Nintendo Labo Reported To Get One Final Kit Before The Closing Of The Cardboard Accessory Line

While players are consumed by the first-party armada that arrived to Nintendo Switch already reaching just the halfway mark of its lifespan, there is still plenty that the Japanese firm is planning to tackle for the second act. In one statement from Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa, “there’s much more that can still be done in the coming years.” In addition to the comment, Furukawa also went on to elaborate that the plans Nintendo is to initiate for future releases will be a mixed bag. In that, the company will be offering unique intellectual properties while its billboard franchises are still present for the platform and what is to come beyond the Nintendo Switch, of course. But not to forget, the Nintendo Labo is still an active entity for the firm. While dormant since the release of the Toy-Con 04 VR Headset, Nintendo has yet to bring more life to the cardboard accessory line. When worried about the future of the brand through a change of the website, Nintendo Insider Emily Roger comments there is one more reveal to be made before cutting life support. The Nintendo Labo while unique in its approach does not directly appeal to the entire user base for Nintendo Switch. Although the platform is roughly 80 million units strong in just over four years, the Nintendo Switch remains to overshadow Nintendo Labo immensely. Not to mention the arbitrarily high cost for a cardboard kit, the line is not entirely appealing to its consumers. The most recent addition for Nintendo Labo reverts back to April 2019 where Nintendo revealed a special suite for the Toy-Con 04 VR Headset. In the announcement, both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild received dedicated support for the accessory. You can read the full report by heading here. Do you hold any excitement for one more Labo announcement?

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order To Receive Next-Generation Version Later This Summer

Now more than a year old, it comes as a surprise when reflecting on the success for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. While it certainly not the first AAA, big budget Star Wars from game from Electronic Arts, it still stands to be the most proficient in imbedding hope in the user base for more games alike to follow. Developer Respawn Entertainment was reported to be leading sales figures for its publisher following the game’s release. Simultaneously, the game studio also offered similar results with Apex Legends’ Season 3 update around the same time. In long-term for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the team later revealed to be working out a next-generation update for the game. So players on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or PlayStation 5 can experience the title with new hardware under the hood as it is intended to. It was later discovered that a complete next-generation version is in the works through a rating in Germany, so it gives time to pass before more is shared. In a announcement this week, Lucasfilm shares that the official version for the newest systems is to arrive this summer. Coming this summer, we’re excited to announce the next-gen release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, bringing a number of technical improvements to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S console versions of the game. This will be a free cross-generation upgrade to current owners. Aside from the next iteration of the late 2019 game scheduled to release in the coming months, it is presumed plans for the sequel is currently underway. From reports that surfaced previously, Kotaku initially reported that Respawn Entertainment already commenced work for the second game. But, an expectation for its release is left vacant. Later on, the Bespin Bulletin corroborated on the report by adding that Respawn Entertainment is aiming to release the game in June. At the time, it was cautioned that a third game might not be fulfilled as the license between Electronic Arts & Disney would void in 2023. But with Lucasfilm Games promising to continue its arrangements with the publisher, the window continues to stay open. You can read the initial report by heading here. Are you excited that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is getting a dedicated version for next-generation machines? Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia; playable via backwards compatibility on Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5. Source: Lucasfilm

Epic Games In New Legal Document Appears To Deliberately Wall Fortnite From Receiving xCloud Support

