The Starfield devs at Bethesda continue to stay true to their word of releasing regular, large patches for the game and it is already in much better shape than when it launched last Fall.

A huge amount of fixes to the base game have been made and if you want to read the full Patch Notes you can do so on the Starfield Blog, but we will be picking out some of the cool bits we like the look of most here.

The patch also includes additional features to things such as Photo mode, which now allows you to pose characters in your screenshots, opening the possibility for some seriously funny meme action.

Other quality-of-life tweaks such as simply being able to open doors while you have the Scanner open should really have been a thing from the off, but then, we guess you would not have appreciated it as much as you will now.

Digipicks have also been altered because, of how we love the way Digipicks worked. Thankfully now they allow you to Undo without the penalty cost of a digipick during the Security mini-game. Now, if we could just get rid of the mini-game altogether with a slider in the menu. Maybe next time.

Latest Starfield Patch major features

• PHOTOMODE: Added the ability to set Expressions and Poses on player and companions in Photomode.
• SCANNER: You can now open doors and harvest with the scanner opened.
• Setting course on an inactive quest will now make it the active quest.
• Added support for adjusting FOV when using 3rd Person Ship view.
• Added an Anisotropic filtering quality slider (PC).
• Removed the digipick cost for using Undo during the Security mini-game.
• Added an autosave when fast traveling from a planet’s surface to orbit.
• Updated the Ship UI to perform more smoothly at higher framerates.

The post Latest Starfield patch brings more enhancements and improvements appeared first on ReadWrite.

Xbox Game Pass has added another title with the arrival of Lightyear Frontier in early access mode, today, 19 March.

The indie game combines a farming sim with mech elements as players roam to discover the landscape on a solo run, or together with up to three additional users.

To get started on the game developed by Frame Break, players are urged to choose a flat area in The Meadows to set up camp. This allows space for building, farming and proximity to water for efficient resource management.

This step will be required once you have located and repaired the damaged Mech you fell from the sky in.

One of several tasks to be completed in the gameplay is to restore Pine Heights, a multi-step process, including using the map to locate the area, collecting tools with your Mech, and utilizing specific tools.

Jump inside and wander around the map until you have collected all the tools it tells you to. You can spot them on the terrain because they will be issuing colored smoke from the wreckage.

How does Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass work?

Xbox Game Pass gives gamers a diverse game library accessible across Xbox consoles, PCs, and compatible devices.

Subscribers enjoy a constantly refreshed selection of AAA and indie titles, making it a versatile gaming solution. This subscription model has revolutionized the gaming industry, offering a cost-effective and flexible way for players to access a wide range of gaming experiences without needing to buy individual titles.

It’s not without drawbacks, however. The rotating library, which sees games removed or added sporadically, is not for everyone, and this lack of ownership may be a concern for those who prefer to have a permanent collection.

Other games coming to Xbox Game Pass in March 2024

Final Fantasy 14 Online – Starter Edition (Xbox Game Pass Perk (21 March)

The Last Case of Benedict Fox: Definitive Edition (26 March)

Diablo 4 (28 March)

Open Roads (28 March)

Image credit: Lightyear Frontier/X

The post Xbox Game Pass adds open world adventure title for March 2024 appeared first on ReadWrite.

It seems as though complaints about wooden acting and poor NPC dialogue will become a thing of the past as gaming development continues to use more and more generative AI in its processes. We aren’t there yet, but by the end of the year, we will probably have our first game with NPC characters generating their own realistic dialogue depending on what you ask them.

For gaming realism, this could be a game changer, and while it is unclear where it may actually lead us, Unity and generative AI company Convai are keen to give us a sneak peek into the future with the release of Project Neural Nexus – a demo “game” which will feature smart NPCs and Unity’s MUSE behavior tool.

“Step into the world of Neo City, a cyberpunk theme city where danger lurks at every corner. You wake up at a hotel and are being chased by the police and killer robots. Your objective is to make out of the hotel filled with assassins – alive. But you are not alone. You have help from your AI companion, who can equip you with weapons, teach you how to shoot, guide you at every step and is helping you get out of the hotel. Your decisions change the storyline but be careful, one wrong step and it’s game over. The game is powered by Convai’s smart NPCs where you can have open-ended conversations, make decisions, perform actions, interact with various environmental objects, and are guided by an AI companion. Welcome to Neo City. Your survival story begins now.”

That’s how Convai is positioning PNN and is more of a tech demonstration of where gaming could be headed and headed quickly. The problem will be if an NPC can talk to you about anything, and you can ask it anything, how do you keep the story on track? The idea of an NPC answering questions more realistically is appealing. What we see in demonstrations like this is the “game” being played the way the developers intend. The general public will not necessarily play as nicely.

When you watch the video there is no doubt it is exciting and impressive in equal amounts. Text to Speech might not still be quite there yet when it comes to vocal emotion and some of the dialogue sounds a little stilted but the potential is there for all to see. Especially as we move along towards a world that has GPT5 in it.

You can sign up for early access now and it should be released later in the year. Interesting times ahead

The post A cyberpunk game with AI actors that make up their own dialogue? Count us in appeared first on ReadWrite.

Dune is pretty big business at the moment with the second movie riding high at the Box Office and news of the new MMO from Funcom on the horizon.

Dune: Spice Wars, also from Funcom, however, is a Frank Herbert-based game you should not be overlooked if you are a fan of the story. It’s been out since around the time the first movie dropped and offers a great opportunity to get into the Dune universe (Duneiverse?), especially if you like your games with a more strategic flavor.

Today, the first major update for the game, as well as its first DLC drops and goes by the name of House Vernius of Ix.

