Microsoft’s next big game, Gears 5, is out now on Xbox One and PC. Following 2016’s Gears of War 4, it is developer The Coalition’s second brand-new Gears of War game since studio owner Microsoft bought the franchise in 2014 from Fortnite developer Epic Games. To get a closer look and deeper insight into the game and the franchise in general, GameSpot spoke with studio technical art director Colin Penty.

He spoke about a number of different topics, including the thinking behind Gears 5’s noticeably brighter colour scheme, the technical challenges of creating the most expansive and sprawling levels the Gears franchise has ever seen, and how The Coalition is now hitting its stride and gaining the confidence to take risks and try new things with the franchise following its run at Epic Games.

Penty also told us about how Gears 5 will perform on the OG Xbox One and Xbox One S, stating that its campaign will run at 30fps on the older machine just like Gears of War 4. That being said, Penty said The Coalition applied some technical wizardry to get more juice out of the older hardware through temporal upscaling. Additionally, the studio was able to achieve the smooth 60fps frame rate for all of the game’s multiplayer modes–Versus, Horde, and Escape–on the older Xbox hardware, which is something Penty said he is proud of.

On Xbox One X, Gears 5 runs at 1080p/60fps across campaign and all multiplayer modes. Penty said the team refused to compromise as it did with Gears of War 4. “We put a line in the sand early on in development of Gears 5 that we wanted the campaign to be 60fps on Xbox One X,” he said. “We didn’t want to have a compromise like Gears of War 4 where you had to choose 1080p/60fps or 4k/30fps. It was a large amount of work across a lot of disciplines to pull it off, but I really think it was worth it and is probably the best example of harnessing the additional power of the Xbox One X.”

Also on the subject of hardware, Penty said he is “definitely super excited” about the forthcoming release of Microsoft’s next-generation console, Project Scarlett, in Holiday 2020. “We don’t have anything to announce right now in terms of Gears with the new hardware–but I’m definitely super excited about what the new hardware could do. Having dedicated ray tracing cores is huge,” he said.

You can read the full interview below.

Gears 5 is available now on Xbox One and PC. You can buy the game outright or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass to get it at no extra cost. GameSpot’s Gears 5 review in progress currently scores the game a 7/10.

After playing some of Gears 5 I was immediately struck by the brighter colours, especially in the snow and the red sand. The Gears series is known for dark and grimy scenes, so can you talk about the art direction for Gears 5 and what you wanted to achieve? Was it a purposeful change to introduce brighter, more colourful environments?

Looking back, Gears of War 4 was a game that dominantly took place at night as that fit the tone better. While being still quite a colourful game it was also quite dark as a result. With Gears 5 we were excited to have gameplay levels that mostly took place during the day and that was definitely a deliberate decision. Having the majority of the game set during the day makes the game feel much brighter and compared to Gears 4 allows a lot of the vibrant colours to come through as a result. We also improved the HDR output tremendously from Gears of War 4 so the vibrancy of the image in HDR is amazing.

With Gears 5, you’re multiple entries into a franchise people know very well and have strong feelings toward. What were some of the challenges of staying true to the heart of the series as it relates to the art direction, but also pushing things forward and trying new approaches?

This is something our art director Aryan Hanbeck could probably answer better than myself. I will say that after shipping Gears: Ultimate Edition and also Gears of War 4 the Coalition art team has a pretty good feeling of when something “looks” like it belongs in the Gears universe or if it doesn’t. I think this frees us up to experiment with more confidence in Gears 5 and know that we will be able to keep the look authentic to Gears ultimately.

Moving on the subject of technology, Gears 5 is releasing about six years into the Xbox One’s life cycle. What kind of experience can people expect on the OG Xbox One hardware?

For the Xbox One and Xbox One S we were able to squeeze a bit more performance and quality out of the older hardware. Our campaign on Xbox One is running at 30fps just like Gears of War 4, but we were able to improve the image quality substantially in Gears 5 by using Temporal Upscaling – this way we always render at 1080p having a much sharper image, and only scale the “internal” resolution if needed for GPU performance. We also pushed to get Horde and Escape mode running at 60fps on Xbox One for Gears 5 so that way all of our MP modes are a consistent 60fps on Xbox One. I think gamers will appreciate that.

For Xbox One X, what kinds of things have you done under the hood to take advantage of the increased horsepower and speed of the console?

