Halo Infinite Again On The Table To Ship In Portions Following Recent Interview

When dating back to this past August, it was hardly a month that went by after the Halo Infinite gameplay demo when developer 343 Industries announced that the then-scheduled Xbox Series X launch title would be delayed until 2021. Disheartened many fans were, it was accepted that the game certainly needed more time before fully shipping to reach its maximum potential. Upon learning about the title being shelved for the coming year, Xbox head Phil Spencer shared some interesting news regarding what him alongside Xbox Game Studios leadership had in mind for Halo Infinite. It was told that the game at one point was suggested to potentially release in pieces, but was ultimately decided to sell as a full product. However, in a more recent interview with the division lead, Spencer shares that might not be the case anymore. When asked if the story mode and multiplayer would be offered at different times, his response collectively suggested a possible maybe. You can read his statement below: Bonnie [Ross, 343 Industries] and the team will go drive those decisions. But I think we want to make sure people feel like they have a Halo experience. I think we can look at options like that. So, yeah, I think that’s something to think about, but we want to make sure we do it right. Spencer’s response certainly comes as a surprise that Xbox Game Studios would go against the decision already made. Even with countless users in the Halo community being very vocal about Halo Infinite being broken into pieces for launch, the firm is now once again contemplating to ship the upcoming installment in portions. But while he did not brush off the possibility entirely, it does not solidify will happen either. It is also odd that Spencer would make such a comment as it suggests Microsoft is eager to get the game on store shelves. It was just this past September that a spokesperson for Microsoft, Cindy Walker, told The New York Times that the firm is not in any position to worry about Halo Infinite missing its initial release date. But with Spencer now stated to offer the game at different times, it speaks differently on what the firm wants. While there is no cemented release date for Halo Infinite yet, 343 Industries still did had to confirm that the game is not shipping on certain dates to contain follower excitement. Recently, the team offered the title is still scheduled for 2021, but a specific release window has yet to be shared. Elsewhere in the interview with Spencer, he gives insight on what Microsoft anticipates on the market performance for the next-generation systems. Regarding the Xbox Series S, the firm is confident the $299 unit will outperform the Xbox Series X in long term. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you want Halo Infinite sold in one piece or distributed in different segments? Halo Infinite is coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC sometime in 2021. Source: Kotaku

Xbox One Versions For Day Of The Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango Arrive In Late August

Double Fine Productions, the team responsible for the upcoming and highly-anticipated sequel, Psychonauts 2. And while the game is set to arrive to the previously delayed timeframe for 2021, the studio is working to bring some of the fan-favorite classics from Tim Schafer to Xbox later this month. It was revealed recently that Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango will be arriving to Xbox One. Back in May of this year, IGN’s Ryan McCaffery pressed that the three nostalgic entries would be receiving remasters for Microsoft’s platform sometime later in the year. Not it is certain that the games are just weeks away. Paired with the announcement, Tim Schafer spoke on the Major Nelson’s Xbox Podcast about the trio of titles. You can watch the podcast in its entirety in the video below: Not only will all three games be hitting Xbox One later in October, but PC players on Windows 10 can also anticipate the game to hit the store as well. Even more, Xbox Game Pass owners can certainly anticipate each of the three to be welcomed to the game service the same day as its release across all platforms. More on Double Fine Productions’ upcoming projects, there is an update on what is following the next year release for Pschyonauts 2. When speaking on the Kinda Funny We Have Cool Friends podcast, Tim Schafer shares that the studio will be creating an entirely new intellectual property later on. You can read the full report by heading here. Which of the three classic games are you most excited to see on Xbox first? Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango arrive to Xbox One and Windows 10 on October 29, 2020. Source: Xbox Wire

League Of Legends: Wild Rift Hits Open Beta For Select Regions In late October, Hits U.S. Sometime In 2021