The House Vernius of Ix DLC, priced at €12.99 / $12.99, introduces the technologically advanced Ixians as the game’s seventh faction. Hailing from the technologically advanced Ixian Confederation and led by the cybernetically enhanced Rhombur Vernius, they discreetly explore the self-learning tech forbidden by the Butlerian Jihad.

Meanwhile, the free Heroes of Dune update marks a major milestone for Dune: Spice Wars, allowing players to control legendary individuals from the Dune universe. With each faction offering a choice of two Heroes, players can recruit from a total of fourteen iconic characters, each with its own active skill, global effect, and localized effects. From Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck for the House Atreides to Chani Kynes and Otheym for the Fremen, players can now lead their chosen faction with legendary figures, reshaping the course of history on Arrakis.

The update also includes several improvements to combat, enriching its gaming experience and making it more accessible to players of all skill levels.

Dune: Spice Wars is a hardcore Dune 4x strategy game, and playing as iconic characters from the story will mainly appeal to fans of Herbert’s books but even if you are not invested in the Dune storyline it is still a really solid RTS game with lots of cool features that you should definitely check out.

The post Dune Spice Wars gets its first major update and DLC appeared first on ReadWrite.

Steam has officially overhauled its family sharing system which faced difficulties when others on the plan were loading up games, in favor of the new ‘Steam Families.’

Introduced via a blog post on the Steam website yesterday (Mar. 18) the video game service said they were ‘excited’ to announce the update which is now available in the Steam Beta Client.

Steam Families is a collection of new and existing family-related features, replacing both Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View.

It provides a single location to manage which games your family can access and when they can play. Up to six family members can be included in one plan, with management access available from Steam Client, a mobile device, or web browser.

Members of a family will be classified as either adult or child, with the adult having management access.

In the previous system, there were limits on how many people could play games from one library. This has now been removed, as has the need for two systems.

To give Steam’s family debut a try, you’ll need to be in the beta program. You can do this by visiting Settings > Interface > Client Beta Participants and selecting ‘Steam Family Beta.’

New features in Steam Families

For parents who are monitoring children’s online activity, this new update is set to make it a whole lot easier to manage as new features open up ease of access.

Family Sharing

The family sharing feature brings in the library which is accessible via the left column on the home screen once you’ve signed in.

Anyone in a ‘family’ gains automatic access to the shareable games library, meaning users can play a game from other family member’s collections – even if they are online playing another game.

When you are playing a game from your family library, you can create your own saved games and earn individual Steam achievements.

Parental Controls

New to Steam is the major upgrade on parental controls, with the tool focusing on this. 

Parents can set limits on what and when children play games on Steam and you can control what games your children have access to and monitor their activity. This is even possible via your mobile phone when you’re away from your at-home device.

Parental control features let adults:

• Allow access to appropriate games
• Restrict access to the Steam Store, Community or Friends Chat
• Set playtime limits (hourly/daily) 
• View playtime reports 
• Approve or deny requests from child accounts for additional playtime or feature access (temporary or permanent) 
• Recover a child’s account if they lost their password

Child Purchase Requests 

With this addition to the family service, adults no longer have to spend time manually purchasing games for their children. Instead, to streamline this process, Steam Families has a payment option where a child account can request an in-family adult to pay for their shopping cart.

The adult then has the choice to approve and pay for the purchase from their mobile device or email or to decline the request.

Featured Image: Via Steam News

The post Steam debuts new family sharing, overhauling previous design appeared first on ReadWrite.

Nearly there, so nearly there. One of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year is almost with us. It is so close we can smell it.

Many of you will have already created your characters ready to get going as quickly as you can as the free Character Creator was released ahead of the game last week. If you are unsure what role you want to play in the game we also have a handy breakdown of all the starting vocations you can choose from when you start off.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 worldwide release times

Capcom has handily provided a global map showing all the launch times across the planet for the game. The game unlocks at the same time for everybody but depending on where you are in the world, that will be a different time or even day for you. If you live in North or South America your game will unlock for you on the evening of the 21st whereas the further East you go the later it gets due to time differences.

Check out the map below to locate your time zone:

The key ones for ease are:

• PDT – 5pm 21st March
• EDT – 8pm 21st March
• GMT – Midnight 22nd March
• CET- 1am 22nd March
  
• JST- 9am 22nd March

Dragon’s Dogma 2 preload

As we are looking at a download size of around 70 GB and you will have already checked you hit the system requirements it is good news we bring that the game can be pre-loaded onto your systems from Wednesday 20th March. Pre-load is available for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation and will help you avoid any potential slow download times if the servers all get hammered at the same time of release, so we would strongly advise getting set up ahead of time if you possibly can.

The post Dragon’s Dogma 2 – Worldwide launch times and preload announced – when can you play it? appeared first on ReadWrite.

Lightyear Frontier might just be our new favorite game of the moment. The chilled-out space farming sim gives off No Man’s Sky vibes with its aesthetics and its simple crafting and and farming mechanics are really well done for a game that has just come out in an Early Access preview.

It’s easy to just crank up a game like this and make a load of mistakes early on that will need rectifying later on. If you don’t start your base camp in a good area, while you can move it at any time, it is a little bit of a pain and extra time and effort you can be spending elsewhere.

Also, there are a ton of early resources you can gather but some are much more vital than others to get up and running quickly. This guide will help you get off to the best possible start as a space farmer on the edges of the Lightyear Frontier.

What to do first in Lightyear Frontier

A fresh save in LF starts you off in the same spot – The Meadows – and gives you your initial tasks that need completing before you can start to forge your own path. Task one, you will need to locate and repair the damaged Mech that you fell from the sky in. It’s probably about a minute’s walk from your starting location and you can’t really do anything until you approach it other than walk – no tree-punching here. As you follow the navigation point on your compass and get nearer you will be given access to your axe so can start hacking away at some resources en route.

