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XBOX SERIES X

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The Xbox Series X is almost upon us and we got the chance to give it an unboxing, firstly we have to say that the console is a thing of beauty! It’s a radical new design and is built to stand up but it can also be laid down flat. Though personally we think it looks best standing up!

There is lots to shout about about the new Xbox, for example, most importantly though, the Xbox Series X is the most powerful Xbox console to date! With 4K true gaming at up to 120 frames per second and 8K HDR (High Dynamic Range) Capabilities.

Optimised for Xbox Series X

Some games will be optimised for Xbox Series X and will come with the “Optimized for Series X” logo on the box.

What the icon means is that the game will include incredible load times and frame rates of up to 120 frames per second, giving players a much steadier framerate. All of these games will have been built natively using special Xbox Series X|S development environment. This also includes games that have been rebuilt specifically for the Xbox Series X|S. It means that the developers have gone that little extra mile to make sure that every aspect of the Xbox Series X|S has been utilised to give you the best experience available to you, no matter what Xbox you play on.

Being optimised also means that the console will be using the custom processor and Variable Rate Shading and hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing. Which will give players a more dynamic and realistic environment to play in. It means that you will get true to life lighting in your worlds and accurate reflections on things like walls and water, in real time too!

Load times will also be vastly decreased on optimised games as it will use the SSD and software, to help loading both in and out of games.

For a full list of ‘Optimized for Xbox Series X|S’ titles please click here!

Power

The Xbox Series X truly is POWERFUL. Inside the system is 12 teraflops of processing power, which is housed in the system on a chip (SOC) will work with AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures to create worlds that are truly out of this world and hyper realistic. Therefore helping to create those true to life lighting environments. Helping to recreate shadows, lighting and accurate reflections.

Audio

The audio is just as important as the visuals and Microsoft haven’t forgotten either. The system will have 3D Spatial Audio. 3D Spatial Audio is the next evolution of audio tech and it uses advanced algorithms to create a world within your living room. It will make you feel like you are at the center of your game. Furthermore the console supports a wide range of audio technologies, including, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby True HD with Atmos and up to 7.1 Linear PCM!

Speed

Games on the Xbox Series X load incredibly quick and are VASTLY improved over the previous generation. This is mainly thanks to the Xbox Series X’s usage of SSDs.

Games are also able to be continued where you left off no matter what you are doing, this is very very impressive. As it doesn’t even matter if you load up another game! Microsoft are calling this ‘Quick Resume’ and we cannot wait to give it a go for ourselves soon!

Storage

The console itself comes with 1TB of on board storage. However, we’re sure that many of you will want more storage for more of your games. Well, there is an official expansion card available, which will be sold separately. The 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S. It will plug into the rear of the console via a dedicated slot. It will provide the additional storage and will perform at the same rate as if it were an onboard SSD!

Backwards Compatibility

The Xbox Series X is backwards compatible with all four generations of game consoles. Your Xbox One gaming accessories will work as will your backwards compatible games. Services like Xbox Game Pass will also work with the Xbox Series X. Backwards Compatible games will benefit from the increased power of the newer console. As it will be able to run with steadier framerates, faster load times, improved resolution and visuals.

Controller

The controller is very similar to the original controller on the Xbox One, bar a few core changes. It uses USB – C instead of micro USB’s for charging. 

A dedicated share button on the middle of the controller, between the thumb sticks. This will make it much easier to share videos and images. 

A brand new ‘hybrid’ d-pad that is inspired by the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2. Which will make controlling games a lot more precise and easier. It is designed for responsive play as the D-Pad has a dish shape to hold your thumb comfortably. 

The size is slightly changed to accommodate more people, for example there is new textured shoulder triggers, which, much like the original Xbox One are rumble enabled! 

Furthermore on this new controller the Xbox Series X will use Dynamic Latency Input. This reduces the usual 8ms! Perfect for those who like first person shooters!

