The Total War series continues to go strong after nearly 20 years, but it didn't start out as a no-brainer success story. The debut title, Shogun: Total War, was released in 2000 by Creative Assembly, a developer that was not exactly known for its experience with the strategy genre.
Prior to Shogun's release, many of the studio's previous titles had been based on rugby and cricket. And while the past two decades have seen it try its hands at some different types of games--it developed 2014 horror game Alien: Isolation, for instance--it has almost exclusively focused on strategy games with Total War in the title.
In the video above, we dive into the history of the Total War series, which now consists of more than a dozen games. We look primarily at the core entries in the series, which have often been based on historical settings--although recent years have also brought Warhammer-inspired entries, which we also explore. Although the games share a familiar underpinning, Creative Assembly has managed to introduce wrinkles to keep the series fresh across so many titles, thanks in part to shifting between radically different settings.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Arc System Works has been a mainstay of the fighting game community since the release of the original Guilty Gear. After its recent success with Dragon Ball FighterZ, the developers are looking to their immediate future with BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, with grander plans to expand their audience. In BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, launching June 5 in North America, characters from Persona 4 Arena, RWBY, Under Night: In-Birth--and of course BlazBlue--will face off in fast-paced tag battles. Launching with 20 characters, along with another 20 set for post-launch DLC, Cross Tag Battle, pulls from a number of games from Arc's past while also bringing in some first-timers to the fray.
Using a more accessible gameplay setup designed around a traditional controller, Cross Tag Battle incorporates many of the characters from their respective games into a fighting game that's easy to pick up, but challenging to master. We had the opportunity to chat with president and founder of Arc System Works Minoru Kidooka, BlazBlue creator Toshimichi Mori, and Guilty Gear director Daisuke Ishiwatari, they spoke about their plans to expand in the future, and how they want to dominate the Evo fighting game tournament in the years to come.
Arc System Works has been around for sometime, celebrating 30 years in 2018. Can you talk about how it was like seeing the developer grow over the years, and how things are looking at the moment?
Minoru Kidooka: Being the 30th anniversary for us, it's all really thanks to our fans. The fans recognize us for our fighting games, but there are a lot of other games we've made in the past as well. But their passion for our games have kept us going for many years. This game is one of the pinnacles of our 30 years, but we've also opened a new North American office, along with the success of Dragon Ball FighterZ. We didn't expect to do this all at once, but we want to move forward in big ways. We're always thinking about how we're going to survive for the next ten to 30 years--so in a way, this anniversary for us a new start for us to continue growing.
Toshimichi Mori: Thank you for recognizing the 30th anniversary, and we'd also like to add that it's the tenth anniversary for BlazBlue, and the twentieth anniversary for Guilty Gear. So it's really a great time for these characters in the game. But at the same time, this game isn't necessarily the end-product of our years making fighting games, more of like the first step of something more.
Can you talk about how you went about incorporating all these characters into Cross Tag Battle? Especially considering that they all come from different titles with their own unique combat mechanics.
Mori: There was originally a controller set-up called the Stylish Mode for earlier Arc System works games; that was the basis for the Persona games. The Stylish Mode is the basis for the combat mechanics in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle as well. But for this, we feature characters from other games and we had to completely redo the controls. It took time to design how to bring in RWBY [characters], the first time these in a game, but we were able to get it to work after some time. Under Night characters were a bit of a challenge, as their mechanics were set and had to be redesigned to fit our game.
That's not to say that the game is easy, far from it. While you can do a number of moves pretty quickly, the number of ways to execute them in combos and tag mechanics is quite complex. It should be quite fun to see how players take advantage of the mechanics.
In addition to the anniversary, Arc System Works will have three unique titles present during the Evo 2018 fighting game tournament, which is a rare honor as most developers have just one game. Do you have comments about that?
Kidooka: Yes, we've got three titles at EVO, and that's exciting. Guilty Gear Xrd, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, and Dragon Ball FighterZ--which we developed with Bandai Namco. That's all exciting, but we want to dominate EVO entirely. Maybe in 10 years. [Laughs] Last year, we had a booth at EVO for everyone to come visit, and it was a big success for us.
Daisuke Ishiwatari: As you know, Arc System Works' titles over the years have been mostly fighting games, and with big titles like Street Fighter and Tekken on the market, we've been mostly focused on offering more niche titles that offer a bit more originality. While we have a dedicated following, they're still niche games. So moving forward, we want to bring in more fans to understand the Arc System Style.
Kidooka: This year, we'll be trying to figure out how to make our games more user-friendly and how we can become closer to the fans. It's really an honor to have three games at EVO. But oftentimes, we find that it's mostly Japanese players making it to the finals. With the new American office, we want to expand our user base. We want to someday see Western players make it to the finals with our games. That will show that we've made the games more approachable. We want a more global user base, and we'll be working hard to make that happen.
Looking back, are there any games that stand out over the years as your favorites? Whether you simply liked working on them or because they represent something greater for you.
Kidooka: I have two answers, because I'm currently president, but I also started out as a programmer. The foundation of this company is Guilty Gear, and that came out for the PlayStation. That took three years to make, and there was a big discussion to figure out whether or not to make it 2D or 3D. We settled on 2D and there were comments from other developers asking why we were making it 2D instead of 3D. 20 years later, and the franchise is still alive and well with many fans all over the world. As president, releasing the original Guilty Gear was very important for me.
But as a programmer, there were a lot of nightmares I don't want to revisit. But I will say that the first project for Arc System Works was the Master System port for Double Dragon, and now today, we own the IP. In the future, Double Dragon is definitely an IP we'd love to use.
Pokemon Go's second Community Day is here. The real-world event takes place today, February 24, and will give players around the world another opportunity to earn in-game bonuses and obtain a rare Pokemon with a special move.
Unlike past real-world events for Pokemon Go, Community Day isn't localized at a specific venue; rather, the event takes place during a set window of time, which will differ depending upon your region. In the US, the Community Day kicks off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and runs until 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET, while Europe's event begins at 10 AM GMT and concludes at 1 PM GMT.
During the event hours, players will earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for any Pokemon they capture, while Lure Modules will last for three hours. Additionally, each Community Day features a particular rare Pokemon, which will spawn in greater numbers and is capable of learning an exclusive move that it can't normally use in Pokemon Go. This time around, the featured Pokemon is the Dragon-type Dratini.
