Elon Musk teased that Tesla’s new Model S Plaid would be capable of running Cyberpunk 2077 earlier this year, and he’s now demonstrated the car’s “PS5-level performance.” The refreshed Model S includes a new Tesla infotainment system, powered by AMD’s Ryzen processor and a discrete AMD RDNA 2 GPU.
“There’s never been a car that has state of the art computing technology, state of the art infotainment where this is literally at the level of a PlayStation 5,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a demo event last night. “This is actual PlayStation 5-level performance… yes it can run Cyberpunk. It’s high frame rate, it will do 60fps with state of the art games.”
AMD revealed last week that it’s powering this new infotainment system in both the new Model S and Model X, with 10 teraflops of compute power. That in itself is nearly identical to the 10.28 teraflops found on Sony’s PlayStation 5, although Tesla’s total compute includes both the integrated and discrete GPUs so it won’t be a full 10 teraflops for gaming alone.
We only saw a brief demo of Cyberpunk 2077 running at high frame rates on the $130,000 Model S Plaid during Tesla’s event, alongside a closer look at the updated UI on the infotainment system.
In separate demonstrations after the event, some Tesla fans were able to get pictures of what appears to be a Tesla-branded game controller. It’s not clear if the controller, which mimics the shape of the car’s steering wheel, is a dummy unit or not. It appears alongside an Xbox controller in a photo published by Reddit users (above), and videos seem to show the Xbox controller being used to play Cyberpunk 2077.
You might be wondering why you’d need PS5-level gaming performance in your car, which the Technoking is happy to answer. “If you think about the future of where the car is often in autopilot or full self-driving mode, then entertainment is going to become increasing important,” said Musk. Until that’s a reality, we’re hoping to see the folks at Digital Foundry benchmark a car running the latest AAA games against powerful PCs, the PS5, and the Xbox Series X.
While the PS5’s divisive two-tone design has led some to swap out large pieces of plastic for a more unified look, this month did at least see Sony release some official new color options for the excellent DualSense controller. There are now “cosmic red” and “midnight black” models that might appeal to you more than the black and white default.
The black controller doesn’t seem all that interesting, but as a fan of red objects I ordered the red one in to see how it looks in person. The color is actually quite unusual — Sony’s marketing info places the controller in front of a bright red nebula, in keeping with the “cosmic red” name, and it’s a pretty good match.
Basically, it’s a little pinker than you might expect, falling somewhere between crimson, ruby, and raspberry. I think it looks good with the black trim and manages to feel appropriate for the PS5’s aesthetic.
And yes, the tiny PlayStation symbols microtexture is back, though it’s still pretty much impossible to see with the naked eye:
Sony is quite slow to release its first PS5 controller color variations. Microsoft had black, white, and blue options available at the launch of the Xbox Series X and Series S, and soon followed up with red, yellow, and camo options.
I have the red Series X controller too, and it’s a much more straightforward, primary-color shade than the PS5. The difference is clear when they’re next to each other.
The red and black PS5 controllers are out this week in Japan and should be available next week in North America, though like the PS5 itself it’ll probably be difficult to find stock. The black version costs $69.99, while the red version is for some inexplicable reason $5 more expensive at $74.99.
Microsoft is hosting another Summer Game Fest event to give you a chance to play demos of some unreleased Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One games. This year’s event is coming up soon, running from June 15th through June 21st, and there will be more than 40 demos to check out, the company said in a blog post. While Microsoft hasn’t released the full list of games just yet, it has shared a few that you can look forward to.
One that I have my eye on is Sable, which looks like a comic from Jean “Moebius” Giraud come to life and takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. After years in development, Sable is set to release on September 23rd, and you can see some footage from it in this performance from Thursday’s Summer Game Fest Kickoff live event by Japanese Breakfast, who wrote a song for the game:
Microsoft’s event will also feature Tunic, an isometric adventure game starring an adorable fox adventurer that I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was announced at E3 2018. You can get a preview of that game in this new video:
Lake, The Riftbreaker, and Echo Generation will also be among the demos included as part of the demo event.
Have you even made it as an artist if you’re not singing in a made up language for a Sims game? There’s a proud tradition of popular musicians like Carly Rae Jepsen or Janelle Monáe re-recording songs in Simlish, the in-game language of The Sims, and now, celebrated alternative artist Japanese Breakfast (Michelle Zauner) is joining their ranks with a cover of her single “Be Sweet” for The Sims 4 Cottage Living.
