A new Bloodborne patch was released earlier this week, but the only update notes Sony made available with it were in Japanese (or exceedingly vague). We now have the full English patch notes, as well as a look at a new Bloodborne-inspired ShareFactory theme.
As we already knew, among the 1.04 update's changes is the ability to play cooperatively with others regardless of your respective levels, so long as you are using a password. This ensures you are deliberately trying to join up with certain players; when you don't use a password, and thus are being matched up with random players online, you'll still have to be within 10 levels or so of each other.
Chalice Dungeons have been reworked in a number of ways. You can now buy Short Ritual Root Chalices (used to join up with other Chalice players online) with Insight, while random rewards have been added to bosses.
Coinciding with the release of this week's patch is an update for ShareFactory, the PS4's video editor. A new, free Bloodborne theme is coming on June 2 that will let you further customize your videos with Bloodborne content, as pictured above.
Read on for the full patch notes. If you haven't already picked the game up, you can get it right now for $40.
Bloodborne 1.04 patch notes:
System
When players use a password, they will be matched regardless of level difference.
As long as the other player uses the same password, members of enemy covenants can also play co-op.
The Insight Shop will now appear when players have more than 1 Insight.
Blood Stone Chunks can now be acquired by trading Insight.
*Players must advance the story to a certain point before Blood Stone Chunks become available.
The maximum number of Blood Vials and Quicksilver Bullets which can be stored has been increased from 99 to 600.
Game Balance
Enemy strength in several New Game + areas has been adjusted.
Enemy resistance to arcane and bolt attacks have been adjusted.
Beasthood is now easier to increase. This allows players to have stronger attack for a longer period.
The Beast Blood Pellet changed so that Beasthood will increase when used.
A bug that occurred while using Rifle Spear as a rifle has been fixed.
In particular, its damage when Blood Gems have been affixed has been fixed.
The use of Stamina when wielding the Kirkhammer has been reduced.
The use of Stamina when wielding Logarius' Wheel has been reduced.
The duration of the effect when the Old Hunger's Bone is being used has been extended. Fewer Quicksilver Bullets will be consumed.
Increased stat scaling for the Tiny Tonitrus. The Strength of attack when the arcane stat is low has been increased.
Increased stat scaling for Augur of Ebrietas. The Strength of attack when the arcane stat is low has been increased.
Number of Quicksilver Bullets consumed by A Call Beyond has been reduced.
Number of Quicksilver Bullets consumed by the Choir Bell has been reduced.
Chalice Dungeons
Players can now acquire a Short Ritual Root Chalice by trading Insight. The Chalice will become available after completing the Pthumeru Chalice dungeon. Players can now use the Short Ritual Root Chalice's quick matching feature in the early part of the game.
Random drops added to the reward given by bosses in Chalice Dungeon Materials to upgrade weapons, including Blood Gemstone, will be dropped randomly. Materials that can be obtained will change depending on the depth of the dungeon.
Depth 1: Blood Stone Shards
Depth 2: Twin Blood Stone Shards
Depth 3: Twin Blood Stone Shards, Blood Stone Chunks
Depth 4: Blood Stone Chunks
Depth 5: Blood Stone Chunks, Blood Rocks
The Rank of Blood Gemstones appearing in Depth 1-3 Chalice Dungeons has been boosted.
More Blood Echoes will be obtained when enemies in Chalice Dungeons are hunted.
The guest player's HP will drop to 50% instead of 65% in a Cursed Chalice Dungeon.
When using a Short Ritual Root Chalice for co-op play, the guest player will always start from the Lamp room of each floor.
Special weapons that have been obtained in a Chalice Dungeon, such as Uncanny or Lost will become available for purchase chase from the Bath Messengers.
Upon obtaining a special weapon such as an Uncanny or Lost weapon in a Chalice Dungeon, it will become available for purchase at the Bath Messengers.
Other Adjustments and Changes
Brightness of the screen when Blood Echoes are acquired has been adjusted.
