BUNGIE-ACTIVISION SPLIT

2019 kicked off with a bang, with Bungie and Activision ending their partnership. With Activision deeming Destiny 2 and its expansions’ performances to be unsatisfactory and with Bungie disagreeing with that, and with both of them differing on how to take the series forward, the two entities ended their 10 year agreement prematurely, with Bungie retaining the rights to Destiny, and deciding to self-publish all future games in the series. This also resulted in Destiny 2 finally coming to Steam. For fans of the series, these were all positive developments, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Destiny.

]]> 425472 https://gamingbolt.com/xbox-series-x-design-details-noise-levels-smaller-controller-and-share-button https://gamingbolt.com/xbox-series-x-design-details-noise-levels-smaller-controller-and-share-button#respond Fri, 13 Dec 2019 05:26:28 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=425313

Microsoft took many of us by surprise when it not only unveiled the final name for Project Scarlett, namely Xbox Series X, but also the design. The monolithic structure is impressive while still echoing the design aesthetic established by the Xbox One. In a new interview with GameSpot, Xbox boss Phil Spencer provided some more details about the general design.

He noted that the idea was to make it “disappear” into one’s entertainment set-up. As such, the overall noise level is comparable to the Xbox One X (which is a very good thing). Spencer said, “There’s always this tension between design and the kind of acoustics and cooling and function of the console and we were not going to compromise on function. I’m just incredibly impressed with the design that they came back with.”

Regarding the controller, it’s fairly similar to that seen on the Xbox One though slightly smaller. Older accessories will still work on Xbox Series X while the new controller can work on Xbox One and PC in turn. The biggest difference is the new share button, ideally to get those clips and highlights to friends faster.

Spencer also talked about learning from the Elite controller and fan feedback. One change is the D-Pad. “We have a new hybrid D-pad that we’ve been working on that we think is important, so you’ll get a sense of that in the new Xbox wireless controller. We do have a share button.

“We’ve heard the feedback. We’re not the first ones to do a share button, so we’re not going to say that we invented that, but we’ve heard feedback that sharing is such a part of a gaming experience now for many of our players that I wanted a dedicated hardware button to share, so you’ll see that. We’ll still have all the rumble triggers and haptic feedback that you’ve had in the console before.”

It was also confirmed that players could pause and resume multiple games at a single time (though why you’d do this is another question entirely). The name “Series X” also seems to imply another kind of series down the line. Perhaps the Lockhart rumors are true then? While Spencer didn’t specifically address the existence of another console, he did state that “Obviously, in the name ‘Series X’, it gives us freedom to do other things with that name so that we can create descriptors when we need to.”

Xbox Series X is out in Holiday 2020 and will launch with Halo Infinite. Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga was also announced for the platform but it doesn’t currently have a release date.

Turn 10 Studios didn’t churn out a new Forza Motorsport title this year, which is fine given the support for Forza Horizon 4. However, the developer is hard at work on the next iteration. In the recent Forza Monthly stream, creative director Chris Esaki talked about holding the first “studio-wide playtest” for this “new experience.”

He then talked about a bunch of different features like a new tire model, suspension model and pressure system but noted that, “In reality, [these features] don’t really matter in the larger scheme of things. The overall product, and where we’re going with it, is so vastly different and an amazing experience”.

It was revealed that, “We have a new way that heat interacts with the tire pressure and we actually have dynamic track temperatures affecting this all. We have dynamic rubbering in on the track. We have a new atmospheric pressure system that accurately has pressure affecting things like air density, affecting aerodynamics and power, as well as the tire pressure. We have an entire new suspension system with new suspension modelling.” He then noted that this was only the “moment-to-moment, rubber meets the road, experience” and that he was probably missing out on “about 15 other things.”

However, Esaki did noted that the studio would have more information next year. Whether the title is called Forza Motorsport 8 or something else wasn’t mentioned. Will it arrive for Xbox One and Project Scarlett or remain exclusive to the latter which is out in Holiday 2020? Honestly, we’re hoping to hear more sooner than latter.

In the meantime, there’s still plenty going on with Forza Horizon 4. It will receive the series’ first battle royale mode “Eliminator” today for free. Essentially 72 players compete in races in the map, earning upgrades for their vehicles until eventually the final 10 battle for glory.

