Respawn and EA are rolling out a significant patch for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. The game, plagued with performance issues at launch, now supports a “solid 60 fps” in performance mode on consoles. In addition, the PC version (which bore the brunt of many of the performance complaints) also received some stability improvements in patch seven.
The game’s patch notes say PS5 and Xbox Series X/S users can expect a “completely reworked” performance mode for a “substantially” improved experience. The changelog says patch seven disables Ray Tracing in performance mode while providing several GPU / CPU optimizations to achieve that “solid” 60 fps. The developers have also improved quality mode (which prioritizes graphical fidelity over a consistent frame rate) with “optimizations” to help reduce frame-rate fluctuations and improve visuals.
Although patch seven’s highlights are for console users, PC owners aren’t left in the dark. Respawn has added support for Nvidia’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) for the game’s Windows version. Additionally, PC owners should see “additional performance & optimization improvements.”
Respawn / EA
The PS5 version of Jedi Survivor also gets variable refresh rate support for the first time. The feature, which Sony added to its latest console in April, dynamically matches a TV or monitor’s refresh rate to that of the PS5, lessening visual artifacts like screen tearing. Sony says it can help render scenes faster and reduce input lag.
Rounding up the patch’s notables are tweaks to fix corrupted save-game files and an issue where players couldn’t collect XP after dying “under certain circumstances.” Respawn also promises various crash / bug fixes and miscellaneous improvements on all platforms.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows. PS4 and Xbox One ports are in development, although they don’t yet have a release date.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-wars-jedi-survivor-patch-promises-solid-60-fps-performance-on-consoles-162223095.html?src=rss
The classic survival horror series Alone in the Darkrecently announced a reboot set to release in October, but it just got delayed to January. This push isn’t for the usual reasons. The game doesn’t need more polish or anything like that. It’s simply a matter of finding an audience in the bustling gaming month of October, given the flood of titles coming in the next several weeks.
The new release date is January 16, with publisher THQ Nordic noting that the game’s “eerie embrace of solitude” would be “impossible to achieve in a gaming month as busy as October.” The company isn’t blowing smoke, as October sees the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Forza Motorsport, Spider-Man 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Detective Pikachu Returns, Sonic Superstars, Alan Wake II and, well, the list goes on and on. It’s certainly a wallet-busting month.
This is in addition to September’s crowded release schedule, so the January launch of Alone in the Dark will give gamers more time to finish Starfield, Baldur’s Gate 3, Mortal Kombat 1 and a fresh round of Cyberpunk 2077 DLC. It’s interesting to note that none of these September or October releases are survival horror games, though Alan Wake gets close, so the title could have found a niche anyways.
So what is Alone in the Dark? The original title is considered the first 3D survival horror game, beating Resident Evil to the punch by four years. Since the 1990s, there have been sequels, spinoffs and even other attempts at rebooting the franchise. This latest installment is the first mainline entry since 2015 and the first game in the series developed since THQ Nordic bought the license from Atari back in 2018.
The reboot’s story is written by Mikael Hedberg, the mind behind the survival games Soma and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Creature designs are being handled by long-time Guillermo del Toro collaborator Guy Davis. THQ Nordic has stated that the new Alone in the Dark is a completely original game, but will feature playable characters from the 1990s titles. It’ll release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on January 16, 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/alone-in-the-dark-reboot-delayed-to-the-oh-so-spooky-month-of-january-161346620.html?src=rss
Anker makes a wide range of useful devices, from charging gear to USB hubs and beyond. You can save on many of the company's products right now as a sale is taking place on Amazon. One device that's worth paying attention to if you have too many gadgets and not enough ports to plug them into is the Anker 332 5-in-1 USB-C hub, which is 49 percent off at $18. At the time of writing, there's also a $2 coupon you can apply to save a bit more.
This hub has a 4K 30Hz HDMI port, two for USB-C (which unfortunately don't support video output), one for USB-A and a 100W PD-IN port. There's passthrough charging support for up to 85W. You can use the hub to snappily move files between devices as well, since Anker says the three USB ports support data transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps.
Another product worth considering is the GaN II 735 Charger, which supports 65W charging. It has dropped by 15 percent from $40 to $34. It can top up your phone, tablet and laptop batteries simultaneously. Alternatively, you can connect a single device with support for 65W fast charging to juice up the battery at maximum speed. We reckon this is the best 65-watt fast charger you can buy. It's probably smaller than the charger you're using for your laptop.
In addition, you'll be able to snap up the 313 wireless charging stand for $15.19, nearly a quarter off the usual price. This is our pick for the best budget wireless charging stand. Don't expect fast charging here — Anker's device tops out at 10W (and just 5W for iPhones). But you can position your phone in landscape orientation while it's charging and that price is tough to beat.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-chargers-and-accessories-are-up-to-49-percent-off-right-now-154836694.html?src=rss
It’s fairly evident that Meta has been losing interest in dealing with news links and discussion across its platforms for some time and now the company is doing away with Facebook’s News tab in a few countries. It will remove the dedicated section in the UK, France and Germany in early December.
