AMD invited us to a press event in Los Angeles, California and revealed detailed information and specs on its Ryzen Threadripper CPUs and highly-anticipated RX Vega graphics cards. We're going to boil down what we learned and what you need to know.
SKUs
The first thing to know is that AMD is rolling out multiple RX Vega graphics cards that will use the company's new Vega architecture, which supplants Polaris. The top tier SKU is called Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled. As you can imagine, it's a liquid-cooled GPU. The next SKU is the Radeon RX Vega 64 Limited Edition, which is an air-cooled variant that comes in a limited edition metal shroud. Beyond that there is the RX Vega 64, which uses a standard reference chassis and cooling solution. The most affordable option is the RX Vega 56. We'll explain what the 64 and 56 numbers represent in the next slide on specs.
Update: AMD also teased a smaller Nano version of its RX Vega at its Capsaicin event, but we have no details on that smaller graphics card.
AMD RX Vega Specs
AMD released the following specs on all three RX Vega cards:
RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled
RX Vega 64
RX Vega 56
Compute Units
64
64
56
Stream Processors
4096
4096
3584
Core Clock
1406MHz
1247MHz
1156MHz
Boost Clock
1677MHz
1546MHz
1471MHz
VRAM
8GB HBM2
8GB HBM2
8GB HBM2
Teraflops
13.7
12.66
10.5
TDP
350W
290W
210W
Manufacturing Process
14nm FinFet
14nm FinFet
14nm FinFet
Architecture
Vega
Vega
Vega
RX Vega 64 is named as such because it has 64 compute units. As you can imagine, RX Vega 56 offers 56 compute units. The higher-clocked liquid-cooled version is a 13.7 teraflop graphics card. The air-cooled version is a 12.66 teraflop GPU, and the Vega 56 is a 10.5 teraflop solution.
AMD mostly focused on the specs of its air-cooled RX Vega 64 SKU. We learned that it's a card with 12.5 billion transistors, has 256 texture units, and uses 8GB of second-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM2). This makes it capable of delivering 484GB/s of memory bandwidth with a 2048-bit memory bus width. The card also has 4MB of L2 cache. AMD asserts that the card's extremely fast memory and high-bandwidth cache controller will allow developers to create larger game worlds. The company also touts that the GPU features a more complete DirectX 12 integration.
RX Vega 64 features 12.5 billion 14nm transistors and uses 45MB of SRAM across the GPU. While the air-cooled RX Vega 64 features a 1546MHz boost clock, AMD says that the card is designed to run at higher frequencies, and should be able to reach 1.7GHz or higher.
Here are the thermal design power (TDP) ratings of the three cards:
RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled: 350 watts
RX Vega 64 Air Cooled: 290 watts
RX Vega 56: 210 watts
As you can see from the TDP numbers above, these are very power-hungry cards.
RX Vega Performance
In terms of performance, AMD asserts that RX Vega 64 is competitive with Nvidia's $549 GeForce GTX 1080.
The company conducted several gaming benchmarks on the GTX 1080, and across all tests its frame rate fluctuated between 45 FPS and 78 FPS. The air-cooled RX Vega 64, running the same tests, showed a minimum FPS of 53 and a maximum FPS of 76. While the maximum FPS is two frames lower, the minimum frame rate is eight frames higher.
AMD also asserts that RX Vega 64 will be able to run over 100 modern games at 4K 60FPS or better.
In addition, the company says that the Radeon RX Vega 56 will be competitive with the GTX 1070.
Design
We had a chance to take a look at the Limited Edition RX Vega 64. It features an illuminated logo, isothermic vapor chamber, 30mm fan, and a metal chassis with a brushed finish. The card requires two 8-pin power connectors and features four ports: three DisplayPort and one HDMI.
The Liquid Cooled variant sports a similar body, but has a 120mm radiator and fan attached to it.
Price
The standard air-cooled version of AMD's RX Vega 64 will launch at $499. This is $50 less than Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080.
AMD will release its Vega 56 SKU for $399, which makes it the same price as Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070.
AMD has also announced several bundles, which include two free games (Prey 2 and Wolfenstein II), a $100 discount on a Ryzen 7 CPU, and a $200 discount on a Samsung ultra-wide monitor. The bundle packs are outlined below:
Radeon AquaPack with RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled for $699
Radeon Black Pack with RX Vega 64 Air Cooled for $599
Radeon Red Pack with RX Vega 56 for $499.
The only way to get the liquid-cooled card is to pay for the $699 pack, which includes the two aforementioned games and discounts.
Release Date
Update: You can expect the AMD Radeon RX Vega to release on August 14.
