Have you ever wanted to do your PC gaming in the comfort of your own couch, and in front of a huge TV instead of the usual monitor? Couchmaster has you covered the CYCON², one of the strangest looking setups for the PC gamer who also happens to be very familiar with their couch. Check out some screenshots of the Couchmaster below, as well as details on how you can get one for yourself.
Here is the Couchmaster CYCON² in all of its glory:
Couchmaster CYCON² Highlights:
Use your big screen tv and surround sound setup just like a monitor!
Equipped with 6 USB 3.0 ports
Includes a quick charge port on the outside for charging phones and devices
Built in cable management system
Plenty of room for your keyboard, keypad, headset, mouse or joystick
Side pockets for storing remote controls, drinks, phones, and more
Adjustable for the perfect fit
You can head over to the official Couchmaster page to preorder today, and it starts at $179 and is available in two colors: Black or Fusion Grey. There’s also a more expensive option called the Cypunk Limited Edition, and it sports a cyberpunk theme if you’re into that sort of aesthetic.
In case you missed it, we compared PSVR2 specs to other VR devices in the market, and you can check out the comparisons here.
Bad news for STALKER fans out there, as GSC Game World has announced a STALKER 2 delay today, with the new release date set for the end of the year, December 8. The announcement was made over on the official Twitter page, and the developers detailed their new plans for the game’s release.
We have made a decision to postpone the release of STALKER 22: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8th, 2022.
These additional seven months of develpment are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of the GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project.
This decision is not an easy one, but we are doing the best possible to deliver you a game that can live up to the expectations.
With more information, updates, and showcases coming, we have an exciting and important year ahead. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
With love, GSC Game World team.
There you have it. With this announcement, STALKER 2 will now be releasing for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on December 8, 2022.
Blue Isle Studios has just announced a new multiplayer shooter titled LEAP with a gameplay trailer, alongside the announcement for the game’s first closed beta test later this month. LEAP, a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter featuring epic battles with up to 60 players, each armed to the teeth, will be releasing on PC via Steam Early Access, and you can check out the gameplay trailer and other details below.
Here’s a rundown of LEAP as per the official press release:
In LEAP, players will select from four unique classes, each delivering a unique balance of power, agility and defense as well as epic abilities that bring shock and awe onto their foes. Call in orbital strikes, set up automated turrets, or control guided cruise missiles as each exosuit is armed to the teeth. Large-scale combat takes place on a variety of stages and skilled mercenaries use jetpacks, grappling hooks and highly distinctive Personal Vehicles to close the distance on control points and active firefights. Nothing is more menacing than a LEAP mercenary saddled on a mechanical moose galloping at full speed.
The closed beta test for LEAP is happening on January 19, and interested players can sign up for the test here. LEAP will be releasing on PC via Steam, with no other platforms announced at the moment.
Remedy Entertainment has released the Alan Wake Remastered update 1.05 (PS5 version 1.000.005) patch this January 12, and this is a PlayStation-specific update that’s for fixes regarding audio issues.
Alan Wake Remastered Update 1.05 Patch Notes | Alan Wake Remastered Update 1.000.005 Patch Notes:
Here’s the announcement from Remedy Entertainment regarding the patch:
🛠️ Alan Wake Remastered will receive an update for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 today.
Update 1.0.0.5 fixes the audio mixing bug introduced in last week's update. Thank you for your patience while this issue was fixed! #AlanWakepic.twitter.com/SvRhYJGsmq
Alan Wake Remastered will receive an update for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 today. Update 1.0.0.5 fixes the audio mixing bug introduced in last week’s update. Thank you for your patience while this issue was fixed! #AlanWake
That seems to be it. We’re keeping an eye out on the community whether there are other improvements and changes made, and if we find anything else, we’ll be sure to update the post. Same as always, if you spot anything, feel free to leave a comment below to let us know.
In case you still haven’t bought the game yet, we suggest you do! Our review gave it a 9/10 and an Editor’s Choice badge too, with our reviewer James Lara stating, “Outside of the lack of the American Nightmare DLC, Alan Wake Remastered is without a question the definite way to play Alan Wake. Improved performance coupled with immensely improved visuals makes the journey back into Bright Falls well worth taking again for fans. And if you’re one of the many who are new the IP, well get ready for one incredible experience.”
Visual Concepts has released the NBA 2K22 update 1.012 patch for next-gen platforms (PS5, Xbox Series X|S), and this includes new player scans, gameplay improvements and bug fixes. Check out the complete patch notes for what Visual Concepts calls Update 1.9 below. The patch is also on last-gen platforms, which you can check out here.
NBA 2K22 Update 1.012 Patch Notes:
GENERAL
Season 4 is coming this Friday, January 14th! Are you ready for glory?
The following players and coaches have received new scans and/or had general likeness or tattoo updates made to them:
New Scans:
Rebecca Allen
Juhann Begarin
Monique Billings
Brandon Boston Jr.
Cierra Burdick
Justin Champagnie
Natasha Cloud
Elena Delle Donne
Blake Dietrick
Chelsea Dungee
Candice Dupree
Megan Gustafson
Tyasha Harris
Bria Hartley
Sam Hauser
Walt Hopkins
Betnijah Laney
Isaiah Livers
Marina Mabrey
Erica McCall
Kia Nurse
Shey Peddy
Katie Lou Samuelson
Day’Ron Sharpe
Jericho Sims
Odyssey Sims
Stephanie Talbot
Alyssa Thomas
Brodric Thomas
Isaiah Todd
Kia Vaughn
Megan Walker
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Duane Washington Jr.
Sydney Wiese
Courtney Williams
General Updates:
Jaylen Brown
Mike D’Antoni
Ayo Dosunmu
Mitch Kupchak
Eric Money
Candace Parker
Jordan Poole
Otto Porter Jr.
