June 2023

The Quest 3 VR headset has just been officially announced by Meta, and with that comes a new look at its release date, price and specifications.

Consumers will now get to see some of the improvements over the previous Quest 2, Meta’s latest entry into the virtual reality space. The new headset will be coming in fall 2023 and will be releasing with a price tag of $499.99.

The new headset will come with 128 GB of storage and will be using a next-gen Snapdragon chip that Meta claims will allow the Quest 3 to be twice as powerful as the previous Meta Quest 2. The Quest 3 will also be utilizing this more powerful chip for its improved augmented reality features that allow for high-fidelity colors and accurate spatial awareness, which should make the experience clearer than ever before.

The hardware of the headset is also going to be seeing some upgrades. The physical body will be 40% slimmer than the previous Meta Quest 2, aiming for more comfort and mobility while playing. The controllers are getting a redesign with the omission of the tracking rings around your hands and the addition of improved haptics, which should provide a more immersive experience than the previous controllers.

FIFA 23 developers EA have quietly implemented a widespread FIFA Point price increase ahead of the transition to EA Sports FC. The changes were first noticed on June 1, rolling out to players on all platforms on that date. While most players are now seeing the changes in-game, EA have not commented publicly on the changes. Needless to say, they’re not popular with players.

FIFA Points have long been a contentious topic in the FIFA series. They allow players to convert real-life money into Points that can be used to buy in-game packs or cosmetics. There is no way for players to legitimately buy coins in Ultimate Team, with such practices banned and strictly policed by EA.

For a long time, FIFA Point prices have remained the same – with the only real variance in them a result of currency fluctuations. However, widespread increases to the in-game currency were implemented on June 1, seeing the cost of FIFA Point packages in certain currencies in FIFA 23 increase.

The changes are believed to be part of a wider EA move to adjust in-game currency costs to reflect real life currency conditions. For example, GBP prices in Apex Legends have also been increased. Other currencies, like EUR and USD, have not been changed across EA titles. It’s not entirely clear which currencies have been affected, with EA still fairly quiet on the matter.

It’s probably best to check your store on any EA title you play to see if your local currency has been affected.

Warzone 2 DMZ players have again criticized the mode’s upcoming reset, due to arrive with Season 4 on June 14.

On May 31, Infinity Ward revealed a series of changes coming to DMZ with Season 4. Among new missions and yet-to-be-announced content, it confirmed that a mode reset will drop, similar to the one players experienced with Season 2. It’ll reset contraband, key, and mission inventories as well as Insured Weapon Slots.

While it’s a fairly established approach, especially in extraction shooters (see Escape From Tarkov ‘wipes’), it doesn’t appear to have gone down well with CoD’s player base, many of whom consider it reversing the progress they’ve made by playing DMZ.

It’s certainly a new mechanic for Call of Duty, with players used to new seasons simply building on their previous progress, rather than resetting aspects of their profiles.

Among the most prominent critics was YouTuber Mr Dalek, who tweeted: “IW have just announced that EVERYTHING is getting reset in DMZ with Season 4”, alongside a meme of Captain America saying “Damn it not again.” 

Spider-Man games never fail when it comes to skins. The first Marvel’s Spider-Man had a massive number of options for players to choose from, from original outfits to fan-favorite costumes, some of which were released 3 years after the game’s debut. Since we can’t stop thinking of the sequel’s gameplay reveal in the last PlayStation Showcase, we’re also daydreaming about what we’ll be wearing besides the symbiote suit… Will all 45 skins from the previous game come back? It’s still uncertain if they will be unlockable for those who didn’t play the original game and available for those who completed it, but either way, one thing is for sure: Insomniac will want to top that number. Here are 10 suits we can’t wait to web-swing with in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

The next season of Splatoon 3, called Sizzle Season 2023, official begins on June 1. Along with the new season comes a free update to the game that brings plenty of new content. This update is rather large and packed with new features, and you might not be familiar with everything included. Here is everything new in the Splatoon 3 Sizzle Season 2023 for you to enjoy.

Out of all the weapons in Tears of the Kingdom, many players believe the spear is one of the most OP tools in the game, given its unmatched strength. However, several Reddit users have claimed that it’s actually the least potent item according to its damage modifiers.

Reddit user fallen_corpse goes in-depth about this tool, explaining the inaccurate weapon stats. For example, although the spear is listed at 35 damage with 25 HP Bokoblin, its modifiers suggest a 25 percent weaker attack.

Based on the player’s tests, light weapons initiate a 1.00 damage modifier, and heavy ones have a slight advantage of 1.05, which is five percent stronger than what was listed. Last but not least, spears showcase the weakest results with .75 stats.