Unless you are in the Mech however, which you are not, you cannot add things to your inventory yet. This was quite confusing at first as we couldn’t work out how to pick things up. Once you are in your Mech you simply walk over the resource to collect it, but if out of it you have to grab it and throw it at your Mech to add it to your inventory. So not much point in bothering at this stage, just head to your Mech which should now be close by.

When you get there you will find it on its side and you need to reassemble the engine and the arm that has broken off. Pick them up one at a time and walk towards the Mech and they should automatically attach. Once both are on, Flip the Mech as per instructions and climb on board.

Locating tools in Lightyear Frontier

The next job is to find the farming tools that are scattered around the landscape. There are five of them and you can see where they are by the column of colored smoke that the crash site emits. They aren’t particularly close to each other so there is a bit of busy work to collect them all. As you get each one you will get instructions on how to use it. They can all be accessed from the tool wheel quickly if you need to change. There is no correct order to collect them but depending on what you get first, if it is the Saw for example you can cut some trees down and smash up some stone along the way which we will need for the next bit of the mission.

Best place to camp in Lightyear Frontier

Now you have all your tools and had a bit of a wander around The Meadows it’s possible you muight have seen a spot that looks good to make your camp. The tutorial will have been prodding you to make things as you go, but now we have everything it will be easier.

We are going to set up camp, at least for the start of the game in a flat area of the Meadows. It is important that there is space around because for your farming journey to flourish, you are going to need space to build things and also make sure you have enough space to plant seeds. You will want to plant tree seeds, maybe at the edge of your encampment so you have a constantly replenishing supply of wood. Plant them, water them once, and off they go.

The other vital natural resource you should set up camp near is water. You are going to be using a lot of it and you don’t need to be moving too far from place to place as the mech is quite a slow mode of transport.

Once you are happy with where you are going to base, build the things you are instructed to to progress the tutorial. By gathering resources as you mooch around you will also have opened up a few new recipes which you can also try out.

Once you have got the bones of your base up it’s time to complete the next starting mission which is to Restore Pine Heights and you can read our guide page on how to go about that for extra help.

Is Lightyear Frontier on Game Pass?

If you want to try out Lightyear Frontier and have a Game Pass subscription you can jump right in. The game was announced as coming to Game Pass the day before it was released which is great news. It is also available on Steam, but if you have Game Pass you may as well plump for that option to try things out. It is Early Access remember so doubtless parts of it will be broken and need to change over the coming months.

The post Getting started in Lightyear Frontier: best place to camp, what to do first appeared first on ReadWrite.

If you are one of those people who hates the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being used to create the games you love because it puts talented people out of work and replaces them with Chat-GPT’s overly enthusiastic writing or MidJourney’s seven-fingered monstrosities, you are going to hate this.

The new 2024 Unity Gaming Report has surveyed 7,062 workers in the game industry and “found that around 62% (4,378) of developers are leveraging AI tools during production” according to an analysis by GameDeveloper.com. 

Of those people, a further 63% (2,758) confirmed they used generative AI to help them create assets for the projects.

This means around 39% of everyone surveyed (7,062) is using AI to build assets for the game. It is super interesting as the games industry undergoes wave after wave of layoffs amid panic that AI will ultimately cost many jobs, that the very tools being blamed for redundancies are being flaunted by such a high number.

AI and generative AI should be being used as a tool and an aid, but whether decisions to bring our future robot overlords on board at this early stage are being made in the board room and being forced on the workers, or whether the developers themselves – the artists and programmers are embracing the tech to help them be more productive would be a wonderful thing to learn.

‘We’re empowering designers’

VP of product management, Kjell Bronder at Niantic (famous for Pokemon GO!), said:

“To increase our productivity, like many others, we’ve been really looking at AI and seeing how we can use this new generation of tools to empower our designers so they can create new assets to explore new ideas.”

“Also, how we can prototype new ways of characters, bring them to life, and have them animate in new ways.”

These empowered designers were obviously not part of the 25% of staff layoffs the company made in the middle of 2023.

Unity itself said, “While 2023 was a year marked with persisting economic headwinds, game developers are strategically navigating the challenges and successfully adapting to changes in technology, the economy, and player habits by doing more with less.” 

Presumably, the less includes the 1,800 people Unity itself let go at the start of the year. 

One thing is for sure, the better AI gets, the less work there will be for humans in the games industry. That is something we need to get our heads around and accept, but we, as the people who buy the games,  should not be expected to accept lower standards for profit.

Featured Image: AI-generated by Ideogram

The post Nearly 40% of game devs create assets with AI, as turkeys seemingly vote for Christmas appeared first on ReadWrite.

Irdeto has confirmed the launch of a new technology designed as a “watermarking solution” to act as a bulwark against gaming leaks.

TraceMark for Games comes from the same company responsible for the contentious Denuvo digital rights management system, with the new release able to add markers to video game content to act as invisible identifiers.

These tags allow content to be traced back to the source, as already utilized across media output such as sports broadcasts, TV shows, and movies.

Irdeto, the digital platform cybersecurity firm, has placed faith in the qualities of TraceMark, taking the view it will act as a deterrent to dissuade individuals from leaking game content when accessing early play tests, beta, or reviews.

Its features include flexible watermark generation to match specific requirements, with quick and easy deployment to the user’s consumer base and a wide range of devices and platforms.

Irdeto positions TraceMark for Gaming as the solution for clients to “enjoy peace of mind throughout the content lifecycle, from development to distribution.”

What’s the problem with hacks and leaking?