It was just over a year ago that developer Riot Games unveiled League of Legends: Wild Rift. While the titular title hit PC a decade prior, the new iteration is the doorway for the popular competitive MOBA to be introduced to mobile devices alongside consoles as well. Since then, the new version has been quietly testing in closed beta for select players, but that is about to change. In a new update video for League of Legends: Wild Rift, Executive Producer Michael Chow announces that the game will be going into open beta at the end of this month. However, this open playtest for the game will only be available in a select handful of regions and to many surprise that the United States was not included. Here is the full list of regions to be enabled for the open beta: IndonesiaJapanMalaysiaSingaporeSouth KoreaThailand Later on in the video, Chow also gives a timeframe for more locations to be added later on. In December users in Europe, Oceania, Taiwan, and Vietnam will receive the Wild Rift open beta. In spring 2021, both North American and South America can expect the open beta to drop for League of Legends: Wild Rift. Additionally, the executive producer also tells that Lee Sin will be added to the Champion roster in the approaching update for Wild Rift. He also reveals that previews for six additional Champions will be included in the aforementioned patch. That includes Evelynn, Kai’Sa, Akali, Seraphine of music group K/DA and Darius and Draven – the Noxian Brothers. Do you plan on installing the Wild Rift open beta when it hits your region? League of Legends: Wild Rift open beta arrive on October 27, 2020.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Discovered To Be Using Unreal Engine 4 Through LinkedIn

Developer Rocksteady Studios despite its hiatus since the release of Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015 broke the silence this past August during the DC Fandome where the firm announced Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Although the studio has had half a decade since its last title, the U.K.-based team only offered a CGI teaser trailer announcing the highly-anticipated project. Given from the reveal, players can expect to play four DC villains in this new experience: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Shark, and Captain Boomerang. With the objective handed by agent Amanda Waller to take down Superman, this new experience will incorporate the long-requested online co-op that fans dreamed of since the inception of the Batman Arkham series. Discovered recently on LinkedIn, followers of the game were surprised to learn that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will not be utilizing the latest iteration of its proprietary engine, Unreal Engine 5. Especially with the software shipping in 2021, a year before the 2022 projected release for the game, that is not the case for Rocksteady Studios. The finding happens to be through Abhishek S. on LinkedIn who became an employee at Rocksteady Studios this past June. Initially working as a Senior Gameplay Programmer at Mafia developer Hanger 13 received the same position at the Suicide Squad team. On his profile, he shares that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is utilizing Unreal Engine 4. While it is certainly not alarming to learn that the game is still using the current version of Unreal Engine, it is upsetting that the coming title from Rocksteady Studios will not be including the benefits of Unreal Engine 5. Instead, the game will be based on the same canvas as Batman: Arkham Knight was laid on. With the game still years away from release, perhaps there is the possibility the team will update to Unreal Engine 5 later on. With the software arriving in 2021, maybe Rocksteady Studios will adopt the new version then. What are your thoughts on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League using Unreal Engine 4? Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is said to arrive in 2022. Source: LinkedIn

The Size Of The PlayStation 5 Is A Result Of The Console’s Cooling Fan, Sony Explains

While internally the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 only contrast slightly in the scope of the system’s technological architecture and the outcomes & performance of both machines, the two are very similar altogether. But what really brakes the comparison between the two is the size of both units. While the next Xbox is thick in comparison to its predecessor, the PlayStation 5 both towers and exceeds the width of its older sibling. However, Sony does share that the decision to create such a large device for commercial use is based on the cooling system mostly. When discussing the matters with Japanese technology outlet Nikkei Xtech, Sony’s Otori Yasuhiro  elaborates that the design and scale was decided after the components for the hardware was already assembled. Yasuhiro did tell that Sony did have the option to create a smaller unit if incorporating two smaller fans, but ultimately the firm went with the 120 millimeter-sized fan. It was possible to develop the PlayStation 5 to be smaller. For example, by implementing two cooling fans, one for side A and side B, the PlayStation 5 size would have been reduced. However, there is naturally an additional cost associated with having two fans. Additionally, controlling the functionality of two fans is more difficult than just one. With these additional obstacles in mind, we decided to cool both sides of the main board with one, large fan. Otori Yasuhiro, PlayStation 5 Mechanical and Thermal Design Team Lead In the interview, Yasuhiro did mention that the decision to include two fans would also add more to the console’s production fee which looks to be why there is only one in the system. Additionally, Sony was already told to be struggling back in February with the scarcity for certain cooling components. So if the firm decided to opt-in for the two fans, the console’s release might have been pushed beyond 2020 if not enough components were readied for production. In future reference, the proposed design for a smaller unit could perhaps be recycled for the newer PlayStation 5 iteration – assuming Sony does follow suit alike with the PlayStation 4 Pro. Microsoft already confirmed that the team will be reiterating on its Xbox hardware following the Xbox Series X. Sony this past week shared more on the PlayStation 5 offering a first look at the UI Interface for the next-generation device. Not only that, but also confirmed that the new PlayStation Store will be fully integrated into the console this time around. You can read the full report by heading here. What do you think about the large size of the PlayStation 5? PlayStation 5 is set to arrive on November 12, 2020 and November 19, 2020. Source: Video Game Chronicles