For the duration of the Community Day, players will encounter increased swarms of Dratini. If you manage to evolve its evolution, Dragonair, into a Dragonite during the event, the Pokemon will learn the powerful Dragon-type attack Draco Meteor. This applies to any Dragonair you own, even ones that were obtained prior to this month's Community Day. However, the Pokemon will only learn Draco Meteor if it evolves during the event hours.
In addition to this month's Community Day, players still have an opportunity to capture Pokemon Go's latest Legendary Pokemon, Rayquaza. The powerful Gen 3 Dragon-type will appear in Raid Battles at Gyms until March 16. Rayquaza arrived earlier this month alongside a new batch of Gen 3 Pokemon, which also included Salamence, Metagross, and Altaria. In addition to Rayquaza, players also have another chance to catch Kyogre and Groudon as part of Pokemon Go Legendary Week, which is underway now.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance has frequently drawn comparisons to Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim, and while that's apt to some degree--they are expansive, open-world games that present you with a great deal of freedom--there are other areas where they greatly differ. There's of course the complete absence of anything magical in Kingdom Come, which seeks to deliver a world based more in history than fantasy, but combat is also quite different.
Put simply, there's a lot more to account for during a fight in Kingdom Come. There's much more going on than simply hacking away with your weapon--you have to bear in mind the type of armor your enemy is wearing, the type of damage your weapon deals, and more if you hope to be truly effective.
In the video above, we walk you through some tips on how to excel at combat in Kingdom Come. We look at the different weapon types, leveraging combos to deal extra damage, pulling off perfect blocks and master strikes, and some other useful tidbits. One thing you'll want to always do is stay on the move, both to keep your opponents off-balance and to ensure you're in proper position to attack. Unlike many games, you'll be unable to swing your weapon if doing so would cause it to go through a nearby wall.
Kingdom Come launched recently on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It's an experience not without its faults, but those don't necessarily mean it's worth overlooking. As our Kingdom Come review states, "It's an impressive and unflinching look at the medieval era that transports you inside the compelling story of a real person caught in the middle of a civil war. As such, this is one of those rare, memorable games that stays with you long after you stop playing. While quirks and bugs can certainly be frustrating, none of these issues interfere much with the unique and captivating nature of the overall experience."
Persona fans have a new reason to be hyped up for the upcoming rhythm game spin-offs; Japan's PlayStation Blog has revealed that both Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night will be PSVR compatible. There were no details as to what exactly the virtual reality portions entail, just an addendum on the blog post saying that these games will support PSVR. All we can really do is use our imagination, and at least hope that we'll get to either stand atop Tartarus as we watch Mitsuru and Akihiko bust their moves, or get down with Morgana and Makoto at Shibuya Crossing.
Persona 3 originally released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, but also had a re-release with Persona 3: FES that added new content. Persona 3 Portable came to PSP in 2010, which added the option to play as a female lead where dialogue, social links, and characters were improved to fit the new protagonist. With the new dancing game, we see the return of our old friends from Gekkoukan High School, but with all new 3D character models in the same vein as Catherine and Persona 5. Many of the songs we know and love are included in the game along with some new tracks and remixes.
The ultra-stylish Persona 5 came to the West last year and featured one of the greatest original soundtracks in games. Series composer Shoji Meguro fused several genres like acid-jazz, metal, and downtempo to create music that was both unique and empowering. It's no surprise that a rhythm game was going to follow; we definitely saw it coming. Plenty of amazing songs from the game make their way into the Dancing Star Night tracklist in addition to new remixes.
Both games will not have a traditional story campaign, but there will be a mode that features original settings and character interactions. However, developer and publisher Atlus hasn't revealed much of the new mode.
Those that buy the "Persona Dancing All-Star Triple Pack" for PS4 will get both new games in addition to a downloadable version of 2015's Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which was previously a PS Vita exclusive.
For more details on both games, you can read our previous article covering the different editions available and what's included, and their full tracklists. Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night are set to release in Japan on May 24 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. There's currently no release date or window for North America and Europe.
Video cards might be incredibly expensive right now due to the cryptocurrency mining bonanza, but a few options for the other key component to a good gaming PC are going for cheap right now. Both flagship consumer CPUs from AMD and Intel are on sale for well below MSRP. The AMD Ryzen 7 1800X can be snagged on Ebay via Newegg for $300 USD, and the Intel Core i7-8700K is available on Walmart for $313.
The Ryzen 7 1800X CPU, which released in March 2017, sports eight cores and 16 threads and is the top-end processor to show off AMD's new Zen architecture at the consumer level. It runs a base clock speed of 3.6GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.0GHz, but it's capable of reaching higher frequencies given the right cooling system and hardware configuration. Note that only motherboards with the X370, X300, or B350 chipset allow for unlocked overclocking. The 1800X originally launched at $500 and it was an example of unprecedented value by offering more CPU cores at an affordable price. Now it's even more cost-effective at just $300.
Intel's 8th generation of Core CPUs (Coffee Lake) was the company's answer to AMD's Ryzen family. With the Core i7-8700K, Intel bumped up the core count of its consumer flagship processor (from four to six) for the first time since the Core line started in 2008. In terms of performance, the 8700K made noticeable strides in terms of performance from past generations by virtue of being a six-core 12-thread CPU. Its base clock speed sits at 3.7GHz, and it can bump one core up to 4.7GHz or two cores to 4.6GHz through Intel's Turbo Boost technology. However, the CPU requires motherboards with a Z370 chipset, which means the 8700K is not compatible with any previous motherboard. The 8700K launched in October last year for with an MSRP of $360; now on sale for $313, it's one of the better deals we've seen for this processor.
Both CPUs prove to be great for gaming, although Ryzen CPUs tend to fall a bit behind their Intel counterparts in benchmarks. AMD does offer a higher core count for a lower price, which makes Ryzen an attractive option for those who multitask and do a lot of video production/encoding and image rendering. If you want to learn more about how these CPU perform, be sure to read through our Ryzen 7 1800X review and Core i7-8700K review.
When Warcraft, the live-action movie based on the MMORPG video game series and novels, arrived in theaters in 2016, it was neither the box office or critical hit that many had been hoping for. Now, nearly two years later, the movie's director is explaining why that may be the case.
