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Everything You Need to Know About Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft has high hopes for its next generation of consoles, which is nothing like we are used to seeing. In fact, instead of presenting a single console, it has introduced the new Xbox in two versions: the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. Each one is different from the other, but both have a clear purpose: to let us experience gaming like never before.

Following their successful launch around the world with all units sold out, the Xbox Series X and S are shaping up to be tough rivals to both PlayStation 5 models. So, what do Microsoft’s new consoles have to offer?

In today’s article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about the Xbox Series X and the Xbox series S. Specs, features, news, games… It’s all explained below!

Xbox Series X specs

We’ll start with the “older sibling” of Microsoft’s two next-generation consoles: the Xbox Series X.

This console features a 7nm Zen architecture processor developed by AMD. With 8 cores and clocked at 3.8 GHz, it’s somewhat faster than the PS5. In comparison to previous Microsoft consoles, the Xbox Series X is twice as powerful as the Xbox One X and up to eight and a half times as powerful as the Xbox One.

On the subject of power, one of the Xbox Series X’s main strengths is that it supports 4K gaming at 120 fps (frames per second). Of course, many developers will choose to lower 120 to 60 fps to improve performance, or so their titles can be played at a lower resolution.

In terms of memory, the Xbox Series X abandons HDD to use a custom 1TB NVMe SSD. This means a dramatic decrease in game loading times, which drop from 2 minutes on an HDD to just 40 seconds on an SSD.

The Xbox Series X comes with an Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc reader and is backward compatible with the full Xbox One catalog. That is, in addition to being able to play all the Xbox One titles, you can enjoy 360 and original Xbox games that worked on that console.

Below you can find a rundown of the Xbox Series X’s specs:

CPU: 8 cores at 3.8 GHz (3.66 GHz with SMT) and custom AMD Zen 7 nm.
GPU: 52 CUs at 1,825 GHz with custom RDNA 2 (approximately 12 TFLOPS).
Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 (10GB at 560 GB/s, 6GB at 336 GB/s).
Storage: 1 TB custom NVMe SSD, with 802 GB for free use.
Optical drive: Yes.
HDMI: One HDMI 2.1 port.
USB: 3 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports.
Wireless network: dual band 802.11ac.
Ethernet: 802.3 10/100/1000
Size: 30.1 cm x 15.1 cm x 15.1 cm

Due to its higher specs, the Xbox Series X has a launch price of €499.

Xbox Series S specs

Xbox Series S is the budget version of Microsoft’s next-generation console. It may have more modest specs, but it’s a powerful machine that can be used to enjoy upcoming games.

If we compare it to the Xbox Series X, the S has much lower specs. This console has a graphics card with raw compute power of 4 TFLOPS, offering much lower resolution. Also, it doesn’t support Ray Tracing, a feature that will be very common in games from now on.

Regarding storage, Xbox Series S also makes use of an SSD, but it’s considerably smaller. It has 512 GB of capacity, leaving only 361.6 GB free to install your games.

One major difference between the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X is that it lacks an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. It’s therefore a digital console that can only be used to play titles downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Of course, it remains backward compatible with all titles that worked on Xbox One, although you need to own them in digital format.

Here are the specs of the Xbox Series S:

CPU: 8 core at 3.8 GHz (3.4 GHz with SMT) and custom AMD Zen 7 nm.
GPU: 20 CUs at 1,565 GHz with custom RDNA 2 (approximately 4 TFLOPS).
Memory: 10GB GDDR6 (8GB at 224 GB/s, 2GB at 56 GB/s).
Storage: 512 GB custom SSD NVMe, only 361.6 GB for free use.
Optical drive: No.
HDMI: One HDMI 2.1 port.
USB: 3 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports.
Wireless network: dual band 802.11ac.
Ethernet: 802.3 10/100/1000
Size: 27.5 cm x 6.5 cm x 15.1 cm

The Xbox Series S is much more affordable. It costs €299, a little more than half the price of its older sibling.

The new controller for the Xbox Series X and S

With every new console, there is a redesign of the Xbox controller. This time, both Xbox Series X and S controllers have a revised D-Pad, which is a hybrid of the traditional controller, but with a circular arrangement. In this way, it breaks away from the cardinal directions (left, right, up and down) and makes it easy to do diagonals.

As you can see in the picture, the new Xbox Series X and S controller has a new button in the middle. Called the “Share” button, it makes it easy to take screenshots and videos to be shared online.

As for size, it’s significantly smaller than the Xbox One’s controller and also rounder. It’s therefore far more comfortable and doesn’t feel heavy after hours of gaming. Another noteworthy change is that the triggers on the controller are now textured to improve grip.

One thing that has not changed on the Xbox Series controllers and that seems to be a hallmark of Microsoft’s consoles is that it still uses two AA batteries. This isn’t to everyone’s liking, but it can get you out of a pinch if your battery dies in the middle of the game and you need to charge it fast.

Finally, keep in mind that if you own an Xbox One, you can continue to use your console’s controllers on your new Xbox Series X or S.

Backward compatibility

As we mentioned, both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S are 100% compatible with the full Xbox One catalog. That includes all the games of this console plus all the titles of the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox, which work on this console.

A truly interesting point about the backward compatibility of the new Xbox consoles is that all these games will have improved loading times and resolution. That way, you can enjoy your old titles with better image quality and much higher performance.

If you’re going to buy an Xbox Series S, don’t forget that you can only play the titles in your library of digital games, as this console lacks a disc unit.

What is Quick Resume?

One of the strong points of the new Xbox versions is their Quick Resume feature. It was highly touted during their launch, and even more has been said about it after their first few weeks on the market, but do you know what it is?

As we explained above, by using an SSD, the new console’s loading times are dramatically reduced. But this improvement doesn’t only make the Xbox Series X and S faster. It also lets you suspend a game and switch to another title at the touch of a button. This new feature is called Quick Resume, and as you can imagine, it means a major change in the way that games are played.

