Edition costs $130 and includes a controller, Chromecast Ultra, a three-month subscription to Stadia Pro, early access to a Stadia name, and a three-month Pro Buddy Pass. It launches on November 19.

New Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Image Features Mysterious New Character

While it’s always great to catch up with familiar faces in the Star Wars universe, every movie introduces new characters to the series. The upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is no exception, and one of the most fascinating new additions is the mysterious Zorri Bliss, played by Keri Russell. A new image of Zorri has now been released.

The picture comes via Entertainment Weekly. It gives us a close look Zorri’s distinctive helmet, as she looks at some sort of metal disc–could it be a storage disc, or perhaps a coin? Check it out below:

At Disney’s annual D23 convention in August, Russell spoke about her character. “I had this amazing costume and this helmet, which I actually loved to wear and didn’t take it off for the first two days,” she explained. “I found it strangely empowering and exciting. [Zorri Bliss is] very cool and a little bit shady. She’s kind of a criminal and sort of this old friend of Poe’s.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by JJ Abrams, who previously helmed 2015’s The Force Awakens. It also stars Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Mark Hamill as Luke, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando. Some new images from the movie were released earlier this month, and you can watch the latest trailer here. It hits theaters on December 20.

The Rise of Skywalker isn’t the only highly-anticipated Star Wars release due in the next couple of months. In November, the first ever live-action Star Wars show The Mandalorian will hit the streaming platform Disney Plus. The first episode of the show will be available on November 12, which is the day the service launches. Watch the first Mandalorian trailer here, and check out everything we know about every upcoming Star Wars movie and TV show.

These Free PC Games Will Help You Get In The Halloween Spirit

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The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

With Halloween looming, it’s the perfect time to play horror and suspense games. If you don’t have anything spooky in your backlog to play, you’re in luck. Observer and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare are the latest free games at the Epic Games Store. Both games are available to claim now and will be free until October 24. Make sure to grab them before Layers of Fear: Masterpiece Edition and Q.U.B.E. 2 take their place next week.

All you need is a free Epic account to get each week’s free offerings at the Epic Games Store. After claiming a game, you’ll have it in your library forever.

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Observer

Created by Polish developer Bloober Team, psychological horror game Observer released in 2017. Set in the studio’s native Poland in 2084, Observer’s protagonist is a detective that solves cases by hacking into the minds of others to augment his vision. In our Observer review, critic David Rayfield praised the storytelling, sound design, and cyberpunk world, calling it “a haunting and remarkable achievement.” Rayfield gave Observer a superb 9/10 score.

Get Observer free at Epic

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Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

If you’ve been playing Control and want to check out more of Remedy’s games, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is well worth playing. A spin-off set in the same universe as the original Alan Wake, American Nightmare is set up as an episode of the fictional TV show Night Springs that Alan watches in the first game. In American Nightmare, Alan goes on a journey that’s full of twists and turns to defeat his evil doppelgänger Mr. Scratch. Though not exactly frightening, the spin-off has great, suspenseful writing that carried it to a 7/10 in our Alan Wake’s American Nightmare review.

Get Alan Wake’s American Nightmare free at Epic

While you should definitely grab these two great games (for free!), you should also check out Fanatical’s large sale on Steam games that is currently live.

PS Gold Wireless Headsets are On Sale for Their Lowest Prices, Ever

There’s no lack of options when it comes to headsets for the PlayStation 4, but the official PlayStation Gold Wireless headphones are an easy choice for a whole bunch of reasons, one of which is because they happen to be on sale right now.

PS4 Gold Wireless Surround Sound Headset: Lowest Price Ever

This is the color based on the limited edition 500 Million Edition PS4 line that sold out in the blink of an eye. This is, in my opinion, the best-looking PS4 headset out there. Since it’s designed for PlayStation, they make the perfect headset for use with PSVR. Plus there’s an option for wired use, too, so they aren’t single-use.

The wait time on these is 1-3 weeks, because they’re obviously a pretty popular item (especially at this price).

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Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Final Preview of the Series’s Most Ambitious Game

Leon, the champion of the Galar region, stands before a cheering crowd and Charizard appears in all its Gen 1 glory before panning up to the title screen. Pokemon Sword and Shield have a grand opening with enough excitement and electricity to make me want to cheer too. After all, this is the first mainline Pokemon title to ever appear on a console. Expectations are high and its unique introduction sets the stage for what’s to come.

Of course, you’re no champion yet. Cut to the lavish garden outside your quaint house and it’s clear you have a long way to go before anyone’s cheering your name. I played the first 90 minutes of Pokemon Shield. Even though my adventure was barely beginning, I already felt like I had an interesting number of ways to spend my time and each option was as enticing as the last. From challenging and rewarding Max Raid Battles to new ways to train and bond with my Pokemon, Pokemon Sword and Shield are set up to be the most ambitious game in the series.

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Yes, Pokemon Sword & Shield’s Characters Use British Slang

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As you may know by now, Pokemon Sword and Shield take place in a new region called Galar, which is clearly inspired by the United Kingdom. There is a Big Ben-like clock tower, charming countryside and cottages, trains and old-looking brick buildings in the cities, and soccer/football-inspired stadiums for battling Pokemon. We recently played a 90-minute demo of Sword and Shield, and we can confirm that on top of all the other similarities, the characters have British accents.