Xbox Series X Full Stats

  • CPU: 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.66 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU
  • GPU: 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU
  • Die Size: 360.45 mm
  • Process: 7nm Enhanced
  • Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320mb bus
  • Memory Bandwidth: 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s
  • Internal Storage: 1 TB Custom NVME SSD
  • I/O Throughput: 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed, with custom hardware decompression block)
  • Expandable Storage: 1 TB Expansion Card (matches internal storage exactly)
  • External Storage: USB 3.2 External HDD Support
  • Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive
  • Performance Target: 4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS

Final Take…

So there we have it, the lowdown on the Xbox Series X. We’re very impressed and we cannot wait to put it through its paces!

Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for more videos about the Xbox Series X!

Pre-Order an Xbox by clicking here!

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Overcooked! All You Can Eat

Overcooked! All You Can Eat

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If you are a fan of Overcooked, get ready for the next installment in the hugely successful cooking series. Featuring cross play, remastered 4K gameplay, and never before seen content, Overcooked! and Overcooked! 2 have been compiled into one amazing game. Cooking never looked so good. Overcooked! All You Can Eat is coming to the next generation of consoles on Xbox Series X and Playstation 5. The release date is planned for later on this year. As presumably when the new consoles drop or shortly after.

Both Overcooked 1 and 2 and every additional content which has been released for both games is coming in Overcooked! All You Can Eat! It includes over 200 levels, seven brand new levels, three brand new chefs (including 120 original chefs), 60 frames per second with 4k resolution and faster loading times! Furthermore content from the first game has been rebuilt in the Overcooked! 2 engine. While, this allows levels from the original game to be played online for the very first time! Also, All You Can Eat will feature additional support for cross platform play!

So, the new edition of the cooking franchise franchise will also include new accessibility options, an assist mode which helps anyone experience what it’s like in the kitchen. As it will include options to slow the timeouts on recipes, increase the duration of rounds and can even skip levels! The accessibility functions include a scalable user interface, dyslexic-friendly text, and colour blindness options.

Key Features

* Remote cooking: Cross-platform, online multiplayer means sous chefs can jump in regardless of the platform they’re playing on
* Every mouthful: Includes every piece of Overcooked! and Overcooked! 2 content, remastered and available in 60 frames per second in 4K resolution
* Exclusive new kitchens & cooks: New levels, new chefs, and additional skins for every single chef – all exclusive to Overcooked! All You Can Eat
* Trophies/Achievements: Brand new trophy and achievement sets for players to unlock
* Cooking for all: Accessibility options and a new assist mode opens the game to more players than ever before.

“Phil, Oli and I are thrilled to be working with Team17 once more to bring next-gen platform players fresh versions of Overcooked! and Overcooked! 2. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support and love shown for the series and can’t wait to bring the chaos to new and experienced players alike.” Gemma Langford, Writer and Studio Manager, Ghost Town Games

“Overcooked! continues to be an incredibly important series, one that millions of gamers have taken to their heart over the last few years – it’s a modern classic! For Overcooked! All You Can Eat, we wanted to make sure to deliver the definitive Overcooked! experience that brings every Overcooked! level online and looks and plays better than ever, so we hope so we hope players are ready to get back into the kitchen when the game launches later in the year.” Max Everingham, Head of Publishing, Team17

 

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Zombie Army 4: Dead War Review – Is it worth an hour?

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Zombie Army 4: Dead War – Is it worth an hour?

Welcome to How To Kill An Hour, this is Worth An Hour, the show where we take a look at your favourite games and ask are they worth an hour of your time? In this week’s episode we’re taking a look at Rebellion ZombieArmy 4: Dead War!

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Tuesday, 11 February 2020

In this episode of Worth An Hour we’re taking a look at Zombie Army 4: Dead War!

Hitler’s hordes are back for more in this spine-chilling shooter from the makers of Sniper Elite 4! Abominable occult enemies, epic weapons and a harrowing new campaign for 1-4 players await in 1940s Europe, as you fight to save humankind from undead Armageddon!

