WWE 2K25 announced for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC

2K Games and Visual Concepts have officially announced WWE 2K25 and that it will be released for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. A release date has not been revealed yet. However, 2K Games announced more information will be revealed on January 28th. WWE 2K returns bigger, bolder, and better than ever in a breakthrough year for the franchise! WWE 2K25 is preparing to charge down the ramp with all the authenticity and action fans love from the best in sports entertainment. Based on previous WWE games such as WWE 2K24 it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the latest entry in the series to release in March or April of this year.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure comes to Nintendo Switch and PC on January 30

The open-world adventure game Hello Kitty Island Adventure has already been available for the Apple Arcade as of July 28, 2023. Sunblink announced that Hello Kitty Island Adventure will be coming to Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on January 30, 2025. A release on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 will come later in the year. Here are the Key Features of Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Explore a Massive World – Meet iconic Sanrio characters across several distinct biomes with more than 100 hours of gameplay to experience. Brave Kuromi’s haunted mansion in the Spooky Swamp, unearth ancient secrets in fiery Mount Hothead, ride minecarts through Gemstone Mountain’s glittery caves, and discover new treasures underwater in Rainbow Reef. Create Your Character – Express yourself as an original, Sanrio-style avatar with a wide range of adorable character customization options. Select from dozens of faces, features, and body shapes, then collect hundreds of clothing items. Change your appearance at any time. Decorate to Your Heart’s Content – Decorate your personal dream space or attract new friends to the island with the right furniture pieces. Plus, multiplayer guests can even decorate their own Friendship Cabins on your island. No Microtransactions – There is no premium currency to earn, purchase, or spend in Hello Kitty Island Adventure. Enjoy the sights, customize your island vacation, and unlock everything just by playing the game. Craft, Create, and Collect – Bake delicious recipes with Hello Kitty, brew magic potions with Kuromi, collect critters with Keroppi, learn to fish from Badtz-maru, and so much more. Share gifts and complete quests to deepen your bonds with even more beloved characters. Scour the island for collectibles, like the plethora of hidden Gudetama, sometimes locked behind devious puzzles. Team Up in Multiplayer – Everything is better with friends. Invite someone to your island via Game Center or invite code. Boost each other’s stamina to explore greater heights and depths, solve the island’s trickiest puzzles, chase new high scores, or simply build vacation homes together. Frequent, Free Gameplay Updates – Sunblink is constantly adding new characters, areas, clothing, items, visitors, mini-games, and so much more—all for free. Source: Gematsu

Razer announces Project Arielle – The First Heating and Cooling Gaming Chair

During CES 2025 we have seen many announcements from a variety of companies including NVIDIA, Sony, and Razer. One of the more interesting reveals came from Razzer with Project Arielle. Project Arielle is the first heating and cooling Razer Mesh Gaming chair. The chair has an integrated Fan System, Circular Bladeless Design, On-Demand Heating with up to 30 degrees Celsius of warm air, and On-Demand Cooling.  The new gaming chair from Razer also has an Easy Access Touch Panel that allows you to adjust the fan speed, Chroma effects, and the ability to turn the heating on or off. The price and release date for Project Arielle have not yet been revealed. Source: Razer

Valve Announces SteamOS License Will Bring The Operating System To More Handhelds

One of the biggest things that Steam Deck continues to offer for its players is the choice to deliver a customizable experience for the user. While many platforms includes a single operating system to launch & play titles, Steam Deck can go beyond this. In the past, we’ve witnessed this when the Linux device was also enabled for Windows previously. According to Valve in a new press release, the SteamOS is now being enabled as a licensed operating system to deliver it to more devices. The plans for this new decision is to be executed later this April when the Lenovo Legion Go S launches. “In addition, the same work that we are doing to support the Lenovo Legion Go S will improve compatibility with other handhelds. Ahead of Legion Go S shipping, we will be shipping a beta of SteamOS which should improve the experience on other handhelds, and users can download and test this themselves. And of course we’ll continue adding support and improving the experience with future releases,” the press release adds. This week, Steam Deck also received some hype when NVIDIA announced that a dedicated GeForce Now app is coming. The firm confirmed that the application will enable players to experience their titles with the power equivalent of a GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested to see SteamOS on more handhelds? Source: Valve