In an interview with Syfy to promote his new Netflix movie Mute--which is also being hailed as something less than a smash hit--Duncan Jones is very open about the troubling production. From the sound of it, filming of the movie sounds incredibly contentious.
"Warcraft was a political minefield as far as filmmaking goes. And I think a lot of the rewriting in that, over the course of making the movie was really, really difficult and at times disheartening," he says. "Just being forced to make changes and compromises just due to the politics and the nature of that film. So, that was a real heart-wrencher. But I've learned a lot and I've become more mature and able to deal with those kinds of situations because I've been through it now. But at the time, that felt pretty traumatic."
At the heart of the issue, Jones believes, was turmoil at Legendary Pictures--the studio producingWarcraft. "It was mainly studio politics. You know, Legendary had an incredibly turbulent period while we were making Warcraft," he says. "They were associated with Warner Bros. They left Warner Bros. and joined Universal. They were sold to Wanda, this Chinese conglomerate. They lost or replaced a number of their producing staff halfway through our movie."
Jones also points out the importance of the Warcraft brand to Blizzard, the studio behind the game. "We were also working with Blizzard, who understandably were very careful about what happened with the movie because their bread and butter was the game Warcraft, which was bringing in a billion dollars a year for them," he explains. While he admits that the movie's returns would likely be "small potatoes" compared to what Blizzard makes from subscriptions to the game, it was still very protective of its brand. "It was really a very active political landscape," he says.
Still, the experience of making Warcraft hasn't necessarily turned Jones off to doing approaching another big-budget property. However, he would certainly approach it in a different way. "I'm a lot wiser now," he says.
Although there's no new mainline Fable game announced, you can return to the land of Albion right now. Fable Fortune, the collectible card game based on the fantasy series, has fully launched on Xbox One and PC.
Fable Fortune has been playable through Microsoft's Game Preview program since last summer, but developers Mediatonic and Flaming Fowl launched the 1.0 version of the game this week. As with other collectible card games, Fable Fortune is free to play, but it offers additional card packs for purchase.
For the launch version of the game, the developers have also added a bunch of new features and implemented changes. These include Achievements, co-op voice chat, new cards, and deck-building tips. Additionally, low-cost cards have been rebalanced to reduce their effectiveness in swinging the course of a match.
Finally, the developers are also holding a bunch of temporary events to provide rewards like double XP and free cards. There will be a new event each week for the next five weeks; you can read more about Fable Fortune's upcoming events here.
Metal Gear Survive launched earlier this week, and Konami has just revealed some of its upcoming plans for the game. Specifically, a new cooperative mission type, Rescue Mission, is coming to the game next month.
These missions will give players an additional way to team up beyond simply exploring the game's world and completing Salvage Missions. The Rescues task you and your team with fighting into enemy territory and saving soldiers in need. According to the publisher, they'll require a "whole new level of cooperation" above Salvage Missions, although Konami has said little about them beyond this.
The mission type will be added to the game in March. In the meantime, Konami will offer a Daily Mission from the current set of co-op missions that offer greater rewards and special modifiers. One of these battle conditions is called HellFire, which appears to light all of the enemies on fire. There's also a special weekly mission to complete.
What began as a Minecraft-inspired tower defense title has become one of the most popular games in the blossoming battle royale genre.
Before its servers crashed last weekend, Fortnite reached 3.4 million concurrent users, according to Epic Games. As it stands now, the game's transformation has only helped its popularity. In the video above, Michael Higham, Aaron Sampson, and Mike Mahardy discuss the highs and lows of Fortnite: Battle Royale, and how it pulled them back into a game some of them had given up on.
With March drawing near, Microsoft has announced the lineup of games that Xbox Live Gold members will be able to download for free next month. There's the usual total of four new games being introduced across Xbox One and Xbox 360, with an especially good one up for grabs on the newer console.
On Xbox One, the month starts out with Trials of the Blood Dragon, a more action-oriented take on the Trials series that's somewhat in the vein of Far Cry 3's Blood Dragon spin-off. It will be available for free for the entire month. From March 16 through April 15, Superhot will be free. The excellent shooter sports a distinct visual style and an even more novel concept, as time (mostly) freezes when you stop moving, allowing you to set up some Matrix-style bullet-dodging sequences.
Xbox 360 owners also get two games to download in March. During the first half of the month, it's Brave: The Video Game, which is based on Disney's film of the same name and was just added to the Xbox One's backwards compatibility list. It's then followed in the second half by Quantum Conundrum, the puzzle-based first-person game from Airtight Games and Kim Swift, one of the key developers behind Portal and Left 4 Dead. As always, both Xbox 360 games are playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.
In the meantime, it's not too late to grab some of February's free Games With Gold titles. One of the Xbox One games, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India, will also remain free for the first half of March. Claiming any of these games allows you to continue playing them for as long as you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber.
There was a wealth of amazing games to play in 2017. However, it seems 2018 is primed with its own roster of exciting new games, including big-budget adventures like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Sea of Thieves, Kingdom Hearts III, Crackdown 3, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out, we've compiled all the release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Be sure to check back often as we update this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games last year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2017.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
Throughout the history of film, female heroes have proven to be some of the most fierce icons of the action genre. With the upcoming release of Tomb Raider, based on the 2013 reboot of the video game franchise, Alicia Vikander hopes to add one more hero to that list as Lara Croft.
Unlike the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie, which was based on the first video game, this new movie is looking back at Lara Croft's origin and the role they played in the adventurer she becomes. As Vikander explains, while speaking at Tomb Raider's press junket, it's the best way to introduce the world to her Lara.
"If you have the origin story, then that's a way for us to get to know our character, to feel for them, to relate to them on a more human level," she says. "I thought it was wonderful that I could play a young woman who's still trying to find her footing in the world..."
Just as important to Vikander, though, was showing audiences that anyone could be a hero--not just those with superpowers. "What I loved was that when I met [director] Roar [Uthaug] and Graham [King] and the producers, the fact that we wanted the actions sequences that were going to be a big part of this film kind of be set in a reality," she says. "Would you buy that this young girl could beat this bigger, stronger man? We then, storywise, integrated that she's a physical being--[she] trains in MMA and is a bicycle courier. I wanted her to be a strong girl."