Unlike in Canada, where the company has blocked news content to protest a law that would compel it to pay publishers in the country, Meta says news organizations can continue to post links, Reels and so on to Facebook in those three territories. Users shouldn’t have any issues with accessing news content there either.
Meta says it will honor existing Facebook News deals with publishers in the UK, France and Germany. However, it won’t renew those pacts or enter into new ones in those countries. Moreover, the company doesn’t “expect to offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future.”
Meta says the Facebook News shutdown in the three countries is part of its efforts to funnel resources toward services and products users care more about. News accounts for less than three percent of what people see in their Facebook feeds, and the company claims folks are more interested in short-form video, connecting with other people and finding opportunities, interests and passions.
The decision doesn’t undercut Meta’s commitment to providing users with access to reliable information across its platforms, the company said. It added that it remains committed to working with third-party fact checkers to clamp down on misinformation.
Still, the shuttering of the tab is part of a trend of Meta depreciating the importance of news across its platforms. For one thing, it switched from human curators to relying on algorithms to place stories in the News tab earlier this year. When it debuted its latest platform, Threads, it said news wouldn’t be a priority there. That’s despite the company designing the service as a direct competitor to X (formerly Twitter), where news and real-time events drove much of the discourse for over a decade.
Meta’s decision to nix news content in Canada entirely has been a contentious one. Many parties criticized Meta for limiting access to reliable information related to serious issues such as the wildfires that have raged across the country this summer.
Last week, the Canadian government said that to comply with its Online News Act and continue to offer users in the country news content on Facebook and Instagram, Meta would need to pay publishers there around $62 million CAD ($45.5 million) per year. Meta, which generated over five times that amount in revenue per day last year, didn’t budge on its stance.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebooks-news-tab-is-going-away-in-the-uk-france-and-germany-142243544.html?src=rss
The United States has made continual efforts to limit China's chip production, but it might not do much good. China plans to launch a fund in hopes of bolstering its semiconductor industry, Reuters reports. The state-backed endeavor is the third from the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund and aims to raise 300 billion yuan ($41 billion). The previous two funds raised 138.7 billion yuan ($19 billion) in 2014 and 200 billion yuan ($27 billion) in 2019.
About 60 billion yuan ($8 billion) is expected to come from China's finance ministry. The other contributors aren't yet known, though past backers included China Telecom and China National Tobacco Corporation. Much of the fund itself will specifically focus on creating instruments for chip manufacturing.
The news comes only a few days after Huawei, a Chinese electronics company, announced its new smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro, complete with homegrown chips. Huawei partnered with chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to create a new Kirin 9000s chip, according to a report from analysis firm TechInsights. SMIC's high-level 7nm technology appears to provide the Mate 60 Pro with download speeds beyond those seen in typical 5G phones.
We hope you had a fun Labor Day break, for those that had the day off. Elsewhere, the three-day weekend included the IAA Mobility 2023 International Motor Show in Munich, Germany, and a barrage of new cars.
BMW revealed the Vision Neue Klasse — its latest concept design. The company claims it will have a 30 percent greater range and charging speed and be 25 percent more efficient than previous EVs. One of the BMW Vision Neue Klasse's more interesting features is its vibrant yellow lounge-style seats – removing chrome and leather should, theoretically, make the production more environmentally friendly.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz teased a smaller, cheaper G-Wagon EV, pictured above. CEO Ola Källenius said the “baby” G-Class EV will be significantly more compact than its cousin. As for the promise of a cheaper G-Class vehicle, a new Mercedes G-Class SUV starts at $140,000, so getting it to a lower price shouldn’t be too difficult.
– Mat Smith
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Final Fantasy XVI won't remain a PlayStation 5 exclusive much longer. Square Enix has confirmed a PC port is officially in development. That's not too much of a shock, considering the game's first trailer in 2020 mentioned a PC version, but hey, a confirmation’s nice.
Producer Naoki Yoshida said the development team has started work on two installments of “paid DLC.” Hopefully, it’ll have more narrative content and not just trickier bosses and challenges.
The aim may be to boost the company's bottom line.
According to Bloomberg, white noise podcasters won’t be eligible for Spotify’s Ambassador Ads program as of October 1. Under the program, Spotify pays podcasters to read ads for the company’s own products. Its goal is to get more people to make shows for the platform.
Bloomberg previously reported some white noise podcasters were making as much as $18,000 per month, in large part due to Spotify paying them for ad placements. Ambassador ads haven’t been very effective on white poise podcasts, according to the report, since their listeners aren’t typically as engaged as they might be with a conversational or narrative podcast.
Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight is one of the most popular gaming mice out there, and the company just made it better. The G Pro X Superlight 2’s battery life is now 95 hours per charge, up from 70 hours on its predecessor. A new Hero 2 sensor offers steadier tracking when quickly lifting or tilting the mouse. It also raises the maximum dots per inch (DPI) to 32,000 and tracking speed to 500 inches per second (IPS). Logitech has also transitioned to fully mechanical switches on the buttons, and it’s now USB-C chargeable. Finally. It’s available from today for $159.
Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight has been one of the most popular gaming mice among enthusiasts and esports professionals since it arrived in 2020, and today Logitech is refreshing it with a few key updates. The Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2, as the new wireless model is called, shares the same agreeable shape as its predecessor, but cleans up many of that device’s minor annoyances. It’s available starting today for $159.
For one, the G Pro X Superlight 2 charges and connects over USB-C, whereas the prior model was stuck with an ancient microUSB port. Instead of using fully mechanical switches, which can potentially introduce issues with unintended double-clicks over time, the new mouse also utilizes the “Lightforce” switches seen in Logitech’s G502 X series. This is a hybrid solution with both mechanical and optical parts, the idea being to balance the feel of the former with the faster speed and (typically) greater durability of the latter.
Beyond that, the battery life is now rated at 95 hours per charge, up from 70. A new “Hero 2” sensor is said to offer steadier tracking when quickly lifting or tilting the mouse. (It also raises the maximum DPI and tracking speed to 32,000 and 500 IPS, respectively, though both figures are overkill for most.) And the maximum polling rate has jumped from 1,000Hz to 2,000Hz – some gaming mice can reach as high as 8,000Hz, but that has little practical benefit unless you use a monitor with a particularly high refresh rate.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
I’ve had the G Pro X Superlight 2 on hand for a few days. Just like the first Superlight, the main appeal here is the ambidextrous, “potato”-style shape, which should fit well with just about any hand size or grip type. It’s still a “jack of all trades, master of none” situation: The Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, for example, is contoured in a way that’s more accommodating to larger hands and palm grips. But this design is safe for a wider range of people.
At 60 grams, the G Pro X Superlight 2 is only about three grams lighter than its predecessor. Many options these days are technically lower-weight, but no serious person could call this heavy. The outer shell is still solid and devoid of “honeycomb”-style holes, and compared to the first Superlight, the texture on the plastic feels a bit higher-quality.
Unsurprisingly, I’ve also had zero issues with performance. Across multiplayer shooters like Halo Infinite, slower-paced RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 and everyday work, tracking has been accurate and consistent, while clicks have registered with no noticeable delay. The PTFE (aka Teflon) feet are marginally longer and wider than before, but they glide smoothly either way. (An optional PTFE cover for the USB receiver compartment on the back adds a little extra speed.) The scroll wheel can't tilt left or right, but it’s relatively quiet, grippy and precise.
The G Pro X Superlight 2 (left) looks almost identical to the original Superlight (right) on the outside.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
The new optical-mechanical switches, meanwhile, give each press a distinct, tactile sensation. They sound bassier than the first Superlight, but they feel tighter. The fully optical switches on the DeathAdder V3 Pro – currently the top premium pick in my gaming mouse buying guide – come off as mushier by comparison. Logitech would not provide a specific estimate for how many clicks the main buttons can sustain, but in theory, this hybrid design should be more durable than traditional mechanical switches. If that’s a concern, Logitech lets you access an “optical only” mode through its G Hub software.
Some compromises have carried over. There’s no RGB lighting, no Bluetooth and no dedicated DPI switch button. There are two customizable shortcut buttons on the left side, but none on the right, so the mouse isn’t truly ambidextrous. Logitech’s G Hub software makes it fairly easy to assign macros and DPI profiles – including the ability to customize the sensitivity of horizontal and vertical movements separately – but plenty of people have found it buggy in the past. And none of this comes cheap. If you own the original Superlight, there probably isn’t enough new here to justify another $159.
That said, some of those omissions are to be expected given that the mouse is aimed squarely at competitive-minded players. I’ll have to verify Logitech’s battery life claims, but if you’re willing to spend for a high-performing mouse without an explicitly ergonomic shape, the G Pro X Superlight 2 looks to be a top option.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Besides the new mouse, Logitech has introduced a new wireless gaming keyboard, the G Pro X TKL. That tenkeyless model is also available today for $199. Here you’re looking at dual-shot PBT keycaps, per-key RGB backlighting, dedicated media keys, a sturdy metal base and the usual suite of software customizations through G Hub. It can connect over Bluetooth and a detachable USB-C cable in addition to a wireless dongle, and it’s available with Logitech’s tactile (GX Brown), linear (GX Red) or clicky (GX Blue) switches. Logitech says you can swap in third-party keycaps, and it rates the battery life at 50 hours.