Graphics

First up is the graphics:

This game looks FANTASTIC, the graphics are crisp, beautiful and gritty. The levels look very realistic and really bring a sense of Zombie devastation to life. You can really imagine what it must smell like.

Which brings me on to the blood in this game. There’s lots of it. This game is not for the faint hearted, your innocent grandma or kids. Bodies explode, heads disintegrate and limbs get torn to smithereens.

It’s gorey, sticky and absolutely amazing. Just what you want from a Zombie game.

Sounds Design

The sound design is brilliantly done, each of the guns sound brutal, especially the chain gun, a lot of fun to use mowing down hordes of zombies with that!

Plus the special moves sound even better, such as the slowing down of time to get juuuust the right shot on, really makes you feel as if time is slowing down.

Zombies sound just how you’d expect them too, with an added umph, just to make you feel a little bit uneasy. This is especially true in level 2 with the sacrifice it just sounds scary, makes you feel very uneasy!

The X-Ray sounds are just as gruesome, you hear every flesh wound, every organ squish and every skull crack. You seriously see yourself sitting there going – cooooor in that type of amazement where you don’t wanna watch but you can’t take your eyes off of it.

The character quips in the game are also there, as with many Rebellion games, the voice acting is incredible and there funny one liners are there too! Stand still for too long and the characters will give you a funny quip to get a move on!

Gameplay

Last up is gameplay

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is split up into 3 different modes, campaign, weekly events and horde.

Horde

Horde is very very fun, you take on a horde of zombies in waves, and as with many Rebellion games, the level gets bigger as you progress further into the waves, and as you do so, so do the difficulty and the amount of zombies increases.

But what I especially liked is the fact that you have to conserve ammo! There’s ammo crates that you always have to run back to when you run out of ammo, this makes it a little bit more realistic and that much more challenging!

I got to try it in single player mode and multiplayer mode, unfortunately i didn’t get to play it with a full squad as I was playing a review copy of the game but I image how much fun this game will be with 4 people as I really enjoyed it with just 2!

Upgrades

You can upgrade your guns to make taking down the enemies that much easier and there’s special moves which will help you out of a hole if you need it. Such as the brain buster for the pistol. Slow down time, pick your targets and then take them out. These can be upgraded as you progress through the game to kill more enemies.

Or slow down time with a rifle and pick your perfect spot!

Epic Melee’s are LOTS of fun too! These can also be changed, I got to have a go of the machete and electric fist.

Or get Get 10 melee kills and you get something called an epic take down. These are short cut scenes which show BRUTAL takedowns which change depending on what you have in your hand. Stomp on some heads, execute some zombie ass and that’s just two choices!

Comedy

The game is also very quirky throughout the different levels there’s different little things you can interact with that can make you laugh. Such as using a typewriter, washing your hands, use a vending machine or even play draughts!

X-Ray kills are also back! These kills are epic, if you time things just right, the game will go into a cut scene and follow the bullet into the enemy…..showing you everything! However I managed to shoot someone in the d**k. Twice.

However, on the third attempt I got a head shot!

The Zombies

The zombie’s themselves aren’t no pushover….in a crowd of them anyway….you’ll soon find yourself getting surrounded and eventually dying, so make your shots in a tactical manner! You can run away from them but they’ll always find a way to find you!

The bosses even more so, they just won’t leave you alone! There’s always a specific way to kill a zombie boss, the two I’ve tried, I had to shoot something on their back, and they have heavy guns too. Defeat them. You get the gun. Just got to defeat them first.

Throughout the levels there’s various different tasks you got to complete too, it’s not as simple as going from A to B. Which I love! I had to get fuel for a boat, cogs for a bridge mechanism all the while avoiding getting eaten by Zombies. Did I mention you only get to use your handgun whilst carrying things? – Yeah, that makes it 10 times as harder. Good luck.

Stomping on Zombie corpses allows you to get various different pick ups such as ammo or health, which is vital in this game! Always carry a medi pack!