Of course, to portray it, Vikander had to become that physical being herself. According to King, Vikander trained hard in the gym every single day throughout production to keep herself in peak physical condition. It's a transformation he likens to another iconic big-screen heroine. "I would actually put her performance along Sigourney [Weaver] when she did Aliens," he says.
Speaking to GameSpot, he elaborates. "She committed in a huge way. She was excited from an early stage. She has a lot of ideas, which I love. Actors should have a lot of ideas," King says. "She was so committed in the transformation of her physically and mentally. She's in every scene in the movie, I think, apart from maybe one or two. She worked her butt off every single day in the most extreme heat in Africa."
Whether the work Vikander and the movie's creative team put into bringing Lara Croft to life was worth it is something audiences will have to decide. Luckily they won't have to wait long. Tomb Raider hits theaters on March 16.
Here's a run-through of what you can expect in the month of February, along with its most notable releases. For a full list of all the big games coming out during the rest of this year, check out our comprehensive 2018 game release date list.
Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) -- February 6
Shadow of the Colossus is a remake of the acclaimed 2005 classic. The game takes place in an ancient world, where a young boy named Wander must destroy 16 colossi in the hope of resurrecting a dead loved one. Developer Bluepoint Games has rebuilt the game from the ground up while maintaining its underlying structure and mechanics.
A Bayonetta 1-2 bundle was announced for Switch at last year's Game Awards. The bundle will come with a physical copy of Bayonetta 2, while the first game will be available digitally. Both are critically acclaimed action games from developer Platinum Games.
Metal Gear Survive (PS4, Xbox One, PC) -- February 20
Metal Gear Survive is an action-adventure survival spinoff in the Metal Gear universe. It takes place sometime after the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (in an alternate timeline, of course) and will include single-player, co-op, and multiplayer. It is the first Metal Gear game since series creator Hideo Kojima left Konami.
For all the advancements that have been made in gaming, one element that remains in place is the character-select screen. Talk to someone who played games years ago--whether it was Super Mario Bros. 2, Street Fighter II, or any number of games--and you'll likely see them reminisce about the time spent on those screens agonizing over their character choice.
While they're most commonly associated with fighting games, that genre is hardly the only to be home to them, as evidenced by games like Mario 2 to Team Fortress 2 to countless MMOs. And although perhaps not as prominent as they once were, character-select screens are still present in many games today.
In the video above, we've put together a nostalgia-inducing run through a number of the most memorable such screens. You should get a sense for how they've changed over the years, from the basics of the aforementioned Mario to more modern examples, like Overwatch and Injustice 2.
What character-select screens do you remember most fondly? Let us know in the comments below!
Another week has gone by, and that means there is new Monster Hunter World content now available on both PS4 and Xbox One. While the most exciting thing going on right now is limited to PS4, there's something to occupy your time right now regardless of your platform.
PS4 players with a Street Fighter V save file on their hard drive still have early access to a special challenge quest called Down the Dark, Muddy Path. The actual particulars of what you're doing aren't exciting--it's an Arena where you hunt a Barroth--but the rewards include the materials to craft the armor based on Street Fighter's Ryu. Eventually, everyone on PS4 and Xbox One will have access to this quest and the Ryu gear, plus the Sakura-inspired gear still to come. For more on what to expect if you're eligible now, check out our guide on how to unlock Monster Hunter World's Ryu armor. You can see how it looks below--it literally transforms you into Ryu.
In terms of Limited Bounties, there's the usual assortment of additions. You'll need to hunt three bird wyvern-class monsters for one, hunt four Anjanath for another, and slay five tempered monsters for the third. These each offer their own set of rewards comprised of varying amounts of research points, armor spheres, and trade-in items (which are sold for zenny). A fourth limited bounty gives you even more of these rewards if you're able to complete the other three before these bounties reset on March 1/2 (depending on your platform).
There are also a handful of new event quests to take part in. Two of these (Ya-Ku With That? and The Poison Posse) are fairly mundane low-rank quests, asking you to hunt two and three monsters, respectively. Wildspire Bolero is a high-rank, seven-star quest that tasks you with hunting five monsters--including a Diablos, who proves difficult for many players--in under 50 minutes. There's also Snow & Cherry Blossoms, a nine-star quest to hunt a tempered Legiana and Pink Rathian. This also has a time limit of 50 minutes but has the highest Hunter Rank requirement (30) of any event quest so far.
Finally, you still have some time left to complete the current challenge quest, excitingly titled Challenge Quest 1: Intermediate. As before, this places restrictions on the particular weapon types you're able to use, limiting you to those that fall under the umbrella of Sword & Shield, Hunting Horn, Charge Blade, Insect Glaive, or Light Bowgun.
You might be aware that GPU prices have skyrocketed in recent months. This is due in large part to the rise of cryptocurrencies, to which there are many. Bitcoin is the first and most popular one, but what is Bitcoin? We're here to demystify the topic for you. While Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are incredibly deep and complex topics, in this beginner's guide, we'll not only explain what Bitcoin is, but we'll also dive into how it's created, discuss its use-cases, clear up misconceptions, and much more. Here's everything you should know about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.
What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is the first decentralized digital currency. You can send and receive it to an individual via a peer-to-peer payment system anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You can also purchase goods with it among several online sites and physical stores. Its decentralized design means that it isn't controlled by any one individual, central bank, company, or country. In short, Bitcoin is an open-source international currency.
Who invented Bitcoin? Satoshi Nakamoto wrote the technical whitepaper to Bitcoin in 2008 and the first Bitcoin was produced the following year. It's unclear who Nakamoto is, however, and there are rumors that the alias may represent more than one person.
What is the blockchain? Bitcoins are produced, or "mined", by individuals with high-end computers that solve encrypted math equations over a distributed online database called the blockchain. Whenever a Bitcoin transaction takes place, that data is encrypted and sent across the network for these mining computers to verify. They do so by decrypting the data. This process is known as cryptography and forms the backbone of security for Bitcoin (more on security later).
Once the data has been decrypted, they are publicly stored in one megabyte blocks on the blockchain network. As an added security measure, these blocks are formed every 10 minutes and can not be altered. New transactions are stored on subsequent blocks, which link up to the old blocks in a chronological chain. The blockchain thus acts as a public ledger of Bitcoin transaction history.
