There are gaming chairs, gaming keyboards, and gaming energy drinks. All that is old hat! In Japan, there are now mattresses for gamers.
That’s right, gaming mattresses! Japan’s Bauhutte has made its name by selling loungewear for gamers, as well as gaming desks, chairs, and even beds. The latest item it’s added to…
Off Topic is a weekly column, exclusive to premium subscribers, in which the Eurogamer team make recommendations and delve into subjects that have caught their eye outside of gaming.
Want to hear my origin story? Or part of it, anyway. At university in York in the 90s, I wrote for Vision, one of the two student newspapers - the big, award-winning, sort-of-upmarket, would-be Guardian one. It had a scrappier, punchier rival called Nouse.
Hello, happy Tuesday, and do I have some lovely news for you: the Eurogamer Podcast is back! And I hope you don't mind but I am your new host (or returning host, depending on how long you've been around Eurogamer).
The Podcast is something we've been able to put time into again because of the Eurogamer subscription launch. This means it's tied slightly to subscriptions, in that new episodes will be aired exclusively for Premium supporters for two weeks before being made available to all. And it'll be a fortnightly show. Episodes will be filmed, if you like videos, or available as audio-only files. (We are finalising audio hosting for early access supporters and will have that for you soon. Once public, you'll be able to listen from all the usual podcast places. For now, you can watch the episode as a video below.)
Universal Studios Japan's Super Nintendo World will be expanded with a huge new Donkey Kong-themed area, due in 2024.
The DK-themed land will boost the overall size of Universal Studios' Nintendo park by 70 per cent and include a new roller coaster among other attractions.
Disco Elysium comes out on Xbox alongside Nintendo Switch on 12th October, ZA/UM has confirmed.
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut launches on Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One on 12th October as a download, with a physical edition set for 9th November. It costs £34.99 from the Microsoft Store.
Activision Blizzard has agreed to set aside $18m for employees who experienced harassment and discrimination at the company.
The fund's creation is part of a settlement between Activision Blizzard and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which we heard last week was one of a number of organisations currently investigating the company.
Black Friday is coming! If you're looking to supercharge your computing and storage power then we've rounded up the best discounts on the most powerful SSDs all right here.
We've got all-rounders like the Samsung 970 Evo Plus, great for giving gaming PCs that extra boost, plus punchy portables such as the Crucial X8. No matter what you're looking for, we've got you covered on the very best deals - all-time-low prices from SATA to NVMe to External SSDs, in the UK and across the pond in the US. We'll also be highlighting deals on PS5 compatible SSDs including the Samsung 980 Pro, WD SN850 and more
343 has made Halo Infinite's next multiplayer preview available to everyone on Xbox.
The build for this weekend's technical preview is available to download via the Xbox Insider Hub now - but you don't have to be a Halo Insider to get in on the action, 343 said.
However, an official English announcement for the end of service has yet to be released.
The post SNK Allstar Will End Service in Late November appeared first on Siliconera.
Two new Monsties will arrive through two separate updates.
The post Monster Hunter Stories 2 Updates to Add Molten Tigrex and Dreadking Rathalos appeared first on Siliconera.
A gacha mechanic will appear in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.
The post Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp Will Have Microtransactions appeared first on Siliconera.
Sega urges players to wait on updating to the latest version of Windows until testing is complete.
The post PSO2 New Genesis Windows 11 Version is in Final Stages of Testing appeared first on Siliconera.
At long last, Amazon's MMO New World has launched. After multiple delays and two rather popular betas, folks can now jump onto the supernatural island of Aeternum and stay there for as long as they please. The EU servers are already live, with the rest of the world to follow throughout today. Do watch out if you're jumping in this morning though, because some players are reporting long queue times, while others are struggling to get into the queue in the first place.
As various UK agencies and organisations continue to regard microtransactions and loot boxes with escalating curiosity and suspicion, the Advertising Standards Authority have laid out new guidelines for advertising in-game in purchases. Basically, they think games should be clear about what they're selling and how much things cost in real money, and that advertising shouldn't pressure or mislead. The ASA are relatively toothless but fairly prolific, and their interest might lead to more official interest.