Upgrades

You get various different perks in the game such as the offensive which allow you to (review footage here) and the defensive which one of them allows you a second chance at life. Get ‘killed’ and then you stay on the ground for a while, shoot and kill a zombie and you get a second chance at life. You got lucky….only once though. Die again and that’s it you’re done. Sorry.

Finally you get ranked throughout the game, that’s throughout horde, campaign and weekly events. Increase your rank, increase your upgrade points to upgrade your guns, unlock various perks and then upgrade the perks as you rank up too!

Campaign

The two campaign levels I played were very very good. The first level was ok, I see that more of a introductory level to how the game is and the game mechanics, as boy oh boy did things go up a notch in level 2. I was dying so much. My health was depleted and I had no midi-kits rookie mistake. So ended up just running away from them for the most part and then turning back to shoot the horde of Zombies chasing me.

The 2nd level had this crazy zombie shark too which was something to behold, although I didn’t want to wait around too long to see if it would come back and bite my ass.

The story is great and the characters keep you entertained and interested in where things are going throughout, definitely worth having a play through, especially with some friends!

Weekly Events

These are a beautiful twist on the Zombie Army 4: Dead War campaign. The weekly event that I played had various different tasks to complete. One of them was complete the first campaign level only using a rifle and a pistol. This made things very difficult! But I loved the twist on it and it brought an extra layer of replay-ability to it.

Just another way to keep things fresh and I loved it!

I’m really looking forward to the different weekly events that Rebellion are going to put on, I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on them as it keeps things fresh and alive – unlike most things in Zombie Army 4: Dead War.

Overall thoughts

In conclusion this game is TONS of fun, I mean I only played it briefly with 4 people and that was very enjoyable. Get 3 other friends involved and you got a party on your hands.

Zombie Army 4:Dead War is without doubt one of THE BEST zombie games I have played in YEARS! Hats off to rebellion for creating a stellar multiplayer game that doesn’t get stale or boring or repetitive. There’s a reason why Rebellion are renowned for creating great shooting games and great zombie games at that.

I really really enjoyed it and cannot wait to see how much I can upgrade my character and their weapons.

Gonna have to pick up a squad now and go kick some zombie ass!

Pick it up and play it for many many hour, you won’t regret it!

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Nintendo UK alongside the government-funded Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) programme are holding a Super Smash Bros tournament. Yes you read that right, a Super Smash Bros School Tournament.

Super Smash Bros SCHOOL TOURNAMENT?

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Nintendo UK alongside the government-funded Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) programme are holding a Super Smash Bros tournament. Yes you read that right, a Super Smash Bros School Tournament.

The idea behind this initiative is to give school children a taste of the wider industry. Which includes the various roles from within the gaming industry. The DSH programme works with a total of 55 schools nationwide. Nintendo will help them run a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle. The schools themselves will initially run an in-house tournament to find their best players. Then the top teams from each school will go on to face each other in a grand final. Sounds pretty cool right! Where was this when I was a kid?!

This isn’t just some small time tournament either. It will be run in the form of a proper eSports show. Therefore important roles such as team management, production and commentators will be there. Nintendo will be providing all of the equipment and materials required too. The hope with this is that it will reach at least 60 schools and 6,000 pupils.

“uniquely combines computing, fun, creativity and innovation, all of which are synonymous and at the heart of Nintendo’s values […] we want to be able to provide young adults with fun and unique experiences that will form positive lasting memories as well as foster the development of skillsets within students which they can take with them into their future.” Kalpesh Tailor, Nintendo UK’s head of communications

Schools can sign up to the Super Smash Bros School Tournament via the DSH website, so ask your teachers nicely! Then if selected schools have from September 2019 until February 2020 to run their in-house tournaments to determine their best team.

After the ‘heats’, from February/March 2020 each of the winning teams from each of the schools will compete in regional qualifiers. Then there’s a North vs South Semi Final. The North/South qualifier will see the teams face-to-face at a single venue. So at this point it gets pretty serious. The event is run by presenters, casters, and various other eSports / production roles for students.