A bug that disconnected players from online mode during standby mode has been fixed.
During Multiplayer, there was an issue of enemies not displaying properly when they move quickly, on the guest's screen. This bug has been fixed.
The new version is reportedly called the "Deathinitive Edition," a title that it both amazing and terrible. In Darksiders II, you play as Death, one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse; so the name does make some sense.
The $40 Deathinitive Edition is listed only for PlayStation 4, while the page provides a December 31, 2015 placeholder release date. There is no word on an Xbox One version.
We've contacted publisher Nordic Games for more details.
Upon its launch on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, GameSpot critic Kevin VanOrd wrote: "Darksiders II is remarkably well put together, particularly in light of its impressive scope."
Microsoft's latest Deals With Gold promotion is on, discounting a handful of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games, such as Alien: Isolation for $24 and Screamride for $27. You can check out all the deals here.
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day.
GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
Set in an overgrown wilderness populated by the Avvar hunter people, the content sees players exploring an "ancient Tevinter fortress that hides a dangerous secret."
Gamers can also expect to face off against new enemies, and amass new legendary armor and weapons. Jaws of Hakkon concludes with a battle against an "ancient god of war bent on destroying the world."
In GameSpot's 7/10 Jaws of Hakkon review, critic Austin Walker praised its new perspective on the Dragon Age lore and its gorgeous and varied environments. But Walker also wrote that Jaws of Hakkon lacks the cinematic storytelling of the base game, and notes that a few missions can be boring.
"We regret to inform you that the lorry transporting the Splatoon stock from Nintendo's European warehouse to Game UK has been stolen," reads the message. "Included in this delivery was our allocation of the Splatoon + Squid Inkling Amiibo."
"As a result, we are unable to honour your original pre-order due for deliver on the 29th of May 2015."
According to the retailer it will be unable to acquire replacements and is instead substituting in the standard edition of Splatoon. Customers will still receive the Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy Amiibo.
The standard edition of Splatoon will be discounted by £10 as an apology for the extraordinary circumstances. Orders of the game will be sent by first class post on May 29, when Splatoon will be released in the UK.
Customers can also choose to cancel the complete order, or cancel the game and place an order for just the Amiibo.
Sony on Thursday announced plans to livestream its E3 2015 media briefing at movie theaters across the United States and Canada as part of a promotion called "PlayStation E3 Experience."
This is the second year of PlayStation E3 Experience. Tickets sold out very quickly last year, so Sony is increasing the number of theaters for the 2015 event by 150 percent to more than 75. At least one theater in every state across the US--including Hawaii and Alaska--will host the event. Plus, three cities in Canada will take part.
Like last year's event, PlayStation E3 Experience will be free. You can grab a ticket on Wednesday, May 27, starting at 9 AM PDT / 12 noon EDT through this special website, which will also provide a list of all participating theaters. Eighty percent of theater capacity will be reserved for ticket-holders, while the remaining 20 percent will be available for people on the wait list.
Everyone in attendance will get to watch Sony's entire E3 briefing, as well as a 30-minute show hosted by Geoff Keighley and featuring developer interviews immediately following the event. Plus, attendees will go home with a "PlayStation surprise" to be revealed later. Last year, this prize was pretty nice--early access to the Destiny alpha and a code to play the Battlefield Hardline beta, as well as some physical goodies.
Sony today announced the free games PlayStation Plus members will receive in June, a list headlined by Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.
PS4, PS3, and PS Vita each get two games of their own, but thanks to cross-buy, PS4 owners will receive a total of four free games next week.
All six games will go free on Tuesday, June 2, replacing the existing set of freebies for May. If you haven't already downloaded May's games, you have until then to do so.
Read on for the full list of June's free games in North America and Europe:
In a new interview with NintendoLife, studio head Ian Bell said when the developer originally launched its crowdfunding campaign for Project Cars back in 2013, it had firm plans only for PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles, while a version for Wii U was never a sure thing.