The Switch version of Monster Hunter XX is releasing in Japan later this month, on August 25. Before then, players will have an opportunity to try out the title with a free demo that is coming to the Eshop on August 10.
While the demo is strictly limited to the Japanese digital store, the console itself is region-free, meaning all Switch owners will still be able to download it. To access another region's Eshop, all you have to do is create a new Nintendo Account and select the appropriate region. Once the account is created, link it to your console and you'll be able to access that region's digital store using your new account. The demo will be entirely in Japanese, but it will still give players a chance to sample several quests.
The next new installment in the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter: World, is arriving for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early 2018, with a PC release following later. Meanwhile, the series' next 3DS entry, the turn-based RPG spinoff Monster Hunter Stories, is slated to release in the US on September 8. That game will also be preceded by a demo, and players who download that will be able to carry their save data over to the full version.
Atlus has announced a new game in the Persona series for 3DS. Called Persona Q2, the game will serve as a follow-up to 2014's Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, although at this point the company has shared no specific information about the new title.
Aside from the name, Persona Q2 has a Japanese teaser website with very little information on it. Most notably, the site features the Phantom Thieves logo from Persona 5, suggesting that characters from that game will be included. Persona Q was a crossover of Persona 3 and Persona 4, bringing together characters from both RPGs.
Persona 5
More broadly, Persona Q played a lot like the Etrian Odyssey series, as it was a challenging first-person dungeon crawler. However, it still retained elements of the Persona games beyond just its characters. You can read GameSpot's Persona Q review for more.
There's no indication at this point if Q2 will see characters from Persona 5 interacting with those from previous games. We know Atlus hasn't forgotten about Persona 3, as it's also announced two new dancing game spinoffs: one each for that game and Persona 5. We'll report back as more is announced, but for now the timeline for new information--or a release window--is unknown.
The newest installment in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, made its long-awaited debut in Japan last week, and despite its short time on the market, the game has made an impressive impact so far. Japanese publication Famitsu reports that the RPG sold over 2 million copies in its first two days of availability (via Gematsu).
According to Famitsu, the PlayStation 4 and 3DS versions sold a combined 2,080,806 units from July 29-30. Famitsu reports that the PS4 title sold 950,338 copies, while the 3DS version sold 1,130,468. These figures are certainly impressive, though not altogether unexpected; the Dragon Quest series remains phenomenally popular in Japan, so much so that a special edition Dragon Quest-themed PS4 and a Metal Slime 3DS XL were released alongside the new game. Each system came bundled with a copy of the title, which were included in Famitsu's total, though digital sales numbers were not factored in.
Last week, Square Enix finally confirmed that Dragon Quest XI will receive a western release, though the title won't arrive until sometime in 2018. In a video update, series creator Yuji Horii revealed that work on localizing the game was already underway, though given the substantial amount of text it contains, it would take some time to bring over. "There's quite a lot of text, so it's an exorbitant amount of work," Horii said. "But we're doing our best and working hard to get this game to all of you as soon as possible, so I sincerely hope you look forward to the game."
Square Enix hasn't confirmed which version of Dragon Quest XI it is releasing in the West, though with any luck, both PS4 and 3DS owners will have a chance to play the title. Despite sharing the same storyline, the two versions look quite different from one another, making each a unique experience. A Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Quest XI is also in the works, though Square Enix has yet to share more details about it. Along with traditional turn-based combat, the game boasts a Zone and Link battle system and gives players the ability to ride certain monsters.
Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians, the successfully funded Kickstarter game from Final Fantasy Tactics director Yasumi Matsuno, has lost its developer. Playdek announced in a Kickstarter update (via Kotaku) that it's no longer working on the game, with the publisher/developer Little Orbit take over going forward.
"Our involvement is coming to an end," Playdek said. "Effective immediately publisher/developer Little Orbit has taken over all the rights and assets to Unsung Story from Playdek, and is now the project creator. They believe strongly the game can be an amazing Tactics RPG, and they are excited to carry on and bring Matsuno's story to life. They will be bringing you project news from this point on to update everyone on their plans for the game."
Playdek thanked fans for their support, and said it believes Unsung Story "is in good hands" with Little Orbit.
"Though we are sorry that we were unable to complete it for you, we believe the project is in good hands, with people who have the same passion for the game," Playdek said.
In February last year, Playdek gave fans some tough news when the studio said it was putting Unsung Story on the back burner as it focused on other projects instead. At the time, Playdek said it was considering working with an outside studio to get the game made, though the possibility of completely stepping aside as it's done now is new.