Until it comes to the final. In April 2020, it will be held at the London Games Festival.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle isn’t the only game getting DSH love. Nintendo UK are working with them to create 2 further workshops using the Switch. The games are Super Mario Maker 2 and Labo. These games will teach parts of the curriculum. Though there isn’t much details on what yet.

(Kotaku)

Wish I had a Super Smash Bros School Tournament when I went to school! How cool would that have been?

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Nvidia LAN Event

Nvidia LAN Event

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The Division 2 Open Beta

The Division 2 – Official Year 1 Trailer

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First of all, Tom Clancy’s The Division was a HUGELY successful game when it was released in March 2016, spawning a massive community in the gaming world. Now a sequel is due for release right around the corner (March 15th) and we cannot wait! The game follows a lineage much similar to the first game, but this time it’s focused in Washington DC. The game is an action shooter RPG set in an entirely open world, players are able to play in co-op or singularly. There are also PvP modes available for those who want a bit of high octane competitive action. The Division 2 also offers much more variety in missions than the first game, brand new challenges and a new progression system for players. In an effort to keep the game fresh and inviting for months and years to come.

Story

Washington D.C is demolished and in disarray, it’s on the bring of collapse. Consequently, there’s looting in the streets and tons of instability from within the city. Society is a mess, which is emphasised from the fact that there’s always rumblings of a coup. It is up to you and your Division ally’s to save the city. Like in the first game you a part of an elite Division. A Division made up of civilian agents, of whom are the last line of defence for the safety of the city. You are tasked with using the plethora of gear and skills available to take on the oncoming threat. In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Washington D.C is replicated in a 1:1 representation of the real city. Furthermore, you are given maps which offer up-close-and-personal views of landmarks and neighbourhoods around the city, including the enemy hideouts!

Year 1 Content

The way that Ubisoft will keep players coming back time and time again to The Division 2 will be through downloadable content. Which will be of a regular occurrence too! While, each experience is said to renew a players experience each time they load up in to the game. During the first year of the games release Ubisoft will be releasing three episodes. Episodes which will expand on the main story of The Division 2. The Episodes will be narrative driven content alongside new ways to play. All of this content during year 1 will be free to play for all players of The Division 2. Furthermore, Ubisoft will be releasing three brand new specialisations alongside the Survivalist, Demolitionist and Sharpshooter. Which are already available at the end the main story.

More info

The trailer above gives you an insight to the first year’s content. Plus will give players a look at an upcoming 8-player Raid. Below is some more information on what the Episodes will entail

  • The first Episode, D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions will take you to the surrounding areas of Washington as you chase down elite members of the Outcasts and the Black Tusks and fight for the liberation of the city in new locations.
  • The second Episode, Pentagon: The Last Castle will bring you to one of America’s most iconic locations to unveil what secrets lie inside this well protected maze.
  • Our third Episode will conclude Year 1 of The Division 2 and pave the way for more thrilling content.

Year 1 Pass to Purchase

Those wishing to have all of the content sooner than the rest. You can pay for the Year 1 pass. Which will give players a look at the Year 1 content a lot sooner, furthermore, they will get exclusive content. Which is detailed below.

Y1_FC_TOUSE

 

 

Features

  • 7-Day Early Access to Episode Narrative Content

    • Owners of the Pass will have a 7-day early access to the narrative content only, included in all Year 1 Episodes.

  • Instant unlock of the Year 1 Specialisation’s

    • At launch, The Division 2 will include three Specialisations, instantly available to everyone when reaching max level (Level 30).
    • Throughout Year 1, we will release three additional Specialisations for your agent. Year 1 Pass holders will unlock these new specialisations as soon as they’re released.
    • For those who do not have the Year 1 Pass, specialisations will be released at the same time, but must be unlocked over time through gameplay.
    • Year 1 Pass holders will also be able to earn exclusive cosmetic items with each Specialisation’s release.