The video game industry has been beset with hacks and leaks in recent times, with even non-disclosure agreements being broken as was the case with Skate when early content surfaced. Grand Theft Auto VI is another prominent title to be impacted, with hacks resulting in leaks of the long-awaited release, undermining the official release more than a year later.

TraceMark isn’t being presented as a cure for all ills on leaks, nor does it claim to be. It most likely won’t have a significant impact on the unwanted, unauthorized flow of content from headline gaming titles but for the early stages and development of many new releases, it could prove to be a useful tool.

TraceMark for Gaming will be supported by Windows, Xbox, iOS, and Switch.

Image credit: Ideogram AI

The post Denuvo creators launch TraceMark as solution for hacking and gaming leaks appeared first on ReadWrite.

Hackers have targeted the esports final of online shooter game Apex Legends, causing significant disruption to the closing stages of the North American tournament.

The competition was thrown into disarray after unwanted cheats were deployed in-game with clips shared by pro players, showing their consternation toward the outside interference.

Apex Legends is a free-to-play, team-based battle royale shooter developed by EA-owned Respawn Entertainment, the studio synonymous with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.

As the action was unfolding, Apex pro player Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose announced his game was being hacked with cheats used on his profile. A video clip from the player’s Twitch livestream showed a cheat program’s settings menu appear, resulting in a frantic Genburten outburst, “I’m getting hacked, I’m getting hacked!”

The malicious actors were witnessed repeatedly typing into the chat box from his account, “by Destroyer2009 & R4ndom” and “Apex hacking global series.”

Another high-profile player, ImperialHal, shared a similar response to the experience of the cyber attack.

Official reaction to the hack on Apex Legends

A comment was made on the X account of Apex Legends, late on Sunday night.

“Due to the competitive integrity of this series being compromised, we have made the decision to postpone the NA finals at this time. We will share more information soon.”

At present, the origin of the hack is unknown, whether Apex Legends’ servers or game may have been exploited, or if the incident has stemmed from its Easy Anti-Cheat software, with online suspicion of a possible remote code execution (RSE) attack.

We have investigated recent reports of a potential RCE issue within Easy Anti-Cheat. At this time – we are confident that there is no RCE vulnerability within EAC being exploited. We will continue to work closely with our partners for any follow up support needed

— Easy Anti-Cheat (@TeddyEAC) March 18, 2024

This attack appears to have come from an outside source, but players have previously broken protocol to insert cheat modes into the game. Due to concerns around this issue, Apex streamer Lindsey “LuluLuvely” has implored developers at Respawn to urgently fix an “out of control” cheating situation, suggesting the kernel-level anti-cheat system doesn’t go far enough.

This hacking controversy surfaced just days after EA disposed of around 23 staff working on Apex Legends, as part of a cut to the workforce also impacting an estimated 200 QA testers on the game.

Image Credit: Apex Legends/EA

The post Apex Legends: Hackers deploy cheats disrupting tournament appeared first on ReadWrite.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 might actually be the most anticipated game ever created. The follow up to the incredibly successful GTA 5 has been something most, if not all gamers have been chomping at the bit for, seeking any shred of information.

Here, we’ll reveal all the details we have on the latest iteration of Rockstar’s biggest IP, hopefully providing insight into the release date, setting, characters, map, and much more.

What is the GTA 6 release date?

For the longest time, fans of the franchise were left completely in the dark when it came to any form of release date for what could be Rockstar’s magnum opus. However, thanks to the first official trailer, and the latest Take-Two Interactive investor call, we have a release window of Q1 2025.

From Trailer 1, we got confirmation of the 2025 release year but the Take-Two Interactive investor call has potentially narrowed this further. Chief Finance Officer Lainie Goldstein revealed that the company is anticipating “a significant inflection point in fiscal 2025 that will culminate in us delivering new record levels of operating performance next year and beyond.”

Fiscal years operate from April to April, so this suggests that since GTA 6 is “a significant inflection point”, we expect to see it released between January and April.

To play devil’s advocate, if we were to take a look at the data, it does point to the contrary. Based on previous Rockstar releases in recent times, there seems to be a trend of September-November launches thus meaning GTA 6 could fall into this same category rather than Q1.

All we can hope is that we get trailer 2 sooner rather than later and get a concrete day to look forward to.

All GTA 6 trailers

At this current time, there has been one trailer released for GTA 6, showcasing a bunch of details including the setting, main characters, and of course, an iconic backing track to go along with it.

Here is the aptly named ‘Trailer 1’ in all its glory:

When new trailers get released, we’ll be sure to give you direct links right here.

Where is GTA 6 set?

Contrary to GTA 5, GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida, where Vice City is also situated. This game world draws huge comparisons to that of Florida, backed up not only by the reimagining of Miami clone Vice City, but also swamplands, real-life events, and various key areas in the state.

This is a pretty big departure from that of Los Santos but one that is being welcomed with open arms by fans both new and old. Vice City has always been a huge fan-favorite area, and with Rockstar stating that what they have created is “the most immersive” world the Grand Theft Auto franchise has seen, it’s one you will almost certainly lose countless hours in.

Who are the GTA 6 main characters?

Based on GTA 6’s first trailer, there are two main characters that look to be playable – Lucia and a currently unnamed male. Both of these appear to be criminals, wanting to secure a quick buck in whatever way possible.

GTA 5 had a three-pronged affair, allowing you to switch between Michael, Trevor, and Franklin, creating a multi-layered story beloved my millions of gamers. With seemingly one less main protagonist thrown into the mix, this will almost certainly streamline any character switching, and may even offer the chance for simple co-op action if the feature is introduced.

Naturally, there will be an army of side characters that you will meet along the way to becoming the most wanted criminal in Leonida, but these will come and go, even if they do join you on various missions.

How big is the GTA 6 map?