Activision Blizzard have agreed to create a claims fund of $18 million (£13m) for employees who experienced harm from "sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and/or related retaliation". This is part of a settlement with the USA's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), who had taken Actiblizz to court with allegations of those issues. This is only one of Activision Blizzard's current legal battles over alleged workplace problems, and not the big one you're probably thinking of. The company also had to agree to, like, not do any of those bad things—but the settlement is not an admission of guilt.
Today Izanagi Games released a new trailer of the escape game/bullet hell shoot ’em up hybrid Yurukill: The Calumniation Games.
We get another introduction of the whole cast (we recently saw their own trailers including Kristina Kobayashi, Allan Poe Akechi, Keiichi Oka, Hanaka Ichirin, Izane Akegarasu, Gentoku Omuro, Kagura Kagutsuchi, Raita Yamada, Futa Yamada, Sengoku Shunju, Rina Azami, and the host of the Yurukill Games, Binko), and we listen to the theme song “Black Innocence” performed by Rina’s voice actress Saori Hayami.
Atlus released another of its many trailers revealing the gameplay of one of the over 200+ demons that will be featured in its upcoming JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V.
The demon showcased today is Anzu, which has been part of the series since its debut in Shin Megami Tensei II in 1994.
You can watch the trailer below.
When I got my first look at WizKids’ latest premium figure, the five-headed evil Dragon Queen Tiamat, I couldn’t help but chuckle at what appeared to be an absurdly large figure – the early 3D rendering showed it positively dwarfing a 12oz soda can. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to (a) actually dwarf said coke can and (b) be one of the most impressive centerpiece miniatures I’ve seen in a long time.
WizKids recently joked that “it pushes things by calling this a mini,” and it weren’t kidding. The "mini" truly lives up to its Gargantuan size rating; weighing more than five pounds, the base it stands on alone is eight inches across (that’s 40 feet in tabletop D&D rules), which is twice the recommended size for a “Gargantuan” creature. The tallest of its five heads stands roughly eight inches tall, and its wingspan boosts its height to just over 14”an impressive 28” across at its farthest point. If I were a player in a Tyranny of Dragons campaign (the most recent official D&D adventure module prominently featuring Tiamat), I would likely have a minor heart attack if my Dungeon Master thwonk’ed this behemoth down on the table.
EA has removed Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy from FIFA 22 while the player is awaiting trial.
The publisher confirmed to Eurogamer that the French national team and Manchester City player has been removed from both squads in FIFA 22 and that his card has been pulled from appearing in Ultimate Team packs while he is awaiting trial.
"As Benjamin Mendy has been removed from the active rosters of both Manchester City and the French National team, in FIFA 22 he has also been removed from respective rosters and suspended from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) packs and Ultimate Draft while he is awaiting trial," EA told Eurogamer.
Club statement.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 26, 2021
The 27-year-old defender is accused of four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault that are alleged to have taken place at his home in Cheshire between October 2020 and August 2021. Last month, Manchester City released a statement confirming that Mendy had been suspended by the club pending an investigation.
After a string of high-profile failures, Amazon has its first video game hit on its hands with New World.
The £35 fantasy MMO launched today and has already shot past the half a million concurrent players mark on Steam, making it the second most-played game on Valve's platform behind only Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As you'd expect, the servers are struggling.
Black Friday 2021 is on the horizon, and there will soon be a slew of new deals across the net to savour. If you're planning on making a solid portable gaming setup, you'll want an excellent gaming laptop. Don't worry, we've gone out and assembled the best Black Friday gaming laptop deals for you to check out.
If you're planning to get the best laptop, you'll need to look into the CPU, graphics cards, RAM and storage space when finding yourself a pre-built machine. Software needs considering too, so it's best to have an idea of what you're looking for in a new laptop.
Fortnite has greatly increased the XP available from completing its daily quests and character questlines, in response to fan feedback on the game's new Cube-themed season.
Completing your daily quests will now net you almost double the XP, from 51k up to 90k XP, while new and future character punchcards will award 150k XP instead of 80k XP.
The New Yorker once ran a page of jokey and imaginary short-lived comic strips. I can only remember one: A Yank in the Luftwaffe. There was the yank in his plane, halfway through a dogfight. "What?" he says, or words to that effect. "The controls are all in German! I'm gonna crash!"