Quick Resume lets you suspend up to five games and resume them whenever you want. This means that if a friend invites you to join a multiplayer game, you won’t have to end the game you’re playing to participate. Just suspend it and go have a blast with your buddy. You can return to your own game later, whenever it’s convenient. Best of all, it works even if you turn off your console!

Xbox Series X and S Games

Now that we’ve talked about the consoles, it’s time to introduce the games that are currently available for Xbox Series X and S. Because in order to truly discover all that a console has to offer, you need a good library of games.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Borderlands 3
Bright Memory
Cuisine Royale
Dead by Daylight
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
Dirt 5
Enlisted
Evergate
The Falconeer
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Gears 5
Gears Tactics
Grounded
King Oddbal
Maneate
Manifold Garden
NBA 2K21
No Man’s Sky
Observer: System Redux
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Planet Coaster
Sea of Thieves
Tetris Effect: Connected (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
The Touryst
War Thunder
Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition
Watch Dogs: Legion
WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yes, Your Grace

After reading this list, you may think that the majority of these games are also available for Xbox One. However, these titles have been improved thanks to Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system, which makes the most of them by boosting their performance and resolution on Xbox Series X and S. What’s more, many of them are available through the famous Game Pass.

We hope that our special on the Xbox Series X and S has helped you to learn a bit more about the new generation of Microsoft consoles. Are you going to buy one, or do you prefer the PS5? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

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5 things we DIDN’T see at E3 2019

Did E3 give you enough to slake your thirst, or were you hoping to see more?

And so, another E3 has come to pass. With it came a lot of games we weren’t expecting to see. However, there were a bunch of things we were hoping to see but they never graced the stage.

Here are the things we sadly didn’t get to see at E3 2019 that we will hopefully hear more about soon.

Halo Infinite gameplay

At E3 2018, Halo fans went nuts when Halo Infinite was announced.

This year, we were dying to see gameplay for the new game, or at least hear some new cool details. What we got was this:

Sure, it’s kinda cool. However, we don’t want to see a trailer that’s basically a cut scene we will try to skip through on subsequent playthroughs. Why can’t we see Master Chief in action? Why can’t we see new weapons or changes in combat mechanics? Why can’t we hear about what’s coming to online?

We’re happy that we got SOMETHING, but this was hardly worth the year we had to wait.

Anything about the PlayStation 5

So what did Sony bring to E3?

Although Hideo Kojima gave us a new trailer for Death Stranding a few weeks ago, and we got a few new PlayStation 5 details in the months leading up to E3, Sony was notably absent this year.

If Sony would have shown up with just a few details about the PS5, we would have been thrilled. We didn’t even need much; they could have just given us a better idea of when it would be released and potential new features. But no, Sony instead left E3 in the hands of Microsoft and Nintendo.

To be fair, Nintendo kinda killed it at E3 this year. Although, there was one game that we tragically heard nothing about…

Metroid Prime 4

Two years ago at E3 2017, we first saw the announcement trailer for Metroid Prime 4, and we were elated.

However, at the beginning of the year, we got some unfortunate news. The game was going to be delayed.

After already waiting so long to see Samus’s next adventure, it was a kick in the teeth to learn that we were going to have to wait even longer. However, since that announcement was made about five months ago, we were hoping that by now we would get some sort of update on the game. Sadly, we heard nothing.

We’re hoping that Samus isn’t doomed to forever be trapped in the Brinstar Depths, but our hopes of actually playing this game are quickly dwindling.

The Last of Us Part II

To be fair, we already know a LOT about The Last of Us Part II. We got a cool reveal trailer two years ago, and we got more than 10 minutes of gameplay footage last year. However, we are still worried about the release date.

At first, we were optimistic that we would finally get to see what Joel and Ellie have been up to by the end of 2019, but that is looking further and further from the truth.

Death Stranding has a concrete release date of Nov. 6, 2019, and we simply cannot see Sony releasing two games with such massive hype that close together. I mean we are probably going to buy both at launch anyway, but it isn’t a smart move to let two console exclusives compete with each other for sales.

This suggests that The Last of Us Part II will just have to wait until early 2020. However, now we aren’t sure of that either because Cyberpunk 2077 is set to be released in April of 2020. Sure, Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t a PS4 exclusive, but we can’t imagine Sony wanting to compete against that title either. Do you really want to go toe-to-toe with Keanu Reeves?

We didn’t think so.

Elder Scrolls VI

At E3 2018, Bethesda released this 36-second announcement trailer for the next Elder Scrolls game… and it definitively was the most hyped announcement of that year.

One year later, we were hoping to get something more than a glorified JPEG, but we instead got a trailer for Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr:

What do we think of that trailer?

We got nothing for Elder Scrolls VI. We didn’t get a release date, we didn’t get a new trailer, and we didn’t even get an official title!

Honestly, if Bethesda didn’t show us Doom: Eternal, they might as well not have come at all.

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It was still a pretty awesome E3

At the end of the day, we still got some awesome announcements at E3 2019. Come on people, we got a trailer for a new Zelda game. What more could you ask for?

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What games were you hoping to see at E3 this year? Were you satisfied with the lineup, or were you hoping that this would finally be the year for Half Life 3? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft announces next Xbox console, shows more Halo: Infinite footage

Microsoft teased a new console and gave us more info on Halo: Infinite. But was it enough?

Today, the new Xbox codenamed “Project Scarlett” is merely built on promises. Project Scarlett has the same promises you see from other new consoles. It’s going to have more memory, better graphics, and higher resolution.

However, in the E3 announcement for Project Scarlett, Microsoft did have two major promises that grabbed our attention. The first was, of course, the new Halo game – Halo Infinite:

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite takes place after the events of Halo 5: Guardians. In the trailer, a passerby finds Master Chief floating through the vastness of space. After being revived, Master Chief learns that the humans lost everything. He is then shown what appears to be a destroyed Earth with a Halo ring around it.