We put a line in the sand early on in development of Gears 5 that we wanted the campaign to be 60fps on Xbox One X. We didn’t want to have a compromise like Gears of War 4 where you had to choose 1080p/60fps or 4k/30fps. It was a large amount of work across a lot of disciplines to pull it off, but I really think it was worth it and is probably the best example of harnessing the additional power of the Xbox One X.

For multiplayer on Xbox One X we were able to introduce additional rendering features since we are running the same frame rate as Xbox One. We have screen space reflections and higher quality ambient occlusion as result.

Our cinematics also have much higher quality reflections, lens flares, depth of field, and motion blur on the Xbox One X compared to the original Xbox One and Xbox One S.

Gears of War 4 was released in 2016, and in terms of technology, that’s a long time. So what’s an example of something we’ll see in Gears 5 that maybe wasn’t possible technically last time around?

Being able to achieve more with technology is probably 50% the technology itself and 50% the teams ability to execute using that technology. So I think with Gears 5 certain things would fall into one or the other category. Something like Temporal Upscaling was technology that just didn’t really exist in a useable state in 2016. On the other hard large overworld levels in Gears 5 we wouldn’t have been able to pull off in Gears 4 from a technical stand point–partly because our team wasn’t quite ready to take something that complex on, and partly because some of the technology wasn’t quite ready yet. For example having dynamic shadows that can be seen for kilometers in the distance wasn’t something we were capable of in 2016 technologically while maintaining performance.

“We had to deal with a lot of technical challenges due to the larger worlds. Issues that were just minor annoyances in our linear levels became massive problem for our larger levels” — Colin Penty

Something else that I’m really proud of is the investment from our team in character materials, models, and facial animation systems in Gears 5. We created a dynamic iris caustic system that simulates light bouncing around the iris, as well as implemented proper sub-surface scattering on the eye and many other improvements. We cleaned up our facial wrinkle maps and blood flow tech to really make it sing with our skin material and facial animation. All of these improvements were mostly things we learned while finishing Gears of War 4 that we wouldn’t have been able to properly do without that experience doing 2016’s game.

One final example I can think of is our tessellation and cone step mapping technology – both of these weren’t really possible to a high level of quality–at least for us–in 2016. Employing these on Gears 5 allowed our materials to have a lot more depth and allowed us to do some pretty incredible snow and sand deformation around the players feet and from the skiff.

One of the most striking parts about Gears 5, at least in the amount I’ve played thus far, is that the levels are far bigger and more expansive. What were some of the technical challenges related to taking this approach? And on the other side, what opportunities does this present?

We had to deal with a lot of technical challenges due to the larger worlds. Issues that were just minor annoyances in our linear levels became massive problem for our larger levels such as streaming, memory, 60fps performance, snow and sand deformation, and visual pop-in. Opportunistically I actually think it forced us to make systems that were more scalable and robust than anything we would have normally built–thus helping us on our linear levels, split screen modes, and other SKU’s such as PC that could harness these new scalable systems.

The ambition of Gears 5 is immediately noticeable with its massive levels and more open-ended structure. What had to happen under the hood, technically, to allow this to happen?

We had to learn how to stream our game in a different way – we ended up splitting our streaming sections in the overworld levels into granular sub-components like “large, medium, small” so we could stream areas in at different speeds. We also had to get familiar with Unreal’s landscape system and train our art and design teams on how to get the most out of that system – then had to augment it a lot with some of Epic’s latest Unreal Engine work as well as some modifications of our own.

We abandoned baked shadows and go to a fully real-time shadowing system as we couldn’t afford to store kilometers of shadow map data on disk or in memory. Our shadows in the distance are real-time ray-traced. We focused on writing a sand and snow deformation system that did a proper displacement on the sand and snow when the player foot pressed into the ground.

“I’m definitely super excited about what the new hardware could do. Having dedicated ray tracing cores is huge.” — Colin Penty

We made the system persistent so the trails would stay for a long, long time. Finally, we wrote a paintable volume fog system that allowed the artists to paint fog in the world wherever they wanted it – this gives the overworlds a great sense of atmosphere while maintaining 60fps on Xbox One X.

A new Xbox, Scarlett, is coming in about a year. I’ve read that The Coalition plans to support Gears 5 for a very long time after release. I know you can’t talk about unreleased hardware, but at a high level, what are your thoughts on even more increased power with the new console in terms of what it will allow you to do technically, but also creatively?