While everyone is still using the codename for the next Xbox, Project Scarlett, the system obviously won’t be called that. While there’s been tons of stuff coming out from both official sources as well as rumors and leaks about the guts of the system, the simple fact of the name still remains a mystery. What will it be called? Well, actually to one man in the know, it’ll all depend on what the selling capabilities of the system will be

Sitting down with Stevivor, Spencer said it all comes down to capabilities. While Xbox has never followed the traditional and straightforward naming conventions of Sony (1, 2, 3, etc.), they have kept the Xbox branding unlike Nintendo who throws out its brand every few years. Each one has been named after what defines its main selling point and Scarlett will be the same.

“Our naming convention has been around what we think the capabilities are,” he said. “Xbox 360 was about the entertainment experience around the box and the box being in the center of that entertainment experience. Xbox One, if you remember our branding early on, was ‘always on input, all in one’. Those names were really built around the purpose of the box.

“I don’t feel like I need to follow in their footsteps because they’re kind of self-contained.”

What will be the defining feature of the next Xbox? It’s hard to say, though it will definitely revolve more around digital and subscription services than ever before. It’s always fun to speculate, and we won’t have a lot longer until we know for sure. We’ll let you know as soon as the official name is revealed.

In spite of incessant questions and a few not-so-credible leaks here and there, Square Enix have remained insistent that the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake will launch as a PlayStation 4 exclusive title. However, whether or not that exclusivity is permanent is something that many have questioned regardless. After all, back when the game was first announced at E3 2015, it was announced to be “coming first to PlayStation 4.”

Many assumed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be exclusive to the PS4 for a limited period of time, before heading to other platforms, and now, Square Enix seem to have indirectly confirmed that. They recently uploaded an updated version of the game’s box art on its page on their official press site, and the bottom right corner of the box mentions that its PS4 exclusivity will end on March 3rd, 2021, exactly a year after its launch.

Incidentally, next gen consoles will have been out on the market for a few months by that time, and Square Enix themselves have said in no vague terms that they’re developing Final Fantasy 7 Remake with next gen hardware (and the possibility of porting the game to it) in mind. A PS5 release almost goes without saying, but can we expect the remake to be out on the Xbox Scarlett as well? And if we can, does that mean future parts of the remake will also timed PlayStation exclusives?

Of course, this isn’t something that Square Enix have formally announced yet, so we’re still going to be waiting on that. Stay tuned for all updates.

Well, here’s something very interesting- a first party Sony franchise that’s (obviously) always been exclusive to PlayStation platforms will soon be going multiplatform and releasing on Xbox and Nintendo systems. It was recently announced that the MLB, MLBPA, and Sony have reached an agreement to extend Sony’s license of MLB games in a “multi-year” deal (the exact duration hasn’t been mentioned), which means SIE San Diego will continue to develop annual MLB The Show for the foreseeable future.

What’s most interesting about this news is that starting from 2021, the series will no longer be exclusive to PlayStation systems, and will also be coming to “additional console platforms beyond PlayStation platforms.” More details on this are supposed to come at a later date. The official Twitter pages of Xbox and Nintendo of America have also reacted to this news in celebration.

Of course, the recently announced MLB The Show 20 will still be exclusive to the PS4, though it will also be the last game in the series to follow that trend. It’s a bit of a surprising announcement, and it will surely be strange (in a good way) to see a Sony-developed and Sony-published franchise releasing on the Switch and the Xbox. It’s likely that going multiplatform was something Sony had to agree to in order to extend their license, because the license owners wanted more sales coming on from other systems as well- but that’s just speculation on my part.

These are certainly interesting times in the games industry, that’s for sure.

No more away games. https://t.co/47Bui1tuUj

— Xbox (@Xbox) December 10, 2019

⚾ https://t.co/i80AWPYRGA

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 10, 2019

Much has been made of the power of Xbox Scarlett, Microsoft’s next-generation gaming console. While we know it utilizes an AMD Zen 2 CPU, GDDR6 RAM and a solid state drive, the actual performance numbers have been somewhat fleeting. However, it seems that the target specs are clearer now thanks to multiple sources that spoke to Windows Central.

These sources also confirmed the existence of two SKUS – the lighter Lockhart and the more powerful Anaconda. The Anaconda is apparently targeting 12 teraflops of power while Lockhart will be around four teraflops. Both consoles will have eight CPU cores targeting 3.5 GHz though Anaconda will have a higher per core clock speed than Anaconda.

While this may not seem like a huge leap, Anaconda’s performance bump will be significant thanks to caching improvements, new silicon architecture and other proprietary optimizations. The Anaconda will also have 16 GB of RAM with 13 GB for games and 3 GB for the operating system.