Every miner keeps an up-to-date record of the blockchain, which is currently over 157GB, and gets rewarded with a small amount of Bitcoin for doing so.
Can Bitcoin be hacked? The way the blockchain is designed prevents Bitcoins from being spent again after they've already been used. The blockchain also makes it very difficult to create new Bitcoins out of thin air. In conjunction with the cryptographic measures outlined above, the Bitcoin blockchain is based on a consensus proof-of-work model. This means that not only do mining computers have to provide answers to the aforementioned encrypted equations, but in order for data to be added to the blockchain, a majority of the mining computers on the network have to agree that the computations were correct. To overcome this, an attacker would effectively have to hack the majority of computers on the network (to which there are hundreds across the world) at the same time while providing mathematical proof of work. This makes Bitcoin incredibly hard to hack. Security is arguably the cryptocurrency's greatest asset. To date, Bitcoin has not been hacked.
Some exchanges that act as an online meeting grounds for buyers and sellers of cryptocurrency have been hacked, however. The Mt. Gox attack is the most notable one. In 2014, 850,000 Bitcoins were stolen from the Japan-based exchange. Users can mitigate their risk by taking their assets off of these exchanges and storing them in cryptocurrency wallets.
How do cryptocurrency wallets work? There are two major types of cryptocurrency wallets. Perhaps the most accessible are digital wallets that act as an online address for you to store the keys to your Bitcoins/cryptocurrencies. USB-based hardware wallets allow you to store your keys offline and are generally deemed more secure as a result.
One common misconception is that these wallets store your Bitcoins/cryptocurrencies, but they only store the keys (passcodes) that allow you to open up your Bitcoins on the blockchain network so you could transfer them elsewhere.
How much is Bitcoin right now? In relation to the US dollar, the current value of Bitcoin is:
Can you exchange Bitcoin back to your local fiat currency (Dollars, Pounds, Euros, etc.)? Yes. Similar to purchasing stocks from investment banks online, many cryptocurrency exchanges allow you to purchase Bitcoin for fiat and vice versa.
What determines the price of Bitcoin? Similar to stocks, the price of Bitcoin is determined by consumer trust. This is manifested by how much people are willing to invest in the currency.
Do you have to buy a whole Bitcoin? No. As a matter of fact, Bitcoins are divisible up to eight decimal places. The smallest denomination (.00000001 Bitcoin) is called a Satoshi.
How many Bitcoin are there? Currently, there are over 16.8 million Bitcoins. Nakamoto designed Bitcoin to max out at 21 million by the year 2140. Beyond then, no Bitcoins will be mined or created. The cap was implemented to prevent currency inflation. Beyond 2140, miners will reap transaction fees for maintaining the Bitcoin blockchain.
What is an altcoin? Altcoins are alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin. Like Bitcoin, most of them are designed around decentralized blockchain technologies that typically involve miners working together on a network. Currently, there are over 1,000 altcoins. Many of them are attempting to offer unique use-cases. Ethereum, for instance, has its own unique blockchain that enables "smart contracts."
Smart contracts attempt to open up new avenues for conditional automations where trust is a key variable. For instance, in a future where self-driving cars can deliver packages to your house, a smart contract coupled with the blockchain could ensure that you won't be charged until the package has arrived at your house. This is a transaction that can occur without any human interaction.
Some altcoins are tying blockchain technologies to radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags so people can scan a product with their smartphone to validate the authenticity of moving goods in markets with high amounts of counterfeiting.
Proponents assert that there are many use-cases for blockchain technologies. One general appeal of altcoins is that many of them are attempting to better facilitate automation in business and between emerging smart devices.
Can I use my gaming PC to mine Bitcoin? You used to be able to mine Bitcoin with gaming GPUs, but Nakamoto designed Bitcoin to be harder to mine over time. This was done to mimic the scarcity and difficulty of mining gold. As such, application-specific integrated circuit chips (ASICs) were designed specifically to mine Bitcoin. You can use modern gaming graphics cards to mine altcoins, however. This is the reason why GPU prices have skyrocketed in recent months.
Why are GPUs used to mine cryptocurrency? Because mining cryptocurrency involves solving numerous encrypted equations, GPUs with their highly parallel architecture are inherently very efficient at powering through these computations. While the best modern consumer CPUs may have 4, 8, or even 16 cores to do the job, modern GPUs have hundreds of compute cores working in parallel. This makes them orders of magnitudes more effective.
How can I use my gaming PC to mine cryptocurrency? To mine cryptocurrency, you'll first need to set up a cryptocurrency wallet so you can deposit your earnings.
The easiest way for beginners to start mining is to join a crypto-mining marketplace. Nicehash is the largest one, and the company makes its money by taking a cut of mined coins. Nicehash also offers a benchmark that suggests what your specific PC should mine.
How successful a PC is at mining is largely determined by the speed at which it can compute an operation in the Bitcoin code. This is known as the hash rate and is measured in megahashes per second. Since mining cryptocurrency is very GPU-intensive, it can consume a lot of power. Thus, the ideal balance is to maximize your hash rate while minimizing power consumption.
Many retail outlets are selling six pack of GPUs for cryptocurrency mining.
What are some of the risks to mining? Cryptocurrency mining can significantly raise your power bill and be detrimental to your hardware, since you would have to run them under heavy workloads for long periods of time. This can also cause heating issues. Furthermore, while mining a particular altcoin may be profitable one day, if the coin takes a financial crash the next, you could potentially lose money. Finally, while joining a crypto-mining marketplace is the easiest way to start mining, like exchanges, these marketplaces act as centralized hubs for cryptocurrency, and are more susceptible to hacks. NiceHash, in particular, was hacked towards the tail end of 2017 when 4,000 Bitcoins were stolen.
What are the best GPUs to mine cryptocurrency? This will vary depending on the altcoins you want to mine, but popular GPUs for mining on Nvidia's side at the moment include the Titan X, GTX 1080 Ti, and GTX 1070. On AMD's side, current popular picks include the RX 580, RX 570, RX Vega 64, and RX Vega 56. Many miners will also set up rigs with multiple GPUs working in parallel to bolster hash rates.