Master Chief doesn’t even have a chance to mourn the loss of the Earth. The ship is attacked, and Master Chief has to lock and load.

As the trailer comes to a close, we see Master Chief walking toward a projection of a broken Halo ring. As he gets closer, we hear Cortana in the background, teasing that she will be returning.

Halo Infinite will be a launch title for Project Scarlett when it is released in later 2020.

We didn’t get to see any gameplay, which is a big let down. Last year, we got a teaser for Halo Infinite, so the fact that all Microsoft could only give us another teaser in a year gives us reason to worry. At the end of the day, it’s Halo. They’re probably not going to mess it up. However, if you want people to buy your shiny new console, you need to entice them a bit more.

Say goodbye to load screens

The second major promise from Microsoft was that Project Scarlett will have little-to-no load screens.

If Microsoft keeps their promise, this is HUGE. As soon as video games made their jump to discs, we had to deal with longer and longer load screens.

Removing load screens altogether would be a giant leap in the right direction. Nowadays, games try to masque load screens with hints, tips, and even jokes. However, when these load screens take a few minutes, they can really take us away from the experience.

Think about it, how much nicer would a game like Skyrim be if you didn’t have to worry about those pesky load screens?

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Just a rumor

In the announcement, Microsoft said that Project Scarlett would feature thousands of games across four console generations. Some took this as a hint that Project Scarlett will be backward-compatible with every Xbox game. As cool as that would be, we can’t say for sure if it’s true.

New controller

Although Project Scarlett is coming out until next year, you can get a new Xbox controller in just a few months.

Microsoft unveiled a new controller with Bluetooth capabilities as well as a 40-hour battery life.

The controller is pretty high-priced at $179.99. Heck, you can get the entire Google Stadia for that.

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However, the new controller does come with a bunch of cool things for that price:

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2
Carrying case
Set of six thumbsticks: Standard (two), Classic (two), Tall (one), Wide Dome (one)
Set of four paddles: Medium (two), Mini (two)
Set of two D-pads: Standard, Faceted
Thumbstick-adjustment tool
Charging dock
USB-C cable

Is Xbox bouncing back?

Many fans argue that Microsoft hasn’t been very competitive in recent years. Nintendo has been releasing exclusive titles like Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey and Sony has had great titles like God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man. Xbox simply hasn’t had the same number of great exclusive titles in recent years. Sure, the new Gears of War was fun, but it’s no The Last of Us.

We still need more info before we can recommend setting some money aside for Project Scarlett. We don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a machine that basically just plays Halo.

Maybe next year, Microsoft should put more Keanu Reeves in your presentation.

Google Stadia game service launches this year – here’s what you need to know

The Google Stadia’s Founder’s Edition touts a $129 pricetag.

If you’ve been looking forward to Google Stadia, this new info might sour your expectations, but we still have our hopes up!

In order to play Stadia this year, you’ll need to purchase the Founder’s Edition bundle for $129. On top of that, you’ll pay $9.99/month after the first three months. The monthly subscription to Stadia Pro allows you to play games in 4K and in 5.1 surround sound. The subscription also includes additional “free” games on a regular basis. On top of that, you will still have to pay separately for other games you may want. (There’s other pricing available, but we’ll get to that in a minute.)

That $129 bundle includes an exclusive game controller, a Chromecast Ultra, a copy of Destiny 2, a free three-month subscription, and a buddy pass that gives a friend a free three-month subscription as well. You have to have a Chromecast Ultra in order to play on a TV. If you purchase one outside of this deal, it costs about $60.

A $129 price tag may sound steep, but it’s a far cry from the minimum $300 you’ll pay for a new PlayStation 4.

When the service is released in November, launch games will include Tomb Raider games, Doom, The Division 2, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and Destiny 2. Early rumors suggest there will be 31 games available when the service debuts.

New games that have not yet been confirmed to be launch titles include Baldur’s Gate 3 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

Stadia Pro vs Stadia Base

Again, the free version (Stadia Base) will not be available until 2020. The biggest difference between the services is the quality. In the free version, you play in 1080p rather than 4K and your game will be in stereo rather than 5.1 surround sound.

You also won’t have access to free games distributed to pro members, and you will not have access to pro deals and discounts.

A mixed bag

Getting a system and a game for $129 is unheard of by today’s standard. When Microsoft released the Xbox One, it cost $500 at launch. The PlayStation 4 wasn’t much better, costing $400 at launch.

However, the subscription service really seems like a raw deal. Paying a subscription every month really adds up. At $9.99 per month, the service essentially costs an additional $120 per year.

If the price doesn’t change, and the Stadia has a lifespan like the PS4 (six years), then that’s an additional $720. When you add the initial $129 for the controller and other goodies, it’s not far from the same price as the Xbox One and the PS4 combined.

To be fair, both Xbox and PlayStation have subscription services. Depending on your plan, playing Xbox or PlayStation online costs about anywhere between $4 and $9.99 per month. However, that’s just for online play, not for playing the games you already purchased on the system you already purchased.

Why would I want to buy Google Stadia?

The important thing to point out is that you do not have to pay the subscription fee in order to use Stadia. If that extra $9.99 a month is a sticking point, you don’t have to pay it. After all, playing games in 1080p is still decent.

Putting the price aside, there are some cool features about the Stadia worth mentioning.

First off, you will be able to play across all your screens: TV, smartphone, computers, and tablet. You also don’t have to download or update the games you want to play.

Unfortunately, the only phones you will be able to play games from are the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a. However, you will be able to purchase games and build your Stadia profile on any Android or iPhones with access to the Stadia app.

The games you buy are streamed from the cloud and will play immediately at 60 fps. Supposedly, you will also be able to click a button and start playing a game in a matter of seconds.

If you want to play with something other than the Stadia controller, you can use a USB controller. However, you must use the Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra when playing on a TV. If you want to buy another Stadia controller, it will cost about $70. You can add it in checkout when buying your bundle.