With the upcoming launch of Call of Duty MW2 and Warzone 2 Season 4, Infinity Ward has revealed several new additions for DMZ, reinvigorating the current version for the next phase.

Like Season 2, you can expect a fresh start with the following update to accommodate the new missions and upgrades. Faction progress will also be reset to make room for another ability in Faction [CLASSIFIED].

Contraband weapons, keys, and other mission-related inventories will be removed from your slots. However, you can still hold onto resources like Blueprints, Skins, and Calling Cards. Although Insured Weapon Slots will be reset, you can look forward to the latest unlocking system for these guns.

Legend of Zelda fans have constructed many elaborate builds for their Tears of the Kingdom journey, from powerful helicopters to indestructible mechs. So, now that the game has been out for a while, building designs have tremendously improved as players familiarize themselves with the Ultrahand ability.

One of the newest creations is the cruise missile weapon that allows you to launch an explosive attack from a considerable distance. Reddit user twolf201 constructed this build successfully using the robust Zonai materials.

The magic of Disney Dreamlight Valley has continued to spread throughout the lands as the 2023 Content Roadmap races out onto the track.

You’ll see new but familiar faces added to the character collection, with Wreck-It Ralph’s Vanellope von Schweetz for the Summer update and Beauty and the Beast’s Belle for the September release. These residents of the Valley were previously hinted at in other announcements, especially with Belle’s appearance on the cover art and the racing tease from the first roadmap.

This article is sponsored by 2bytes.

On May 18, 2023, an exhilarating announcement was made by Pentapeak Studios, a branch of 2bytes Corp. The revelation was regarding Space Gears, a cutting-edge sci-fi strategy game expected to redefine the genre’s landscape by pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional gameplay.

Space Gears unfolds in the 22nd century and assigns players the roles of explorers and leaders venturing into the colossal task of terraforming Mars. The players are also charged with managing Martian resources, embarking on various research initiatives, and constructing advanced mechanized units. The game sets itself apart by marrying strategic gameplay with MOBA elements, creating a dynamic battlefield that’s designed to hook players with its compelling storyline and immersive gaming environment.

Overwatch 2 is ready to launch the first-ever Pride event in the game, starting June 1, 2023. This is no surprise to many, as Overwatch 2 has always aimed to hold a diverse and inclusive cast of Heroes that many people worldwide can relate to and identify with. However, after revealing the sexualities of two more characters in preparation for Overwatch 2’s Pride event and celebration, many more fans have found themselves pleasantly surprised.

As it turns out, these two characters are none other than Pharah (lesbian) and Baptiste (bisexual), making them both the most recently-confirmed members of the LGBTQ+ Overwatch 2 roster, joining Tracer, Lifeweaver, and Soldier: 76 proudly. The Overwatch 2 team has released a new short story, ‘As You Are,’ focusing on Pharah, Baptiste, and their identities.

While Pharah and Baptise are, without a doubt, a welcome addition to Overwatch 2’s LGBTQ+ roster, some players may be less surprised than others to see this announcement. This is because some subtle hints have previously been given about both of these heroes.

Firstly, Blizzard themselves stated in the announcement that Pharah has always been speculated by the fanbase to be an LGBTQ+ character, primarily due to the popularity of the fictional ‘Pharmercy’ ship (Pharah + Mercy). Baptiste has also recently had some intrigue from fans directed to his sexuality due to some flirty voice lines he shares with Season 4’s latest support addition, Lifeweaver.

Remember last week when rumours began swirling that we'd get new trailers from the numerous Silent Hill projects "really soon, before June"? Well, we did, albeit just one thus far – Silent Hill: Ascension.

Ascension was one of the more mysterious projects announced alongside the news that Bloober Team was remaking Silent Hill 2, and there's not been much else said about it since, despite the release date originally pointing to early 2023.

Now, however, we've got an "official trailer" – which is more than we had last time – and confirmation that it's still on track to release at some point later this year.

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Microsoft is reportedly considering withdrawing Activision from the UK in a bid to bypass the country's merger block.

According to a new Bloomberg (£) and spotted by VGC, Microsoft president Brad Smith plans to meet UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to discuss firsthand the company's frustration at the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision to block the $69bn acquisition.

Though in the UK for a talk about regulating AI, Smith also hopes to hold private discussions with the Chancellor, including, according to a spokesperson, "the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard as we remain committed to finding creative and constructive ways to address remaining regulatory concerns".

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Microsoft has allegedly stepped in and deleted an Xbox achievement after players complained that it was unobtainable.

Casual farming sim Homestead Arcana came to Xbox Game Pass in April, complete with the usual 30+ achievements that reward working your way through the game's story and various activities.