Zauner’s track is summer-y and eminently danceable, and it feels just the same underneath a trailer hawking more features for The Sims 4, even with the chorus transformed to “Ya wana baleesh da voo ya wana baleeeeeeeeesh”. It’s also delightfully weird in the way all covers in “Simlish” are — I just love hearing famous musicians sing nonsense! Check out the song in English (with an X-Files inspired music video) for a better comparison:
Simlish is a deliberately cultivated kind of baby talk, relying more on rhythm, emotion, and cadence than direct translation from one language to another, according to The Sims’ developers. There’s just something bizarre about hearing a song you love filtered through The Sims’ almost understandable, but totally inscrutable digital babbling. It’s even more strange seeing it happen in-person, like in this now-infamous Katy Perry video:
Lending some talent to a classic life simulation game isn’t Zauner’s only foray into video games either. The artist is also composing music for Sable, an upcoming Xbox and PC open world game. We just learned at the Summer Games Fest that Sable is coming out later this year on September 23rd, 2021.
Elden Ring, the long-awaited action RPG made in collaboration between FromSoftware and writer George R.R. Martin, has finally shown new signs of life. We got a surprise trailer today at the end of the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event as well as a release date. January 21, 2022 is when you’ll be able to play it on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and last-gen consoles.
The first gameplay from the elusive title that was announced during E3 2019 shows plenty of PvE magic and swordplay while traversing through fantastical environments on horseback. I’m sure we’ll see more gameplay in the near future, but this first look at Elden Ring looks like it should please fans of Bloodborne and Dark Souls.
It seems to be delivering a new take on the studio’s signature action RPG gameplay, nestled into deep, entrancing game design. Congratulations to George R.R. Martin for delivering some new content in this decade — maybe now he can get back to finishing The Winds of Winter.
Though there was a long gap between when this game was announced and when we got this trailer today, we’ll likely hear more from FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco as the game’s release date is approaching.
Among Us is getting a new hide and seek mode, visor cosmetics, achievements, and a fifth map, developer Innersloth announced at Summer Game Fest on Thursday. However, there wasn’t a date shared for any of those updates, so it’s not clear when you might be able to check them out for yourself.
In a blog, Innersloth also announced that account linking is on the roadmap as well, which should be handy if you play the game across multiple platforms.
In the lead-up to Thursday’s announcement, Innersloth teased a number of new features for the next big update, including upping the max player count from 10 to 15 players, new player colors to pick from (including tan, gray, rose, and maroon), and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to honk the airship’s horn.
Among Us is currently available on PC, iOS, Android, and Switch. Innersloth has also announced that the game is on the way for PlayStation and Xbox sometime in 2021.
Borderlands developer Gearbox and 2K Games announced a new fantasy shooter called Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands on Thursday at Summer Games Fest. It has an all-star cast, including Andy Samberg, Will Arnett, Wanda Sykes, and Ashly Burch. The new game is set to launch in early 2022.
At the event, Burch, who voices Tiny Tina in the Borderlands series, described it as a “high fantasy looter shooter,” and in the trailer, it certainly looked a lot like a Borderlands game, both with its cel-shaded visual style and the appearance of a ridiculous-looking gun that shot some kind of electric laser beam. Unlike in Borderlands, though, you’ll create your own character.
The game will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (on Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X when it launches early next year. It will have a full-length campaign and four-player co-op, Polygon reports.
Ahead of E3 Microsoft and Xbox are putting a heavy emphasis on cloud gaming and its Game Pass subscription program alongside its existing console ecosystem. This includes new, dedicated streaming hardware for any TV or
monitor
. It is also updating its cloud datacenters to use the
Xbox Series X
, so that gamers who stream are getting the company’s most powerful hardware.
Xbox’s announcement
comes ahead of Xbox’s joint E3 games showcase this Sunday with its recent acquisition, Bethesda, and also comes with a slew of new attempts to push Xbox onto just about any device you might already have. The Xbox division is moving to get its software embedded into internet-connected TVs, which would require no additional hardware other than a controller to play cloud games.
Additionally, the company is looking into new subscription offerings for Game Pass. (though it didn’t get into specifics), and is looking into new purchase options for Xbox All Access, which lets people buy the console and Game Pass for a monthly fee, rather than paying up front. (This is similar to how many pay for smartphones in the U.S.).
Building its own streaming devices, however, is a bigger push to make Xbox an ecosystem outside of consoles and even moves Xbox into competition, to a degree, with Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV for the living room. (Chromecast is scheduled to get
Google Stadia
support later this month).
Still, the company sees its consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, as its top-notch offering, even while it expands in mobile, on PC and in streaming. In fact, that’s the other major piece of hardware Xbox is working on: the next console.
