A prominent Nintendo leaker has divulged to a Reddit moderator that a simple message that indicates Metroid Prime may be in the works.
The message from Fun_Way_6592 was sent to a moderator on the ‘GamingLeaksAndRumors’ subreddit, stating, ‘do you think everyone is primed and ready?’ Past cryptic messages from Fun_Way_6592 have turned out to be true or at least, precursors to announcements.
Could mean that a new Metroid Prime is coming? Perhaps a remaster of the existing games? Who knows.
The Holidays are just days away, but before everyone takes a well-deserved break prior to 2023, Microsoft has responded to the FTC regarding the contentious Activision Blizzard purchase.
Microsoft has published its response to the FTC’s lawsuit regarding the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Similar to Microsoft’s response to the UK’s CMA. The gloves are now seemingly off as Microsoft has pointed out that Sony has been adding “exclusion” terms on deals for third-party games on Playstation for years. This includes titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 16, Silent Hill 2 Remake, and From Software’s Bloodborne, which will most likely never see the light of day on an Xbox console.
According to Microsoft:
“In addition to having outright exclusive content, Sony has also entered into arrangements with third-party publishers which require the “exclusion” of Xbox from the set of platforms these publishers can distribute their games on. Some prominent examples of these agreements include Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix), Bloodborne (From Software), the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix) and the recently announced Silent Hill 2 remastered (Bloober team).”
Microsoft
It’s odd that the FTC as well as the CMA have taken the position of protecting Sony, which is the market leader, and have been adding exclusionary terms in contracts with third-party publishers, blocking popular titles from appearing on competing platforms. That seems anti-competitive to me, but not to the FTC and CMA apparently.
All in all, it appears that Microsoft is preparing to build a case and fight this in court if the FTC and CMA attempt to block the deal. According to the terms of the merger, Microsoft would owe Activision Blizzard $2 to $3 billion if the deal is blocked by regulators. So it is pretty safe to assume that Microsoft is not just going to give up.
Microsoft continues to push forward with its planned acquisition of Activision, despite challenges from regulatory agencies. Today it received some good news from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority requested feedback from the public on Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The regulatory group reviewed responses from over 2,100 and 75% were in favor of the acquisition.
Below are some of the views expressed by the respondents:
Sony and Nintendo are stronger than Microsoft in console gaming, and the Merger will help Microsoft to compete more closely against them.
The Merger will not harm rival consoles because Microsoft has made public and private commitments to keep Activision content, including Call of Duty, non-exclusive. The availability of Minecraft on rival consoles shows that Microsoft’s commercial strategy is not to make games exclusive; 1 The CMA received approximately 2,600 emails, but some of these were excluded from our review because they contained abusive content (with no other substantive content), or were blank, unintelligible, stated to be from non-UK consumers, or not in English.
It is unlikely that Microsoft would make Call of Duty exclusive due to its multiplayer nature. Making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would only create a gap in the market that could be filled by a rival cross-platform shooter game.
Call of Duty has competition from a number of other games including Battlefield (Electronic Arts), Grand Theft Auto (Take Two), and FIFA (Electronic Arts).
The Merger will push Sony to innovate, such as by improving its subscription service or creating more games to compete with Call of Duty.
The Merger is a reaction to Sony’s business model for PlayStation, which has historically involved securing exclusive content or early access to popular cross-platform gaming franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Silent Hill.
Microsoft’s plans to add Call of Duty to Game Pass are pro-competitive and will lower the price of accessing games for consumers.
Microsoft would not make Activision’s content exclusive to Xbox post-merger because it would lose significant potential revenue from rival platforms.
Consumers could revert to buying games on a buy-to-play basis if Microsoft were to raise the price of Game Pass post-Merger.
The Merger will lead to more funding and higher-quality games in the industry.
The Merger will allow Microsoft to provide Activision with better guidance and leadership, and encourage it to invest more in games other than Call of Duty.
The Merger is pro-competitive in the mobile segment because it will create new options for mobile gamers and allow Microsoft to compete against Google and Apple, which are the two dominant mobile platforms.
The Merger will not create competition concerns in cloud gaming services because there are other potential competitors, such as Netflix.
Some industry participants have said they are not opposed to the Merger.
This is certainly an interesting development and may pave the way for approval of the acquisition in the UK.
A recent survey conducted by Microsoft has asked gamers if they would be willing to pay a lower monthly subscription than the standard Xbox Game Pass monthly fee, in exchange for some limitations and the integration of ads.
A survey, by all means, is not an indication that such a tier would see the light of day, however, it does indicate that this is something that Microsoft is considering.
My Spanish is good enough to make me dangerous.
Game Pass has quickly become a cornerstone of Xbox’s strategy holding 25 million subscribers, even though growth has slowed recently. A cheaper tier subsidized by ads may give the service another jolt. Let’s also not forget that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda and is trying to also add Activision Blizzard, which would provide the service with quite the roster of AAA titles.
All in all, Game Pass racked in $2.9 billion for Xbox in 2021, which is totally a sum you can live on.
Videogame industry pioneer John Carmack has left Meta according to an internal memo leaked to the media on Friday, December 16. He has since made it official via his Facebook page.
Carmack, a legendary programmer who has been at the forefront of gaming since the early 1990s and a founding member of id Software, did not mince words in his departure message.
“We have a ridiculous amount of people and resources, but we constantly self-sabotage and squander effort. There is no way to sugar coat this; I think our organization is operating at half the effectiveness that would make me happy.
“It has been a struggle for me. I have a voice at the highest levels here, so it feels like I should be able to move things, but I’m evidently not persuasive enough. A good fraction of the things I complain about eventually turn my way after a year or two passes and evidence piles up, but I have never been able to kill stupid things before they cause damage, or set a direction and have a team actually stick to it.