We don’t have anything to announce right now in terms of Gears with the new hardware–but I’m definitely super excited about what the new hardware could do. Having dedicated ray tracing cores is huge.

On the multiplayer side, what are some of the technical innovations you’re implementing to make Gears 5 a top-notch multiplayer experience?

I’m probably most proud of being able to achieve 60fps on Xbox One and Xbox One X for Versus, Escape, and Horde. It really helps with playability and consistency. We also brought a lot of our campaign tech into our multiplayer maps–for example we use volume fog in some of our MP levels and some levels also use cone step mapping. Our MP levels always output at 1080p due to temporal upscaling and all outdoor MP levels use shadow cascades for dynamic crisp shadows, which is a big step up from Gears of War 4’s soft baked shadow maps.

With Gears 5, this is now The Coalition’s second brand-new Gears game after taking over the franchise from Epic. Do you feel you’re now hitting your stride and blazing your own trail?

I feel like we have more confidence with the franchise now and are more comfortable taking risks. I’m really happy with how we were able to add new gameplay elements like Jack and the overworlds and not break the core loop of what makes Gears feel like Gears.

I understand you’re also able to talk about the development of new and existing characters in Gears 5, so at a high level can you talk about Kait and her trajectory in this game?

Gears 5 is all about Kait’s journey and her discovering what is the nature of her connection to the swarm. I don’t want to spoil anything!

From what I’ve played so far, the relationships between the characters–old and new–are more nuanced and dynamic than ever. Can you talk about the kind of story you wanted to tell in Gears 5 and how you go about balancing and pacing a story with so many different characters and interwoven storylines?

Gears 5 is all about Kait’s story, but of course we also wanted to develop and flesh out the other characters as well. To get the pacing of the story correct it’s a lot of collaboration between Rod Ferguson our creative director, Matt Searcy our Campaign Director, Bonnie Jean Mah our Narrative Director, and Tom Bissell our writer to get the story and pacing correct throughout the campaign. It’s a delicate art!

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-5-dev-explains-why-they-refused-to-compromis/1100-6469734/

The latest firmware update for Nintendo Switch has arrived, and it includes a number of new features, tweaks, changes, and fixes. Version 9.0.0. (released September 9) introduces a new search feature for the News channel, a new QR code option to sign in to your Nintendo Account, and new touch screen sensitivity settings. The update also introduces the ability stop the Switch from recognizing inputs from the console buttons, except for the Capture and Home buttons. This only applies to the newly released Switch lite.

Additionally, the new Switch 9.0.0 update adds a section to account pages for “Online Play Invites,” and as it’s name suggests, this is where you’ll see invites from friends for supported games. Finally, the new patch fixes what sounds like a very serious issue. Apparently, there was a bug that completely prevented Fire Emblem: Three Houses from booting at all, instead returning an error. This problem has been fixed with the update through general system and stability improvements, Nintendo said.

This issue was reportedly affecting those who purchased the Three Houses season pass recently, though it’s unclear how widespread the issue was or if anything else could trigger it. Whatever the case, it’s fixed now.

You can see the full 9.0.0 update notes below, as posted on Nintendo’s website.

Nintendo Switch Firmware 9.0.0 (September 9, 2019) Update:

• Added a search feature for the News Channel.
  • Channels can be searched using filters or free text.
• Added “Display QR Code to Check In” to User Settings.
  • You can display a QR Code on-screen to check in using your Nintendo Account.
• Alarm Notifications have been added to System Settings > Notifications.
  • You can check or delete pre-set alarms.
  • Alarms can be set up only within supported software (to be added at a later time).
  • A controller firmware update may be required to use this feature.
• You can now configure touch screen sensitivity settings.
  • Select between Standard and Stylus sensitivity (optimized for stylus input).
• Added the option to turn on/off the system button input (Nintendo Switch Lite only).
  • When this setting is turned off the system no longer receives input from the console buttons, with the exception of the Capture and HOME Buttons, and can only be operated from a wirelessly paired controller (sold separately).
  • This setting is on by default and can only be turned off if a compatible controller (sold separately) is wirelessly paired to the console.
  • The setting will automatically turn back on when the console is restarted or after returning from sleep mode.
• Added “Online Play Invites” section to the User’s page.
  • Invites from friends to join online play in supported software will be displayed in this section.
• General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.
  • Resolved an issue where some users can’t start the Fire Emblem: Three Houses game, and get an error instead.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-switch-update-out-now-heres-what-it-does/1100-6469733/

Niantic’s second wave of Ultra Bonuses has arrived in Pokemon Go. For the next several days, players around the world will have a chance to hatch region-exclusive Pokemon from eggs. That’s not all; the Mythical Pokemon Deoxys, which has up until now appeared exclusively in EX Raids, will be available in standard Raid Battles for a limited time.