Steam Deck Confirmed To Welcome Native NVIDIA GeForce Now App

While the Steam Deck remains a sought out after peripheral for players looking for a mainstream point of entry into PC, the system is not planning to iterate immensely in the near future. Although Valve did roll out the Steam Deck OLED model previously, a second version is not in the plans as of yet. In one interview, the firm confirmed that a ‘2.0’ model is nowhere close to being realized currently. As for what the hardware offers already, it is certainly a seller over competing handhelds like the Nintendo Switch. While Valve did iterate that the Steam Deck is not a counter to Nintendo’s hybrid console, it is hard not to compare the two. One takeaway from the Steam Deck is the decision to be Linux based as titles such as Apex Legends & GTA Online both severed support in effort to contain cheaters in-game. Among that, more support continues to be shoveled to the Steam Deck through other means. According to NVIDIA, the firm at CES 2025 confirmed that a native GeForce Now app is planned to release for the Steam Deck. You can watch the trailer in the video below: “The Steam Deck’s portability paired with GeForce NOW opens up new possibilities for high-fidelity gaming everywhere. The native GeForce NOW app will offer up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range on Valve’s innovative Steam Deck handheld when connected to a TV, streaming from GeForce RTX-powered gaming rigs in the cloud,” the press release says. “Steam Deck gamers can gain access to all the same benefits as GeForce RTX 4080 GPU owners with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership, including NVIDIA DLSS 3 technology for the highest frame rates and NVIDIA Reflex for ultra-low latency. Because GeForce NOW streams from an RTX gaming rig in the cloud, the Steam Deck uses less processing power, which extends battery life compared with playing locally.” Previously, NVIDIA also welcomed a new audience earlier in 2024 when it was featured for Xbox. Through cloud streaming, players now have access to GeForce Now alongside Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can read the full report by heading here. How excited are you for GeForce Now receiving dedicated support for the Steam Deck? Source: NVIDIA  

Stellar Blade Developer Shift Up Gives All 311 Employees a PS5 Pro and a 5 Million Won Bonus

Shift Up, the South Korean developer behind the PlayStation 5 exclusive Stellar Blade, has generously rewarded its employees for their hard work with a PlayStation 5 Pro console and a cash bonus of 5 million won (approximately $3,400) for each of its 311 staff members. A Banner Year for Shift Up The eye-catching bonuses, first reported by South Korean outlet Naver, are part of the company’s efforts to motivate and recognize its workforce. Shift Up’s staff count stood at 311 as of the third quarter of 2023. 2024 has been a milestone year for the developer. Stellar Blade, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, launched exclusively on PS5 in April and achieved impressive sales, surpassing one million copies within just two months. Shift Up has since released updates and crossover DLC, including a notable collaboration with Nier: Automata. In addition to the game’s success, Shift Up made headlines in July with its initial public offering (IPO). The company raised 435 billion won (around $320 million) on its first day of trading, marking the largest IPO for a South Korean gaming company since Krafton’s $3.8 billion IPO in 2021. Financial Success of Stellar Blade Shift Up’s financial reports reveal that Stellar Blade generated 25.8 billion won (approximately $18.5 million) in revenue during its launch quarter (April to June) and an additional 22.5 billion won (approximately $16.1 million) in the third quarter (July to September). This brings the game’s total revenue to 48.4 billion won (around $34.6 million) as of the end of September. Despite this, the company’s mobile action RPG Goddess of Victory: Nikke continues to outperform Stellar Blade, earning approximately $51.9 million over the same period. Looking Ahead The future looks bright for Shift Up. The developer has announced plans to bring Stellar Blade to PC in 2025, with hopes of matching or exceeding its PS5 sales, citing the success of Black Myth: Wukong on Steam as a benchmark. Additionally, the company is developing a new multiplatform title, currently codenamed Project Witches, which is expected to release after 2027. Given the success of Stellar Blade, speculation about a potential sequel is already gaining traction. With its continued financial growth and recognition of its employees’ contributions, Shift Up is positioning itself as a major player in the global gaming industry.