“…Make better decisions and fill your products with ‘Give a Damn!'”
It’s tough to believe that Carmack, a man who has helped to bring cutting-edge tech to the masses and was the tech lead for titles like Doom and Quake had issues with the dumpster fire that is Meta under the leadership of a pseudo-human android.
Can one blame him? Carmack went from working on intense classic first-person shooters, rocketry, VR, and AR to something that looks like a shitty Nintendo Wii shovelware game.
Carmack however, is not riding off into the sunset. He plans to spend more time at his startup, Keen Technologies, developing AI systems. Maybe he can help develop one to replace Zuckerburg’s current AI to make him appear more human?
Technically you could play Steam in your Tesla if you have a gaming laptop or Steam Deck, but now you can play Steam on your Tesla. This officially makes Tesla a console maker, no?
Steam titles will now be playable on some of Tesla’s vehicles as part of the EV maker’s “Holiday Update.” The update also includes Apple Music, a new in-cabin camera view, and updated light-show features, but who cares about that shit.
According to the announcement via Twitter, Tesla’s system is also compatible with wireless controllers, so owners can bring along their controller of choice when on the road.
Tesla does not go into details as to the logistics of when you can play these games, but let’s assume gaming will only be accessible while the EV is parked.
No doubt someone will figure out a workaround to get Steam working while the car is driving, which would be amazing and stupid at the same time.
Microsoft President and Vice Chairman Brad Smith has called out Sony’s stance against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a The Wall Street Journal op-ed comparing them to the failed video rental chain.
“Sony has emerged as the loudest objector… It’s as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the rise of Netflix… Think about how much better it is to stream a movie from your couch than drive to Blockbuster. We want to bring the same sort of innovation to the videogame industry.”
WSJ
It is really starting to appear that Microsft is not going to back down from this acquisition. They have agreed to concessions on the deal in the EU, offering to keep Call of Duty on Playstation for 10 years. Now, according to the New York Post, FTC insiders are claiming that of the four-person panel currently investigating the proposed deal, two may be looking to side with Microsoft. This now splits voting 2-2.
Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission chairperson has even floated the idea of suing Microsoft over the proposed acquisition. However, former FTC chairperson William Kovacic told the New York Post regarding a lawsuit to block the merger: “Lina [Khan] would probably not put things in a position for that to take place, so instead of having that vote she would make the motion to approve the settlement.”
So in the end it looks like Microsoft will make concessions for the US, similar to the EU, to keep Call of Duty on Playstation for the foreseeable future, which is really in their best interests anyway.
Looks like Playstation Boss Jim Ryan racked up the frequent flier miles protesting the deal for nothing.
Consumer electronics company TCL, which makes decent TVs at competitive price points, really wants you to believe that Sony and Microsoft are going to be refreshing the PS5 and Xbox Series X soon. So you really should be considering upgrading your boob tube.
According to Polish news outlet PPE, TCL presented at an electronics conference in Poland and the company believes that a “PS5 Pro” and “new Xbox Series X|S” will arrive between 2023 and 2024.
TCL’s presentation showed a history of consoles, starting with the original PS4 and Xbox One in 2013. TCL then notes that the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X were released a few years later. The presentation goes on to show the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2020. Naturally, that means a refresh should come out next year or so, right? RIGHT!?!
At the end of TCL’s presentation, they claim that Series X / PS5 PRO will provide 60-120 FPS resolution at 4K, and have the ability to display 8K. TCL also believes that the new consoles will have AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT technology. Shit, the TV that I bought specifically for my PS5 and Xbox Series is a total piece of shit now. I should consider buying a fancy new TV from TCL.
In a new conference, TCL Technology have said that a new Xbox Series S/X and PS5 Pro are coming in 2023/2024.
Sorry, TCL, but I think a mid-generation refresh is a bit further out, given that the current builds of the Xbox Series X and PS5 are still relatively hard to come by.
You know, yesterday I said something nice about Sony’s rollout of PlayStation Plus in Asia. How it was NOT entirely a dumpster fire and actually has a robust library of games. Then Sony completely fucks it up with strange and borderline anti-consumer decisions.
First, let’s talk about a decision that’s just plain lazy. In what some would say is a case of deja vu, it appears that some of the PlayStation 1 titles on PlayStation Plus are running the slower-performing PAL versions of games. The PAL versions usually run at a lower framerate, which translates into choppier playback. As some may recall, this was an issue with the PlayStation Mini. There really is no reason why Sony would opt for the PAL version, other than not giving a shit or pure laziness.
Another decision from Sony is just “scumbaggy.” According to reports circulating online, original PlayStation Plus subscribers who purchased a subscription at a discount now have to pay the difference in order to upgrade.
As one user in Hong Kong explains, “[Imagine] if I went to KFC [the other day] and I bought a meal at a discount, then today I have to pay back that discount in order to buy another meal…”
The fried chicken analogy really resonated with me. Why can’t launch a service without it being an utter shitshow?
Last week, Sony announced a list of games that would launch with PlayStation Plus when it rolls out in Asia, and yours truly had a shit fit on how underwhelming it was. Today, I stand corrected.
The list that was released today on the PlayStation website is far more extensive, including a mix of PS4 and PS5 games, as well as a “Classics Catalog,” which is a good thing. Sony also goes on to promise that more games will be added soon. So maybe PlayStation Plus won’t be entirely dead on arrival when it matches up with Xbox Game Pass.
Better yet, it was announced that games on the service may feature enhancements, like up-rendering, rewind, and quick save, thereby taking advantage of the PS5’s horsepower. Gamers can also opt for various scaling, aspect ratios, and video filters, to give their classics some retro crustiness.
PlayStation Plus is scheduled to launch in Japan next, and then rolling out to the USA and Europe in June.
Spieler Dad 