As we’ve previously stated, you’ll be dropped into the Florida clone Leonida which encompasses various areas, including Vice City.

The real life Florida is a pretty large state coming in at approximately 140km2. So, if this is translated into game form, it would almost be double that of GTA 5’s map which is around 75km2 in size.

With this being said though, according to Bloomberg, the initial plan for GTA 6 was to have a map that spanned both North and South America. This would mean that an almost unheard of playable space could have been made available and one that would surely have been full of all types of shenanigans.

However, sadly, these plans were cut back, with a focus more on the aforementioned Leonida region.

How much is GTA 6?

Here we come to one of the hottest topics surrounding the game. There has been much speculation on the GTA 6 price, with leaks suggesting it will cost around $150. However, there has been no concrete evidence stating this figure is correct.

What is more likely is that it falls in line with the current game prices at around $70. But, considering that GTA is reportedly costing $1-2 billion to make, it could also be one of the first mainstream titles to launch with a $80-$90 price tag for the base game.

What platforms is GTA 6 on?

According to GTA 6 trailer 1, followed up by an official press release from parent company Take Two, the game will officially be launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

‘Where is PC?’ I hear you ask. Well, unfortunately, it appears GTA 6 will follow the trend of Rockstar releases where it will launch after the initial console release window. We hope this will be less than a year but it would not be surprising if the developer chose to do this, ensuring the port is as bug-free as possible.

Being a 2025 launch, as you would expect, Xbox One and PS4 consoles will be getting left in the dark on this one. But, considering the base versions of these systems will be a whopping 12 years old at that point, it’s likely a game of this ilk wouldn’t be able to run regardless.

Featured image: Rockstar

The post GTA 6 – Release date, trailers, setting, and everything we know so far appeared first on ReadWrite.

The Flight sim experts Aerosoft are going to be offering up something a little different in September this year. Today the German studio announced Highway Police Simulator – a new cop game it is working on alongside Z-Software.

Slated for a launch on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 the game will see you as a lone Highway Patrol cop in America [performing a work shift that includes breakneck high-speed chases, shootouts, and routine traffic stops.

When it is released Highway Police Simulator will include:

• Varied open-world environments, each with its own challenges and missions
• A storyline with exciting cases, career progression, ranking system, and more
• Unique vehicles, including different police cars, helicopters, and more
• A wide array of missions with traffic stops, accidents, car chases, and more
• A morality system that challenges players to make difficult decisions with real consequences for the story and the environment

“Highway Police Simulator encapsulates the investigative, often stressful role of law enforcement in a detailed and realistic world,” said Dirk Ohler, Head of Product at Aerosoft. “We’re thrilled to announce the title and our partnership with the talented team at Z-Software, and we look forward to all our new recruits joining the force in September 2024!”

The short launch trailer isn’t giving too much away although it is giving us some Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit vibes, but as well as the car chases it looks as though Highway Police Simulator is going to also feature a little legwork for your cop.

It’s set in the fictional American state of Caminora and can be played casually or with the simulation aspects ramped up. You can wishlist Highway Police Simulator on Steam right now and start polishing your boots in anticipation of its release in a few months time.

Aerosoft is more known for its work on games such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, so it is interesting to see it diversifying into a different kind of sim.

The post Highway Police Simulator ready to patrol your gaming in September appeared first on ReadWrite.

Playstack and LocalThunk have confirmed their highly popular roguelike deckbuilder Balatro has exceeded one million sales, less than a month after its release.

The poker-inspired title launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on 20 February, proving to be an instant smash hit after it grossed $1 million in just eight hours.

A press release from Playstack, via its parent company Tru Fin, confirmed Balatro has been its “fastest selling game to date” with Harvey Elliott, company CEO stating, “We’re incredibly grateful for the support and enthusiasm from players worldwide.”

“The game’s success is a testament to the quality and creativity that the indie sector can deliver, proving that even in uncertain times, innovative games can thrive. We extend our deepest thanks to every player who has joined us on this adventure.”

Developer LocalThunk posted on Steam to express gratitude for the landmark achievement.

“I’m so grateful to all the players and people that have made this happen. I still can’t grasp the response to this game, and I am overjoyed that so many people have been able to have fun with my silly creation. I’m so fortunate that I can continue working on my passion as a career. Thank you!”

This morning Balatro hit a momentous milestone…

ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD!

We still have some fun things planned for the future, but for now… pic.twitter.com/S7PEb0qjeG

— Balatro (@BalatroGame) March 18, 2024

What recognition had Balatro received?

Balatro has gained a sought-after “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on gaming marketplace Steam, achieved thanks to more than 17,000 positive reviews in addition to a commendable rating of 90 on Metacritic, the reputable critic aggregator.

The game also enjoys a rank of 10th in peak CCU (concurrent users) among all Steam games with the ‘roguelike’ tag, listed in between Warm Snow (44.7k CCU) and Hades (37.7k CCU).

On the ‘roguelike deckbuilder” tag, Balatro is second to the free-to-play roguelike battle royale title Gene Shift Auto, which is not necessarily considered to be a deck-building game, and listed above games such as Slay the Spire (33k CCU) and Backback Battles (36.5k CCU).

Image credit: Balatro/X

The post Indie Deckbuilder Balatro sales exceed one million in landmark achievement appeared first on ReadWrite.

As console fans are gearing up for the release of Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro, the rumor mill continues to spin as further predictions and ‘leaks’ come out of the woodwork.

Last Friday (Mar. 15) Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson confirmed that ‘the leaked PS5 Pro specs leaked earlier today are real.’

This has been further determined as being real by IGN today (Mar. 18).

They cite anonymous sources who saw that the leaked documentation from the YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead is legit, as it’s said to be from a PlayStation developer portal that was sent out to third-party developers.