Unsung Story successfully raised more than $660,000 from close to 16,000 backers. It is billed as a spiritual successor to Matsuno's line of tactical RPGs, reimagining the genre with "complex and rich game worlds" as well as "inspiring class-based tactics gameplay."
Publisher Gun Media announced today that the game has moved 1.8 million units in the two months since it launched. In a press release, studio head Wes Keltner acknowledged the launch issues and said that developer IllFonic has more confidence now in its ability to improve the game moving forward.
"It's been a long two months from our team here at Gun and IllFonic," he said. "We have had an incredibly supportive and dedicated community since we launched, and while things haven't been completely smooth we definitely feel confident moving forward. The team has grown and we are committed as we work to add more content, more kills, more to do, and of course the single player component to the game."
The company also announced that the physical release of the game will launch on a very appropriate date: Friday the 13th, this October. The retail version is coming to PS4 and Xbox One, and it includes a Bloody Jason skin and a free clothing pack for playable camp counselors. It will cost $40, the same price as the digital versions.
Hitman's August update will start rolling out soon, and while there's no Elusive Target this month (the game's final Season One target was available last month), there is a bunch of new content to keep eager assassins happy.
On August 11, 10 new player-created Featured Contracts will hit the game. IO Interactive says it's picked the contracts based on "variety of locations, varying numbers of targets, inventive storytelling, and anything else that we think is interesting."
August 11 is also when the new Challenge Pack will roll out. Called The Art of Revenge, it adds five new challenges to the Hokkaido map. The location mastery you get from completing the challenges is higher than regular challenges, and you'll have to beat them all to get the unique item. The developer is promising to reveal what that item is next week, adding "revenge is never a straight line."
There's more new content on the way later in the month. For the first time, a Hitman player is curating a collection of new Featured Contracts. This month's will be picked by Brazilian Twitch streamer Mendietinha, and IO Interactive says the picks will "give insight into how some of the prominent members of the Hitman community play the game." There's no exact release date on this second batch of Feature Contracts yet.
Hitman received a substantial game update in July, and the developer says that was the last major patch for a while. On its website, IO Interactive says September's new content release will be similar to August's, but big stuff is on the way for the game after that. "That relative calm will give us time to prepare for some exciting announcements," the studio said.
Although Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher has completed all of her scenes in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi before her death in December last year, she was set to reprise the role in 2019's Episode IX. Now her Star Wars co-star John Boyega, who plays Finn, has spoken about what will be her final appearance in the series.
In an interview with ABC News, Boyega said, "This movie sends her off in an amazing, amazing way. And she is still kept alive in this franchise. That's the beauty of it: She lives forever in a sense."
Beyoga also commented on how he felt when he heard about Fisher's death. "It was a strange, strange feeling," he revealed. "I felt like everyone in the cast went silent for a bit after that." The actor also revealed that he will have quite a lot of screen time with Fisher in The Last Jedi. "We worked together closely on this," he said.
In March, Disney head Bob Iger confirmed that The Last Jedi has not been changed to take account of Fisher's death. "What I can say about that is she is in [The Last Jedi] and we're not changing it to deal with her passing," he stated, via Slashfilm. "So her performance, which we're really pleased with, remains as it was." In addition, Lucasfilm previously confirmed that it would not use CGI to digitally resurrect Leia for Episode IX, as it as it controversially did with Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.
The Last Jedi is set to hit theaters in December. It's directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, and Andy Serkis. Earlier this month, a series of striking character posters were released. In addition, there's also a new behind-the-scenes video.
It's now August, which means that EA will soon launch its annual sports games, such as NHL 18. However, before it is officially released, you can try out NHL 18 for free: the game's beta test went live today for all players on PS4 and Xbox One.
The beta is free to download and includes a few modes that'll be in the final game. Most notably, the beta features NHL Threes, a new mode that is meant to be more arcade-y than the rest of the game. According to EA, Threes focuses on "bigger hits, faster gameplay, and highlight-reel goals through fun three-on-three matches." It supports both online and local multiplayer.
In the full game, Threes will also feature a single-player campaign mode that tasks you with completing regional circuits and challenges. This mode isn't available in the beta.
The beta also features a traditional online versus mode. This mode consists of normal six-on-six matches, and you can try out the changes and additions that EA has added to the gameplay.
Finally, the beta includes EA Sports Hockey League, a mode that focuses on your ability to play as a team with other players. This year's Hockey League supports both six-on-six and three-on-three matches.
You can try out the beta until August 8. NHL 18 officially launches on September 15 for Xbox One and PS4, and it'll feature Connor McDavid as its cover athlete.