The other details – like both consoles using NVMe SSD tech to decrease loading times significantly or playing via streaming with Project xCloud as games download in the background – are also incredibly intriguing. In terms of backwards compatibility, Xbox Scarlett should run all current Xbox One titles. They’ll even have enhancements like unlocked frame rate and dynamic resolution games performing better due to the improved hardware (Monster Hunter World on Xbox One X was provided as an example). However, features like ray tracing for dynamic reflections will “most probably” be on Lockhart and Anaconda only.

While these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt and plans could change, the existence of two SKUs for Xbox Scarlett is looking more and more likely. We’ll have to wait till next year to learn more so stay tuned.

2K Games has confirmed that a new BioShock game is in development at Cloud Chamber, a recently assembled studio. The developer has two offices, one in Novato, California and the other in Montreal with the latter helmed by former Zynga GM Ken Schachter. Global development will be led by Kelly Gilmore who’s worked at Firaxis for nearly 20 years (and has the Civilization and XCOM games to her credit).

Gilmore stated that, “We founded Cloud Chamber to create yet-to-be-discovered worlds – and their stories within – that push the boundaries of what is possible in the video game medium. Our team believes in the beauty and strength of diversity, in both the makeup of the studio and the nature of its thinking.

“We are a deeply experienced group of game makers, including many responsible for BioShock’s principal creation, advancement and longstanding notoriety, and honored to be part of the 2K family as stewards of this iconic franchise.”

2K Games president David Ismailer said that, “As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential. BioShock is one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation. We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.”

Of course, it’ll be a while before the game is even showcased – Cloud Chamber will be working on it for “the next several years”. It seems likely that it could to Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 down the line but even that could be several years off. The real question is what form will the sequel take.

Will it be an FPS/RPG akin to the first two games? Or will it venture more into immersive sim territory, like creator Ken Levine’s upcoming new title at Ghost Story Games? Whatever the case may be, it’s going to be a long journey ahead for the franchise.

It’s going to be roughly a year before the general public gets its hand on the next Xbox, which we’re still calling Scarlett for now. As always, the wait time is filled with rumors (that pesky discless Xbox rumor is back again) and promises (bold promises about first party game releases, for instance). But when you’re the boss, you get special perks, and in the case of Phil Spencer, he apparently gets to play with the device a full year before anyone else.

On his official Twitter, Spencer posted that he brought home a Scarlett, and it’s already his primary console. He’s been playing some stuff, persumably via backward compatibility, while using his nifty Elite Series 2 controller. Phil seems to be having quite the blast with the system, and you know, good for him I guess.

The next Xbox will be officially revealed next year, most likely at E3 2020. We have had several rumors and leaks and speculation about it, as well as knowing its big launch title will be Halo Infinite.

And it’s started….this week I brought my Project Scarlett console home and it's become my primary console, playing my games, connecting to the community and yes, using my Elite Series 2 controller, having a blast. Great work by the team, 2020 is going to be an incredible year.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 4, 2019

Last year, before Microsoft had officially unveiled Project Scarlett, rumours were swirling that multiple variants of a next gen Xbox were in the works. Anaconda, which would be the more powerful model (equivalent to the Xbox One X this gen), and Lockhart, the cheaper, less powerful model (equivalent to the Xbox One S).

After Scarlett’s reveal at E3 this year, reports started emerging that due to multiple reasons, Microsoft had dropped plans to have multiple Xbox Scarlett SKUs. However, now, as per a report by Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, Microsoft still has those plans underway.

Lockhart, a cheaper, discless version of the Xbox Scarlett, is still being worked on. It will also be less powerful than the other variant, which, according to Kotaku, is cause for concern among some developers, since they will have to balance both pieces of hardware while working on games.

One developer tells Kotaku that the system is roughly as powerful as a PS4 Pro, in terms of raw graphical power. That said, Lockhart still has a solid state drive (or an SSD), which is supposed to be an important new feature in next-gen consoles. Lockhart also reportedly has a faster CPU than current gen consoles.

Microsoft is reportedly targeting – as well as encouraging developers to target – a baseline of 1440p and 60 FPS on Lockhart, and 4K and 60 FPS on Anaconda.

Earlier this year, we saw similar reports that a streaming-only cheaper variant of the Xbox Scarlett was still very much part of Microsoft’s plans, so perhaps Lockhart isn’t as dead in the water as we thought it might have been.