It certainly should be no secret that Epic Games is still actively battling Apple in the courts as of writing. Since This past August, the two firms feuded following the publisher’s decision to discount the pricing of its in-game currency in efforts to combat Apple’s demanding 30 percent cut of revenue on The App Store. As a result, the game was removed from the storefront alongside Google Play Store as well. While the free-to-play battle royale is still absent from both digital stores, there is the potential for Nvidia to bring a resolution to Epic Games. Through the company’s Nvidia GeForce Now service, players can enjoy Fortnite via cloud streaming on practically any device. However, plans are still not clarified if the approach will be initiated. But for alternatives like xCloud, Epic Games does not fancy the platform. In recent statement from Epic Games, the firm was questioned if it would enable support on the Xbox cloud service. And, the publisher responded it would not entertain an entity that competes its own PC alternative. “We viewed Microsoft’s efforts with xCloud to be competitive with our PC offerings,” says Epic Games Vice President of Business Development, Joe Kreiner. However, the response does appear to segue to a later statement from Krenier, but the document of the disposition appears to redact the remaining comment. If the statement does fully implicate that Epic Games is walling off support for cloud alternatives like Microsoft’s xCloud, then a similar fate is to also be decided for other avenues as well. That includes Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna as well. In one report recently on behalf of Apple’s pursuit for the legal quarrel, the tech conglomerate is discovered to subpoena Valve to benefit itself in the trial. However, Valve in response told that the legal work is not relevant to the court battle. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you surprised by the statement from Epic Games? Source: CourtListener

Onward Developer Downpour Interactive Is Oculus’ Next Major Acquisition

In the world of virtual reality gaming, social media conglomerate Facebook sits at the forefront of the market with Oculus under its belt. Since the firm’s acquisition, Facebook has opened its wallet to the VR company with extended resources that has proven to be beneficial on its behalf. In the past, Oculus went to purchase major developers such as Beat Games and Sanzaru Games previously. Most interesting is the recent purchase for developer Ready at Dawn. While the team previously worked on the PlayStation 4 release The Order 1886, Ready at Dawn later went on to launch Lone Echo and Echo Arena. In the current plans for the developer, Lone Echo II is still in active development, but now with Facebook assisting further alongside Oculus as well. However, acquisitions are to continue from the platform. In a new announcement on Friday, Oculus announces to purchase Onward developer Downpour Interactive. We’ve seen great success with Onward on the Oculus platform for several years—first on Rift and more recently on Quest. Becoming part of the Oculus Studios family will give Downpour Interactive the opportunity to cultivate both the Onward community with the full support of Oculus Studios resources, and, in the future, pursue other projects. Mike Verdu, Facebook Vice President of AR/VR Content As for future plans following the newest addition to Facebook, it is told that the team will be bringing new content to Onward as the entire Downpour Interactive staff is welcomed to the new family. “We’re exploring many ways to accelerate VR, including investments in third-party content, AAA IP, hardware, and more, and we have awesome and innovative plans for the next few years of gaming.” In a recent report from UploadVR, Oculus is looking to eventually tackle a controller-free headset. In one statement transcribed by Oculus CTO John Carmack, he explains “we are on this multi-year path to phasing that away as a core feature, where we want to be able to have a controller-free SKU in the future where we rely just on hand tracking.” You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited for the future of Downpour Interactive? Source: Oculus

Hope For More Activision Remakes Appear To Disappear As Toys For Bob Is The Next Support Studio Added For Call Of Duty: Warzone

As of 2017, many fans of Activision’s legacy franchises grew more and more excited with bombastic announcements from the publisher. In that, the firm would offer annual installments of remade titles for two decade-old properties of nostalgic titles. First was Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy followed by Spyro Reignited Trilogy and then Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. In 2020, developer Vicarious Visions unleashed Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 which dealt a similar pull of the heart strings of beloved fans for the original arcade skateboard titles. However, in an abrupt decision made by Activision Blizzard, the team was absorbed by Blizzard Entertainment to become a support team. Although it was later shared that the team is working on a Diablo II Remake, the studio is no longer independent to work on its own projects. And in a similar tale told by game studio Toys for Bob, the developer is now the next added team behind Call of Duty: Warzone. For those unfamiliar, a similar fate was handed previously to developer Beenox. The game studio while simultaneously working on annual entries for the first-person shooter also dished out Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled back in 2019 as well. But as for Toys for Bob, it appears Activision view might be skewed for more remakes from the announcement. What makes the announcement more saddening is that Toys for Bob was potentially hinting at a fourth major installment for Spyro the Dragon. In the Art Book for Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the game studio implicated a similar treatment is due for the iconic purple dragon. You can read the full report by heading here. What are your thoughts on the decision for Toys for Bob?