These documents suggest the PlayStation 5 Pro will feature the following:

• Rendering 45% faster than the PlayStation 5

• 2-3x Ray-tracing (4x in some cases)

• 33.5 Teraflops

• PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution Upscaling) upscaling/antialiasing solution

• Support for resolutions up to 8K is planned for future SDK version

• Custom machine learning architecture

• AI Accelerator, supporting 300 TOPS of 8-bit computation / 67 TFLOPS of 16-bit floating point

These largely point to improvements to the GPU, with the CPU also seeing an upgrade as it could have the addition of a ‘High CPU Frequency Mode.’

The standard PS5 offers 10.28 teraflops, with the Pro version expected to be considerably more.

Rumors from over the last few months point towards a focus on image quality too. Gaming insider Tom Henderson wrote on Key to Gaming that he had heard the new console would “[target] improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution” and a “new performance mode” for 8K resolution…”

When is the PlayStation 5 Pro release date?

Sony hasn’t yet confirmed or announced a date, but that hasn’t stopped people from guessing.

Generally, the rough window for a release date is thought to be September 2024. However, the new leak could line up with the Pro version being available from the holiday season.

The second half of 2024 would make sense with the planned release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025.

Featured Image: Photo by Ahmad Mohammadnejad on Unsplash

The post PlayStation 5 Pro leaks hint at release date and specs appeared first on ReadWrite.

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know when, but now Square Enix has just announced that Final Fantasy XIV Online will arrive on Xbox on 21st March after completing its open beta which has been running since last month.

There are some great games coming to Game Pass already this week, you also do not want to miss out on Lightyear Frontier which arrives on the 19th.

The game will launch at 1 am (PDT) and will be available in the Microsoft Store in several different flavors.

Final Fantasy XIV Online Xbox versions

You are certainly not spoilt for choice when it comes to how many versions of FF XIV you can choose from. Here is what will be available. If you are a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber you can download the basic Online Starter Edition free of charge until April 19th.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition

For newcomers, the Starter Edition includes three award-winning titles: the base game, A Realm Reborn, and the first and second expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood.
* Players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan may download the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition for free until Friday, April 19.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker

Players can experience the main scenario quests and content available in the Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions. Requires FINAL FANTASY XIV Starter Edition to play.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker Collector’s Edition

The Endwalker Collector’s Edition includes several in-game bonus items. Requires FINAL FANTASY XIV Starter Edition to play.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Edition

For newcomers, this is the most comprehensive edition and includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker expansions.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Collector’s Edition

This version includes the in-game bonus items from the A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker Collector’s Editions.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial

Play for free up to level 70 and experience the main scenario quests and content from A Realm Reborn, and the Heavensward and Stormblood expansions with no restrictions on playtime.

Pre-purchasing will get you the rather underwhelming free in-game cosmetics:

• Wind-up Palom Minion
• Menphina earring (grants 30% EXP bonus up to level 80)

The post Final Fantasy XIV Online will drop on Xbox in just three days time appeared first on ReadWrite.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 offer us a huge range of possibilities when it comes to our character creation and class. You may have already played around with the free Character Creator that has been released, once, of course, you have checked your system requirements to make sure your rig can play the thing in the first place.

Just like in the first game, all those years ago, classes in Dragon’s Dogma 2 are known as Vocations – but we will let you off if you are still referring to them by the ior more traditional moniker for this sort of thing. Anybody who is used to playing RPGs will likely already be drawn to certain play styles, so the table below will show you the Vocation and what it specializes in, so you can get off to a flying start when you begin your first game.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 Vocations (Classes)

There are 10 Vocations / classes in DD2 at launch. Let’s have a closer look at what each offers us: There is one notable omission from the original game The Mystic Knight vocation is very much Missing in Action here. It may be that they have blended the Vocation into the 10 below to give a more rounded character, or well, future DLC is always a possibility.

	Vocation	Description
	Archer	Archers are experts in ranged warfare, adept with bow and arrow. They launch their assaults from a distance, capable of hitting targets in elevated positions and playing a pivotal role in supporting the vanguard. By pinpointing enemy vulnerabilities, Archers pave the way for allies to launch effective strikes.
	Fighter	Masters of close-quarters combat, Fighters excel with sword and shield in hand. They carve through adversaries with ease and land-crushing hits, while their shields serve as steadfast protection for themselves and their comrades.
	Mage	Armed with a staff, Mages bolster their group with a diverse array of support abilities, from unleashing magical assaults and enhancing allies’ weapons to casting restorative spells. The thrill of strategy comes alive as Mages carefully time the casting of their increasingly potent spells.
	Magick Archer	Unique to the Arisen, Magick Archers dominate ranged combat with enchanted arrows. Beyond attacking and healing, they adeptly support allies and can sacrifice a portion of their maximum health to deliver a sweeping, area-wide assault.
	Mystic Spearhand	Exclusive to the Arisen, the Mystic Spearhand merges martial prowess with magical aptitude, ensuring effectiveness at any distance. Wielding the Duospear, they command spells to immobilize foes or launch a barrage of objects, showcasing their versatility.
	Sorcerer	Dedicated to the art of magic, Sorcerers wield their power to alter the battlefield’s dynamics. Channeling spells with a grand staff, they must choose the perfect moment and position to unleash their lengthy incantations, turning the tide of conflict.
	Thief	The Thief strikes with lightning speed, unleashing a flurry of attacks using dual daggers, coupled with remarkable agility. They dart in and out of combat, seizing opportunities to ambush foes and deal significant damage. Thieves are also skilled at pilfering items from NPCs and adversaries.
	Trickster	An Arisen-specific vocation, Tricksters weave illusions from their unique Censer’s smoke. They manipulate these deceptions to turn enemies against each other and can briefly amplify their Pawns’ strength, pushing them beyond their usual capabilities.
	Warfarer	Exclusive to the Arisen, the Warfarer is a jack-of-all-trades, proficient with every weapon type and borrowing skills from across vocations. Their adaptive arsenal allows for a versatile combat approach, combining weapons and skills to form unique combos. The Warfarer’s adaptability is key, compensating for their lower base stats by exploiting the strategic advantages of diverse weaponry.
	Warrior	Warriors showcase formidable strength and a preference for up-close battles, thriving under the weight of enemy blows. Proficient with heavy weapons like greatswords and hammers, their devastating attacks, following a moment of charge, stand as some of the most powerful amongst the vocations.