Derrick Rose
Jeff Ruland
Steve Stipanovich
Tattoo Updates:
Saddiq Bey
Aaron Henry
DaQuan Jeffries
Tre Jones
Saben Lee
Scottie Lewis
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Naji Marshall
Jaden McDaniels
Sean McDermott
Leilani Mitchell
Paul Reed
Terry Rozier
D’Angelo Russell
Lamar Stevens
Xavier Tillman
McKinley Wright IV
GAMEPLAY
Added more variety to the CPU play calling
The user is now required to press the steal button in order to successfully intercept a pass
CITY/PRO-AM/REC
Various stability and performance improvements have been made throughout the City
MyCAREER/QUESTS
Continued fixes and adjustments have been made to improve the overall quest experience and ensure that all quests are tracking and completing properly
Fixed a rare issue that could cause long loading times going into the first affiliation game on the Knights rooftop court
MyTEAM
Resolved an end of game issue when Clutch Time games ended with a sudden death free throw in overtime
Addressed occasional clipping issues that could occur with certain cameras in Clutch Time games
MyNBA/THE W
Continued stability fixes and improvements have been made for MyNBA, MyNBA Online, and The W
With Sledgehammer Games’ latest title update for Call of Duty Vanguard out now, some might be encountering a dev error with Vanguard’s Season 1.5 update, and you’re not alone. reports of COD Vanguard error 6036 have surfaced online, and it’s something Sledgehammer is aware of.
What Is COD Vanguard Error 6036?
Over on Twitter, the studio announced that it has rolled out a fix for the error (server-side), and explains what’s causing it. Those unaware, dev error 6036 has players crashing out or not being able to access multiplayer.
Report on the error via the official Vanguard Trello board:
Dev Error 6036 & errors with “_ffotdd_mp.ff”
Description:
The issue is tied to localized versions of Vanguard and by changing the interface language to English, Multiplayer is accessible.
We know this is a less-than-ideal workaround for players who want or need to play in their native language and we are currently working on a fix.
How to Fix Vanguard Error 6036?
Here’s the announcement from Sledgehammer Games:
📢 A fix for Dev Error 6036 is live. A restart is required for the change to take effect. https://t.co/4RLK1QVnaE
This seems to have sorted itself fairly quickly. But for those who are still experiencing it, now you know what to do. Hopefully, a more permanent fix is rolled out ASAP.
If you’re encountering other issues in Vanguard that’s still not resolved, type it out in the comments and we’ll see if we can get to the bottom of it.
Sledgehammer Games has released the (Call of Duty) COD Vanguard update 1.10 (PS5 version 1.010) this January 11 (January 12 if you’re outside the US), and this is for the Season 1.5 update! This is a small download, and includes a number of bug fixes, gameplay tweaks and more to both Multiplayer and Zombies mode.
Several sources of packet burst have been identified and resolved
Several sources of Multiplayer crash errors have been identified and resolved
Xbox Series X players will no longer experience game crashing with CDN setting enabled
Playing with keyboard and mouse will no longer result in ‘controller needed’ message
Spawns
Spawn logic has been tuned to improve small maps with higher player counts
Adjusted spawn logic for Domination on Dome
Spawns in Control mode have been significantly adjusted to:
Prevent out-of-map spawns on Tuscan
Prevent spawning in the enemy’s line-of-sight on Bocage
Prevent players from spawning directly on teammates
Weapons & Equipment: Bug Fixes
Attack / Guard Dog kills now count towards Panzerfaust Camo Challenges
STG “Reptilian” Camo Weapon Challenge is now tracking Bloodthirsty kills
STG “Predatory” Camo Weapon Challenge is now tracking Multikills
Katana unlock Challenge is now tracking properly
3-Line Rifle can now be reloaded with the ZF4 3.5X Rifle Scope equipped
Addressed an issue that prevented the “Kill an Enemy While They Have a Spy Plane Active 5 Times” challenge from tracking in the Counter Measures career challenges
Addressed an issue where care packages would land out of reach when playing Armageddon on Tuscan and Daus Haus
Player selected camos will now appear during the match intro sequence
Locked Camos and attachments can no longer be swapped onto unlocked weapons
A bug resulting in missing Post-Match Flow has been fixed
A bug resulting in Type 100 Blueprint “Thunderhead” being invisibly in the pre-match countdown has been fixed
Weapons & Equipment: Balancing Changes
Weapons
M1 Garand
Reduced Recoil
Type 99
Reduced Aim Flinch
Reduced ADS Time
Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used
3-Line Rifle
Reduced ADS Time
Kar98
Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used
Ammo
Hollow Points
Removed damage range penalties
Equipment
Stun Grenade
Reduced Stun Grenade damage in Hardcore modes
Reduced how long players are affected by Stun Grenades
Incendiary Grenade
Damage has been reduced
Killstreaks
Mortar Barrage
Duration of Mortar Strike has been reduced
Number of Mortar Strikes per streak has been reduced
Addressed issue where Mortar Barrage deployment was inconsistent
Perks
High Alert
Slight delay added before Perk activates after being seen by an enemy
Dauntless
Gives immunity to fire and burning effects including Incendiary Rounds, Flamenaut, and lingering fire on the ground
Fortified
Reduces fire damage taken by 30%
Reduces excessive damage of all explosives
Maps
Polish pass to improve and fix player collision issues with map environments
Overall polish pass on Destructibles throughout all maps
UI/UX
“Seasonal Challenge” menu is now present in the Challenges tab
Players will no longer experience visual rank swapping between players in Private Matches
The Objective progression bar will no longer clips into reticles
Unintended distortion of MVP images has been fixed
The continuous post-game level-up animation when players reach Prestige 3 has been fixed
Store: menu navigation has improved when viewing and toggling between Bundles
ZOMBIES CONTENT UPDATE
In Zombies, classic survival gameplay arrives in “Shi No Numa” this week with the new Void Objective for players who want to kill endless waves of zombies, watch the rounds go up, and grind weapon camos to their heart’s content. Explore Von List’s Office, a previously unavailable area that harbors narrative secrets and a mysterious new portal. Upgrade your Artifacts at the Tome of Rituals, equip three new Pack-a-Punch camos, build the Warmachine and Deathmachine at the Crafting Table, discover new narrative intel, and more.