“Cloud is key to our hardware and Game Pass roadmaps, but no one should think we’re slowing down on our core console engineering. In fact, we’re accelerating it,” said Liz Hamren, corporate vice president of gaming experiences and platforms.
“We’re already hard at work on new hardware and platforms, some of which won’t come to light for years. But even as we build for the future, we’re focused on extending the Xbox experience to more devices today so we can reach more people.”
This isn’t exactly surprising. Consoles start getting designed years in advance, and these days, the mid-life cycle refresh cycle is common. Microsoft has also positioned the latest consoles as a “series” of devices, so it’s possible there will be new entries in the line that remain compatible with the current options.
Cloud gaming in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is set to launch in Brazil, Japan and Australia later this year. Meanwhile, cloud gaming in a web browser, including support for Chrome, Edge and Safari, will go live to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers “in the next few weeks.” The Xbox app on PC will also get cloud gaming integrated this year.
Hamren said that Game Pass has more than 18 million subscribers, though that wasn’t broken down between the console, PC and ultimate plans, (which include game streaming).
The Series X and S haven’t seen a ton of new titles from Microsoft Studios yet, but it sounds like that will change.
“In terms of the overall lineup, we want to get to a point of releasing a new game every quarter…” said Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios. “We know that a thriving entertainment service needs a consistent and exciting flow of new content. So our portfolio will continue to grow as our service grows.”
Xbox has more than 23 studios and also recently acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios, as well as id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog and Roundhouse Studios.
Game Pass games are released simultaneously on PC and Xbox, which Xbox Head Phil Spencer used to poke at its competitors, namely Sony and its
PlayStation 5
.
“So right now, we’re the only platform shipping games on console, PC and cloud simultaneously,” Spencer said. “Others bring console games to PC years later, not only making people buy their hardware up front, but then charging them a second time to play on PC. And, of course, all of our games are in our subscription service day one, full cross-platform included.” (PlayStation brought Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone to PC but long after their PlayStation 4 releases.)
Tim Stuart, the chief financial officer for Xbox, said “we’ll do a lot more in PC for sure.” There have been rumors of big changes to the Microsoft Store on Windows, including making it easier for developers to sell games. That’s another avenue we may see explored soon, as Microsoft explores
what’s next for Windows
later this month, after E3.
The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase will take place on Sunday, June 13 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET and will stream on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and Twitter.
Summer Game Fest 2021, hosted by Geoff Keighley, is getting started with new game announcements two days ahead of E3 2021 with its “Kickoff Live” event. In addition to news, it’s perhaps the only event to feature both an appearance from Jeff Goldblum and a musical performance by Weezer. The list of partners for the preview event includes 2K, Activision, Blizzard, Capcom, InnerSloth, Epic Games, Sony PlayStation, Riot Games, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Microsoft Xbox, and more. Here’s how to watch.
When does Summer Game Fest start?
The kickoff show is happening this Thursday, June 10th at 2PM ET / 11AM PT / 6PM GMT. And like last year’s happenings, it’s all online, so you can just hang out at home and watch all of the announcements from your PC, phone, or TV.
Like last year, there will likely be more Summer Game Fest events throughout the season.
Where can I stream Summer Game Fest?
This game event is being hosted on several platforms, giving you plenty of options. It’s being livestreamed on YouTube (we’ve embedded the video above that’ll go live later), as well as Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook.
Microsoft is making some significant upgrades to its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service in the next few weeks. The Xbox cloud streaming service will be moving to Xbox Series X hardware on the server side, bringing dramatic improvements to load times and frame rates. Microsoft is also moving xCloud on the web out of beta, which is good news for owners of Apple devices.
“We’re now in the final stages of internal testing, and we’ll be upgrading the experience for Ultimate members in the next few weeks,” says Kareem Choudhry, head of cloud gaming at Microsoft. “The world’s most powerful console is coming to Azure.”
The upgrade will include major improvements to xCloud, with players able to benefit from the same faster load times and improved frame rates that are available on Xbox Series X consoles. Microsoft’s xCloud service launched in September, powered by Xbox One S server blades. The load times have been one of the troubling aspects of using Xbox game streaming, and this upgrade will dramatically reduce the wait time of launching games. Players will also be able to access Xbox Series X / S optimized games.
Alongside the server upgrades, Microsoft is launching Xbox Cloud Gaming through the browser for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in the next few weeks. The service is currently in an invite-only beta mode, but the expansion will make it available for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to access xCloud streaming on iPhones, iPads, and on any device with a compatible browser (Chrome, Edge, and Safari).