How to change your Vocation in Dragon’s Dogma 2

As you travel around the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2, keep a close eye out for wandering Vocation Masters. Interactive with these wise old NPCs to gain access to their vocations and teachings.

What are Pawn Vocations in Dragon’s Dogma 2?

Pawns in DD2 are characters you can control with your main character. You can have up to three of these under your spell which is great, however the downside is, Pawns do not have access to all Vocations, in fact they can only be one of the following six:

• Archer
• Fighter
• Mage
• Sorcerer
• Thief
• Warrior

The post Dragon’s Dogma 2: Every Vocation you can play when it launches appeared first on ReadWrite.

Following the launch of the PlayStation 5 Slim in November of 2023, console fans haven’t wasted any time in trading rumors about a possible PlayStation 5 Pro that’s rumored to be on its way this year.

As the name would suggest, the PS5 Slim was a smaller, lighter console that still packed a punch, offering increased storage and a detachable disk drive to boot. However, that’s nothing when compared to the potential power of the rumored PS5 Pro. Based on what we know so far, here’s a closer look at the PlayStation 5 Pro release date, the specs, and the possible price.

When is the PlayStation 5 Pro release date?

After a substantial leak we have a pretty good idea when the release date of the PlayStation5 Pro will take place.

According to claims, Sony plans to unveil its mid-cycle console upgrade in time for the upcoming 2024 holiday period at the end of the year.

A document obtained by YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead unveils several crucial specifications for the highly anticipated new console. It indicates that the Pro model will feature significant enhancement in graphical performance, boasting rendering speeds up to 45% higher than the current PlayStation 5. The prediction has since been backed up by several other gaming media outlets.

What is the PS5 Pro price?

Much like the release date, much of the chatter around a potential PlayStation 5 Pro price is speculative. However, this isn’t the first time Sony has released a Pro console following a Slim version. The company did just that back in 2016 with the PlayStation 4 Pro.

Back then, the Pro console cost $100 / €50 / £50 more than the Slim version. By that logic, we might expect the PlayStation 5 Pro to cost in the region of $599.99 / £529.99 if we just hike up the Slim’s price of $499.99 / £479.99. However, consoles, in general, were less expensive back in 2016. For a 2024 console, it’s possible that the console could be even more expensive, reaching over the $600 mark.

Sony might also employ a price hike for the PS5 Slim, perhaps dropping the price of the PS5 baseline down to $399 for the disk version and $49 for the disk-based SKU to $449. Adding $100 on top of that to account for the PS5 Pro would settle it at around $549.99.

Of course, we won’t for certain until we get a formal reveal from Sony. However, it does give you a rough idea of what to expect to pay for the rumored console.

What are the PlayStation 5 Pro specs?

An area where there are more industry rumors to go on is specs. The ‘Pro’ in PlayStation 5 Pro means we can likely expect some beast mode power to come. It’s reported by industry sources via the YouTube channel RedGamingTech that the PlayStation 5 Pro will feature eight-core Zen 2 CPUs (clocking in at 4GHz), an RDNA 3 GPU at 2.8 GHZ, and 16GB of 18,000 MT/s GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 587 GB/s.

That’s a pretty significant upgrade to the Slim, which boasts a still-respectable eight-core custom AMD Zen 2 at 3.5GHz and AMD RDNA 2 at 2.23 GHz – although the same memory stats. All in all, it would represent a decent boost in performance.

Specifically, image quality is believed to be a major focus for the PlayStation 5 Pro, with gaming insider Tom Henderson writing on Key to Gaming that he had heard the new console would “[target] improved and consistent FPS at 4K resolution” and “a new ‘performance mode’ for 8K resolution, and accelerated ray tracing.”

Currently, no games support 8K resolution, but this would mark Sony’s continued futureproofing for when that’s the norm that started with the baseline PS5.

Hypebeast also reports that the PS5 Pro will be kitted out with Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)-style technology developed in-house by Sony. Developed by Nvidia, DLSS refers to a family of real-time, deep-learning image enhancement and upscaling technology that offers another level of visual quality, only available via Nvidia’s RTX line of graphics cards. With the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, it seems that Sony might be coming out with its own proprietary technology to rival that of its competitor.

In practical terms, these tech boots would result in a clearer, faster experience for PS5 Pro gamers. Faster memory and CPU clocking speeds would reduce the slow load times many PS5 critics complain about.  Games could load near-instantly, perhaps offering a chance for the PS5 Pro to copy a feature from the Xbox Series X/S known as ‘Quick Resume.’ The console allows multiple games to be suspended at once, so players can quickly jump from game to game, returning directly to where they left off rather than clicking through the traditional start screen.

Featured image: Sony

The post PlayStation 5 Pro: release date, price, and specs appeared first on ReadWrite.

Sony Group Corporation has allegedly put a stop to production of its PSVR2 headset, due to a backlog of unsold units.