The closed beta for Final Fantasy XV's upcoming Comrades DLC kicks off tomorrow, August 3, but players can begin preparing for it by installing it now. The beta is available to download from the PlayStation and Xbox stores, though only for PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
The Comrades expansion is a cooperative multiplayer mode for the previously single-player RPG. Players will be able to create and customize their own avatar and take on quests with up to three other players. The full version will offer a wide variety of new weapons, attack patterns, sigils, quests, and more, but only a small sampling will be available to try in the closed beta. You can read more about what content is included in the beta on the game's website.
The closed beta is scheduled to run until August 8. Only players who've purchased Final Fantasy XV's $25 Season Pass and have either a PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will be able to participate in it. Square Enix hasn't announced a release date for the full expansion, but more details about it are "forthcoming." The publisher has confirmed that a future update will give players the option to use Noctis and his friends in the mode in addition to their custom avatars.
Ahead of Madden NFL 18's release later this month, EA Sports has now announced the player ratings for all the major positions. Posted on the game's website, the ratings give an indication as to which players are theoretically the best, at least at the start of the season.
Cover star Tom Brady is the highest-rated quarterback, with a 99 rating, while Julio Jones is the top-rated wide receiver (98), and Le'Veon Bell tops the running back charts (97). You can see a breakdown of the top-rated players at the major positions below.
According to PastaPadre, the Seahawks and the Cowboys have seven players rated 90 or higher, more than any other team, with the Patriots following with four. The Jets are the worst, with their highest-rated player only at 85 and only six over 80. Of course, things will certainly change for the Jets and every other team as the season progresses.
Madden 18 launches on August 25 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though there are multiple ways to play early. The game has a new single-player mode called Longshot, featuring Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali.
For the latest GameSpot Universe Rick and Morty breakdown, Season 3 episode 2: "Rickmancing the Stone," our own Buddy Hutton unearthed the following easter eggs, in-jokes, and references.
First off: The "Colorkians," mentioned in the episode's opening line, are the 79th alien race mentioned or shown on Rick and Morty.
The episode title, "Rickmancing the Stone," is a reference to the 1984 film about a search for a precious gem.
The episode's first car chase isn't just a Mad Max: Fury Road reference, as a similar chase also occurs in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.
Multiple specific characters from the various Mad Max films, including Immortan Joe, Bearclaw Mohawk, Lord Humungus, Master Blaster, and Corpus Colossus, appear throughout this episode.
One of the mutants who Morty fights in the Blood Dome (the one with a traffic cone on his head) appears to be a zombie from the popular game series Plants vs. Zombies.
The post-apolyptic city Summer and Hemorrhage travel to features multiple Seattle landmarks, including Pike Place Market.
One of the mutants in Seattle is wearing a pager for some reason.
E.B. White, who Rick mentions in an offhand joke, was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide The Elements of Style.
Rick casually mentions trichinosis, which is an infection caused by roundworms found in raw or undercooked meat.
Summer's outfit toward the episode's end is similar to Tina Turner's in Thunderdome.
When Summer's neighbor reveals she's pregnant, she makes a reference to the famous Mad Max line "two men enter, one man leaves."
Hemorrhage's "Big Johnson" t-shirt is from a Maryland company that makes dick joke shirts.
For even more hidden jokes, easter eggs and references in Rick and Morty Season 3 episode 2, "Rickmancing the Stone," watch GameSpot Universe's video here!
The upcoming Hellboy reboot has added Ian McShane to its cast. The Deadwood star will appear alongside David Harbour in Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, which starts shooting next month.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, McShane will play Professor Broom, who is Hellboy's adoptive father in the graphic novels that the film is based on. The role was previously played by the late John Hurt in Guillermo Del Toro's two Hellboy movies. McShane is also known for playing Brother Ray in season six of Game of Thrones, as well as for roles in American Gods and the John Wick movies.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen will be directed by Neil Marshall, who is best known for his work on Game of Thrones, as well as movies such as Doomsday and The Descent. Stranger Things star Harbour will play Hellboy, and the character's creator Mike Mignola is also involved with the film.
In a recent interview with the Post Mortem podcast, Marshall explained that, unlike Del Toro's two Hellboy films, he would be making a more adult movie.
"We can make the movie we want to make," he said. "It's not like I'm going to force it to be R-rated, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody's going to stop us. So, that's the main [difference].
"And I'm sure, obviously, the success of things like Deadpool and Logan have not hurt that cause. But, also, when you go back the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I'm going to embrace that."
Hellboy first appeared in 1993 and has featured in a wide variety of regular comic books, miniseries, one-shots, and crossovers since then, published by Dark Horse Comics.
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