I thought about the Yank in the Luftwaffe for the first time in about twenty years the other day, when loading up Nauticrawl: 20,000 Atmospheres on my iPhone, where it's just come out. Nauticrawl is, I gather, a narrative roguelike about escaping from some awful society. None of that matters, though, because what it's really about for your first few minutes is trying to do that escaping when faced with a wall of terrifying dials.
Letter from the Editor is a new monthly column from our editor - a bit like the editorial on the first page of a magazine! - that's exclusive to all Eurogamer supporters.
Welcome, and thanks so much for supporting Eurogamer! In 22 years of operation, we've never asked our readers to pay to read us before - and you are one of the first to do us the honour. So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. It really does mean a lot.
It's a big day! We've just opened a supporter program for Eurogamer, enabling readers - for the first time in the site's 22-year history - to pay to read the site without ads and with many other benefits, including exclusive articles.
Subscriptions come in two tiers: Standard, priced at £3.99 / $4.99 per month, and Premium, which costs £5.99 / $7.99. You can save by buying yearly subscriptions.
The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling PlayStation console in UK history with over 1m sold.
GamesIndustry.biz reports Sony's console shot through the 1m sold mark in August, just 39 weeks after launch - and three weeks faster than the PlayStation 4.
Last week, a new report surrounding the Activision Blizzard lawsuit(s) came to light when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced an investigation into some of the publisher’s leading figures, including CEO Bobby Kotick. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has also been investigating the game publisher since September 2018, and yesterday the two entities reached an agreement in the form of a consent decree (and agreement to resolves a dispute between without admission of liability). This agreement still has to pass through court approvals, but according to a Kotaku report, this agreement also brings to light some other troubling monetary details regarding the salary of its CEO.
The new Pokemon Legends: Arceus trailer introduces some of the Warden characters and shows the player riding Pokemon around the world.
The post Pokemon Legends: Arceus Trailer Shows Characters, Pokemon Riding appeared first on Siliconera.
Both figures will be sized appropriately to their respective actual heights.
The post Demon Slayer Shinobu and Giyu Will Have Pop Up Parade Figures appeared first on Siliconera.
Donkey Kong themed attractions and areas will arrive sometime in 2024.
The post Universal Studios Japan Super Nintendo World to Add Donkey Kong Area in 2024 appeared first on Siliconera.
A year-long journey!
The post Genshin Impact Anniversary Web Event Launched appeared first on Siliconera.
NEO: The World Ends With You is out on PC today (via the Epic Games Store), and marks the grand return of a franchise that, despite a rabid fanbase and numerous re-releases, is only receiving its first sequel after 15 years. The original The World Ends With You impressed audiences on Nintendo DS as much for the game’s stylish Tokyo setting as it did for a unique battle system that saw players control multiple characters on multiple screens simultaneously. Yet what made this game really memorable was how it transformed the fashion and pop-cultural power of Shibuya into its own JRPG battle system. Your drip gave you strength, your armor made you a trendsetter, and the music and energy of the city were translated into a story about coming-of-age, self-worth and finding strength in yourself and your friends by embracing the things that make you unique.
Now, NEO: The World Ends With You has arrived, but this long-awaited sequel is far from a simple retread of what the first game did 15 years ago. Shibuya itself has changed a lot in the intervening years and it's fascinating to see how NEO's setting and its gameplay mechanics have evolved alongside it.
With graphics card prices being what they are, gaming laptops like the Gigabyte G5 have been making a lot more sense. Believe it or not, this particular model is – at £850 / $969 – one of the cheapest routes possible into a complete PC gaming system with Nvidia’s RTX ray tracing and DLSS powers.
A new Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer has just hatched, and alongside lots of new footage of the game, it reveals the existence of a whole new class of monsters: Noble Pokémon. The first of which is Kleavor.
Final Fantasy XIV, like most video games, is far from physically taxing despite the often-incredible feats performed by your character on-screen. But what if you, say, actually had to dance to get the Dancer job moving? Absolute madman Super Louis 64 answered this question earlier today, and the results are pretty…
This morning, the official Pokemon YouTube channel dropped a new trailer for the upcoming game Pokemon Legends: Arceus that highlights trainer customization, park wardens, and even a brand new Pokemon evolution.