  • Exclusive Access to Classified Assignments

    • Over the course of Year 1, Pass holders will have exclusive access to 8 Classified Assignments, which will provide more story behind the events leading to your arrival in D.C.
    • Completing each assignment will award you with a unique and exclusive backpack trophy to customise your Agent’s look.

  • Additional Bounties and Projects

    • Bounties in The Division 2 are special tasks to eliminate specific enemy targets, while Projects are assignments to complete various tasks around D.C.
    • As a Year 1 Pass holder, you will get access to one additional Bounty per week and one extra Project per day for a Challenging mission.
    • This perk ends on March 1st, 2020.

  • Exclusive Cosmetic Items

    • Year 1 Pass holders will get access to these exclusive rewards: the Agent Ward Outfit and the Scout emote.

(Ubisoft)

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The Division 2 Enter The Dark Zone

The Division 2 – Enter The Dark Zone

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First of all, Tom Clancy’s The Division was a HUGELY successful game when it was released in March 2016, spawning a massive community in the gaming world. Now a sequel is due for release right around the corner (March 15th) and we cannot wait! The game follows a lineage much similar to the first game, but this time it’s focused in Washington DC. The game is an action shooter RPG set in an entirely open world, players are able to play in co-op or singularly. There are also PvP modes available for those who want a bit of high octane competitive action. The Division 2 also offers much more variety in missions than the first game, brand new challenges and a new progression system for players. In an effort to keep the game fresh and inviting for months and years to come.

Story

Washington D.C is demolished and in disarray, it’s on the bring of collapse. Consequently, there’s looting in the streets and tons of instability from within the city. Society is a mess, which is emphasised from the fact that there’s always rumblings of a coup. It is up to you and your Division ally’s to save the city. Like in the first game you a part of an elite Division. A Division made up of civilian agents, of whom are the last line of defence for the safety of the city. You are tasked with using the plethora of gear and skills available to take on the oncoming threat. In Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Washington D.C is replicated in a 1:1 representation of the real city. Furthermore, you are given maps which offer up-close-and-personal views of landmarks and neighbourhoods around the city, including the enemy hideouts!

The here are a range of factions that Division agents have to take on, Divisions made up of those who remain, factions of those who look to cause more harm than good:

  • True Sons
  • Hyenas
  • Outcasts
  • Black Tus

Competitive Modes

In PvP mode you explore three Dark Zones across Washington D.C. It is up to you to explore these areas of the city, whilst keeping an eye out for players looking to cause harm. In an Player vs. Environment vs. Player experiences.

Such as Skirmish: here you go head to head against other teams in a classic Team Deathmatch scenario. Domination: here you are tasked with capturing locations to claim dominance against other players, in this objective based mode.

Weapons

Weapons are highly customisable and are vital to your  surivial in The Division 2. Differing weapons, armour and cosmetic options for all elements of the game is available to players. This includes things such as weapons, armour and exotic items. Some are only available to the high end players, so best get that grind on! Furthermore, those who reach the endgame have unique specialisations on offer. Allowing even further customisation!

End Game

The End Game is a feature at the end of the game which throws in some more challenges, game modes and high end rewards to further test and upgrade agents.  Once an agent has reached level 30, players will have to pick a specialisation.  Such as Survivalist, Demolitionist and Sharpshooter. Yet, each of the selections will unlock a unique signature weapon and additional skills.

So, much like other Ubisoft games, The Division 2 will be constantly updated and players will have access to a full year of free story-driven missions, map expansions and new game features.

(Ubisoft)

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VR Headset

5 Exciting New Gaming Trends

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If you need tangible proof of the advancement of technology, the gaming world is the place to go. When you think about how far gaming has come in the last few decades, it’s remarkable. From slow black and white screens to intense real-time gaming, the industry has made leaps and bounds. However, it’s not planning on stopping anytime soon. So, if you want to know what you can expect from the gaming world in the next few years, take a look below.