The Combat Shield also joins loadouts and the Mystery Box, and new weapon unlock challenges for the Katana and Welgun SMG are coming to Zombies. Get the full overview of everything included in this week’s update over at the Treyarch blog.
Survival Gameplay
Void
Survival gameplay comes to “Shi No Numa” in the Void, accessed from Von List’s Office in Stalingrad.
Rounds are advanced by defeating increasingly difficult endless waves of zombies, rather than by completing Objectives.
After completing 3 rounds in the Void, players must choose to Flee or Survive. Choosing Survive continues to spawn waves of zombies until players choose to escape, or if the game ends when all players go down.
Players earn 5,000 bonus Essence for every 3 rounds completed in the Void.
After surviving 12 rounds in the Void, players earn a reward that prevents Perks from dropping below Tier II upon going down for the rest of the match.
The Pack-a-Punch machine is available in “Shi No Numa” when in the Void.
Players can return to Stalingrad to upgrade their Perks, Covenants, and Artifacts after surviving 3 rounds in the Void, and can return to the Void at any time.
Locations
Von List’s Office
Explore this previously closed-off area of Stalingrad to discover new narrative intel and the portal to the Void.
New Feature
Tome of Rituals
Invest Sacrificial Hearts at the new Tome of Rituals to upgrade Artifacts up to four tiers in-game.
Artifact Upgrades
Frost Blast
Tier I – Freezes normal and Special enemies for 3 seconds once they have been in the Frost Blast zone for 0.5 second.
Tier II – Increases the Frost Blast radius by 100%.
Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
Tier IV – Frozen normal enemies are insta-killed when damaged.
Energy Mine
Tier I – Stuns normal and Special enemies hit by Energy Mine for 3 seconds.
Tier II – Explodes 3 times in a row with a 0.75 second delay between explosions.
Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
Tier IV – Increases the explosion radius by 66%.
Aether Shroud
Tier I – Automatically reload weapons when activated.
Tier II – Deal 500% bonus melee damage while active.
Tier III – Gain 50% move speed while active. Duration extended from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
Tier IV – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 2.
Ring of Fire
Tier I – Normal enemies inside the ring take damage equal to 2% of their max HP every second.
Tier II – Players within the ring use ammo from stock.
Tier III – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases the duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.
Tier IV – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases your damage bonus from +50% to +75%.
Pack-a-Punch Camos
Three unique camos added to the Pack-a-Punch machine.
Weapon camo will now change in appearance with each Pack-a-Punch upgrade up to Tier III.
Pre-Packed loot weapons will display Pack-a-Punch camos after being picked up from Sturmkreigers or the Mystery Box.
Weapons
Combat Shield
Now available in Zombies loadouts and the Mystery Box.
Mitigates a portion of damage from the direction the player is facing when raised. Cannot break.
Protects the player’s back from partial rear damage when stowed.
Weapon Unlock Challenges
New weapon unlock challenges added to Zombies for the Katana melee weapon and new Welgun SMG via Create-a-Class:
Katana: In Zombies, get 5 rapid kills with a Melee weapon during 50 different Portal Objectives.
Welgun: In Zombies, get 5 rapid Critical Kills with an SMG during 50 different Portal Objectives.
Support Weapons
Warmachine and Deathmachine now available in the Support tab at the Crafting Table.
To see the new content for this title update (weapon skins, new Operators), which includes a look at the Attackon Titan collaboraiton, head on over here.
In today’s gaming landscape, online gaming is a pretty big part of it. When this happens, data collection is almost always a part of it, as well as interacting with other games, too. If you’re curious how Microsoft’s Xbox division handles both, let Xbox boss Phil Spencer shed a little light.
In an interview, Spencer was asked about data collection on Xbox Live given how online privacy the like is pretty big nowadays.
Yeah. When you sign up and log in to Xbox for the first time, you go through some questions about the data use that we have. And we’re very transparent about the use of that data, assuming people opt in to the different kind of rings of data sharing that we have. One of them that we use is with our third-party partners that build content on our platform, that they want to know, what experiences are people having in their games? How far did they get in the games? Did they own the previous version of those games? So this is more of a creative outlet and business outlet to allow our partners to be smarter about the people who play. But that’s an opt-in our network. And the same thing with any — we have child accounts on our platform. So if a child is on our platform, your children, I would encourage anybody out there to create a child account on Xbox Live. You can manage that with your mobile phone and get real detailed data on what your kids are doing, who the friends are on the network that they play, block people that they play, block spending. All of that is critically, critically important. It’s one of the reasons I think networks should have child accounts. This idea that certain networks out there just assume that everybody on their network is over the age of 13 I think is not a responsible way to run a network. I’m not saying we figured it all out, but I love that we’re public about what we stand for and what our goals
Alongside data collection, another thing that’s usually associated with online gaming is toxicity, harassment and so on. Spencer comments that AI (Artifical Intelligence) helps with this.
So we have a couple of things. In the background, we can monitor the sentiment of a conversation. And the A.I. does a good job of kind of highlighting when a conversation is getting to a destructive point. We have automated tools that will actually flag a message thread. And we will give the people in the thread a note that says, hey, this is getting to a point where we see it’s becoming destructive. So either calm it down or we’re going to shut down the conference. There’s a Report A User button that’s built right into the user interface. So if our behind-the-scene tools aren’t following or if somebody says something that we don’t catch and you want to report, you report it. That comes into our systems. We have a full team of policy and enforcement that follows up on those. But I think that Report A Message, Report A User, Report A Conversation, just really, really critical to help the community — I won’t say police itself, but at least report on itself.
In related news, Spencer also mentioned that the Xbox Series X|S consoles have sold more than any previous Xbox.
Berzerk Studio has a Valentine’s surprise for gamers on PC and consoles this February with the release of Infernax, a retro action adventure RPG game releasing on February 14! Check out details on the game below, which is now available for wishlisting on Steam.
Here’s the nostalgic looking 8-bit style trailer from Berzerk Studio and The Arcade Crew.