In many ways, the G Pro X TKL is reminiscent of Logitech’s G915 TKL, only it uses traditional mechanical switches instead of low-profile ones. After using it for a few days, it seems fine: The keys are crisp, well-spaced and not noticeably rattly, the customizable RGB looks sharp, and Logitech’s wireless tech is dependable. It all comes with a useful carrying case, too. But the GX Brown switches on my unit are fairly loud, and it lacks some of the advanced features of other high-end gaming boards like the Wooting 60HE or SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL. There's no adjustable actuation, rapid trigger or hot-swappable switches. For $199, some may find the feature set lacking. But if you need a wireless mechanical keyboard in a TKL form factor, what’s here at least feels comfortable and well-built.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-logitech-g-pro-x-superlight-2-improves-an-already-great-gaming-mouse-070133238.html?src=rss
Nintendo has teamed up with Niantic for a new Pikmin mobile game that's mostly good for passing time than serious gaming. It's called Pikmin Finder, and as Nintendo Life notes, the companies have released it in time for the Nintendo Live event in Seattle. You can access the augmented reality game from any browser on your mobile, whether it's an iPhone or an Android device. We've tried it on several browsers, including Chrome and Opera, and we can verify that it works, as long as you allow it to access your camera.
Similar to Pikmin Bloom, the game superimposes Pikmin on your environment as seen through your phone's camera. You can then pluck the creatures by swiping up — take note that there are typically more of the same color lurking around when you do spot one. Afterward, you can use the Pikmin you've plucked to search for treasures, including cakes and rubber duckies. You'll even see them bring you those treasures on your screen.
Pikmin Finder
To play the game, you can go to its website on a mobile browser and start catching Pikmin on your phone. You can also scan the QR code that shows up on the website when you open it on a desktop browser.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendos-new-mobile-game-lets-you-pluck-pikmin-on-your-browser-064423362.html?src=rss
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has risen from the depths of development hell, two years after Paradox Interactive parted ways with the game's former developer, Hardsuit Labs, and delayed the game indefinitely. The publisher has since recruited Dear Estherand Everybody’s Gone to the Rapturestudio The Chinese Room to work on the sequel to the original RPG from 2004. Bloodlines 2 is now set to arrive in fall 2024.
The Chinese Room has retained some of the original concepts while tossing out others to reframe Bloodlines 2 in its own vision. The modern-day Seattle setting has survived, as has some of Hardsuit's level and art design. However, creative director Alex Skidmore told PC Gamer that the game now has “a new code base with different gameplay mechanics and RPG systems." You'll play as an elder vampire instead of the fresh face you might be familiar with from the original game, though the protagonist has been in stasis for some time, so you'll be getting used to the wintry setting at the same time as them.
This is a new type of challenge for The Chinese Room, which until now has focused on atmospheric walking simulators infused with mystery, as Polygonnotes. Much like its latest project, the studio has endured its own troubles over the years. It nearly shut down entirely in 2017 due to funding issues before Sumo Digital took over and revived it (Sumo Digital itself later found a new owner in the form of Tencent).
We'll find out more about what The Chinese Room has in store for fans in the coming months. Paradox plans to discuss Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 in more depth in January.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vampire-the-masquerade---bloodlines-2-returns-from-the-shadows-with-a-new-developer-200008403.html?src=rss
Final Fantasy XVIwon't remain a PlayStation 5 exclusive much longer. Square Enix has confirmed that a PC port is officially in development. That's not too much of a shock considering that the game's first trailer in 2020 mentioned a PC version, a tidbit that Square Enix later walked back.
In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), producer Naoki Yoshida said his team is currently working on a PC version of the game. Yoshida also noted that Square Enix plans to expand the game. "One thing that came through particularly strongly was how people wanted to see more of Valisthea's story and spend more time with her inhabitants," he said. "To accommodate, the development team has started work on two installments of paid DLC."
There's no word as yet on when the two expansions and the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI will arrive. Yoshida hopes to provide an update by the end of 2023.
Of note, Square Enix recently announced that Final Fantasy XIV, the perennially popular MMO, is coming to Xbox next spring after years of only being available on PlayStation and PC. The prospect of Final Fantasy XVI making the same cross-platform leap is an intriguing one.
In the meantime, Yoshida announced a free update to the game for PS5 players. New features include extra character skins, an onion sword, more controller options and a transmog function (i.e. the ability to change the look of Clive's sword to that of any other one in his inventory without affecting the stats). The patch is available now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/final-fantasy-xvi-is-coming-to-pc-square-enix-confirms-190034778.html?src=rss
