keyword: Playstation

returnal-is-dark,-challenging,-and-the-perfect-ps5-showcase

Returnal is dark, challenging, and the perfect PS5 showcase

We’re nearly six months into the life of the current generation of game consoles, but there are still vanishingly few high-profile exclusives that show off what the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X can do. After getting through the initial wave of launch titles, I’ve spent most of 2021 using my PS5 to play Fortnite. But this week sees the launch of Returnal, a PS5 exclusive that comes with some caveats. It’s challenging and complex, making it the kind of game you’ll die in repeatedly. But it also might be the best showcase for Sony’s new console yet

Returnal puts you in the spaceboots of an astronaut experiencing the worst case of deja vu imaginable. After crash landing on a mysterious alien planet, she soon realizes she’s stuck in a loop; every time she dies, she heads back to the crash site to start all over again. Each time you explore, you learn just a little bit more about the planet and the astronaut, as well as the rules of the game. With more information and practice, you’ll (hopefully) be able to progress slightly farther each loop.

The game plays out as a third person shooter, but it’s also a mish-mash of many different inspirations and genres. Despite the perspective, Returnal often feels like a bullet hell shooter, with alien creatures spitting countless energy orbs for you to avoid. You even get bonuses for avoiding getting hit. (This aspect of the game shouldn’t be too surprising, as Returnal was developed by Housemarque, a studio best-known for games like Super Stardust and Resogun.)

The loop structure also means that the game plays out like a roguelike (think games like Hades). Each “run” is different; the planet remixes itself each time you play, and you’ll pick up different weapons and fight different enemies along the way. There are also elements of Metroid, where you’ll come across roadblocks that you can’t get around until you unlock the right item or ability. Early on, for instance, there are electrified webs that block your way, and you can’t cut them down until you get a massive laser sword.

It should also be noted that Returnal is extremely hard, combining two notoriously challenging genres — roguelikes and bullet hell shooters — into a game that does little to make itself accessible. In fact, there aren’t even any difficulty options, aside from the ability to turn up the aim assist. The result is an experience where you’ll have to get used to death and failure, and learn from your mistakes.

It can be frustrating, but it’s worth pushing through for a few reasons. For one, the action feels incredible; zipping around while shooting octopus birds and slicing at evil tree-creatures with a huge sword is a blast. But Returnal is also a game that’s just dripping with atmosphere — and it’s only enhanced by some of the PS5’s unique features.

The dark world you’ll explore feels ripped out of an Alien movie, complete with towering, crumbling ancient ruins, and lots of disturbing bio-engineered technology. This is all rendered in incredible detail, and Returnal particularly shines when it comes to special effects; there are all kinds of hypnotically beautiful explosions of light and color, and I especially love the fast travel effect, which sees your character melt away into nothingness.

But there are lots of great-looking PS5 games already. Even last-gen titles look good on the new hardware. What makes Returnal stand out in particular is its use of sound and the DualSense controller. I’ve spent most of my time with the game so far wearing Sony’s Pulse 3D headphones, and it’s the first game where I’ve really noticed the 3D audio that the company has touted so much. I could pinpoint monsters by the sounds of their screams and growls, which was extremely helpful, as there’s often so much happening on screen that it can be hard to follow. The sound design also makes the game that much creepier; the alien monsters make unsettling noises as they approach, and it always made me wary when stepping into a new, unknown space.

Meanwhile, I’d go so far as to say it’s the best DualSense game since Astro’s Playroom, which comes bundled with the console in order to show off the gamepad’s unique capabilities. The subtle vibrations mean you can feel the patter of raindrops in your palms, and the burst of each weapon has its own distinct sensation. There are also some really creepy noises that come out of the speaker (though you may miss them with headphones on). My favorite feature, though, is the way Returnal utilizes the controller’s adaptive triggers. The left trigger has two phases: push halfway and you can zoom in to aim your main weapon, but click it all the way down and you’ll unleash a special attack. It basically gives the controller an extra button in a way that feels very natural.

Returnal is definitely an acquired taste. Its looping structure and unforgiving nature means many players will end up frustrated as they struggle through nearly identical scenarios repeatedly. Death isn’t always fun. But it also blends together so many cool things, from the vibe of Alien to the thrill of a great arcade shooter, in a way that’s seamless and deliberate. And if you’re someone who actually managed to pick up a PS5, it’s the kind of game you’ll want to take out to show off what the console can do.

Returnal launches on April 30th on the PS5.

fortnite’s-cash-cow-is-playstation,-not-ios,-court-documents-reveal

Fortnite’s cash cow is PlayStation, not iOS, court documents reveal

Earlier this month, we learned that the iOS version of Fortnite was a huge revenue driver for Epic Games — the game earned more than $700 million from iOS customers over the two years before it was pulled by Apple, according to court documents (PDF) released ahead of Epic’s trial against the iPhone maker. But even though iOS Fortnite players brought in a staggering amount of money for Epic, iOS isn’t the biggest platform in terms of revenue for the game — apparently, it might even be among the smallest.