Finally, you do not need a physical console with the Google Stadia. Instead, you are paying for a service, so you don’t have to worry about a cumbersome giant console with wires getting tangled.

Wrapping up

We’d recommend waiting it out for a while to see how the Stadia performs at launch before buying one. However, some of these features do seem too good to pass up. You also have to wonder about how your data cap might hold up when streaming so much 4K 60fps 5.1 content.

When we buy games, we want to play them as soon as possible. We don’t like waiting around for hours on end for a game to download. The Stadia is giving us the opportunity to jump right into the action. At $129 for the service, how do you beat that?

Skyrim’s best and most useful followers

When traveling throughout the world of Skyrim, it’s important to bring a companion. Here are the best!

Facing the trials of Tamriel can be difficult by yourself. Thankfully Bethesda has given you many companions to choose from in the massive game of Skyrim.

These followers come in all shapes and sizes, as there are dozens upon dozens that can help you complete the quests you face. Before starting your journey, you should take the time to find the follower you like the most. Here are some of the best followers you can find in The Elder Scrolls V:

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Best followers in Skyrim

J’Zargo (vanilla)

One of the only characters from the base game that has no level cap, J’Zargo is one of the easiest and strongest followers you can acquire. His quest becomes available after the first few quests of the College of Winterhold line.

Since his level is uncapped, his destruction magic can reach devastatingly strong levels in the late game. Also, he’s one of the only mages that will keep up with you past level 50. He also has pretty funny commentary on your actions as the game progresses.

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Frea (Dragonborn DLC)

There are only a few followers in the game that are marked as “essential” and have an uncapped level limit. Since Frea is one of them, that means you can bring her for the most dangerous missions and never have to worry about her dying.

She can’t even be killed by you, the Dragonborn. Also, despite being a dual axe wielding tank-ish follower, she will actually use restoration magic when she gets low on health. This allows her to stay in the battle even longer.

Barbas (vanilla)

This good boy brings a new definition to “man’s best friend.”

Barbas is a complicated case. He is technically only usable during his quest, but you can also take advantage of this to have multiple followers at once. Most of the time you can only have one humanoid and one animal companion at a time, but since he’s a quest follower, he will join you regardless.

He is also an essential companion that is incredibly powerful. He will never die and consistently do high damage. The downside to using him, however, is his constant barking if you aren’t following his quest. If you’re willing to put up with this though, he can make one of the best followers in the game.

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Rieklings (Dragonborn DLC)

The only “animal” followers that you can give equipment to, the Rieklings are a group of followers that you gain access to after completing their quest. While technically not essential, you basically have an unlimited supply of them, since you can just go back to their hut and get a new one.

We definitely recommend picking up one of these little guys, as they can help to effectively triple your inventory space along with a humanoid follower.

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Serana (Dawnguard DLC)

From the moment you help this vampire out of her imprisonment, you are able to take advantage of this very powerful necromancer. She can basically give you two companions, as she will consistently reanimate your dead enemies, and provide a constant source of magic damage. Since she is also an essential unit, you never have to worry about her dying in battle.

On top of this, she has many unique interactions with the world as she is the only follower who is able to interact with all crafting areas. This is purely aesthetic, but it can be very fun to watch. If you have an older version of Skyrim, you’ll need the Dawnguard expansion to unlock her, as she is only obtainable from its main questline.

Dark brotherhood initiate (vanilla)

Along with J’Zargo, these two are the only followers from the base game without a level cap. However, unlike J’Zargo, they are marked as essential, meaning they will never die. If you don’t finish the quest they are associated with while you have them following you, it’s possible to get a second follower along with them.

This is a little exploitative, but even without this, they are a strong follower that anyone can benefit from using. They are also one of the few followers that are able to successfully sneak with the player.

Go on an adventure

If you’re playing Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch or a similar re-released version, you will already have all DLC installed. This means you won’t have to worry about whether you have the DLC to unlock some of these characters.

Hopefully, this list proved to you that there’s a world beyond Lydia.

Xbox Game Pass coming to Windows 10

Game Pass is coming to PC! But should I buy it?

Xbox is bringing its subscription service Game Pass to PC. Soon, PC gamers will have access to more than 100 games from developers like Bethesda, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Paradox Interactive, and Sega.

The service will only be available for Windows 10 users.

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The latest and greatest version of Microsoft's operating system.

Microsoft typically charges $10 per month for Game Pass, but players can take advantage of a limited time offer and get it for $1 until June 10.

Later this year, Game Pass Ultimate will give players all the benefits of Xbox Gold as well as the vast library of games for $15 per month. That said, it might be in your best interest to wait until then so you can play with your friends online.

The move appears to be an attempt by Microsoft to capitalize more on non-console gamers and boost Game Pass’s subscriber base.

What are the perks?

Aside from the library of games, the subscription comes with other sweet deals. You can get discounts of up to 20% for select games in the Microsoft Store.

The PC-specific version of Game Pass will also have exclusive first-party games. Microsoft announced that they will reveal more details about the subscription service at E3 in June.

More games coming to Steam

Microsoft also announced today that they are bringing more games to Steam. These include Gears of War 5, and the definitive versions of Age of Empires I, II, and III.

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Should I buy a subscription?

If you want to know whether or not you should subscribe to Game Pass, you should look at the complete list of available games. Sure, there’s a bunch of solid games like Saints Row: The Third and Banjo Kazooie, but there are also some stinkers like Metal Gear: Survive that will be included.

Where Game Pass on PC comes in handy is in that you won’t need to buy an expensive Xbox One in order to play these games.

Potentially, this service could convince you to leave consoles in the dust altogether. However, for those of us who already have the best games the service offers, it’s a pretty hard pass.

Watch: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reveal trailer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare says goodbye to annual passes, and hello to free content!