Microsoft is also expanding cloud gaming to Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan later this year, and hinting at plans for new Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. “We need to innovate to bring our games and services to more people around the world, and we’re investigating how to introduce new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass,” says Liz Hamren, head of gaming experiences and platforms at Microsoft.
These new Xbox Game Pass subscriptions will likely include some form of access to xCloud game streaming. Microsoft currently only offers Xbox game streaming to those who subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, which is priced at $14.99 per month. It’s easy to imagine a future where Microsoft offers a separate Game Pass tier that only provides access to Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud).
Microsoft is also announcing plans for an Xbox TV app and its own streaming stick today, alongside the ability to access and use xCloud on Xbox consoles later this year.
Microsoft is planning to let Xbox console owners try games before they download them later this year. The new Xbox dashboard feature will allow console players to stream games through Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service instantly. It’s part of a push to integrate xCloud more into Xbox consoles and into the Xbox app on Windows PCs.
“Later this year, we’ll add cloud gaming directly to the Xbox app on PCs, and integrated into our console experience, to light up all kinds of scenarios, like ‘try before you download,’” says Kareem Choudhry, head of cloud gaming at Microsoft.
Microsoft isn’t detailing all of the ways that xCloud will appear on Xbox consoles, but trying games before you download them certainly opens up possibilities for Xbox owners who want to know what a game is like before buying it.
Either way, utilizing xCloud to let Xbox players quickly jump into games before they’re downloaded will be particularly useful on day one game launches. With games regularly exceeding 100GB, it often takes hours to download titles if you didn’t plan ahead and preload a game before its launch.
In a briefing with members of the press ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox E3 event on Sunday, the company’s head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, was keen to stress Microsoft’s commitment to Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming.
“So right now we’re the only platform shipping games on console, PC, and cloud simultaneously,” says Spencer. “Others bring console games to PC years later, not only making people buy their hardware up front, but then charging them a second time to play on PC.”
Spencer is of course referring to Sony and its ongoing efforts to bring more PlayStation games to PC years after their launch. Microsoft obviously prefers its own approach to launching simultaneously across multiple platforms and being available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Speaking of Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft is also committing to some form of a timeline for exclusive first-party content for the service. “In terms of the overall lineup, we want to get to a point of releasing a new game every quarter … we know that a thriving entertainment service needs a consistent and exciting flow of new content,” explains Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios. “So our portfolio will continue to grow as our service grows.”
Microsoft isn’t providing an update on its Xbox Game Pass subscription growth yet. The service jumped to 18 million subscribers earlier this year, after growing steadily throughout 2020. Today’s announcements are part of some broader Xbox and xCloud news, including server upgrades to xCloud and Microsoft’s plans for an Xbox TV app and streaming sticks.
Microsoft is working with TV manufacturers to make an Xbox app available on devices soon. The software giant is planning to bring its Xbox Game Pass service to TVs through its xCloud streaming technology, opening up more ways to get access to Xbox games. This will be available as both an app on TVs, and with Microsoft’s own dedicated streaming stick.
“We’re working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Game Pass experience directly into internet-connected TVs so all you’ll need to play is a controller,” says Liz Hamren, head of gaming experiences and platforms at Microsoft.
Microsoft isn’t announcing exactly when this Xbox app will be available on TVs, nor which manufacturers will bundle it on their devices. Xbox chief Phil Spencer previously hinted at an Xbox app for TVs late last year, noting he expects to “see that in the next 12 months.”
Spencer also hinted at Microsoft’s own Xbox streaming stick last year, something Microsoft now says will appear soon. “We’re also developing standalone streaming devices that you can plug into a TV or monitor, so if you have a strong internet connection, you can stream your Xbox experience,” reveals Hamren.
Much like the TV app plans, Microsoft isn’t providing any details on release date or pricing for its own Xbox streaming devices. We don’t even know what they will look like. Microsoft revealed these details in a special press briefing ahead of its E3 event later this week. Microsoft will be focusing on games at its E3 showcase on Sunday June 13th, so it’s unlikely we’ll get any further details until the devices are ready to ship.
This Xbox Game Pass expansion to TVs is part of a broader effort by Microsoft to make its subscription service available beyond just phones and Xbox consoles. Microsoft is also announcing upgrades to its xCloud server blades today, and the ability to access and use xCloud on Xbox consoles later this year.
Overwatch launched in 2016, but it’s getting a significant feature soon. Blizzard Entertainment is releasing a cross-play beta that will let PC and console gamers play in matches together. The developer says the update is coming “soon.”