Where can you spend Bitcoin? There are many companies that accept Bitcoin. Some notable ones include Overstock.com, Expedia, and Newegg. More can be found here.
Where can I buy Bitcoin? The most common way is to purchase them from online exchanges.
What obstacles does Bitcoin face? The Bitcoin market is highly speculative and volatile. Regulations and tax rules are also currently in a state of flux. In addition, there is concern that certain countries may attempt to ban cryptocurrencies.
Epic Games has released the next big update for Fortnite. Players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One have a variety of new content and improvements to check out in both Battle Royale and Save the World. Maybe most notably, the 3.0.0 patch kicks off Season 3 for Battle Royale, which includes the release of a Battle Pass with a slate of new rewards (such as those inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy and John Wick).
Battle Royale now runs at 60 FPS on consoles, and not just for those with a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X--this is also true of the base PS4 and Xbox One versions. This takes the place of the existing uncapped framerate mode, although developer Epic has added a 30 FPS mode as an option if you'd prefer an improvement to visual quality at the expense of framerate.
Across consoles and PC in Battle Royale and Save the World, Fortnite's building has been improved in a variety of ways; there is now an option to continuously build by holding a button, and another to have the game auto-switch between materials when you run out. Additionally, you can build right through most objects now, which should make the building process even easier. (We've got Fortnite building tips if you still need help.)
Also new in Battle Royale is the Hand Cannon. This weapon uses Heavy ammo and features Epic and Legendary versions, and it can be found in treasure chests or supply drops or as floor loot. It's one of several changes on the weapon front, as grenades lose the ability to do critical hits, an exploit involving the pump shotgun and quickly switching weapons has been removed, and drop rates for various versions of the basic pistol have been changed. Additionally, the recently added crossbow has had its Valentine's Day-themed skin removed.
With this patch kicking off Season 3 of Battle Royale, the new Battle Pass has been introduced. This is purchasable only for 950 V-Bucks, rather than directly with money, and has even more rewards tiers than previous incarnations. Epic says it should still take a similar amount of time to unlock everything--you'll just get more rewards for doing so. Among the items available are the Back Bling cosmetics. You can see all the Season 3 Battle Pass rewards in our gallery.
Other small, Battle Royale-specific changes and additions include the ability to see the path of the Battle Bus on the map at the start of the round and 10 seconds of control being given to players after winning a match.
Improvements to building aren't the only things that affect both Battle Royale and Save the World. Epic has introduce a new orchestral score from Marco Beltrami (Logan) and Pinar Toprak (Krypton). This replaces the music in Save the World and plays while in the menus of Battle Royale. Additionally, optional colorblind support has been added, though Epic says it is a work-in-progress and is open to feedback from users. Other visual upgrades have also been made, including those to lighting and shadows.
On the Save the World side, the Hoverboard has been added as a new means of transport; it can be obtained through a tutorial and requires no energy to use, though it takes three seconds to summon and any damage suffered will knock you off. A new chapter of the Spring It On event is also now available, which includes new quests, activities, and the previously announced Dragon weapons.
Is self-destruction a biological impulse, or a psychological one? Does it depend on the person or the circumstances? How far would you go to find out whether that impulse lives in you?
To Inspire questions like that is one hallmark of great science fiction, and Alex Garland's Annihilation, a loose adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 book of the same name, definitely has that going for it. But unlike Garland's directorial debut, the celebrated Ex Machina, Annihilation is a little rough around its shimmering edges.
The movie, like the book, follows a biologist (Natalie Portman) who embarks with several other scientists on an expedition into a mysterious zone (Area X in the book, The Shimmer in the movie). The zone is surrounded by a strange barrier that lets people enter, but rarely allows them to leave. Inside, communications are blocked, and elements of the natural world--plants, animals, and beyond--take unnatural shapes. The book implies these phenomena may be alien in origin; the movie states it outright in the opening minutes, when a meteor from outer space strikes the base of a modest coastal lighthouse and The Shimmer starts to spread. It's not unlike the spaceship scene that opens The Thing, and it's equally unnecessary.
That's just one of the many, many ways that Annihilation strays from its source material, particularly if you consider the other two books in The Southern Reach Trilogy, Authority and Acceptance, both also published in 2014. Garland has admitted he wrote the movie's script before books 2 and 3 were out, and he's yet to read them. Unsurprisingly, Annihilation as an adaptation has more in common with something like Blade Runner--Ridley Scott famously never even finished the Philip K. Dick Book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?--than one more faithful to the original.
None of that is to say it's bad, but be warned: If you read the book, watching the movie will give you whiplash. And if you didn't, it might anyway.
Annihilation's structure often seems more like a dream than like a series of realistic, logical events. In the framing device of Natalie Portman's character Lena being interrogated by Benedict Wong, she might as well be recounting a nightmare she can only recall in bits and pieces. Inside The Shimmer, the scientists (also including Jennifer Jason Leigh's Dr. Ventress, Tessa Thompson's Josie Radek, Gina Rodriguez's Anya Thorensen, and Tuva Novotny's Cass Sheppard) lose multiple days with no memories, suffer attacks by strange hybrid creatures like an alligator with the mouth of a shark, and slowly but surely become infected themselves with whatever's behind it all.
Unfortunately, that dreamlike structure is more hindered than helped by a visual aesthetic that can best be described as hokey. The Shimmer's border looks like a giant soap bubble, rainbow refractions swirling and drifting in the light. Inside, the landscape is dominated by a distracting soft focus and high color saturation that was probably meant to make The Shimmer's lush world feel alien, but instead makes it look like a made-for-TV movie. The twanging acoustic guitar soundtrack feels totally out of place, lending a folksy vibe that undermines scenes that should sound alien.
The score does occasionally shift darker to match up with the movie's actual vibe, especially during more intense scenes of revelation or dread. There's some truly startling body horror mixed in, and although what's on the screen is often more explicitly shocking than what was on the page, it all fits with the book's original themes. The scientists are faced with greater horrors the further in they get, from fungus-infected corpses that would look at home in a The Last of Us movie to unnatural changes in their own bodies, and much of the movie's thematic meat comes from how they as individuals cope with their discoveries and trauma.