"It was always 'maybe' as we had no knowledge of the system," Bell said. "It was again changed, by vote of the members, to a PC/Xbox One/PS4 next-gen game with still 'maybe Wii U' and Steam OS. The funding, as I said above, was closed long before this."
Although the Wii U version of Project Cars is struggling technically--the latest version runs at 720p/23fps--Slightly Mad isn't ready to cancel the game just yet. In fact, as suggested earlier, Bell said it's possible Project Cars could shift to Nintendo's next console, currently codenamed NX.
"We still haven't given up on Wii U 100 percent," Bell said. "But if we can't make it work, we will move to the next Nintendo machine."
GameSpot scored Project Cars an 8/10. Critic Austin Walker wrote: "Project Cars offers a different fantasy, one that's a little less attractive and a bit harder to enjoy: the fantasy of learning how to do something difficult."
At the time, head of 343 Industries Bonnie Ross said the developer is giving these items to players for free to thank them for sticking with Halo: The Master Chief Collection during its troubled launch.
"This has been a humbling experience and highlighted how we as a studio can – and need – to do better for Xbox fans around the world," Ross said. "We are so grateful to our fans who have stood by our side and we appreciate all of your patience as we worked through these issues."
Previously, 343i said the updated version of Halo 3: ODST's campaign and a reimagined version of the Halo 2 multiplayer map Relic should be added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection in May, but offered nothing more specific than that window.
Killbrite Studio has announced Among the Sleep, its quirky first-person horror adventure that casts players as a two year-old child, will be released on Xbox One.
In the game, which was first released for PC in May 2014, the player is transported into a nightmarish dream world and, as the child, must find his mother. Joining the child on the adventure is a rather creepy sentient teddy bear.
Among the Sleep is also expected for PlayStation 4 and is one of the first games to support Sony's Morpheus VR headset.
According to Killbrite, there isn't currently a release date for the PS4 or Xbox One versions, but the studio is "working closely with both Microsoft and Sony, and will release more information as soon as we have it."
In GameSpot's Among the Sleep review, we awarded the game a score of 7 and praised it for having "imaginative and creepy environment," as well as "excellent sound design." However, the game ultimately ended in an underwhelming fashion.
"Venturing into the unknown of each new realm is ultimately an empowering process--even as a child, you are capable of facing the terrifying unknown and coping with whatever you find there," reads the review.
"Among the Sleep is a distinctive and promising first game from new Norwegian studio Krillbite, and though the dreams it conjures might be scary, it ultimately leaves you with the feeling that you're strong enough to face your fears, in dreams or otherwise."
Speaking today during Sony's annual Investor Day conference, PlayStation president Andrew House acknowledged that the PlayStation 4's first-party lineup for this year is looking "a little sparse." For this reason, House said Sony will need to lean more on third-party games in the short-term.
"We are working very hard to continue very strong support from third-party publishers and developers," House said. "Our first-party lineup is a little sparse this year so I think this places an even greater emphasis on getting good third-party support."
House said Sony has an advantage in this department due to the fact that the PS4 is the leader in the current-generation sales race with more than 22.3 million consoles sold.
"I think that E3 this year will be an exciting show," House said. "I think it will be a show where we see the next generation of hardware really start to deliver great content and experiences that, if not take full advantage of the platform, take a lot more advantage than we've seen before."
But House points out that Sony can still benefit from multiplatform games, provided developers make use of system-exclusive feature or provide some content exclusively on PlayStation. This was the case with Destiny, which offered a range of timed-exclusive content for PS4 that made Sony's console "the best place" to play the game, House said.
"Rather than seeking for complete exclusives, we have looked to publishers to really try to maximize the use of the feature-set on PlayStation 4 versus the competition. And I think that the use of Share and SharePlay functionality, those have been sort of defining platform features which can be seen not just in first-party content but across the whole range of titles," he said.
"I would also say that we are not without partnerships in the area of third-party titles," House added. "Which are not necessarily around full exclusivity."