Court documents reveal that PlayStation 4 generated 46.8 percent of Fortnite’s total revenues from March 2018 through July 2020, while Xbox One, the second-highest platform, generated 27.5 percent. iOS ranked fifth, with just 7 percent of total revenue. The remaining 18.7 percent would have been split between Android, Nintendo Switch, and PCs.

In 2020, iOS revenues were projected to be an even smaller piece of the pie: just 5.8 percent, compared to 24 percent for Xbox One and “almost 40 percent” for PlayStation 4, according to a new deposition (PDF) of Epic Games’ David Nikdel, a senior programmer who works on the backend services for Fortnite.

“iOS was always the lowest or second lowest if Android was listed, correct?” lawyers asked Joe Babcock, Epic’s CFO until March 2020, in a separate deposition. The answer was yes.

Babcock explicitly confirmed that the iOS version of Fortnite earned less revenue, month to month, than:

  • PlayStation 4
  • Xbox (presumably Xbox One)
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PCs

iOS’s low revenues compared to other platforms may not be entirely surprising, based on past comments from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. He said in a declaration that Fortnite on iOS represented 10 percent of the game’s total average daily players in the two years from when the game launched to when it was pulled from the App Store in August. And Fortnite is considered to be a billion-dollar business all on its own: in 2019, it reportedly brought in $1.8 billion in revenue all by itself. (Epic projected company-wide revenue of $3.85 billion in 2020, to give you some idea of how big Fortnite is compared to, well, everything else Epic does.)

Thanks to these court documents being released ahead of the trial, we now have a better idea of where Fortnite makes most of its money — and despite the huge amount of dollars flying around mobile games right now, PlayStation and Xbox seem to account for the bulk of Fortnite’s earnings. They could make Epic’s choice to fight Apple and Google make a bit more sense — even if they alienate the app store companies, Epic can bank on Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo consoles continuing to rake in cash.

amd-and-intel-invest-in-substrate-production-to-fight-shortages

AMD and Intel Invest in Substrate Production to Fight Shortages

(Image credit: JCET Group)

There a numerous causes that have led into the ongoing computer component shortage, one of which is the lack of availability of materials called ABF substrates. The Good news is that companies like AMD and Intel are taking the problem seriously and are investing in packaging facilities and production of substrates. 

A wide variety of chips from inexpensive entry-level processors for client PCs to complex high-end CPUs for servers use laminated packaging. Usually, chips that use laminated packaging also use IC substrates featuring insulating Ajinomoto build-up films (ABF), which are made by just one company, Ajinomoto Fine-Techno Co.

While there are dozens of companies that package chips and use ABF substrates, there is only one ABF supplier that has to serve them all. But as it transpired this year, the Japanese company is not the bottleneck here, but OSAT (outsourced assembly and test) houses like ASE Technology are. 

Earlier this year, numerous top packaging houses vowed to increase their production capacities. But for large companies, a tangible capacity increase is complicated, as equipment vendors can’t simply increase their output overnight. But now even second-tier OSAT players have announced plans to expand their capacity already. For example, Kinsus plans to raise its ABF substate capacity by 30% this year, DigiTimes reports. But chip packaging houses are not the only companies that can address issues with chip packaging.   

“I would say overall, the demand if we look at coming into this year, the demand has been sort of higher than our expectations,” said Lisa Su, chief executive of AMD, at this week’s conference call, reports SeekingAlpha. “There are sort of industry-wide types of things that are going on. We work very closely with our supply chain partners. So, whether it’s wafers or back-end assembly test, capacity or substrate capacity, we work it on a product line by product line level.” 

AMD used to own assembly, test, mark and pack facilities, but sold them in 2016 when it was in dire need of money. Apparently, AMD wants to address its chip shortages by investing in OSAT and substrate partners to gain capacity that is dedicated to AMD. 

“We continue — on the substrate side in particular, I think, there has been underinvestment in the industry,” said Su. “So, we have taken the opportunity to invest in some substrate capacity dedicated to AMD, and that’ll be something that we continue to do going forward.” 

Intel has its own chip production as well as test and assembly facilities in multiple countries. But apparently the in-house packaging capacities are not enough for Intel, which significantly increased its chip output capacities in the recent year following shortages it faced in 2018 – 2019. In a bid to meet demand for its products, Intel is working with its third-party substrate partners. 

“By partnering closely with our suppliers, we are creatively utilizing our internal assembly factory network to remove a major constraint in our substrate supply,” said Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, during a recent call. “Coming online in Q2, this capability will increase the availability of millions of units in 2021. It is a great example where the IDM model gives us flexibility to address the dynamic market.” 

AMD is perhaps among the companies that suffered the most from chip production crisis. In the second half of 2020 the company had to supply its partners from Microsoft and Sony over 10 million of SoCs for the the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 that were launched last November. Around the same time AMD introduced its Ryzen 5000-series CPUs based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture as well as the Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs running the RDNA2 architecture.

Eventually AMD admitted that it could not meet demand for its products because it could not procure enough chips from its manufacturing partners and because its OSAT partners did not have enough capacity to test and pack its chips too.