In the nearly 3-minute long trailer, we learn about some of the faces we’ll encounter on our journey in the Hisui region. We can choose to play as either Akari or Rei, and in Jubilife Village, we’ll meet characters such as Professor Laventon, Commander Kamado, Captain Cyllene, Warden Mai, and more.
Each of them have a unique role to play in our adventure. More information on these trainers can be found on the Pokemon Legends official website.
We also see some in-depth character customization for our trainer in Pokemon Legends, which includes a variety of hairstyle and plenty of fashionable clothes that are representative of the Hisui region. After you’ve customized your trainer to your liking, you can opt to have a photo taken with your favorite Pokemon in a number of poses.
Finally, we learn about Noble Pokemon, which are unique to this region. Specifically, we see a new Pokemon called Kleavor, which is an evolution to Scyther. It’s a Bug- and Rock-type Pokemon, and here’s what the official Pokemon Legends website has to say about it:
Special minerals found in the Hisui region cause Scyther to evolve into this Pokémon. Parts of its body have hardened into stone. The stone parts often get chipped during fierce battles, and Kleavor that have survived many battles will display larger chipping across their bodies. However, the chipping actually makes these stone parts sharper, increasing their slicing power. It is said that the people of Hisui once used pieces of stone that had fallen from Kleavor to craft tools.
Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles is another 3D anime arena fighter from the developer behind the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, CyberConnect2, and it plays exactly as you’d expect. This can be a positive or a negative, but it’s all a matter of perspective.
Those who were looking for drastic changes to the Ultimate Ninja Storm formula will be sorely disappointed. But those who wanted similar gameplay with a Demon Slayer coat of paint on it will likely have their needs satisfied. For me, Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles just feels like more of the same, which makes it too predictable when looking past the flashy animations.
The game is certainly eye-catching, but so far, it lacks a real pull beyond the fact that it’s using the Demon Slayer property to create a playable experience.
Today Microsoft announced that the Dolby Vision Gaming feature is now available on Xbox Series X|S for those who have compatible TVs.
Over 100 HDR games either support it or will soon. On top of that, “thousands” of classic HDR10 and Auto HDR games are also said to benefit from improved image quality.
Here’s what you can expect from the feature:
“Starting today, gamers with compatible Dolby Vision-enabled TVs will be able to enjoy full-spectrum visuals with the rollout of Dolby Vision gaming on Xbox Series X|S. With Dolby Vision, epic worlds – such as lush rainforests or neon futuristic cities – are brought to life in more vivid color. Dolby Vision deepens your immersion into the experience by enabling you to see an enemy hiding in the shadows or spot hidden clues through expanded contrast and better clarity in both bright and dark scenes.
To ensure a growing library of games are available, Dolby and Xbox are working together closely with developers to provide the tools they need so their titles can take full advantage of Dolby Vision. They can do this through built-in features within the Xbox platform or they can choose to implement the technology directly into a game’s engine.
There are more than 100 next-gen HDR titles optimized for Series X|S that will feature Dolby Vision, and in the future you’ll see more games like Halo Infinite taking full advantage of Dolby Vision.
Get the complete Dolby experience with Dolby Atmos by downloading Dolby Access today. Pair with Xbox headphones for the ultimate spatial sound experience.
Square Enix has announced that Marvel’s Avengers is coming to Xbox Game Pass this week.
Revealed in an Xbox Wire post, Marvel’s Avengers will be added to Xbox Game Pass on September 30. It will be available across PC, console, and cloud.
The Xbox Game Pass version will be the complete package of all Marvel’s Avengers content so far, including Kate Bishop, Hawkeye, and the brand new Black Panther: War for Wakanda expansion.
The game's arrival on Game Pass will come just in time for the Quad XP event, which runs from September 30 to October 4, in celebration of the game’s one-year anniversary.
Earlier this year, Square Enix launched its looter shooter Outriders on Game Pass, and surpassed 3.5 million unique players in its first month. While it’s unclear how many of those players were on Xbox and Game Pass specifically, it may be that Square has realised the value that the subscription service can offer for this kind of game, and thus added Avengers to the roster.