The news came from an article by Bloomberg journalist Takashi Mochizuki who claims that sales of the product have slowed ‘progressively since its launch and stocks of the device are building up.’

Citing unnamed sources who are ‘familiar with its [the firm’s] plans,’ Sony has apparently produced ‘well over two million units of the product launched in February of last year.’

This comes just over a year after the PlayStation VR2 was officially launched, catapulting Sony as one of the front runners in the virtual reality gear market. The device, priced at $549.99, allows users to explore reality gaming with PlayStation VR2 Sense technology.

In the Bloomberg article, Macquarie analyst Yijia Zhai offers a reason for the potential lack of take-up: “The high price of VR hardware acts as the main hurdle for its expansion,”

“Currently, there are limited games that support VR devices, and that will also lead to lack of motivation for players to purchase VR hardware. This limited content also has a reason – the development cost for VR games is substantially higher than normal titles.”

Sony has not yet confirmed or denied the halting of production and it is expected that they’re continuing to work on expanding the PSVR2 headset range.

Reality of the video game industry

The Tokyo-based technology giant has faced some challenges recently, as it announced plans to cut around 900 jobs within its PlayStation unit and shut down a London-based studio in late February 2024.

These layoffs affected in-house studios like Guerrilla Games which worked on creating an exclusive game for the headset from its popular Horizon series.

Sony is not alone, as both Microsoft and Tencent-owned Riot Games also underwent significant layoffs in recent months due to a slow recovery in the gaming industry.

PlayStation 5 Pro expected launch in September

Although the PSVR2 headset may not be performing as well as the company hoped, that isn’t stopping them from gearing up ahead of the PlayStation 5 Pro release.

An exact date isn’t yet known, but console fans are trading rumors about a possible date in September of this year. Several gaming tech insiders seem to agree about this rough window which would line up logically with the planned release of Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025.

It’s reported by industry sources via the YouTube channel RedGamingTech that the PlayStation 5 Pro will feature eight-core Zen 2 CPUs (clocking in at 4GHz), an RDNA 3 GPU at 2.8 GHZ, and 16GB of 18,000 MT/s GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 587 GB/s.

Much like everything else, the price isn’t yet known either. In 2016, when Sony released a Pro console after a Slim version, the Pro version cost $100 more. By that logic, the PlayStation 5 Pro could potentially be in the region of $599.99.

Featured Image: Photo by Triyansh Gill on Unsplash

The post Sony to ‘halt PSVR2 production due to surplus of stock’ appeared first on ReadWrite.

Cities Skylines II has had a rocky start, part of which is down to just how good playing the original Cities Skylines, even today, with all its mods, patches, and tweaks, can be.

A ropy start, poor optimization, and a feeling that the devs Colossal Order were fire–fighting from the off have meant some poor publicity for the game, but things have been getting better slowly but surely.

The lack of official mod support has been a huge bugbear of the community for a while now but a post today on the official blog should now help put that to bed with the news that we are just a week away from getting mod support – albeit in a beta format initially.

The post reads: “With Mods (short for modifications), you can tailor your gaming experience to your unique preferences. Uploaded by creators all over the world, you can pick between anything to create the city of your dreams. Along with Beach Properties, the first wave of Cities: Skylines II Modding will be available. The Beta release of Modding will initially support Map and Code mods.

With the Map Editor, you can make maps with the Terraforming Tools you’re used to, import hightmaps to create highly accurate depictions of your hometown, and upload your creations to Paradox Mods.

With the Code Tools, you can show off your coding skills and create Code Mods to meet your heart’s desire!”

This will be news to warm the hearts of Skylines II players. The prospect of mods to improve quality of life quicker than the devs can push them out should now help propel the games towards where it should have been at launch.

The Mods beta will launch on March 25th alongside a beach Properties Asset Pack that will bring a new Waterfront Zone to the game.

The post Official City Skylines Mod Support finally nears release – new roadmap released appeared first on ReadWrite.

Minecraft devs Mojang has urged players not to update their Minecraft games for fear of losing all their worlds in what is a pretty major big deal when you think some people have been creating their worlds, for like, oooh, ten years or so.

Mojang, who today also launched the Minecraft Marketplace monthly subscription, posted the following message on its official Mojang Status X account:

“Do not update Minecraft through the Xbox app on PC. If you do, your worlds may be lost. We recommend that you run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC before installing the Minecraft update.”

This is all well and good, as long as you actually see this post, which is on an ancillary account on X before pushing the update button in your Game Pass app and potentially crying yourself to sleep for the rest of your days.

A further post on the linked Microsoft support page states:

“Do not download the recent update for Minecraft through the Xbox app for PC.

Do not update Minecraft through the Xbox app on PC. If you do, your worlds may be lost. We recommend that you run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC before installing the Minecraft update. For more information, go here: https://t.co/9X1am8dzHG

— Mojang Status (@MojangStatus) March 15, 2024

If you do, your worlds may be lost. We recommend that you run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC in the Xbox app on PC before installing the Minecraft update. Using this tool updates the Gaming Services to version 19.87.13001.0, which will avoid the update error. Below are instructions on running the tool;

• Launch the Xbox app on PC.
• Click your Profile picture.
• Click on Support.
• Click on Gaming Services Repair Tool
• Click on Start Troubleshooting.

For more information about this tool, see our support article here: Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC.

A further issue is that the Xbox App will probably try to automatically update the game for you, regardless of whether you are even in the building so this could be a blocky disaster.

There is no indication as yet as to what the problem is, but Minecraft is not the first game to suffer save game issues this year, with Baldur’s Gate 3 players also losing hours of gameplay due to save game corruption.

The post Stop! Step away from Minecraft. Do not update it by order of Mojang appeared first on ReadWrite.