Also during the presentation, House mentioned Street Fighter V, which will be released exclusive on console for PS4, though it's also coming to PC. Complete exclusives of this nature are becoming increasingly rare, House said, due to rising development costs, among other things.
Arcade-style baseball game Super Mega Baseball won't be a PlayStation-exclusive for much longer.
Developer Metalhead on Wednesday announced that a new version of the game, Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings, will launch for Xbox One and PC this summer. The developer promises a range of new content, including more stadiums, "enhanced gameplay," and an overall improved experience.
"Right now there are few options for quality, accessible sports titles on the market, particularly when it comes to baseball games on the Xbox One and PC," Metalhead co-founder Scott Drader said in a statement.
"We're really looking to put this genre back on the map for more casual fans, especially the younger generation of gamers who haven't had access to the types of games that were common during their parents' generation," he added. "Games that could introduce a sport to the uninitiated and turn them into fans for life."
Super Mega Baseball is not a licensed game, so don't expect to see your favorite Major League Baseball players or stadiums in the game. If that's a deal-breaker, you can play MLB 15: The Show on PlayStation consoles or RBI Baseball 15 on Xbox and PC.
Super Mega Baseball lets you play against the CPU or with up to four friends via local co-p. The game boasts a strong score of 85 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. It is unclear if the new content from Extra Innings will also be released for the existing PlayStation versions.
Pricing was not announced, but the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of Super Mega Baseball sell for $20. For a closer look at Super Mega Baseball, check out Giant Bomb's Quick Look video below.
I've been playing Splatoon, Nintendo's new and unusual shooter, for just over a week, and my experience has ranged from delightful to frustrating. Its inventive mechanics are refreshing, making it easy to enjoy both the single player and multiplayer components.Since the game hasn't been released yet, my only time with multiplayer has been with other Nintendo employees and members of the press. Until I've been able to test multiplayer with a large number of people playing online, I unfortunately can't pass judgment on the game at large. That said, when I have been able to get into a match, I've thoroughly enjoyed Splatoon's multiplayer offerings.
Unlike most shooters where the goal is to kill opponents, Splatoon's multiplayer Turf War matches are won by whichever team of four Inklings (shapeshifting human-squid hybrids) paints the largest area of the map with their team's color. This mode engrains Splatoon's non-violent gameplay into your psyche, and though you can technically "kill" members of the opposing team, which knocks them out of the match for three seconds and earns you a decent chunk of experience points, it's clearly a secondary objective. This takes a bit of getting used to, but focusing on shooting the environment rather than on shooting other players means that you can actually relax a bit while playing, free from the pressures of the highly competitive environment created by today's typical shooters. Being great at a game like Battlefield requires a lot of practice and discipline, but Splatoon doesn't punish newcomers, allowing almost anyone to enjoy some measure of success from the get-go. Turf War matches are the only available type of online match before you hit level 10 and unlock ranked battles, which I have unfortunately not been able to manage given my current matchmaking difficulties. There, objective-based matches will become available, but until I get to experience them for myself, it's impossible to say how they stand up to Turf War.
Regardless of whether you're playing online or offline, you have plenty of chances to put your squid abilities to good use, and you soon realize that ink is for more than just shooting. When you're running around in a patch of your own ink, you can revert to a purer squid form and swim at great speeds until you reach a dry spot or a puddle of your enemy's ink. Swimming through ink allows you to quickly move forward, or backwards if you're trying to find cover, but it also creates tactical advantages when used properly. If you stand still in a pool of your own ink, you actually appear invisible to your opponents, which makes it easy to get the jump on an unsuspecting enemy, or, to avoid conflict in a tight situation. You have to be careful of how much ink you're holding as it depletes rather quickly, but all you need to do to reload is to turn into a squid and watch your ink tank fill up.