After eight years of waiting, gamers are finally getting the next Modern Warfare game in the Call of Duty lineup. Activision released the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and the hype is real:

To make things even better, we don’t have to wait very long before this comes out. The trailer ends by giving us a release date of Oct. 25 of this year!

New features

According to Kotaku, the game will feature the following updates:

Modern Warfare will remove annual passes. Instead, it will deliver free maps, content, and post-launch events to all players. Although these features will be free, we don’t know whether or not Activision will include any paid content.
The game will feature cross-play support between PC and consoles. We don’t know if Xbox One users can play against PS4 players, but they will be able to play against PC users.
The PC version is exclusive to Battle.net
Modern Warfare will be on a completely new engine.
In the campaign mode, players will traverse through European cities as well as the Middle East.
You will be able to play co-op in “Elite Operations.”
There will be an “immersive narrative experience” crossing single-player, co-op, and competitive multiplayer.

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What did the trailer show?

If you’re looking for next-level storytelling, Call of Duty simply isn’t the franchise for you. As far as stories go, there really isn’t a single Call of Duty game with a noteworthy story, and this game doesn’t look like it will be an exception. That said, we do get a shot of the return of fan-favorite character Captain Price.

Although the story looks lacking, the graphics look absolutely top notch.

Characters move throughout the world without the landscape blurring around them. This suggests that the game has low motion blur. Over the past few years, motion blur has made its way into games. Basically, motion blur keeps characters looking crisp when the camera moves while the backgrounds get blurry. The Uncharted series is a prime example of a franchise with big motion blur issues.

Luckily, everything in this game looks crisp no matter how intense things get.

How will this be different from other Call of Duty games?

To be perfectly blunt, Call of Duty games don’t often stray from their winning formula. Call of Duty games consistently sell millions of copies despite the fact that each game feels like more of the same.

However, Activision appears to be atoning for sins of the past, and for that we’re excited. Not having to pay extra for more maps, content, and events is a huge step in the right direction.

Do we think this game is going to be a contender for Game of the Year? Probably not. Death Stranding looks like it will have that on lockdown. However, it does look like it will set a positive tone for Call of Duty games in the future.

Top 10 Halo weapons

Which Halo weapons bring us the most joy and inflict the most pain? Read on.

While Halo had incredible music, a memorable narrative, immense replayability, and famous characters like Master Chief and Cortana, the heart of any shooter game is the combat, and the heart of that combat is the game’s weapons. While the Call of Duty franchise went for a more realistic approach in their weapons, the Halo series went for a more arcade style, favoring colorful visuals and a much different approach to gameplay.

The weapons of Halo attributed to much of the game’s color and longevity, being both fun and tactical. While every weapon has its place in Halo, here are 10 that especially stood out:

10. Halo 1 Shotgun

Halo CE shotgun — The Halo: CE shotgun was a complete powerhouse.

The shotgun from the original Halo: CE didn’t show up in the campaign until nearly halfway through the game. Fittingly, this is right around when the series first introduces the hideous mutated abominations, the Flood. Zombies, meet shotgun. Suddenly you’ve turned a futuristic FPS game into a horror survival shooter racing through an abandoned alien library. For a game that came out in 2001, it scored some extra points for creativity and versatility.

Halo CE shotgun Flood 343 Guilty Spark — Health bar? Not looking good. Shotgun in hand? The silver lining.

The shotgun became a staple in every installment in the franchise from that point on, and has been the bane of sword-wielding CQC players ever since. While the weapon has received buffs and nerfs in every subsequent game, we’ll never forget the OG death stick that could knock Banshees out of the sky in a single shot.

Halo is coming to PC

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9. Halo 2 Scarab Gun

Disclaimer: This gun was put in as an easter egg, and has never (and hopefully will never) be seen in a multiplayer environment. The gun looks like a harmless plasma rifle, and you hold it like one too, but it fires like the main cannon on a Covenant Scarab tank. That bright green-blue beam of obliteration that one-shots everything it touches? It’s in your hand now. Have fun.

While the gun has unmatched firepower, that’s not why it made the list: Half the fun of the scarab gun is the journey to acquiring it. Something of an initiation rite for Halo fans, hunting for this superweapon is to embark on a grueling journey: Luring a Banshee, breaking its wings, carefully bumping it along a narrow corridor only to board it as quickly as possible or it’ll disappear before your eyes, negating all your hard work and time spent. When you reach the summit of that bridge and see the gun floating there, though – you’ll feel truly accomplished.

8. Plasma Pistol

Halo CE plasma pistol — Say goodbye to your shields.

There’s a reason we didn’t specify which game we like this weapon best: It’s great in every game, and changes quite a bit from title to title. In the original Halo, you could rapid-fire as quickly as you could pull the trigger, while in Halo 2 the homing capabilities were increased. This led to some really creative options for dual-wield combos in Halo 2 and Halo 3. In Halo 2 (where it was infamously paired with the battle rifle) and Reach, the pistol could also be used to briefly EMP vehicles and turrets, which made it even a (albeit poor) contender for anti-vehicle combat.

We love the plasma pistol because it’s the underdog of weapons. When a team of enemy players comes barreling after you in a Warthog and you sidestep and hit the jeep with a well-aimed plasma shot only to follow it up with a sticky grenade to the tire? Congrats, you demolished a vehicle with a Grunt weapon. You’ll have to turn your headset volume down because you just made three players very angry.

7. Plasma Grenade

Here’s another one where we couldn’t list a specific title, and that’s because this weapon is iconic, a staple in every Halo game. The sticky grenades have long separated noob players from the pros, and in the hands of the latter, these guys can work absolute magic. The plasma grenade is the ‘fling and forget’ that sits in your back pocket, and was so beloved by the community and dev team that it even earned a place in the Halo 3 Believe ad.

Halo 3 suicide grunt — That’s one way to make Grunts scary again.