Created by the same team behind the game Just Shapes and Beats, Infernax aims to take PC and console gamers a trip down memory lane to play something that’s all about heart and adventure. Here’s the overview of the game’s plot from the press release.
Infernax’s starring knight and bachelor Alcedor returns from a brutal battle to find his home overrun by ravenous beasts from the underworld. Armed with his faithful mace and ravishing smile, Alcedor must shoulder the fate of his world as he bashes through unholy forces, earns powerful abilities and upgrades, uncovers the secrets of his land, and shapes his legacy through moral conundrums. Infernax has the hots for a classically difficult challenge, but if you can hang with rewarding battles against hell’s most eligible fiends, you’ll enjoy many sleepless nights getting acquainted with its intensely enthralling quest.
If you enjoy 8-bit stuff as much as any Castlevania fan, check out the Resident Evil Village fanmade game using Metroidvania elements called Residentvania right here.
Infernax will arrive for PC, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch this February 14.
In just a week from now, a new entry in the Rainbow Six franchise will be released with Rainbow Six Extraction — a PvE co-op shooter that’s a huge departure from the highly successful Rainbow Six Siege.
Recently, MP1st had the chance to not only get some early hands-on time with the game, but to also talk with the developers behind it, too! Ubisoft Montreal’s Technical Director Bruno Lalonde, and scriptwriter Linda Nguyen took time out of their busy schedules to talk with us about the game’s concept, why it’s three-player co-op, and more.
Q: My first question is, in the preview, the max level for Operators is level 10; is that going to change in the official build, or no?
Lalonde: It will be up to 10.
Q: Will there be more cities/locations available at launch? Are there plans for future locations after launch?
Lalonde: In the mode you just played, you’ve probably already played San Francisco and Alaska, if you’ve reached that point. We also have New York (which is the default location), and then we have ‘Truth and Consequences,’ which is up to 12 maps.
Q: When I was playing the preview build, it had one cinematic when you first boot up the game which looked very, very nice. Now, will it be a full cinematic story experience in this game or will it be similar to what Rainbow Six Siege is, where it’s basically more of “trailers that tell the story” kind of thing and there’s not much of a ‘story’ per se in the game itself?
Nguyen: There is definitely a story, and the more you progress in the game, the more you are going to learn about the world of Extraction and all the enemies and this alien threat that you are dealing with. So, yes, there is a story, but it’s also about the Operators, about you, and what is your story during the incursions. What’s your story to tell, every time you go in and how far will you go. It’s also about you and your squad, and more about your experiences with the Operators. You also have this progression system you’re going through. It’s really about your experience in this world of Extraction.
Q: Why is Rainbow Six Extraction a three-player co-op game instead of something more symmetrical like a four-player experience?
Lalonde: It’s a good question. We tried many combinations at first; we wanted to bring a co-op experience, and we found that three players created this cool synergy between different abilities and gadgets you can bring. We figured out that three is the golden number for this tactical co-op game.
Q: Has your previous experience working on For Honor influenced anything in Rainbow Six Extraction (Technical Director)?
Lalonde: I would say, be prepared for the live [service]. What I bring to Rainbow Six Extraction was my experience of releasing a product and getting it ready for live [service]. Like we announced, we have a free live program where we will add extra content in the future, and for that you need to be sure that your game is also a platform that you can build up to easily modify and add stuff.
Q: Will Operator skins from Extraction somehow make its way into Siege and vice-versa?
Nguyen: I believe the answer is no.
Q: What made Ubisoft Montreal want to pursue a PvE Rainbow Six game? Or was this more of Ubisoft’s (the executives) idea?
Lalonde: Maybe you remember the Outbreak event from Siege a few years ago? That really impressed, and it really teased us with the reaction we got from players in that Outbreak event. So, we said, “what about creating a full game around that?” Taking everything great about Siege – tactical shooter, great Operators, stuff that players love and build up a PvE game on that. Rainbow Six in the past (before Siege) was a great PvE game; for us, we had to bring back this PvE with the great aspects of Siege.
Q: Kind of an off-topic question here: we’ve recently seen a resurgence of sorts of PvE shooters such as Back 4 Blood, GTFO, Aliens Fireteam Elite, etc. Why do you think, in your opinion, is that the case?
Lalonde: From my personal point of view, I will say that, PvP offers more intensity, and there are many players in the FPS genre that want a less intense experience, and also a more welcoming experience for new players. There’s also the safe environment, where they can experience co-op gameplay as opposed to a PvP game. In this game, players are also able to control the level of difficulty. Of course, less difficulty means less rewards, but it’s also a tool we give to the players to be able to control the level of intensity, something that you cannot really control in a PvP game.
Q: What made Ubisoft decide to lower the game’s price point? It isn’t 59.99 like it normally is, it’s 49.99.
Nguyen: So, uh, Bruno and I, can’t speak to that. We weren’t part of the decision-making for that. That said, as game devs, seeing this game more accessible to even more players; that’s a big win for us. So, we have no complaints.
Q: Is there a reason why Extraction isn’t free-to-play? Usually, when games go free-to-play, they rake money in cosmetics and everything like that. Is there a Extraction didn’t go with the free-to-play model?
Nguyen: Again, with this one, I don’t think we can speak to this either.
Lalonde: If I can add something to that, I feel that we made a full AAA offer. We have a lot of Operators, a lot of content, a progression system, a story, etc. We feel that we have a full package for the players.
Q: Is Ubisoft Montreal’s plans for Extraction the same as what’s seen in Siege? Like, after launch, it’ll go the live service route, and players shouldn’t expect a sequel to it, but rather, constant post-launch support for years to come?
Lalonde: For now, we have free post-launch content already planned. We plan a weekly game mode called Assignment. We also have a planned crisis event, and also new content plans. For now, that’s what we have in mind: free content to offer and keep players entertained in Extraction.
Q: How does Extraction take advantage of next-gen input? Especially for the PS5, cause it has the haptic feedback triggers, is that going to be a thing in Extraction?