AMD Launches FidelityFX Support For Xbox Series X|S Developer Kits

While Microsoft is responsible for crafting together what makes the Xbox Series X & Xbox Series S the next-generation standard for console gaming, the composition is not entirely in-house silicon from the Xbox company. In fact, many of the components are from third-party companies that Microsoft buys in bulk. Namely, AMD for the chip sets that truly make the new system perform the way they do. Ranging from the Variable Rate Shading and raytracing capabilities, plenty of that is in due thanks to the craftsmanship over at AMD. The firm previously commented on its affect for production of the consoles in the current famine for respected silicon used in both Xbox and PlayStation. CEO Lisa Su shared that production will not truly kick off until June this year. But while the firm is known for its tangible silicon, the company also worked on tools that developers utilize for its games. On PC, AMD FidelityXF is one such tool that brings the core of DirectX12 Ultimate attributes to new releases. And now, the feature is being added to Xbox Series X|S developer kits. You can watch the segment from April 2021’s Microsoft GameStack: “We’re very happy to announce that AMD FidelityFX is now available for Xbox,” Carlos Silva, AMD Senior Director of Software Development reveals. “On Windows, FidelityFX is already a cross-platform solution, and now we’re bringing the benefits of FidelityFX to Xbox. Select FidelityFX effects are available on Xbox Series X and S GDK, and developers can start using them in their Xbox projects.” On the blog post shared by AMD in tow with the announcement, the firm elaborates further that “Xbox Game Developers interested in getting started with AMD FidelityFX can do so with the latest Game Development Kit (GDK), where samples for Contrast Adaptive Sharpening, Variable Shading, and Raytraced Shadow Denoiser technologies are available.” Similarly, we witnessed similar software support on PC later come to Xbox. Most recently, Dolby appeared to launch support for the HDR solution ‘Dolby Vision’ for a selection of titles on Xbox Series X|S for Xbox Insiders. You can read the full report by heading here. What are you most excited about the new addition to Xbox? Source: AMD

Mediatonic Delays Xbox & Nintendo Switch Versions For Fall Guys, But Cross-play Now Part Of The Promise

In the late summer of last year, the industry took a turn that unexpectedly brought one indie-developed title to the top pedestal of most platforms – that being Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. Although the game was free for the entire month of August over on PlayStation Plus, the game witnessed record sales in the short duration with roughly two million units purchased in one week on Steam. But it also appears that Sony also capitalized on the new release as well with the game’s unique release on PlayStation. And the fruits of the deal presented to be extremely ripe as Fall Guys swiftly became the most installed title for PlayStation Plus, toppling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered. So, it was inevitable before other platforms could witness respected ports. One by one, Mediatonic unveiled versions for both Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S & Nintendo Switch are due to arrive in the coming future. Paved for summer 2021, the news on Friday appears to being overambitious on the team’s behalf. Now, the promised releases are being delayed. With so many new opportunities now in our hands, we’ve realised that our previously announced Summer 2021 Switch and Xbox release schedule is unfortunately just too soon for us to include all of the tasty new features we’re working on.  While we want to launch on these platforms as quickly as possible, we believe the Switch and Xbox releases are really going to be worth waiting for and we’re super grateful for your patience. This delay gives our team some time to add features like crossplay, so when we add new platforms, players will be able to stumble in harmony with their pals, regardless of their platform of choice. For the time being the release of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is being tossed into uncertainty for the Xbox & Nintendo Switch versions. However, cross-play is now being set on the table for when the two ports do eventually arrive. This is just another game to bridge the platforms in online lobbies for the betterment of the industry, if I might add. Even more, this is still a comforting bundle of information as developer Mediatonic is a new subsidiary under the Epic Games banner. While Fall Guys is a Devolver Digital-published property, the developer does have access to the resources that the same teams working on Fortnite and Rocket League use. Recently, Mediatonic launched its fourth season for the game. Most excitingly is the nodded cross-over with InnerSloth’s Among Us in the reveal trailer. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you fine waiting a tad long for Fall Guys on Xbox or Nintendo Switch? Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is currently available for PlayStation 4 and PC; playable via backwards compatibility on PlayStation 5. Source: Mediatonic