That no heart-sinking moment quite on par with the “oh, s**t” when you see the blue flare and hear the whistling hiss of a plasma grenade stuck to your helmet. The grenades were so popular in the first couple Halo games that Bungie added spike grenades to the lineup in Halo 3. The great thing about any sticky grenade was that even if you ended up with a worthless weapon on spawn, you still had one last trick up your sleeve.

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6. Halo 1 Assault Rifle

Halo Silent Cartographer assault rifle — The clip size of this thing in Halo: CE was crazy.

“The assault rifle works really well with the golden three things of Halo,” explained Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakken in an interview, “which are weapons, grenades, and melee.” When two players face off and both have the assault rifle, the deciding factor ends up being skill – how well you control burst fire, how well you can strafe and shoot, how well you can aim your melee or grenade throw.

Halo 3 poster — Master Chief’s weapon of choice

“The assault rifle’s design language works really well with the Master Chief,” said Weapon Modeler Tom Doyle of the weapon’s iconic silhouette and appearance. Doyle’s was the vision that saw the assault rifle returned to Halo after its absence in Halo 2. “There’s this thing we didn’t really identify in Halo 2,” said Bungie’s Software Design Engineer Adrian Perez in an interview, “that if you spawn everybody with a dual-wieldable weapon like the SMG it changed the game.” Since its triumphant return, the assault rifle has become a mainstay of the series.

5. Sniper Rifle

Halo 3 sniper rifle Tsavo Highway — One headshot to kill, or two body shots.

Sniper Rifles are a popular addition to many FPS games, but the one in Halo holds a special place. Maybe its because you can’t choose to spawn with it, so it becomes a coveted item, maybe it’s because the design and layout of Halo maps so often make the weapon advantageous, maybe it’s because the gun looks freaking sweet and can score you kills from across the map. Whatever the reason, this is one weapon that we couldn’t do without.

Halo 3 sniper rifle Sandtrap — As Bungie and 343 brought in larger maps, the weapon became more and more useful.

We’re not alone in thinking this, either; the weapon was popular enough that in later games more varieties of sniper rifle were added: The beam rifle, and later the binary rifle in Halo 4. Additionally, Team Snipers became a popular game type in multiplayer matches, pitting sharpshooter players in 4v4 matches across large maps like Valhalla and Blood Gulch.

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4. Needler

The Needler is a wacky Covenant weapon that, like the plasma pistol, underwent some series mutations over the series. Whichever Halo game you’re playing, the Needler will be present, though aspects like fire speed, bloom, reload speed, and homing all change drastically from title to title. Halo 2 players will remember dual-wielding Needlers for instant kills.

Halo 1 Truth and Reconciliation Keyes Needler — Worried this weapon makes you less manly? Doesn’t bother Keyes!

Any way you spin it, the Needler is a grenade on a stick. Hit a player with seven of these sharp pink projectiles and they’ll coalesce into a detonation akin to a plasma grenade. Get the angle and distance right, and you can ambush and eliminate players before they even know what hit them.

3. Halo 2 battle rifle

Halo 3 battle rifle — DMR? Carbine? Light Rifle? The Battle Rifle did it first.

While Halo 2 sadly lacked the assault rifle, it made up for it with the introduction of the battle rifle: A rare burst-fire weapon that FPS players actually like. The battle rifle encouraged mid-long engagements with other players in multiplayer mode, as well as rewarded players who could more consistently land headshots.

Halo 4 battle rifle — Stopping power, accuracy, and versatility all in one package.

While the gun was present in several Halo games, there’s a reason we specifically cited the one from Halo 2: Expert players could exploit a double fire glitch that allowed them to fire two consecutive bursts in a row. If you quickly press fire, then immediately follow up with a held trigger pull, the controller registers the start of the holding and pressing ‘X’ fires both bursts at the same time or in rapid sequence.

2. Halo 2 Energy Sword

Arbiter Halo 2 — Energy Sword and Active Camo at the start? It’s good to be the Arbiter.

One of the most iconic weapon in the series, the energy sword is one of the coolest weapons ever designed. It’s the closest you’ll get to bringing a lightsaber into Halo, and as you might expect it feels about as epic. While the enemy AI could use the energy sword in Halo: CE, the player didn’t get to use it until the sequel … and Bungie went pretty overboard to make it worthwhile. The weapon had a very long reach, and could one-hit kill as soon as the targeting reticle turned red.

Halo: Reach energy sword Elite — “I didn’t mean it!”

In Halo 3 the combat mechanics to the energy sword were reworked to make the weapon a little more fair, and better rewarded more skilled gameplay. A quick pull of the trigger would perform a slow lunge from the maximum distance, while hitting with the melee button hit faster for less distance. Entire sword-based game modes were introduced in Halo 3 and Reach, and sparring against multiple opponents got really cinematic.

1. Halo 1 Magnum

Veteran Halo players, you already knew this was going at the top of the list. From the first time you get to use Captain Keyes’ handgun at the start of Halo 1, all the way into wrecking entire teams with this in the remastered multiplayer, this is the sidearm that you’ll probably use more frequently than your main gun.

Halo CE Blood Gulch magnum — On maps like Blood Gulch, it may as well be a sniper rifle.

The magnum underwent some serious changes throughout the series, receiving a massive downgrade in Halo 2, then buffed damage but no zoom in Halo 3, to a really neat silenced version in Halo 3: ODST. By Halo: Reach, the magnum had made a triumphant return as a preferred weapon in SWAT matches, sacrificing the range of the DMR for faster fire and better handling. Pro players in Halo 1 were able to use the gun’s recoil to empty the clip, ending the barrage with a headshot once the enemy shields pop. It wasn’t unusual for pro players to put down a sniper rifle or rocket launcher in favor of this pistol, and for good reason.

Halo 3 Guardian multiplayer — Rumble Pit got pretty crazy back on Guardian

Honorable mentions go out to the grenade launcher from Halo: Reach, the elite sentinel beam of Halo 2, and Gravity Hammer from Halo 3, but what’s your favorite Halo weapon? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned with us for more information on the upcoming Master Chief Collection on PC!