As you progress in online multiplayer matches, earning experience and leveling up, you primarily unlock the chance to purchase new guns, headwear, shirts, and shoes. More than a fashion statement, choosing the right equipment will give you one or more stat boosts, giving you greater swimming speed or more effective ink, for example. The guns you choose are also important, as a wide paint roller acts very differently than a typical squirt gun. The ability to upgrade gear means that it's unlikely any two teams will be alike, making every match a dice-roll.
Thank goodness, because while the gameplay and progression systems in Splatoon are enjoyable and varied, the maps you play on are too similar, and I can't think of a single one that stands out. There are some elements that you'll pickup on, but these are isolated pieces that you recognize rather than recall fondly. For the most part, you swim over flat land, up a ramp, and maybe through a wire mesh, but I haven't noticed a case where a map emphasizes one particular element over another. Maybe this is a casualty of the game's painting mechanic, making every map feel like a big, neon puddle, but good level design should be able to overcome this. There's also the issue that Splatoon limits the number of maps that you can potentially play on to two or three per day, a limitation which is masked behind a daily announcement from a pair of Inkling celebrities, It's strange that Nintendo would want to limit the number of maps that you have access to and hope that a charming skit would make up the difference.
Online multiplayer aside, the single player campaign does feature a lot of variety, taking you through five worlds filled with minor puzzles, platforming, and some head-to-head matches against the game's AI-driven baddies, the Octarians. The goal in each level is to reach an electrified fish known as the zap fish, which lies at the end of every level. Though the worlds aren't differentiated the way they are in so many Nintendo games, with different themes or natural elements giving them a strong identity, the objectives and goals you face along the way make the moment-to-moment gameplay feel fresh. Again, it's generally easy to make it through most levels, but you will be hard pressed to find the game's hidden items: Sunken Scrolls. Each one opens up a chapter in the history of the world of Splatoon. Collecting all of them may open up something new in the game, but I need to find a few more before I know whether that's true or not.
I'll be doing my best to find viable multiplayer matches and as many Sunken Scrolls as possible in the next couple days. Once I've got a good feel for the breadth of Splatoon's modes, I'll be back with my full review.
Part of Sony's plan to grow the PlayStation business includes courting casual gamers and enhancing PlayStation 4 features overall, the company said on Wednesday as part of its annual Investor Relations Day.
Investor Relations Day is when Sony reviews performance from the past year and discusses projections for how to expand the business going forward.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House led the presentation about the PlayStation business. He started off by sharing some strong PS4 statistics and achievements-- including 20 million+ consoles sold--all of which you can see in the chart below.
Looking ahead to the future, however, is where things get more interesting. Sony's plan to "expand the PlayStation ecosystem" includes a number of steps to retain and expand the overall userbase. This includes efforts to court casual gamers, while also "strengthening the engagement" of core players.
Sony also said it hopes to increase the average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) this fiscal year for the overall PlayStation platform. Part of the effort includes getting more people to sign up for PlayStation Plus by "enhancing its user value," as well as partnership campaigns with "best-in-class" services.
As would be expected, Sony spoke in broad strokes and did not provide much in the way of specifics. Sony is likely to talk in more detail about its gaming plans during E3 next month.
For lots more on Sony's gaming plans for the current fiscal year, check out all of the slides from the presentation in the gallery below."
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games may be working on a Minecraft-inspired Lego title called Lego Worlds.
Images for the project, which has not yet been officially teased or announced, appeared on the Eurobricks forum. According to the author of the post, a promotional image for the game can be found on the back of the instructions for the 60097 City Square set released this month.
The image features the tagline "Explore. Discover. Create.," seemingly indicating that Warner Bros. and TT Games are creating an experience similar to Minecraft, which itself is heavily influenced by Lego.
The image does not feature any logos hinting at what platform the game may be available for or any sort of release window. GameSpot has contacted Warner Bros. for a comment.
More recently, Warner Bros. announced Lego Dimensions, a toys-to-life style game in the same vein as Activision's Skylanders or Disney Infinity. The game will bring together characters and settings from a number of universes including Lord of the Rings, Batman, Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, and more.
TT Games is also working on Lego Jurassic World, which follows the stories of Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Jurassic Park III, as well as the upcoming Jurassic World.