Lalonde: Yes, of course, we support the new haptic feedback feature for the PS5 DualSense controller.
Q: What’s the final target for framerates and resolutions for last-gen (PS4, Xbox One) and next-gen (PS5, Xbox Series X|S)?
Lalonde: For old-gen consoles, we are aiming at 30fps solid at 1080p. Next-gen is at 60fps, which is at 4K, HDR, and it will run up to 120fps on high-end PCs.
We’d like to thank Ubisoft Montreal for taking the time out of their schedule to talk to MP1st. Rainbow Six Extraction will be released this January 20, 2022 on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
To coincide with the official PC release on January 14, Nvidia has announced a God of War Nvidia Driver for DLSS and Reflex to download on the day of for PC players to get the full experience of the title! Check out the details below, as well as other game improvements included in this latest Nvidia driver.
Here’s a rundown of everything to expect from this Game Ready Driver, as detailed by Nvidia:
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studio’s God of War goes live on PC January 14th with enhanced graphics, exclusive PC features, and HDR. And if you play on a GeForce RTX GPU, desktop or laptop, you can enhance God of War with our AI-powered, performance accelerating NVIDIA DLSS technology, and the latency-optimizing NVIDIA Reflex for the definitive PC experience. Play as Kratos, a Spartan warrior in the realm of Norse gods and monsters, fighting epic beasts while teaching his son how to survive in this mystical world of the gods.
By installing our January 14th Game Ready Driver, you’ll optimize your system and enable support for NVIDIA DLSS, accelerating performance on GeForce RTX GPUs. And on GeForce GTX 900 Series and newer GPUs, you can enable NVIDIA Reflex to quickly and easily reduce system latency, making gameplay snappy and responsive for even the most difficult challenges.
In addition to God of War on PC, the Nvidia Game Ready Driver will also include the definitive gaming experiences for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, Hitman III, The Anacrusis, GRIT and Monster Hunter Rise. It will also introduce DLDSR (Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution), an updated NVIDIA Control Panel feature.
You can now wishlist God of War on PC via Steam here, and await its long-awaited lauch this January 14.
New World Interactive has released the Insurgency Sandstorm update 1.08 patch this January 11, and this one is for a console hotfix for Operation: Warlord on consoles! Check out the full patch notes below.
Welcome to the patch notes for Operation: Warlord Console Hotfix #2. This update will be released on the morning of Tuesday Jan 11, 2022 Mountain Time. This is our first patch of 2022, but far from the last! We hope that all of you had a great holiday season and managed to spend some quality time with your loved ones.
Now, without further ado, the thing you are actually here for; the release notes:
RESOLVED ISSUES:
Fixed an issue where the game would freeze at the loading screen when playing the Basic Training.
Fixed an issue where the Fire Support: Bomber Drones were not dropping their explosives.
Fixed an issue where the weapon firing sound effects would not play while inside a building if the player opened and closed the Loadout Menu.
Fixed an issue where players could stack spawn in Ambush mode on the following maps: Farmhouse, Hideout, Ministry, Outskirts, Powerplant, and Refinery.
Fixed an issue where colored orbs would appear at the bottom of the screen when playing on Farmhouse.
Fixed multiple AI issues:
Implemented general improvements to AI tactical movement (avoiding hazards).
Fixed an issue where friendly AI would not plant explosives at caches.
Fixed an issue where AI would repeatedly lie down and get back up.
Fixed issues of AI getting stuck on Hideout, Ministry, Refinery, and Summit.
Fixed an issue that would cause the weapons list on the Loadout Screen to appear empty at the start of a match.
Fixed an issue in Ambush where a new VIP would not spawn if the player selected as the VIP at the start of the round switched factions during the round countdown.
Fixed an issue where no ammo boxes would appear in Hardcore Checkpoint.
Fixed an issue where the weapon model preview would disappear if it was selected twice in the Loadout Menu.
Fixed an issue where the character model would not update and hold the selected weapon in the Loadout Menu.
Fixed several Insurgent hair clipping issues with facewear and torso pieces (we have more of these fixes to come in future updates).
Fixed a crash that happened when the player accepted a party invite while in the Local Play loading screen.
Fixed a crash that happened while playing on Bab and Precinct Checkpoint.
KNOWN ISSUES:
The game may crash after attempting to view a replay on PlayStation platforms.
The game may crash while playing Basic Training on the PS4.
There is an issue with unlocking the Praetorian Bundle on the Xbox.
There is a chance that players respawn with the incorrect cosmetics in third person which consequently causes multiple other issues, including: incorrect magazine positioning, broken reload animations, and camera clipping when driving a vehicle.
There is an issue where the notification that rewards players the ‘Sporty’ and ‘Big Spender’ cosmetics after a victory on Ambush mode cannot be closed.
There are issues with navigation and button mapping while viewing replays.
There is an issue where AI may have poor shooting accuracy indoors at times.
There is an issue where vaulting can cause the weapon model to disappear.
There is an issue in Ambush where some players do not see the VIP spawn with the correct model.
There is an issue where the PlayStation and Microsoft stores cannot be opened if the player owns all available gear sets.
The interaction prompt for the weapon crate may show incorrectly after restarting the game when using the ‘Modern’ controller layout.
DLC:
We are aware that there are DLC’s that are not unlocking for some players. We see your messages and understand the frustration you have with this situation. Thank you for your patience as we work to rectify the issue!
Days Gone director Jeff Ross has been the subject of many headlines recently owing to his statements regarding the game, its never-realized sequel, and how it was treated as a “big disappointment” by upper management despite selling eight million copies in its one and a half years in the market. He is not yet done revealing more, it seems, as Ross spoke in an interview admitting that one boss fight in Days Gone was “terrible,” and that several pacing issues in the game were due to the budget constraints.
In an interview with USA Today, Ross shares his experiences on some of the AI and boss fights in the game, stating:
“A lot of that stuff, like the Skizzo boss fight at the end, is terrible. But we had to button everything up as best we could with the systems that we had. Scripting AI was really hard. With the stealth sections, we had to maintain the sense of ‘they will shoot on sight’, but we didn’t necessarily want to have a shootout because the player couldn’t kill them. That was the only thing I could really figure out to do, and we tried a lot of stuff. For the sequel, those are the types of things I wouldn’t do. I didn’t want to do them here. I kind of had to, but we have the data now.”