Best exclusive games for each console

Some people like Nintendo, some like Sony. But when it comes to the big three consoles, who has the best exclusives?

The grass is greener on the other side… or is it?

Some people buy consoles for the tech specs. They want the PS4 because the graphics look crisper They want the Xbox because the user interface works like a charm. They want the Switch because it’s portable and versatile.

When it comes down to it, tech specs aren’t always the game changer. In the end, whatever console you choose comes down to one thing — preferences.

This may be controversial, but we believe exclusive games are the real difference between consoles! In fact, they’re so important we almost find ourselves annoyed by the disparity. PS4 players are clearly hogging God of War and Spider-Man. Thank goodness Xbox has Halo and Forza!

So, to see where the grass grows greenest, we compiled each main consoles’ three best exclusives in one place.

Best exclusive console games

PlayStation 4

Sony’s PlayStation 4 appears to have some of the biggest exclusives by far. We were hard-pressed to sort through honorable mentions like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Bloodborne to choose the greatest among them.

We should note: these exclusives are suspiciously only single-player, story-driven games. It seems the best multiplayer exclusives lie elsewhere…

Okay, we’re just trying to be fair to the others; this lineup rocks!

god of war 4

God of War 4 received universal acclaim for its storyline, gameplay, graphics, and more. It was voted Game Award’s Game of the Year, a coveted title.

If you’re unaware, the story goes a little something like this: After the death of his wife, Faye, the god-killing Spartan warrior Kratos journeys with his son Atreus to the “highest peak of the nine realms.” From there, they plan to spread her ashes and complete her last wish.

On the way, they get into a bit of a tussle; the world serpent Jörmungandr shows up, Norse gods stop by to party, it’s a whole thing.

Kratos swings around his mighty ax, making you feel like Thor swinging around Mjolnir. If action games are your jam, this is the game for you.

This one is well worth the price, and you will not be disappointed.

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marvel’s spider-man

We loved Spider-Man games ever since we tried our first on the GameCube! Swinging through New York City, fighting bad guys, and inevitably jumping off the Empire State Building was a blast!

If you haven’t jumped off the ESB, have you really played Spider-Man?

Fast forward 16 years: in the midst of the MCU adventure, Insomniac Games creates a PS4 exclusive with all the majestic charm of the MCU. Swing through the streets of a Manhattan and fight bad guys!

This time, Peter Parker is dealing with a convoluted conspiracy that centers around the bioweapon Devil’s Breath. Naturally, everyone wants it: from Kingpin to Osborne to Doc Ock. Good luck with all that, Parker!

Marvel’s Spider-Man gives you all the tools you need for your web-slinging experience.

uncharted 4: A Thief’s end

Nathan Drake, the infamous thief, goes on one last journey.

Metal Gear games are known for being cinematic experiences that play out like a James Bond flick, where the player gets to be the spy. Uncharted thrusts the player into a similarly movie-like experience, However, rather than venturing into a military melodrama, you go on an adventure with all the swashbuckling excitement of Indiana Jones!

Drake’s brother, Sam, reappears after years of imprisonment and asks Nate for help. They must retrieve the treasure of the pirate captain Henry Avery or he will be killed by a drug lord. Together, they race to find the loot against their former financier and the cause of Sam’s imprisonment.

The epic end to a legendary story doesn’t disappoint! The story is thrilling, the combat is fluid is fast-paced, and the exploration has never been better!

honorable mentions

Horizon: Zero Dawn
Bloodborne
Shadow of the Colossus

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch doesn’t have as many exclusive titles as we’d like. However, we are excited for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, coming out later this year.

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The Switch is unlike anything on the market. Players can play games from home or on the go all on the same console. If you want, you can play something like the L.A. Noire remake or Saints Row: The Third remake at home, or race against friends in Mario Kart on the go!

The Legend of zelda: breath of the wild

Throughout time, many heroes by the name of Link fought to defend Hyrule and its princess, Zelda, from the evil Ganondorf. Each of them succeeded in warding off the darkness after a great journey…

Until now.

After 10,000 years of safety, Calamity Ganon reappears and turns Hyrule’s ancient, advanced robotics against them. Link falls in battle, and their heroes are killed. As a result, Zelda has to use the power of the gods to hold Ganon at bay for a long, long time…

Then Link wakes after 100 years of recuperation in a stasis chamber and begins his quest anew. Monsters roam the land, the robotics still control Hyrule’s capital, and Zelda’s power won’t hold much longer.

He failed once, but the hero is back in the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a massive open world game. The developers allow the player to play the game however they want to. Players can complete dungeons in whatever order they want in this very non-linear game. If you want, you can grab the Master Sword and all of the best armor you can find. However, you can also collect all the tree branches and rusty swords you can find and challenge Ganon in your undies.

The choice is yours.

super mario odyssey

Yep: Mario loses Peach again.

In order to save her this time, he joins a sentient hat named Cappy, whose sister has been stolen by Bowser for use as Peach’s wedding tiara!

However, Cappy has a few tricks up his sleeve… if hats had sleeves.

Cappy has the ability to let Mario take control of nearby creatures. When under Mario’s control, you have full access to their abilities. You can become a T-Rex and destroy everything in your path. You can become a Hammer Bro and throw an onslaught of hammers at enemies. The choices seem nearly endless.

There are a ton of worlds to choose from and a ton of things to do. Cappy’s introduction adds a fresh level to the game, and the new worlds and enemies all have the familiar Nintendo charm.

This addition to the Mario Bros world holds up so well. In fact, many would argue it belongs higher than Breath of the Wild. If you agree or disagree, let us know in the comments!

Will Mario games ever go out of style? We hope not.

super smash bros: ultimate

This is the definitive party multiplayer. Got an argument? “Settle it in Smash.”