Until now, the communities on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch were segmented, but this update should make it easier to find online matches to join, whether it’s with your friends or with random players. Some of the most popular online titles feature cross-play support, like Fortniteand Call of Duty Warzone, and it bodes well that this feature may be supported earlier on in the game’s upcoming sequel, Overwatch 2.
Cross-play is a welcome, if overdue, feature to have in Overwatch, but it might not be all that you’re hoping for. The update doesn’t enable cross-progression between multiple copies of the game that you might own. So, your collection of skins and XP level on, say, Nintendo Switch, won’t carry over to other platforms and vice versa. Though, that might not be the case in the future. In a recent Reddit AMA, Overwatch technical director John Lafleur said “given the additional complexities of cross-progression, it would probably make most sense to tackle cross-play, first and then explore progression as a potential add-on, if we go this route.”
Blizzard says that in order to jump into the cross-play beta, you’ll need to make a Battle.net account, if you haven’t already (it’s been a requirement for PC players, but it has been optional on console). You’ll then need to link your respective console account to Battle.net within your account settings. Doing this will allow you to play with friends you have added on Battle.net instead of friends that exist within your console’s own friends list.
If you get a Battle.net account and log into Overwatch by the end of 2021, you’ll receive a “golden” loot box, which guarantees a legendary-tier in-game item.
Correction: An earlier version of this article said the cross-play beta was available now, but Blizzard says it instead will be coming “soon.” We regret the error.
The next Battlefield is coming this fall — and it appears to be bringing plenty of mayhem. At an event today, EA revealed Battlefield 2042, the latest entry in Dice’s long-running shooter series, for the Xbox One, Series X, PS4, PS5, and PC through Origin, Steam, and the Epic Game Store. Among other changes to the formula, the game will introduce new tornadoes that move around the map, wingsuits so players can fly around, and weapons that can be customized on the fly.
Despite being a series primarily known for ridiculous action set pieces, the upcoming near-future title has a very serious premise. Here’s the world that the game takes place in, according to EA:
In Battlefield 2042, the world is on the brink. Shortages of food, energy and clean water have led to dozens of failed nations, creating the greatest refugee crisis in human history. Among these Non-Patriated, or No-Pats, are families, farmers, engineers — and even soldiers. Amidst this crisis, the United States and Russia draw the world into an all-out war. No-Pat Specialists join both sides, not fighting for a flag, but for the future of the Non-Patriated in this new world.
2042’s new maps reflect this bleak setup. They include a map set in the Antarctic where players fight over oil, a version of Doha besieged by sandstorms like something from Mad Max, a dried-up seabed in India filled with the remains of stranded ships, and a gleaming South Korean metropolis where players have to seize control of “a quantum powered disinformation hub.” Dynamic events appear to be a big focus; one map takes place amid a rocket preparing to launch into space.
Dice says that the maps have been built with next-gen hardware in mind, and the biggest change appears to be the sheer number of players. In the main mode, “all-out warfare” matches will feature 128 players if you’re playing on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X. For older consoles, that number will shrink down to a more standard 64. Outside of that mode, 2042 will also have a squad-based mode called “hazard zone” (which, Dice stresses, will not be a battle royale), as well as a third, yet-to-be-announced multiplayer mode. The game won’t feature a traditional single-player campaign.
When 2042 does launch later this year, EA says that it will act as a live service game, with seasonal battle passes — both free and paid — that “will push the narrative of the world forward,” as well as add new features.
Battlefield 2042 launches on October 22nd. A mobile Battlefield spinoff is also in the works.
Microsoft is returning to selling products at brick-and-mortar stores, kind of. The software giant will start selling products at its “Experience Centers” in London, New York City, and Sydney next month. Select Microsoft products will be available on July 1st, but the global chip shortage will impact what’s available to buy.
Xbox Series X / S consoles won’t be available initially, until stocks of these devices improve to meet demand. Other Xbox-related products will be available, alongside Surface devices and Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
“Our Microsoft Experience Centers were created to provide customers a way to experience our products in person,” said Travis Walter, Microsoft’s head of retail stores, in a statement to The Verge. “We use these spaces to test and experiment, and continue to evolve the experience based on customer feedback. Starting July 1st, customers will be able to purchase select Microsoft products at the New York, London and Sydney locations.”
Microsoft permanently closed its retail stores in the US and around the world last year, shortly after the pandemic began. The company has been moving store employees to areas that help sell to, train, and support Microsoft’s business customers.
This move doesn’t signal a return of Microsoft’s retail stores, and there won’t be online ordering or pick up in store available. Microsoft has been using its four Experience Center locations to host business customers, and the ability to purchase items is primarily aimed at those who visit.
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