Of course, this is all conjecture now after he revealed recently that the game’s sequel was dead in the water with the departure of Shawn Layden from Sony. He did, however, goes on to share a bit of the studio’s troubles with budget constraints. In particular, the interview highlighted earlier quests in the game, which seemed to be barebones in comparison to others:
“The cinematics and the VO were captured early. We were bound by it. We couldn’t go back and reshoot. The beautiful thing about the story is it’s very interwoven. And that’s what makes things impossible to cut. Like, ‘Okay, this thing with Boozer wasn’t a lot of fun. Let’s make it as minimal as possible.’ But we needed it to connect the dots between a lot of this story material, but it couldn’t be lifted out of it. It’s a blessing and a curse, having a story like that. I hate to say the Donald Rumsfeld quote – ‘you go to war with the army you have, not the army you want’ – but it’s true.”
It would have been very interesting to see how Ross and Bend Studio tackle the potential sequel, but for all intents and purposes it would seem that there is no Days Gone 2 on the horizon. In related news, Ross also mentions that he was not interested in another Syphon Filter game, and you can read the details on that here.
Activision surprises once again with their first major update for 2022 for Call of Duty (COD) Vanguard and Warzone, as the popular manga and anime series Attack on Titan will be collaborating with the games. Set to be available later this month, the collaboration is coinciding with the second half of Attack on Titan’s final season, and you can check out more details on it below.
Here are the details as per the official Call of Duty blog:
TATAKAE!
In this bundle to be released as part of the midseason update, Daniel Yatsu will don the legendary Survey Corps gear.
This epic collaboration will officially become available on January 20, approximately one week after a midseason update for Vanguard and Warzone Pacific that will include a new Operator, a new weapon, additional content for Zombies, various bug fixes, and more.
The Vanguard update will be available to download on January 11, at 9 PM PT, while the Warzone Pacific update can be downloaded starting on January 12 at 9 PM PT.
The Tracer Pack: Attack on Titan — Levi Edition Bundle
In celebration of Attack on Titan’s final season, Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone Pacific players can become a Survey Corps member through the Tracer Pack: Attack on Titan — Levi Edition Bundle.
This 10-item Store Bundle is not just for superfans of the franchise; it has the style and firepower to become a leader among soldiers, just like Levi Ackerman.
One of the most notable additions to this Bundle is the “Titan Piercer,” a Weapon Blueprint that models the very blade that can slay Titans. Made of ultrahard steel, the only material that can cut through Titan flesh, this one-edge blade is more than capable of slicing through squads with ease.
Also available in the Bundle is the Legendary “Steel Cut” Finishing Move, as well as the Vanguard-exclusive “Vertical Maneuver” Highlight Intro and the “Ultrahard Steel” MVP Highlight.
Although any Operator can wield these weapons, Sgt. Daniel of the Hellhounds will be fully geared up for battle with the “Survey Corps” Operator Skin included in this Bundle. Fashioned in the style of Survey Corps gear worn by Captain Levi Ackerman, this new outfit is perfect for leading your squad to victory in Caldera or elsewhere, like the incredibly skilled, yet humble badass Levi is.
New Operator: Isabella Rosario Dulnuan Reyes Completes Task Force 006 Trident
A devastating invasion. A parent lost. A vow for revenge.
This is the story of Isabella Rosario Dulnuan Reyes, the final Operator on Task Force 006 Trident arriving before the end of Season One.
Isabella was trained in the martial arts as a young girl by her father. After his death, she continued to hone her skills on those who drove her into a local resistance. After the war, she joined Trident alongside Francis and Lewis to uncover Caldera’s secrets, acting as the close-quarters battle (CQB) specialist with extreme proficiency with a new weapon for the Vanguard arsenal.
New SMG: Welgun
The Favorite Weapon of Trident’s Isabella, the Welgun is the prototypical SMG whose raw statistics slot it between the Owen Gun and the weapon that the British army chose over it: the Sten.
In Multiplayer, it can reliably down targets in four shots — or three, with a shot to a vital area mixed in — within a category-standard effective range. The available .380 and .25 ACP magazine attachments can either make it a powerful three-to-two shot machine or a faster-firing and more accurate weapon, respectively.
Vanguard Zombies Updates, Presented by Treyarch
Several major updates to Vanguard’s Zombies experience will appear in 2022, with Treyarch outlining the immediate additions to the mode and future plans in their most recent blog.
These include the introduction of never-ending classic gameplay to “Shi No Numa” in the new Void Objective, unlocked access to Von List’s Office in Stalingrad, four new tiers of Artifact upgrades at the Tome of Rituals, three unique Pack-a-Punch camos, and more. The Combat Shield and craftable Support Killstreaks are also being added to the mix, along with weapon unlock challenges for the Katana and new Welgun SMG, plus plenty of content in the works for Season Two.
More Intel Coming Soon from Sledgehammer, Raven
Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software, in addition to Beenox, High Moon Studios, and Toys for Bob among others, are committed to supporting Vanguard and Warzone Pacific during Season One and beyond, actively listening to concerns, bugs, and requested features from the community.
You can read more on the upcoming Attack on Titan and COD Vanguard and Warzone collaboration via the official blog post. In other Call of Duty news, the latest Warzone patch included nerfs to Double Barrels, and you can check out the full patch notes here.
Ubisoft will finally release one of its most critically-acclaimed trilogies on the Nintendo Switch, with Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection securing a February 17 release date for the platform. Originally released for the PS4 and Xbox One back in November 2016, this enhanced compilation of the games chronicling the life and journey of Ezio Auditore da Firenze will finally be available on a console you can play at home and on the go!
If you’re new to the franchise, here’s the overview of what The Ezio Collection contains via press release.