Dune: Awakening Brings Arrakis to Life using Cutting-Edge NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Next-Gen Razer Chroma Integration

Funcom’s highly anticipated MMO survival game, Dune: Awakening, is set to release on PC in early 2025, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions to follow. The game will harness NVIDIA’s cutting-edge DLSS 4 technology with Multi Frame Generation, delivering unparalleled performance and breathtaking visuals of Arrakis, the unforgiving desert planet. At CES, Funcom unveiled stunning new screenshots and announced that Dune: Awakening will also integrate Razer’s next-gen Chroma lighting and advanced haptic feedback. This technology transforms your gaming environment, allowing players to feel every pulse of the worm-calling thumper, the vibrations of approaching sandworms, and the chaos of sandstorms with unmatched immersion. Through devices like Razer’s Freyja HD haptic gaming cushion and Kraken Pro headset, players can experience the sensory impact of Arrakis like never before. From the rumbling ground beneath a sandworm’s approach to the recoil of a rocket launcher, every moment becomes a tangible, adrenaline-pumping experience. NVIDIA’s DLSS 4 technology enhances the game’s visual fidelity, ensuring smooth frame rates while bringing Arrakis to life in stunning detail. Fly an Ornithopter over endless dunes, witness twin moons rise over the desert, and explore the planet’s stark beauty with unparalleled performance and image quality. Funcom’s integration of NVIDIA and Razer’s state-of-the-art tech pushes Dune: Awakening to new heights of immersion, making the dangers and majesty of Arrakis feel astonishingly real. Rise from a nameless survivor to a key figure in House Atreides or House Harkonnen when the game launchesin early 2025. Players can wishlist the game now on Steam and sign up on the official website to join the ongoing Closed Beta.

Review: Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana

Developer – Nihon Falcom Publisher – Xseed Games Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4/5 (Reviewed) Review code Provided By Publisher Ys The Oath in Felghana is typically rated one of the best Ys games of the series so I was really excited for the opportunity to give it a shot after playing Ys X: Nordics. I wanted to get an understanding of the older games in the series and see how it has evolved to bring us what Ys is today. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana was the perfect chance to experience this! It has updated graphics, Adol has a voice now, and an added turbo mode, it keeps the core experience true to the original version. Ys: The Oath in Felghana follows the adventures of our hero, Adol Christin, and his companion, Dogi, as they arrive by boat in Felghana—Dogi’s homeland, which he hasn’t visited in many years. Their arrival is anything but uneventful, as they immediately come across a villager under attack by wild monsters. After swiftly defeating the creatures, the grateful villager recognizes Dogi as her childhood friend. It takes Dogi a moment to recall who she is, as she was just a young girl when he left. Following this reunion, the pair makes their way to the village of Redmont, where Dogi grew up, and their adventure begins in earnest. As Adol ventures through the land, players will explore a variety of locations, including a sprawling quarry, ancient ruins, the depths of a lava-filled cavern, a towering castle, and more. Despite its original release years ago, does Ys still hold up as an exceptional game in this remastered form? Without a doubt! There is something to be said about the simple nature of the older Ys games. While there any many great advances made in the later entries, I quiet enjoy the simple nature of Ys: The Oath in Felghana. The gameplay loop is as follows. There is a brief story section where you are given some information about the most pressing matter at hand in the story and then you are free to go around the town and talk to the villages, purchase upgrades to your equipment, and take on a few side quests. After you are finished talking with everyone you want to talk to, you can then exit the town and go to the area of your current objective. When you get to the area you can explore that zone all while fighting monsters and collecting timed power-up potions and experience. Each zone has a few different platforming sections and occasionally a hidden chest or two. After navigating the section for a while you will find yourself face to face with the area boss. These fights start of as simple hack and slash fights and are typically easy to overcome without much thought, but as you progress and gain different abilities these bosses will require different strategies to defeat. Upon defeating the area boss, you will be awarded with a massive boost to your experience and can head back to town to find out your next objective. In terms of treasure and loot that you can collect, Adol can equip magically bracelets, a sword, a shield, and an armor set. The different bracelets allow Adol to use different abilities such as throwing a fire ball which can be used to attack enemies from a distance, or charging into an enemy and blocking a few attacks along the way. Not only are these types of abilities used in combat, they are also used to help you access areas that are previously unreachable. This will allow you to explore previous areas and find new treasure to help you conquer your foes. You can also find gems that will upgrade these bracelets, unlocking stronger versions of the abilities but takes a longer time to charge. Each area typically has a sword, shield, and armor as well which you can upgrade a few times each with a currency that you find in your travels called Ravel Ore. This metal can be used along with some gold at the local blacksmith to increase the stats of the equipment that you are wearing. I always tried to take my time to make sure that I found all available upgrades for Adol to make the fights that much easier, especially closer to the end of the game when the bosses and even some of the monsters can do a lot of damage to your limited health pool if you aren’t prepared. These simple but effective upgrade systems work and provides a way to make Adol feel much stronger and you progress. In terms of story, there are a few twists and turns that you discover along your journey. It starts as a simple save the villagers type of affair, but quickly evolves into a much deeper mission to collect 4 statues. These statues are also being sought after by a White Knight known as Chester. His story will come to light over the course of the game and it is not as black and white as it may seem. At the start, I wasn’t really invested in the story but as it progressed it became more interesting and I was eager to see how the story would unfold. The villagers also are interesting and can provide insights, side quests, and help you with rewards as well. I made sure that every time I came back to town after beating a boss to talk to all the people just to make sure that I go as much as I could from them. You can’t necessarily buy a lot of items that will help you out, outside of a few buff items that can block damage or revive you after death, there aren’t potions that can heal you mid-fight or anything like that to keep you alive. The only way to heal is by stopping by a save point, or when you kill a monster they can potentially drop healing herbs which