However, it didn't take long for players to realise that one of the achievements – called "You Can't Be Too Prepared" – was proving difficult to complete, as it requires players to craft every item in the game at least once.

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It's the not-E3 and Summer Game Fest season, which means we'll be seeing lots of new game announcements coming in the next few weeks. It happens every June, after all. Nintendo has its Directs. Microsoft and Sony hold their showcases. A lot of stuff comes up, and rumors end up flying. So let's discuss what we want to hopefully hear about and see this year.

Listen, I know we just got a Fire Emblem game, but I'd really like to see a Nintendo announcement involving a new one during its not-E3/Summer Game Fest Nintendo Direct. We've heard rumors about Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War coming back for it feels like years. It'd also be fantastic to see a Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn remaster on the Switch. I just want more tactical times, please. -- Jenni

As a known lover of little plastic space men, I'm hoping for another look at Saber Interactive's Space Marine 2. Chopping aliens into chunks as big meat-slab of a man wearing half a car was great fun in Relic Entertainment's original. A return of the multiplayer horde mode would also be fantastic. -- Elliot

Last week Disney laid off 75 employees from animation studio Pixar, and among those affected were some long-time, senior personnel. That includes Angus MacLane, director of Lightyear (who had been there for 26 years) and producer Galyn Susman, famous for being the person who “saved” Toy Story 2.

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EA Sports and Nike announced yesterday that, at some point in the “future”, games like FIFA and Madden will feature integration with .Swoosh, which Nike describes as its “new digital community experience”.

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These days the term 'bullet hell' gets thrown around a little too enthusiastically, and not only in the 2D shooter space.

Thanks to the genre's now entrenched renaissance, the label has transcended its former status as part of the lexicon of a niche online community, evolving into part of the everyday language of gaming more broadly. And so it is that marketers today eagerly pack press releases with claims that a new FPS or roguelike action-RPG brings 'bullet hell' delights.

In truth, 'bullet hell' describes a very specific type of shooter, where overwhelmingly dense curtains of enemy firepower, diminutive hitboxes, aggressive difficulty, cavernous scoring complexity and frenetic pacing are all present. Others might tell you that a certain visual style defined by ornate pixel-based sprite work and gaudy firepower are equally defining.

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As players continue to dig into the vast world of Hyrule in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, new discoveries and inventions surface every day.

The newest of these discoveries are two unused paraglider fabrics, found by dataminers.

Fabrics can be taken to the dye shop in Hateno Village, where you can customise your glider with different designs. While some fabrics can be gained by completing side quests, others are (annoyingly) locked behind scanning Amiibo.

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Sony's chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida has warned that cloud gaming is technically "very tricky" but the company is up for taking on the challenge.

Sony will study "various options" around streaming games, even using its AI agent GT Sophy to enhance cloud gaming, said Yoshida in an interview with the Financial Times.

"I think cloud itself is an amazing business model, but when it comes to games, the technical difficulties are high," said Yoshida. "So there will be challenges to cloud gaming, but we want to take on those challenges."

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Street Fighter 6 is off to a strong start, and has clocked up a million players already following its launch weekend.

Capcom announced the player milestone via Twitter this morning, and celebrated the news with a piece of congratulatory artwork - which you can see above.

Total sales for the Street Fighter series to date have now exceeded 50m units, Capcom also said.

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Microsoft marketing exec Aaron Greenberg has teased what fans should expect to see - and what they won't - at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct, coming as part of this year's Summer Games Fest 2023.

Responding to Xbox fans via Twitter, Greenberg said that "none of our first-party games in the show are full CG trailers". There will also be "no movie or TV show trailers in our games show," he added.

Sony was criticised by some fans for using CG footage in its recent PlayStation Showcase. That event also included a trailer for Sony's upcoming Gran Turismo movie.

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Developer S-Game has stated that its upcoming game Phantom Blade Zero will have no gacha mechanics or microtransactions, and will focus on being "approachable" whilst incorporating some Souls-like elements.

Phantom Blade Zero was officially announced a couple of weeks ago at Sony's PlayStation Showcase, where it gained attention for its slick wuxia-influenced combat and Souls-esque vibes.

The plot follows Soul, an elite assassin for an organisation known as The Order, as he attempts to track the person who framed him for killing the The Order's patriarch on limited time. S-Game made the comments on what players can expect in its Discord server through a series of developer Q&As.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opened in cinemas this weekend and includes a short snippet of footage of Insomniac's forthcoming Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

What's more, Insomniac community director James Stevenson has confirmed that the footage is brand new.

When fans on Resetera noted the footage wasn't in the recent PlayStation Showcase trailer, Stevenson replied: "It is new".