Assassin’s Creed II. In this opus, players will embody Ezio, a new Assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears through Renaissance Italy, including Florence and Venice. Thrive in an environment rich with power, revenge and conspiracy, as they hone their art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci himself. All solo DLC is available along with the single-player campaign.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Playing as Ezio is in an enduring struggle against the powerful Templar Order, all fans will journey into Italy’s most renowned city, Rome, center of power, greed, and corruption. This will require not only strength, but leadership, as they will command an entire Brotherhood who will rally to their side. All solo DLC is available along with the single-player campaign.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations.In this game, Ezio must leave his life behind in search of answers. Players will walk in the footsteps of their legendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey of discovery and revelation. This perilous path takes them to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threaten to destabilize the region. All solo DLC is available along with the single-player campaign.
Extra Bonus: two Films about Ezio. In addition to gameplay, this collection also includes two short films that dive even deeper into Ezio’s story, Assassin’s Creed Lineage® and Assassin’s Creed Embers™.
If you’ve been a longtime player of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla just dropped its latest patch update and you can read all the details on that here.
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection arrives for Nintendo Switch this February 17.
Bungie has released the Destiny 2 update 1.033 patch for last-gen and next-gen platforms this January 11, and this is for hotfix 3.4.0.2! There’s a load of improvements and changes which are listed in the patch notes.
Bungie has deployed the first Destiny 2 patch of 2022! The studio has released the Destiny update 2.38 patch this January 11, and this is for hotfix 3.4.0.2! This brings a host of gameplay improvements regarding activities,weapons, armors and more, which are detailed in the Destiny 2 January 11 patch notes.
Fixed an issue in Iron Banner and Momentum Control playlists where capturing a zone on certain maps did not reward Super energy and show “zone captured” text.
Iron Banner Freelance node now properly displays the longer respawn time setting.
DARES OF ETERNITY
Lowered recommended Power level to 1100.
Fixed an issue where players could be auto launched into Dares of Eternity before acquiring a Heavy weapon.
Additional physics objects are cleaned up between rounds to prevent crashes during long Dares sessions.
Fixed an issue where rewards level (platinum, etc) would be displayed at the end of the activity in regular difficulty.
PRESAGE EXOTIC MISSION
Fixed an issue preventing players from interacting with datapads within the Presage Exotic mission. Datapads and their connected compartments/chests must be accessed in order as players move through the Glykon.
In addition to this fix, the weekly lockout for earning lore book pages for Presage completions was removed. Players will now earn one lore book page per activity completion without any weekly lockout. This should allow players to finish the lore book in the time remaining before The Witch Queen launches.
DUNGEON: GRASP OF AVARICE
Fixed an area where players can get out of the environment in Sunken Lair.
Added geometry to prevent exploiting an encounter by completing it without engaging its mechanics.
LOST SECTORS
Fixed an issue where some of the Champions in the Chamber of Starlight lost sector were not counting towards the total for the purpose of calculating rewards, allowing players to skip them and still achieve platinum.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Fixed an issue where public event rally flags would not fully regenerate Super energy for Supers in the longer cooldown tiers.
UI/UX
Updated Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia colorblind modes default colors to make it easier to distinguish between combatant health bars.
Fixed an issue where some emblems were not displaying properly.
Fixed an issue where some emblems were not displaying correct art.
GAMEPLAY AND INVESTMENT
ARMOR
Fixed an issue where Icefall Mantle could be activated immediately after Glacial Guard fell off the Titan.
WEAPONS
Added guaranteed drops of Dreaming City weapons from completing the Blind Well event.
Fixed an issue where Forerunner’s catalyst was missing a description string when viewed in the Exotic catalysts menu.
Fixed an issue where Forerunner would spawn with 11 ammo in pvp when running Sidearm Reserves mods.
Sidearm Reserves mod has now been re-enabled.
Fixed an issue where the Poison Wings Spread ornament for Le Monarque had an arrow permanently nocked when stowed.
Fixed an issue where the Braytech M6 ornament for Forerunner caused the weapon’s reticle to shrink when aiming down sights.
ACCESSORIES
Fixed an issue where The Gray Hornet Sparrow’s left pipe wouldn’t fire
ABILITIES
Fixed an issue where the Shadowshot and Silence and Squall Supers were not in the correct passive cooldown tiers.
Fixed an issue where Shatterdive was costing a melee charge on successfully shattering a Stasis crystal with the landing detonation.
Fixed an issue where Frontal Assault was activating when the player attacked dead objects with a charged melee.
BOUNTIES AND PURSUITS
Fixed an issue where Weekly Starhorse Bounties could only be completed on one character.
Fixed an issue that could lead to players being unable to obtain the “Magnum Opus II” quest from Xur even after meeting the correct conditions.
GENERAL
Fixed an issue where certain Sparrow engine VFX would fail to play.
Fixed an issue where the emblem “The Metal, The Flow” could not be reclaimed in collections if discarded.
Fixed an issue where the item representing the Moments of Triumph T-shirt could never be discarded.
Players who previously completed the Twitch Gift Subscriptions Bounty and did not receive the Watcher’s Shade shader can now claim it from Amanda Holliday in the Tower.
The emblem Dreissigste, which is earned by completing Twitch Gift Subscription Bounties, now appears in Collections for players who have unlocked it.
Fixed issue causing the perks on Banshee-44’s Legendary weapons to reroll on Wednesdays after the weekly reset.
Wicked Overgrowth shader now displays properly in collections when acquired.
Fixed an issue on the Roster that could cause Destiny 2 to close in circumstances where many friends or clan mates cycled online states in a short window of time.
The fix for this issue may introduce a minor performance hit for players with many friends or clan mates. The team is already working on a fix to improve this performance hit.
It’s Tuesday, and that means another heaping of activities are live for players to complete in Destiny 2 are now live! The new Destiny 2 weekly reset January 11, 2022 refresh of activities is now live along with the Eververse rotation of items for sale. Read on for the full info for this week.
New Destiny 2 Weekly Reset January 11, 2022 and Eververse Rotation:
In case you missed it, Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 underwent a patch today, and you can read some of the changes made in this latest patch below.