At the center remains the biologist, Lena, whose husband (Oscar Isaac's Kane) resurfaces at the movie's start after going missing on an expedition into The Shimmer 12 months earlier. She signs up for the next expedition to find out what happened to him, determine why he's dying now, and maybe even find a way to save him. The adaptation suffers most from these major changes to the biologist as a character. It's understandable that, in a movie where there's not much familiar for the audience to hold onto, they'd feel the need to make the protagonist more relatable. But in simplifying the biologist's motivations, the movie loses part of what makes the book so special.
Another major element the movie suffers for excluding is a subplot involving hypnotic suggestion. Based on a couple of key scenes, it's safe to guess it was in the movie at one point and got cut, and its omission leaves at least one loose end. Finally, the biggest differences are in the ending, which takes on a decidedly 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe. As a complete, self-contained story, though, the film works well, and it's easy to understand why the climax had to change.
Most importantly, Annihilation brings up all the right questions. Its gruesome, unsettling body horror becomes all the more disquieting because it's layered on top of a core of hard science, and the discussions among the five scientists--who all come from disparate disciplines--as they try to comprehend their experiences are some of the best parts. What is instinct, and what is learned? What is built into us, and what do we choose? What causes intelligent beings to knowingly self-destruct? If there's other intelligent life in the universe, would we even comprehend it? Would its senses, thoughts, wants, or needs be recognizable to us as such? And at a significant enough scale, what is the difference between change and destruction? How do you define "annihilation"?
If you're looking for a traditional story arc or familiar sci-fi beats from Annihilation, look elsewhere. Garland's second turn in the director's chair is a weird, Lovecraftian blend of cosmic and body horror with sci-fi themes and a hokey aesthetic that doesn't always work. It's also an incredibly detailed, thoughtful film that will warrant multiple viewings--and, hopefully, an expedition into the absolutely phenomenal source material--for those who find themselves sufficiently intrigued.
The Good
The Bad
Translates the spirit of the book to something that works as a film
Simplification of biologist character makes her less unique
Filled with dread and body horror
Out of place folksy music
Small clues throughout movie leave details open to interpretation
Soft focus, high saturation, lens flare softcore porno effect
You can resort to a traditional gamepad to play many PC games away from a desk thanks to the increase in native controller support, but some games either require or simply must be played using a keyboard and mouse. There have been a few solutions to bring full PC controls to the couch, but nothing quite like Corsair's new lapboard and K63 wireless mechanical keyboard. The K63 and lapboard combo carries a fairly hefty price tag at $160 USD / £160 GBP, but it's a light and compact wireless solution that doesn't sacrifice the quality you'd expect from high-end gaming keyboards.
In the video above, we review the Corsair K63/lapboard by highlighting some of its best features and explaining some its shortcomings. Overall, we find it to be the best solution for bringing keyboard and mouse controls to couches and home theater setups, and you can find out why in the video review or in the text below.
You should note that this isn't Corsair's first attempt at a lapboard. The company also has the Lapdog, which uses a wired USB connection and an external power source to work properly. It was a bit bulky and heavy, and wasn't ideal in certain situations, especially compared to the new K63 lapboard combo. The K63 sports a tenkeyless design, which means it ditches the number pad for a smaller footprint but still includes useful dedicated media keys. When it comes to mechanical switches, Cherry MX Red is your only option right now, and might disappoint those who aren't into smooth, linear, non-tactile keystrokes. Blue is also your only color option when it comes to the LED backlighting.
One key improvement over Corsair's previous lapboard is this new one is wireless. A 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle offers 1ms response time, according to Corsair, and for us, there was no perceivable latency. The K63 can also connect via Bluetooth, which is a neat feature if you wish to use it for other devices. Battery life was a big question, and thankfully the K63 holds plenty of juice in its built-in micro USB-charged battery. We spent about 8 hours in total using the K63 and not once had to worry about charging. Granted, we used it at the lower preset backlight brightness most of the time. Corsair states that on a full charge the K63 lasts around 15 hours at full brightness, 25 hours on low brightness, and 75 hours without backlighting.
The K63 lapboard is light, compact, and a joy to use for PC games that need keyboard and mouse controls.
The lapboard attachment is the reason we're here, though. The K63 snaps into the lapboard effortlessly and two latches on the back help keep the keyboard secured. There are also rubbery silicon textures at the palm area, but they aren't quite positioned right; our palms tend to rest atop the plastic parts, but it's not much of problem. A cloth mousepad is built into the lapboard that offers slick and accurate tracking. If you prefer a different type of surface, you can use your own since most pads will grip onto the lapboard and stay in place. But for those used to larger mouse surfaces, you may need to adjust to the smaller size. Considering that the main goal is to be compact and portable, we found the mouse surface to offer enough space for gaming.
Comfort is a main concern when it comes to lapboards, and it's an aspect that was not overlooked in the design. A dense memory foam covers the bottom of the lapboard and makes it comfortable to have on your lap, even for long sessions. The K63 and lapboard together isn't very heavy either, weighing in at about 5.5 pounds. Build quality is impressive; there aren't any parts that feel flimsy or loose, and there's no excessive bulk that would make it cumbersome.
An important thing to note is that there aren't any USB passthrough ports on the K63 or the lapboard, so you'll definitely need to pick up a good wireless mouse to get the most out of this setup.
Overall, Corsair is on point with this pairing. The K63 itself is a great mechanical keyboard in its own right; Cherry MX Red switches, decent battery life, dedicated media keys, and a fast wireless response rate make it stand out. But when you pair it with the expertly designed, well-built lapboard, you get the best solution for PC gaming on a coach or home theater without resorting to a gamepad, if you're willing to shell out the dough.
With three major PS4 models out on the market, it's easy to be a little confused as to the different specs and features of each model. We're going to clear that situation up in this article and break down which PS4 is right for you. You can also check out our review of the original PS4, review of the PS4 Slim, and review of the PS4 Pro. To see how all the modern consoles, including all SKUs of PlayStation 4 compare, click here.
PS4 Specs
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 Slim
PlayStation 4 Pro
CPU
1.6GHz 8-core AMD custom "Jaguar" CPU
1.6GHz 8-core AMD custom "Jaguar" CPU
2.1GHz 8-core AMD custom "Jaguar" CPU
GPU
Integrated AMD graphics clocked at 800MHz with 1.84 teraflops of performance
Integrated AMD graphics clocked at 800MHz with 1.84 teraflops of performance
Integrated AMD Polaris graphics with 4.2 teraflops of performance
RAM
8GB GDDR5
8GB GDDR5
8GB GDDR5 + 1GB DDR3
Storage
500GB (5,400rpm) replacable hard drive.