From September 9-16, all four forms of Deoxys will appear as bosses in five-star Raids, making this your first opportunity to capture them outside of the invite-only EX Raids. On top of that, Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs, and if you’re very lucky, you may hatch their Shiny forms.

If you need help challenging Deoxys in battle, Pokemon that are effective against it, such as Absol, Tyranitar, Houndoom, and more, will also appear as Raid bosses throughout the week, giving you a chance to build a powerful team before taking Deoxys on. You can see the full list of this week’s Ultra Bonus rewards below.

Niantic still has one more wave of Ultra Bonuses on the way, and it is saving perhaps the most exciting batch for last. Beginning September 16, the first Gen 5 Pokemon will appear in Pokemon Go. Among other Pokemon, players will have a chance to encounter Klink and its Shiny form in Raid Battles, while Shiny versions of Patrat and Lillipup will appear in the wild. Mewtwo will return to Raids as well, and this time, you’ll have a chance of encountering its Shiny form.

Before the third set of Ultra Bonuses arrive, Niantic will host a Pokemon Go Community Day. This month’s event takes place this Sunday, September 15, and the featured Pokemon is Turtwig, the Grass-type starter from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. You can catch up on other recent Pokemon Go news below.

Pokemon Go Ultra Bonuses

September 9-16

• Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs. You may also hatch their Shiny forms
• All four forms of Deoxys will appear in five-star Raid Battles
• Pokemon effective against Deoxys will appear in other tier Raids

September 16-23

• Klink and Shiny Klink will appear in Raid Battles
• Shiny Patrat and Shiny Lillipup will appear in the wild
• Mewtwo that know Psystrike will appear in five-star Raids, as will Shiny Mewtwo

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-deoxys-raids-new-shiny-pokemon-and-more/1100-6469724/

Borderlands 3 launches for Xbox One, PS4, and the Epic Games Store on September 13, followed by releases for Google Stadia in late 2019 and other PC storefronts in 2020. For long-time fans who are looking for an adventure, don’t worry, Borderlands 3 offers a lot of content to do.

The fourth mainline installment in the loot shooter franchise acts as a sort of conclusion to the series, completing the narrative arc first put forth in 2009’s Borderlands. That first game took just over 20 hours to beat, and its follow-ups Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel took about 30 and 17 hours respectively. Borderlands 3 takes a little over 30 hours to complete, putting it at about the same length as Borderlands 2. I finished my first playthrough in 33 hours.

On my first playthrough, I typically only stopped to complete side quests when I needed to level up more–as Borderlands 3’s campaign missions are fairly punishing to tackle when you’re below their recommended level. Upon finishing the campaign, I still had about 10 unfinished side quests in my mission log, and another dozen left undiscovered–marked with exclamation points on my map for me to go to and acquire.

It’s difficult to discern just how much more time those side quests would add to the total runtime, as some of Borderlands 3’s optional missions can be completed in as quickly as a few seconds while others can last upwards of 45 minutes. Some have multiple parts too, taking place across the universe on more than one planet. Finishing the campaign also unlocks a few pieces of endgame content, as well as Borderlands 3’s new game plus, True Vault Hunter Mode. So it will take a lot longer than 33 hours to complete everything.

In GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review, I wrote, “Borderlands 3 has a few stumbling blocks when it comes to bosses, but these fights are overshadowed by the game’s rewarding gunplay and over-the-top humor. The game’s character-driven narrative acts as a satisfying finale for the loot-shooter franchise, and the new mechanics and features–especially the reworked skill trees and weapon manufacturer effects–give you plenty of agency in how you want to play through it. If you’ve never been a fan of the franchise, it’s unlikely Borderlands 3 does enough things differently to change your mind, as the game best excels at continuing what the series has always done: deliver a humorous tall tale of misfits looting and shooting their way to heroism.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-long-to-complete-borderlands-3-depends-on-whic/1100-6469726/