Another Sony-owned studio has spun off from the PlayStation gaming giant.
PlayStation Home developer Loot Entertainment, which created virtual goods for Sony's PlayStation 3 online hub PlayStation Home from 2009 until its closure this year, now describes itself as an independent game publisher. The company has also changed its namely to Loot Interactive effective immediately.
"This has been a long time coming, but Loot Interactive is finally ready to declare its independence as an indie game publisher," co-founder and managing director David Sterling said. "We're ready to kick off E3 with a strong showing of launch games to set the stage for a very aggressive release schedule of fantastic new indie titles through 2015… and beyond!"
As this VentureBeat story explains, Loot was never really part of Sony Computer Entertainment to begin with. Instead, the company existed under Sony's Digital Audio Disc Corporation (DADC) division.
Loot will bring at least three games to E3 this summer, including Whispering Willows, Back to Bed, and Velocibox. These titles will be playable at E3's IndieCade Showcase. Although Loot is now independent, these three new games are in development for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. They are all scheduled to launch this summer.
For more on each game, check out the official descriptions and some images below, courtesy of Loot.
Whispering Willows -- Developed by NightLight Interactive, this beautiful 2D adventure game tells a horror-themed tale from the perspective of a female protagonist with hand-painted artwork and a haunting soundtrack;
Velocibox -- Developed by Shawn Beck Games, this unforgivingly tough endless runner game challenges players to safely guide a speeding box through an increasingly diabolical obstacle course
No explanation for the reported delay was provided. A representative for publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was not immediately available.
GameStop's website has updated the release date for Mortal Kombat X on PS3 and Xbox 360 to a placeholder date of December 31, 2015. The game's Amazon page also lists that date. Target's website, meanwhile, still lists the last-generation versions as arriving in June.
Mortal Kombat X for PS3 and Xbox 360 was originally scheduled to launch alongside the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC editions back in April. However, Warner Bros. later delayed the last-generation versions to sometime this summer. High Voltage Software, which also developed the PC edition of Mortal Kombat X, is working on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
If funding reaches $3 million, Bloodstained will be ported to Wii U. Development on this version will be handled by Armature Studio, founded by former Metroid developers. The studio has a long history of ports, including Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel for the recently released Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
"When we were approached with the opportunity to assist with Bloodstained on Wii U, we were ecstatic," Armature said. "This style of game is one we are intimately familiar with from our Metroid Prime days, and it's exciting to once again put our familiarity with Nintendo hardware to good use. We have extensive remastering experience--our remastering projects include the Metal Gear Solid Collection for PS Vita, Injustice for PS Vita, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel for PS4/XB1. We look forward to the challenge of making sure that the Wii U edition of Bloodstained stands proudly with its brethren on Unreal Engine 4."
The PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 versions of Bloodstained, meanwhile, will be developed by Inti Creates. They are "going to continue developing the game as before, without compromise," the developer said.
Thinking about preordering a copy of Rocksteady's upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight? Warner Bros. has revealed a new perk to nudge you in that direction.
Spotted on the game's Steam product page is the "Gotham's Future" skin pack. This comes with a pair of skins, one of which is based on the animated show Batman Beyond and the other inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Check out both skins in the image below.
So far, the Gotham's Future skin pack has been announced only for the PC edition of Arkham Knight. Another preorder bonus is a DLC mission that lets you play as Harley Quinn. This bonus is available across all platforms.
The Witcher developer CD Projekt Red's PC online store, GOG, has announced a new publishing deal with Telltale Games to bring The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones studio's past and future games to the platform. The first of these games, Game of Thrones, is now available--and at a nice, 40 percent discount.
That means you can buy the six-episode series, normally $30, for just $18. As with all GOG games, there is no form of DRM applied to Game of Thrones.
GOG notes that this is the first time Telltale titles are being released without DRM. The games will also include support for GOG's new, Steam-like GOG Galaxy. They will take full advantage of the platform's new features, including one-click installation, automatic updating, achievements, and more.