VR Headset

Virtual Reality

 

Virtual reality isn’t a new concept in the gaming world, but there is room for so much more than there is right now. 3D has been around longer than many people know. The reason that it wasn’t as mainstream as it is now is because it wasn’t affordable. Like the majority of innovative technology, the wealthy are the ones who get to experience it first. However, VR headsets are about to change the gaming world forever. For example, Oculus Rift, created by Palmer Luckey, has a huge field view, quicker response than other headsets and immersive 3D technology.

 

Secondary Screens

 

For years, gamers have been complaining about not being able to do two things at once while playing certain games. This is especially true for action games where time is precious and the last thing you want to do is pause the game to access another screen. The introduction of secondary screens, like Wii U and Xbox SmartGlass. If you are going to use an additional screen, you’ll need a quality HD one the LG 27UK850 Monitor. Being able to access maps or menus from one screen and continue to play on another will make gaming that more exciting.

PS4 Controller

 

Cheap Gaming

 

One of the downsides to gaming is that it can be expensive to kit yourself out with everything you need to get the full experience of games on the market right now. That’s why so many people are playing games on their phones. You can expect to see a rise in android powered game consoles where people can get their hands on cheap and free games with a 1080p gaming experience. The industry will no longer rely on big corporations to create expensive games.

 

Augmented Reality

 

Augmented reality has just as many possibilities as virtual reality. When using augmented reality, a gamer’s reality is altered to provide them with a new experience each time. For instance, games like DroidShooting can be played on phones. The game takes your surroundings and you have to shoot at the droids that appear within those surroundings. You’ll see your own reality on your phone but the game will add to it to create an experience.

Cloud Gaming

 

If you thought the Cloud didn’t have its finger in this pie too, you’d be wrong. The future of gaming will be more accessible, like music and movies, to those who want to game at the click of a button. All it will take is a device and an internet connection to play a selection of different games online.

 

Gaming is constantly changing, but always for the better.

 

Fortnite Marshmellow

Fortnite Marshmellow MONSTER Concert!

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During the Super Bowl this past Sunday something amazing happened. It wasn’t the half-time show from Maroon 5, nor was it the Patriots winning the Super Bowl again. Introducing Fortnite’s Marshmellow monster concert!

It happened in the hugely popular video game Fortnite. Players who were logged into Fortnite at 19:00GMT were only allowed to play one game mode: Showtime.

Interactive Concert

By playing this game mode, players were treated to a Marshmellow concert, complete with a Marshmellow avatar and trademark turntables, a concert which was entirely live, while the masked DJ urge players to dance and have fun along to the music.

Marshmellow’s Fortnite set lasted 10mins and players could launch themselves into the air, bounce beach balls and dance, the set was entirely interactive.It is said that MILLIONS attended Marshmellow’s set, during which non music game modes weren’t available to them. Therefore judging by the fact that there are an estimated 125million users a fair chunk of those would’ve been in this set.

(BBC)

Video Game Concerts

It would be interesting to know if it rivalled the numbers of the actual Super Bowl half time show, if so, is this an argument for other games to host their own mini music concert? Is this the future? We don’t think it will ever replace a real music concert, but, is there space in the video game world for this type of content?

Let us know via our socials, would be good to get a conversation going! @howtokillanhour

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Anthem Open Demo

/in /by

Anthem is EA’s brand new game that really surprised everyone during E3 2017. It’s a brand new game, a brand new franchise in a completely new universe. It’s a futuristic open-world RPG that many are excited about and for good reason! We recently too the Anthem Open Demo for a spin recently and it is absolutely incredible!

Anthem is an upcoming online only, multiplayer, open world,  third person RPG game that’s being developed by BioWare Edmonton and published by EA. Due for release in 2018, this game is said to be HUGE and it’s release is not too far away. February 22nd to be exact! You and your friends take take on a role of a Freelancer in a group of up to 4 bold and courageous people who leave their civilisation to explore a dangerous yet beautiful landscape.

We’ve played the Anthem Open Demo for a while and we absolutely love it and cannot wait to play the full game. It’s a breath of fresh air and we cannot wait to team up with the rest of the How To Kill An Hour crew.

Pre-Order Anthem here!

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