Dares of Eternity
Lowered recommended Power level to 1100.
Fixed an issue where players could be auto launched into Dares of Eternity before acquiring a Heavy weapon.
Additional physics objects are cleaned up between rounds to prevent crashes during long Dares sessions.
Fixed an issue where rewards level (platinum, etc) would be displayed at the end of the activity in regular difficulty.
Presage Exotic Mission
Fixed an issue preventing players from interacting with datapads within the Presage Exotic mission. Datapads and their connected compartments/chests must be accessed in order as players move through the Glykon.
In addition to this fix, the weekly lockout for earning lore book pages for Presage completions was removed. Players will now earn one lore book page per activity completion without any weekly lockout. This should allow players to finish the lore book in the time remaining before The Witch Queen launches.
Dungeon: Grasp of Avarice
Fixed an area where players can get out of the environment in Sunken Lair.
Added geometry to prevent exploiting an encounter by completing it without engaging its mechanics.
Savathun is gearing up to be one of the most sinister antagonists in the franchise of Destiny 2, as the new trailer for Destiny 2 The Witch Queen explores her terrible Throne World filled with dangers lying in wait for all Guardians! Check out the 90 second trailer below for a small taste of what awaits players in The Witch Queen once it releases this February.
The new trailer for Destiny 2 The Witch Queen shows off more of Savathun’s Throne World, which will be the brand-new location for the expansion. As Savathun has somehow managed to gain control of the Light, it is up to the Guardians to take it back and prevent the Witch Queen from using it against Humanity. Here are some more details courtesy of the new trailer:
A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savathûn’s Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of terrifying power. From the foundation of her glistening palace to the gnarled roots in the swamp, all that she hides can be found here. Seek the truth and learn that in this place, mystery makes its home in both the Darkness and the Light.
Destiny 2 The Witch Queen is releasing on February 22, 2022 across all platforms.
Frontier Developments has released the Elite Dangerous update 1.63 patch this January 11 on all platforms. This hotfix patch fixes several issues, and you can check the full patch notes below.
Elite Dangerous Update 1.63 Patch Notes:
Greetings Commanders.
Hope you’re having a really lovely Tuesday so far.
Hoping this will be a small sparkle of good news for Horizons players today – here to listen and chat as we go, time and duties allowing (thanks for your patience).
Elite Dangerous Horizons Commanders on both PC and Consoles (PS and Xbox) will today recieve a small Hotfix to deploy, in order to address a number of outstanding issues.
Elite Dangerous: Horizons servers for both PC and Console Commanders will NOT require extended server downtime, just a simple relog of the client to apply the hotfix.
The hotfix will be available at approximately 11:00am UTC
Updates of note:
Unable to edit fire groups.
If your ship had modules that fell under the Utility category, you were unable to set your fire groups because navigation within the fire groups tab did not work.
Once again, really sorry for the inconvenience of this.
Multi-Limpet Controller Module Mass is too high.
Following reports from Commanders, it was agreed that the mass of the multi-limpet controller module needed to be addressed and dropped quite significantly. This was fixed for Odyssey, however the fix remained outstanding for Horizons only players. This is now addressed across the board.
Clearer indication via UI when reward modules will/will not allow experimental effects.
It will now be clearer for Commanders to identify whether their newly acquired CG Reward Modules can be further modified, via the modifications UI panel.
The Class C Operations Multi Limpet Controller was incorrectly showing as Class F.
This has now been addressed for Horizons Commanders.
Known Issues:
I’m going to reuse my latest one here from the last catch-up thread again, plus a couple of additional notes and points collected since.
Credit Balance Not Updating On Ship System Panel When Performing Any Balance-Changing Action (Buying/Selling Commodities, Missions etc.) Until After Relog.
Checked internally for both Commodity Market changes and rewards from missions. Credit balances update only with a relog.
It was also mentioned to me (thanks Piglet) that:
“Fines are also not appearing until you do a relog to main menu. You can be wanted, have outstanding fines but when you go to the administrators office to pay them it says you have no fines. Issue only rectifies when you log out of the game and log back in.”
I’ve passed the additional information along which will help further (potentially! I’ll take it!) with the issue, as it sounds like it’s got a high chance of being connected. Even if it’s not, it’d obviously good to look into it.
The common heavy hitters/some fallout from Update 9 across Horizons AND Odyssey (as in, I’ve lumped a bunch together) which are always worthy of noting are listed, but not limited to, the below:
[Bumped] Issues with the XG9 Lance (targetting and ammo).
[Bumped] Tracking down further clarity on issues continuing to be reported around Thermal Conduit.
[Bumped] Tracking down further clarity on Anti-Aliasing issue progress.
Investigations on reports of performance issues continue.
Continued reports of stability issues on console, particularly PS5 but also on Xbox.
Starting Frameshift makes the game freeze/lock.
Unable to access Session Logs.
Disconnect/suspended in Supercruise.
Hostile ships appear incorrectly (as non-hostile) on the radar.
Commanders are unable to use the Profile Analyser to clone the profile of NPC corpses.
Remaining issues with fire groups in Odyssey and Horizons:
For example: “Empty fire groups surrounded by populated fire groups do not automatically clear”.
Remaining issues around fire groups continue to be logged and investigated internally (thank you for your reports and thoughts!).
Empty Facilities lists for Stations in the system map.
Inconsistency with Codex entries.
“Floating” Guardian Materials at Guardian Sites were sighted and logged.
The Scorpion turret remains to be inheriting textures/decals from the ground that dance/parallax across it. Texture movement is at its worst when the SRV itself is in motion.
Instances of the Odyssey On-foot tutorial being unable to be completed due to it not finishing.
Occasionally, when the player disembarks, the game will display ‘ Board the Dropship’ even though Dylan leaves the port. The player can then go into the concourse of the social space, but nothing will work as it should as they’re not supposed to be here.
[Noted] 10 mins prior to Fleet Carrier jump, the dialogue “Jump is Complete” plays.