Trademark For Tales Of Luminaria Uncovered In Europe

Among the plethora of titles that are in development and that has already been released under the Japanese publisher Bandai Namco, but it is the Tales of Series that stands to be a unique and beloved franchise that continues to grow for well over two decades now. Last year during Microsoft’s E3 press conference, the next mainline installment Tales of Arise was presented for the masses. Although paved for a 2020 release at the time, the game alike other productions faced a hardened delay due to the complications of development when working from home during the still ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. But while there are still fans awaiting the next entry to hit store shelves in the coming future, new details surfaced for the series. According to ggx2ac on ResetEra, the poster shared what looks to be a trademark for a new project from Bandai Namco. The game titled ‘Tales of Luminaria’ was submitted Wednesday, October 15 and shares to be new game based on the classes the trademark is established for. Classes 9, 28, and 41 all identify Tales of Luminaria to be a new interactive game just like its predecessors. Howbeit, the filing does not elaborate much on the context of the unannounced title. From what can be gathered from the finding, specifically in Classification 41, it is suggested the title could be a online-focused release. That is based off of the class posing “organization of competitions” which implicated possible esports. However, that is only speculation and has yet to be addressed by Bandai Namco as of yet. Among the long list for Tales of titles, the memorable Tales of Vesperia received a reworking for modern consoles and released back in January 2019. You can read the full reporting of the game’s announcement by heading here. What do you think could come for Tales of Luminaria? Tales of Luminaria has no listed platforms. Source: ResetEra

Watch Someone Play Doom Eternal & Gears 5 Via xCloud On A Samsung Smart Fridge

Product manufacturing firm Samsung earlier this year pressed to be creating a new intertwining partnership with Microsoft for its line of smart phones. At the time back in February, it was told by a spokesperson for Microsoft that this new collaboration would support accessibility across a broader scene of devices looking forward for the future regarding Project xCloud. It was later disclosed by Samsung elsewhere in a new announcement that the firm’s deal with Microsoft also brought to fruition the ability to play Xbox Game Pass titles on Samsung televisions through the Samsung Access subscription. With that in mind, it only drew the idea for more projects underway at Microsoft and Samsung to further fuel the agreement between the two tech giants leading forward. While it is not directly signaled from either of the two, it looks users have found a byproduct of this. In a new Instagram post by vapingwithtwisted420, the user shares to be playing Doom Eternal through xCloud on his Samsung refrigerator. You can watch the clip in the video below: Amazed by this, the Instagram user in a separate post also shared to be in awe that the Xbox Game Pass application can be accessed on the smart refrigerator. Additionally, the poster also shared a second video elsewhere playing Gears 5 on the same display. Microsoft more recently has discussed the future for xCloud and elaborates on what is ahead for the steam-based platform outside of mobile devices. One anticipated arrival is the Windows 10 version of xCloud which platform lead Phil Spencer frames to be a “great opportunity” set to arrive next year in 2021. Console are also expected to receive xCloud integration. Both Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S are on the horizon for the service. Most interestingly, Spencer mentioned that Microsoft is currently working to utilize xCloud so Xbox Game Pass owners on both PC & console can demo games ahead of installing the respected client. You can read the full report by heading here. Would you use xCloud to play games on your fridge? xCloud is available for Android-enabled devices and Samsung Smart Fridges, apparently.