Well, to be precise, they use British slang, since dialogue in Sword and Shield is text-only. But it is very clearly British. Your mom, a mainstay of every Pokemon game ever? She’s called Mum. Your rival describes someone as being “pants with directions.” Another character refers to a Pokemon as a “little chap.” The list goes on. And, at least from an American perspective, it’s pretty on-point. It remains to be seen whether my British colleagues will agree.

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The demo showcased the first few areas of Sword and Shield, including the Wild Area. As we’ve seen in trailers thus far, the countryside is as idyllic as a British postcard, with wild Wooloo–a lovely little sheep-like Pokemon–roaming around causing all sorts of trouble. Compared to previous Pokemon games, the vistas are especially lovely, and the recent 3D art style of the series makes the transition to Switch beautifully from what we played.

During the demo, we also learned that the Pokemon-catching tutorial is skippable for the first time in almost 20 years. On top of that, choosing your starter is more emotional than we’re used to. We’ll know more once Pokemon Sword and Shield come to Nintendo Switch on November 15.

Pokemon Sword & Shield: You Can Skip The Pokemon Catching Tutorial

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At the beginning of every Pokemon game, you can expect two things: a man who loves the power of science and technology, and a person who teaches you the basics of catching Pokemon. The science guy is definitely present in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but the Pokemon-catching tutorial is, for the first time since Pokemon Crystal in 2000, not mandatory.

During a demo of Sword and Shield, I managed to skip the tutorial on accident. After choosing your starter Pokemon (Grookey, Scorbunny, or Sobble), you naturally have to stop by your house to talk to your mum. She gives you some pocket money to start you off, but what she doesn’t tell you is that she slipped five Poke Balls in, too. I caught some Pokemon on my way to meet my rival, Hop, and his brother Leon, the Galar Champion and the person I was told would teach me how to catch Pokemon. But that didn’t happen when I caught up to them, and Leon instead made a comment about how I’d already captured some Pokemon before moving on to the next topic of conversation.

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It’s a small thing, but this change–provided it’s not some weird fluke created in the demo environment–makes starting a new Pokemon game just a little bit smoother for those of us who’ve been playing the games for years and know the ropes. Compared to Sun and Moon, which have a notoriously long tutorial sequence, Sword and Shield get you into the action relatively quickly–before my 90 demo minutes were up, I’d already made it to the Wild Area, a large, open space that’s home to powerful Pokemon and the new Raid Battles. (I didn’t get to wander around the Wild Area much, though, so I’m still very curious about the secrets it holds.)

Pokemon Sword and Shield release for Nintendo Switch on November 15. Be sure to read our pre-order guide if you’re interested in getting the games on day one.

In Pokemon Sword & Shield, Choosing Your Starter Is Weirdly Emotional

Almost every Pokemon game has given you a choice of one of three starter Pokemon with whom you’d set out on your adventure, and almost every Pokemon game gives one of the two Pokemon you didn’t choose to your predesignated rival. Choosing a starter Pokemon is always a big deal, but Pokemon Sword and Shield bring a lot more spectacle to it than previous games–so much so that the process of picking a starter, something I’ve always done based on a mix of aesthetic and mechanical preferences, actually made me kind of emotional (in a good way).

I recently played 90 minutes of Sword and Shield at a demo event. From the start, the newest Pokemon games have more flair than the previous ones; the opening sequence, which was once just the professor briefly talking about what Pokemon are, is now closer to a cinematic cutscene, befitting the mainline games’ transition to Switch. That same upgraded cutscene treatment extends to choosing your starter, and it gives Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble the chance to really show off their personalities before you make a decision.

Like in previous Sword and Shield trailers, the pick-your-starter cutscene shows a curious Grookey hitting things with its stick, an energetic Scorbunny hopping about, and a clearly anxious Sobble being adorably pathetic. I had already narrowed down my choice to either Grookey or Sobble (sorry, Scorbunny fans), and seeing them being cute didn’t really help me make a decision. The three Pokemon then stand around waiting to be chosen, and I felt like I had to pick Sobble, because the poor baby just needs a friend. When my rival, Hop, picked Scorbunny, I was surprised–older Pokemon games taught me that the rival always picks the Pokemon with the type advantage over yours, and while that hasn’t been true for a while, I still wasn’t expecting Hop to take the high road.

So that was all fine, but it left Grookey standing alone, absolutely devastated, because it didn’t get picked. I was very upset. Older Pokemon games also taught me that the third starter just sits in its ball for all eternity, which, again, is no longer true–Professor Kukui in Sun and Moon will take the third starter, for example–but I was, again, not expecting anyone to actually take the third Pokemon. When the Galar Champion, who brought us the starters in the first place, took Grookey, I was incredibly relieved. It was an absolute emotional rollercoaster.

After all this, I remain undecided about my starter Pokemon in Sword and Shield. If I’m honest, I’ll need to see their final forms before I can really make the call. But I could barely stand to see Grookey briefly upset, and I’m afraid to see how Sobble reacts if it doesn’t get chosen–so maybe I’ll have to go with Sobble after all.

Pokemon Sword and Shield release for Nintendo Switch on November 15. During this demo session, we also learned that the characters have British “accents” and that you can skip a key part of the tutorial for the first time in almost 20 years. Be sure to check out our Sword and Shield pre-order guide if you’re looking to get the games at launch.