500GB (5,400rpm) replacable hard drive.
1TB replacable hard drive.
Dimensions
12. x 10.8x 2 inches
11 x 10 x 1.5 inches
12.8 x 11.6 x 2.1 inches
Weight
6.2 pounds
4.6 pounds
7.2 pounds
Color
Black or white
Black
Black or white
Optical Drive
Blu-ray/DVD
Blu-ray/DVD
Blu-ray/DVD
Networking
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 B/G/N, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 2.1
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 B/G/N/AC, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0
Gigabit Ethernet
802.11A/B/G/N/AC, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Internet Subscription
PS Plus required to play online
PS Plus required to play online
PS Plus required to play online
Ports
HDMI, analog-AV out, 2xUSB 3.0, AUX, S/PDIF
HDMI, analog-AV out, 2xUSB 3.1, AUX
HDMI, 3x USB 3.1, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x PS Camera, S/PDIF, AUX
4K Support
Yes (video only)
Yes (video only)
Yes
HDR Support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Release Date
November 15, 2013
September 15, 2016
November 10, 2016
Release Price
$399.99,€399.99, £349.99
$299.99, €349.99/£299.99
$399.99, €399 / £349
Current Price
$299.99, €349.99/£299.99
$299.99, €349.99/£299.99
$399.99, €399 / £349
What are the differences between the PS4 and PS4 Slim?
The PlayStation 4 Slim, released September 2016, replaces the base PS4 and its underlying specs are largely the same as the original 2013 model. This means you won't see improved graphical fidelity or performance, but there are several small differences. The most noticeable one is that the PS4 Slim is, well, slimmer. Its 11x10x1.5-inch chassis is smaller in every dimension compared to the original's 12x10x8.2 inch case. It's also 1.6 pounds lighter, weighing 4.6 pounds in total.
Unlike the original PS4, the Slim gets rid of the half-gloss finish and opts for a completely matte black look. The Slim also has rounded corners as opposed to the original model's more edgy design.
There are some under-the-hood improvements as well. The Slim now supports 5GHz Wifi, which is generally faster than the 2.4GHz wireless band of the original console, provided you have a router that can take advantage of it. The Slim also supports Bluetooth 4.0, which is more power-efficient and offers better wireless audio performance. Another new addition that the Slim features is USB 3.1 support, which is up to two times as fast as the original's 3.0 ports.
The PS4 Slim is also a little more power-efficient overall. Whereas the original PS4 is rated to consume 250-watts, the Slim features a 165-watt thermal design power. Its more power-efficient design allows it to run a bit cooler and quieter, too.
If the Slim does have one drawback over the original, it's the removal of the SPDIF port, which will impact soundbars that require an optical connection.
Should you upgrade to a PS4 Slim if you have a PS4?
The Slim doesn't make a ton of improvements over the original PS4. If you already own a perfectly functional PS4, it doesn't make much sense to get the Slim. Furthermore, if you want a more powerful PlayStation, the PlayStation 4 Pro is what you want.
PS4/PS4 Slim vs PS4 Pro
While the PS4 Slim isn't much of a technical leap from the base model, the 2016-released PS4 Pro represents a mid-generational upgrade that offers a significant boost in processing power. Sony designed it to take advantage of the burgeoning 4K TV market.
Because 4K is four times the resolution of 1080p and is much more graphically demanding, the PS4 Pro has many under-the-hood improvements. It features a 4.2 teraflop GPU clocked at 911MHz based on AMD's Polaris micro-architecture. This is 2.2x as much as the PS4/PS4 Slim. While it still features an 8-core custom Jaguar CPU from AMD, it runs at a higher 2.1GHz frequency, which is 500MHz faster than the PS4/PS4 Slim. In terms of RAM, the PS4 Pro still uses 8GB of GDDR5 memory, but also adds 1GB of conventional DDR3 RAM to bolster 4K video streaming applications.
The PS4 Pro also uses a SATA III-based storage interface, as opposed to the SATA II-based solution of the original model. This means if you install an SSD in the PS4 Pro, it can be dramatically faster and reach theoretical speeds of six Gbps. While the PS4 Pro comes with a hard drive, its one TB allotment is twice as capacious as the PS4's HDD before it.
In terms of design, it's significantly bigger and heavier than the base model with its 11x10x1.5 inch dimensions and 7.2-pound weight. Aesthetically, it maintains the slanted design of the original PS4 but opts to use the rounded corners that debuted on the PS4 Slim. There's also a new power LED light bar at the front. Unlike the Slim model, it boasts the SPDIF port so you can use it with soundbars that require an optical connection. Finally, it features three USB 3.1 ports, which is one more than the PS4 Slim before it.
What are some of the PS4 Pro's advantages?
While the PS4 Pro currently retails for $100, €50, £50 more than the PS4 Slim, its more powerful hardware allows it to run certain games at 4K or at higher-than-1080p resolutions. Some games may also receive frame rate improvements or could feature higher graphical fidelity visuals.
While its benefits are most evident when coupled with a 4K TV, it is capable of supersampling certain games on 1080p displays. Supersampling is an effective form of anti-aliasing that removes undesirable jaggy edges from games.
Which PS4s support HDR?
With a September 2016 firmware update, all PS4 SKUs support HDR. This includes the original model, the Slim, and the Pro.
Are there any user interface differences between the PS4 and PS4 Pro?
The PS4, PS4 Slim, and PS4 Pro use the same operating system and UI.
Which PS4 should you get?
If you don't already have a PS4 and have a 1080p TV and just want an affordable option to play PS4 games, the PS4 Slim is a sensible choice. We wouldn't suggest upgrading to a PS4 Slim if you already have a PS4, however, considering you won't get a performance boost. If you have a 4K TV, however, or are interested in getting one in the near future and have the extra cash to spare, the PS4 Pro is a better investment, with its superior, more future-proof hardware that can make games run and look better. Should you upgrade to a PS4 Pro if you already have a PS4? We would generally only recommend upgrading if you have a 4K TV and the cash to spare.
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