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Microsoft announced last month that it would be holding an Xbox Games Showcase this month, immediately followed by a Starfield Direct focused exclusively on Bethesda Game Studios' upcoming sci-fi RPG. According to the vice president of Xbox games marketing at Microsoft Aaron Greenberg, during the showcase, none of the company's first-party games will be "full CG trailers," as reported by GamesRadar. 

He goes on to explain this means every first-party trailer will be "either in-game footage, in-engine footage, or in-game footage with some cinematic" and each trailer will be labeled appropriately so it's clear what we're looking at. Greenberg tweeted this in response to someone poking fun at showcase tendencies to rely heavily on CGI trailers. 

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter's #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday, I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, we're even heavier on vibes and moods than usual, and with only one retro-styled FPS for once! The vibes are plentiful and they are powerful and I hope you enjoy this latest selection of interesting and attractive indie games.

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Once again, there will be a tie-in drink with a Final Fantasy game. There will be a Pxl Final Fantasy XVI Eikon Elixir energy drink. The official press release noted it will be sold in Sweden starting on June 21, 2023. Apparently a single can will be 20kr, while The Pxl Shop is selling a case of 24 for 449kr.

Apparently, the Pxl Final Fantasy XVI Eikon Elixir energy drink will taste like blueberry and raspberry. It will feature B6, caffeine, magnesium, and zinc. The can features both Clive and Ifrit on it. Also, there will be a QR code on the back that can be scanned to be directed to the upcoming demo.

Here's a closer look at the can, as well as the in-store marketing that will feature Clive and Joshua.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="966567,966566" link="file"]

This is an incredibly common kind of tie-in for a Final Fantasy game. For example, Jones Soda did something similar for Final Fantasy XV. There was a Wiz's Energizing Elixir sold at launch. (It was basically orange soda.) There are also such things in Japan. Suntory sold a Final Fantasy VII: 10th Anniversary Potion.

There's yet another Final Fantasy VII Rebirth comment, and this time it suggests people who missed Remake will have a way to still catch up in part 2. Co-Director Motomu Toriyama is behind the latest bit of developer commentary. In his part, he noted there are "preparations" in place in case someone starts the second entry in the new trilogy without having played the first.

Here's the full statement. It doesn't mention exactly what those "preparations" might be. It could be something like an in-game catch-up system that details the events of the first installment.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Developer comment number 4#FF7R pic.twitter.com/vsmJZvDljw

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) June 5, 2023

A third comment also appeared on June 4, 2023. It noted that part 2 of Final Fantasy VII Remake would focus on “each character’s destiny” during the story.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Developer comment number 3#FF7R pic.twitter.com/V111xHrWJZ

The first player to hit level 100 in Diablo 4's hardcore mode is streamer cArn_.

The streamer made the announcement on Twitter and has a Twitch clip of the moment in question, which Diablo community manager PezRadar has responded to in congratulations (thanks GamesRadar).

Ahead of the game's early release on Friday, Blizzard announced a "race event" where the first 1000 players to reach level 100 on hardcore difficulty will be "immortalised on a statue of Lilith". Now we know the first.

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I didn't think I'd close out this week being best friends with a generator, but here we are. It may be the delirium talking – I'm tired and scared and endlessly seeing things that aren't really there in the gloom of the corridors (at least, I hope they're not really there?) – but as long as I'm in here, standing next to my warm, chattering chum, I think I'll be okay.

How distressing it is, then, to know that standing beside the generator for the next few hours would be little more than a death sentence. How awful it is to know that no matter how safe you feel here, listening to the rumble of the furnace, your very survival depends on getting out and exploring the warren of tunnels and rooms that spread out from your safe space like blood from a wound. For starters, you need more fuel to keep it running. There are passcodes to find and tools to recover. Bandages, too, are required to stop the blood gushing from your dirt-encrusted fingers. Because there will be blood at some point, comrade – it's perhaps the only certainty you have down here.

Amnesia: The Bunker does an admirable job of making the titular location feel like both your cell and your sanctuary and, like the generator, it too will soon begin to feel like an old friend. Though small and tight, its claustrophobic corridors devoid of light and hope, you'll find yourself boomeranging back to the places you recognise with a rush of adrenaline and hopeless gratitude. But its confined little world will unfurl, slowly, as you creep about the place, grabbing the right keys to unlock its secrets. So creep about you must.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to 2017's Breath of the Wild, and even before the game was released we knew some time had passed between the two.

How much time? That remains something of a mystery - and something Nintendo itself has shied away from providing any official timeline for.

However, I - and other fans - think we may have sussed it. Please note, there are some minor Tears of the Kingdom spoilers below.

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