Oddly enough, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate performs double-duty here. Not only does it reach the top 3 for Nintendo exclusives, it champions every single one of their other characters and games.

You can play as characters from Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Xenoblade Chronicles, Pokémon, Kirby, Animal Crossing, and more!

Smash Bros. players range from the pros who compete in huge tournaments, to newbies who mash buttons and hope for the best.

The game now also features customizable stages. However, those are another story…

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All of these characters blend perfectly in one of the greatest titles of our favorite fighting game series! (No offense to Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter fans.)

Honorable Mentions

Octopath Traveler
Splatoon 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xbox One

Xbox has some of the most surprising games. These are titles you wouldn’t immediately think of when someone says “exclusives.”

Except Halo. Everyone would think of Halo.

Xbox is a bit tricky. Most of their exclusive titles aren’t necessary console exclusive. They are exclusive to Microsoft but can be played on both home console and with Windows 10.

halo 5

Oh yeah.

When the super-soldier Master Chief, goes rogue in pursuit of his AI friend Cortana, an elite team called Spartan Locke goes on a mission to track him down. Through their collective adventures, we gain insight into the mysterious happenings surrounding the Guardians, huge beasts controlled by an artificial intelligence network known as the Domain.

Aside from quick-moving, futuristic, first-person shooter gameplay, you can find one of the greatest video game storylines here. We even like the book series, which continues to release novels yearly!

The world still feels great, and we’re excited for Infinite!

gears of war 4

Years after the defeat of the Locust, a new aggressor arrives: The Swarm.

Gears of War 4’s oddly emotional storyline shouldn’t mesh so well with the violent, chainsaw-borne violence. Somehow, it does, and it does really well.

This time, the Lancer falls in the hands of Marcus Fenix‘s son, J.D. The only appropriate response to a new invasion is to buckle down, crouch behind the ubiquitous shoulder-high walls, and keep firing!

forza: horizon 4

This is one of those games that your grandfather will confuse with a movie or real-life sporting event. In all honesty, it has tricked us, too.

Forza has long been lauded as an excellent, realistic driving simulator with all the safety benefits of being a video game. This basically means if you’re still too much of a kid at heart to drive between the lines, you can crash some of the nicest cars known to man!

Forza Horizon 4 Download now ►

honorable mentions

Rare Replay
Sea of Thieves
Crackdown 3

Wrapping Up

“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Or, in this case, exclusives lead to jealousy, jealousy leads to hate, and hate leads to the console wars! Don’t be a console crusader, friend.

When it comes down to it, we wish every one of these titles were available for every console, even though such a move wouldn’t make any sense from a business standpoint for developers. Still, could you imagine playing Breath of the Wild with the controls and graphics the PS4 can offer?

Exclusives bring business. To play them all, you’ll just have to buy more consoles or borrow from friends. While you’re at it, whoop their butts at Smash Bros. real quick.

What’s new with Xbox VR?

When will Microsoft jump into VR?

Virtual Reality holds great promise for the world of gaming, which centers on the ability to escape into new worlds and live through crazy stories from the comfort of your own home. This new technology has the power to place you directly into the world of your chosen game.We find this quite exciting!

Right now, Sony’s PlayStation VR runs the console virtual reality market:

When PS4 began selling their VR set, reportedly at profit from the start, all eyes turned to Microsoft’s Xbox, the PS4’s main competitor (because let’s face the facts, Nintendo does what it wants and won’t adopt VR for a while). Will Microsoft ignore VR altogether? Develop a competing product? If so, what will they make?

With these questions in mind, we decided to pursue the latest news on…

What’s new with Xbox VR?

Why is it so important?

A quick story: we tried VR with the Oculus Go, Facebook‘s mobile headset. The graphics? Excellent. The movement-tracking lag? Nearly nonexistent. Oculus made an excellent mobile product, they’re going great places!

However…the Go itself wasn’t for us.

Why? You can play around with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc., but the experiences didn’t grab us much more than a normal TV. We wanted something more immersive, where we could walk through a world and interact with the environment, a story. For these reasons, we believe:

VR may not be the future of gaming, but gaming is the future of VR.

And AR is probably just the future-future, but that’s a whole other beast.

So, what’s the news?

At this time, we can say with some assurance there hasn’t been recent news since the summer of 2018.

There it is, no sugar coating.

However…this fact can be interpreted a few ways. Depending on what source you look at, whether the 2017 blog post by Microsoft employee Alex Kipman or the 2018 interview with Microsoft chief marketing officer Mike Nichols, there are two ways to look at this:

Microsoft will pursue VR, but wait until they have a good partner and the next generation of console technology emerges.
Microsoft has abandoned VR. They decided that, in Nichols’ words, “…The PC is probably the best platform for more immersive VR and MR.”

Frankly, while the interview with Mike Nichols happened more recently and bears far more weight considering his position, we aren’t going to discount Xbox VR quite yet: many of these statements were made during the first generation of virtual reality, when the technology was still young.

While we don’t expect Xbox to roll out a headset at E3 this year, we wouldn’t be surprised if PS4 hints at an improved VR setup. And there’s the rub:

PS4 VR proves the market for console VR exists.

Soon enough, headsets will be made cheaper, better, and faster. The main complaint – the inability to play without a physical connection – will vanish as wireless VR becomes the norm. (In fact, Facebook’s Oculus Quest will provide a wireless experience at the end of this month.) When wireless VR becomes more popular, we firmly believe that Xbox will reconsider virtual reality. Still…

Conclusion

At this time, expect nothing new from Microsoft VR. Clearly, development plans have been tabled for the time being and Xbox fans are out of luck. If you want a good triple-A virtual reality game like Skyrim, Borderlands 2, or Resident Evil 7, you’ll have to settle for a PlayStation or PC.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for E3 2019. While we don’t expect an announcement, questions and updates are practically inevitable.

Thanks for reading! And to our Xbox fans: wishing you luck and patience!