The 40 percent launch discount for Telltale's Game of Thrones runs through May 30.
The fourth episode in the series, Sons of Winter, was released earlier this week. GameSpot critic Alexa Ray Corriea wrote in her 5/10 review: "As Telltale's Game of Thrones passes its halfway mark, it takes a bit of a dip, staging a set of scenes that feels less like something you can control and more like something you can only passively watch. There's no sense of agency in the choices you are offered; you simply spin a conversation in a certain direction before arriving at a pre-determined outcome."
The company on Tuesday announced that a Windows 10 companion app will be available for iOS and Android devices alongside the main version for Windows devices.
"A real challenge people face is figuring out how to make everything work together," Microsoft's Joe Belfiore wrote on the Windows blog. That's why we're announcing a 'Phone Companion' app built-in to Windows 10, which will help you connect your Windows PC to whatever phone you own--whether it's a Windows phone, Android phone, or iPhone."
Once you sync up your iPhone or Android device, you'll be able to access your files and content across PC and phone. Check out the full blog post for a detailed breakdown of how this works.
In addition, Microsoft announced today that Windows 10's Siri-like digital assistant Cortana--named after the Halo character--will also be available for iPhones and Android devices. Cortana can fetch net-based data such as web results and weather reports, among many other things.
However, there will be some limitations.
"Although the functionality will be very helpful, because it's "just an app" there will be certain things that Cortana does on Windows phones that won't work on Android devices or iPhones," Belfiore said. "Some features require access to the system that aren't currently possible with iOS or Android, so things like toggling settings or opening apps won't initially be available in the Cortana companions for those platforms. Similarly, the ability to invoke Cortana hands-free by saying 'Hey Cortana' requires special integration with the device's microphone, so that feature will be limited to Windows Phones and PCs."
An upcoming patch for the Xbox One edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will lock the game at 30fps. That's according to CD Projekt Red community lead Marcin Momot, who offered the following statement.
@stay_scialla The lock should be there in the upcoming patch.
A Digital Foundry tech analysis published last week found that the Xbox One edition could, at times, achieve a resolution higher than 30fps. That might sound nice, but the frame rate was also found to be quite unstable. Sometimes it dipped below 30fps, leading to an undesirable stuttery experience.
As with the PC version last year, those who preorder The Elder Scrolls Online for Xbox One or PS4 will receive the Explorer's Pack, a bonus that provides some in-game content and gives you more flexibility when creating a character.
The Explorer's Pack, available with digital and physical preorders, consists of three parts: bonus treasure maps, a vanity pet named Warty, and the ability to play as any race, regardless of your alliance.
That last part is arguably the most important. When you choose from the three alliances--Ebonheart Pact, Daggerfall Covenant, and Aldmeri Dominion--it restricts what races you're allowed to choose from. Of the nine total races, only three are available to each alliance. These races represent not only significant cosmetic differences, but each also has its own unique bonuses.
This can be problematic if you want to join the same alliance as a friend, but you each want to play as races from different alliances. With the Explorer's Pack, this isn't a problem--assuming you preorder. If the PC version is any indication, the Explorer's Pack won't be sold separately. We've asked Bethesda if there will be any way to avoid the race restriction in the future, and will report back with anything we learn.
Square Enix on Tuesday announced that its next Active Time Report will be held on Thursday, June 4.
Final Fantasy 15's Cindy
During the program, Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata will provide "development updates" for the game. He will be joined in the video briefing by global marketing manager Akio Ofuji. The video event will be broadcast on YouTube and Twitch, featuring subtitles.
The show starts at 6 AM PDT / 9 AM EDT. GameSpot will have all the news from the Active Time Report as it's announced.
June 4 falls in the "early June" window that Square Enix plans to release Episode Duscae 2.0, the updated version of Final Fantasy XV's original demo. It is expected to include a variety of changes and improvements.
No comments:
Post a Comment