Launch Royale Returns For All Maps In New ‘Astral Anomaly’ Event For Apex Legends

This season – From The Rift – for Apex Legends has revisited as well as changed fundamental aspects for the battle royale. At the start of Season 23, Launch Royale debuted returning to the original form of King’s Canyon. Additionally, the most recent ‘Winter Haunt’ event that arrived featured the long overdue return of Winter Express for the holiday as well. However, Respawn Entertainment has also refocused its emphasis on cheating recently as well. To tackle this head on, the developer revealed that Steam Deck support would be severed. More specifically, devices powered by Linux operating systems. In an update post, Respawn Entertainment did confirm the number of exploits in-game has dipped by 33 percent. In a new announcement this week, Launch Royale is to make a return as part of the new ‘Astral Anomaly’ Event arriving this week. The event will run from January 7th to January 20th. You can watch the new trailer in the video below: “Step back in time again for Launch Royale! Experience the LTM with the old school weapons, Legends, abilities, ruleset, but on all of the current day Apex Legends Battle Royale maps. Kings Canyon, World’s Edge, Olympus, Storm Point, Broken Moon, and District will all be available to play with Launch Royale. If you’re craving that old-school Apex vibe on the modern maps, this is the best time to jump in and see where legends were born.” Astral Anomaly will feature a new Milestone Event store which includes 15 new cosmetics themed after the event. But also, it includes two exclusive ‘Anarchonaut’ Alter Skin & ‘Dark Horizon’ Horizon Skin which both features unique starting animations on the character select screen. What has you most excited for the Astron Anomaly Event for Apex Legends? Apex Legends is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Source: Respawn Entertainment

Next Move For Xbox Cloud Streaming Brings Support To LG Televisions, And Soon LG Gaming Portable

When it comes to the push by Microsoft to integrate Xbox into more devices, the firm has yet to cease of this reach across any possible display. With Xbox Cloud Gaming, we’ve witnessed the adoption for smartphones, PCs, and even console itself. Now, the move is for television as well. In 2022, the firm went ahead with the addition for Samsung displays at the time. Additionally, the also segued to the later integration of other Samsung screens like its own smart monitors as well more recently. Even more, the Xbox company did launch support for Amazon Fire Stick in which made access for practically any TV available to stream Xbox Game Pass. And now with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members slowly gaining access to their purchase library brings new opportunity for the service. This week at CES 2025, LG alongside Xbox revealed that Xbox Game Pass will be enabled on LG televisions. Select displays are apparently compatible with this new feature, but it is also confirmed for new screens coming later this year as well. “We’re focused on bringing more games to more people around the world, on the devices you choose to play with,” Gaming Partnerships and Business Development corporate vice president Lori Wright says. “Millions of Game Pass Ultimate members are already using Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) to play great games from the Game Pass catalog on various devices. […] We’re excited to announce our collaboration with LG Electronics to bring the Xbox app to their new LG Smart TVs later this year. This means Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to play their games directly from the Xbox app on supported LG Smart TVs via Xbox Cloud Gaming. This gives players even more choice in how they enjoy their favorite games.” Of course, this also coincides with the ongoing ‘This Is An Xbox’ campaign issued by Microsoft. While Xbox did start as a console, that does not define the platform according to the company. Whether on PC, Meta Quest, or Fire Stick, you are playing Xbox, says Microsoft. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you interested in Xbox Cloud Gaming on LG TVs? Source: Xbox Wire