Iterating on the Xbox One allowed Microsoft to solidify its vision for the Xbox Series X, the next-generation console revealed by Phil Spencer at The Game Awards. Speaking to GameSpot, Spencer recalled a showcase in 2016, when he indicated that the console could become upgradable and how that was originally one piece of a larger Xbox Series X picture.

“What was that the showcase event we did here like four years ago down in San Francisco where I went on my confusing rant about hardware upgrades?” he said in our interview. “We were working on both Xbox One S and Xbox One X, I don’t think we had announced either one at the time. One of the stepping stones for us getting here [to Xbox Series X] was Xbox One X, a box that was 100% compatible with Xbox One S but faster.

“We created Xbox One S, created Xbox One X, took a lot of feedback from fans, tried to make that feedback loop from both customers and developers pretty critical to who we are, and that’s been a pretty important part of our journey and we said we want to make that a core foundation of Project Scarlett.”

For Spencer and the Xbox team, the seamless compatibility between Xbox One S and the considerably more powerful Xbox One X speaks to the ethos Microsoft has for its gaming ecosystem, particularly for Xbox Series X.

“This idea that … there’s no boost mode, there’s nothing you need to like query, you can play your Xbox One games on an Xbox One X and they play better … That was a stepping stone in our learning to say, ‘Hey, well, how do we then take games to a new architecture but ensure that we get the benefits of that architecture with the game,'” Spencer said. “Because we didn’t want to slow everything down so that you don’t see all the benefits of what the new hardware gives you.

“I think on Xbox One X today, I can honestly say for almost all of the 360 games that run there, the best place to play them is no longer the Xbox 360. They actually play better on the Xbox One X and I want the same to be true here [with Xbox Series X]. And that kind of [goes] full-circle back to why the name is what it is, because this is the Xbox. This is where your Xbox games play.”

Microsoft has not yet announced when Xbox Series X will launch other than Holiday 2020, but it did say that it expects to have an exciting E3 2020. You may be wondering why it chose to reveal the new console at The Game Awards, and Spencer discussed this, along with other things, in our interview. Make sure to read our full exclusive Xbox Series X feature for more on the console and what Xbox has in store for us in the future.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-xbox-one-x-empowered-microsoft-to-create-xbox-/1100-6472290/

The PS4‘s DualShock 4 controller is getting an optional upgrade, with the announcement of a new Back Button Attachment. The dongle slides onto the existing charging port of your DualShock, and adds two programmable buttons to the back. It’s coming in on January 23 for $30.

The teaser video shows the device clipping on, in which the two buttons are divided by a larger circular button. That central button is clickable to switch between three profiles, and also serves as an OLED screen to display button assignments and player profiles. The bottom of the device has a stereo headset jack.

Recently we’ve seen possible designs for the next-generation PlayStation controller, which have looked very similar to the existing DualShock 4. That controller patent had no back button functionality, but this add-on may indicate Sony is planning for future functionality if the next controller will follow suit. This adds functionality similar to the back buttons on the Xbox One Elite controller, and third-party controllers have added similar functions.

Meanwhile, both Microsoft and Sony have been slowly detailing their next-gen plans. For more detail on what Sony has in store, check out our wrap-up of everything we know about the PlayStation 5.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-controller-gets-back-buttons-peripheral/1100-6472288/

Prologue, the new game from PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds‘ Brendan Greene, had its world premiere during the 2019 Game Awards. A short trailer was shown, but we didn’t get much insight into what the game is or how it plays. The trailer announced the game’s name name and who is making it, but that’s about it–Prologue’s genre was not made clear. With this in mind, it’s reasonable for players to expect another shooter, serving as a direct follow-up to the wildly popular battle royale shooter that came before it. However, that won’t be the case.

Speaking to Forbes, Greene clarified that Prologue will not be a shooter at all, let alone a battle royale shooter. Green, who left development of PUBG behind to form PlayerUnknown Productions under PUBG Corp, says that Prologue is about testing new tech. “This is the first step in the journey for me,” he told Forbes.

“Prologue is the first step into the new world for us. I wanted the chance to deliver something new on a global scale…I’ve got some pretty big dreams about what I want to achieve, that I’m not quite ready to achieve. It will require some new tech.”

Greene wants to launch a new global IP, which is 25-person studio is currently working on. He also says that he would like to create a game of enormous scale–“hundreds of kilometers by hundreds kilometers, with thousands of people.” It’s not clear if Prologue will be the game to achieve this.

Of course, this tells us more about what Prologue is than what it isn’t. A genre, as well as a release window and systems, have not been announced yet.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/brendan-playerunknown-greenes-next-game-prologue-i/1100-6472284/

The Last Remnant Remastered has come to mobile devices, unexpectedly bringing the 2008 JRPG to phones and tablets. The remastered version of the game, which was released for PS4 at the end of 2018 and then on Switch earlier this year, is now playable on Android devices running 7.0 or higher or Apple devices on iOS 13.0 or higher.

The game, which features a unique command-based battle system that makes you consider troop morality and a story that spans a millennium, is available for $20 right now. That might seem like a lot for a mobile game, but it’s worth noting that the game contains no microtransactions whatsoever, and is a full, huge RPG.

The game weighs in at 8.5GB on iOS, and just 6.1GB on Android. It’s not clear why there’s a size discrepancy between the two.

In our original 2008 review of the game, The Last Remnant scored a 6.5/10. Reviewer Kevin VanOrd wrote that the game had many visual flaws, but that it was “a fun adventure that will draw you into its finely crafted universe in spite of it all.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-remnant-remastered-has-come-to-mobile-dev/1100-6472282/

The year’s PC winter sales are underway. GOG has already kicked off theirs, Steam is getting ready to do so later this week, and the Epic Games Store has 12 days of free games to accompany their deals. Green Man Gaming is also holding its own sale, where it introduces new flash deals every day. These flash deals last 48 hours and feature the games’ lowest prices–you won’t see them cheaper for the rest of the sale.

The first two flash deals are Red Dead Redemption 2 and Borderlands 3. Green Man Gaming’s keys for Red Dead 2 are redeemable on the Rockstar Games Launcher, while Borderlands 3 is currently exclusive to the Epic Game Store. Both games will be available for their sale price until Wednesday, December 18, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.

Red Dead Redemption 2 | $42.23 ($60)

From GameSpot’s Red Dead Redemption 2 review: “Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent prequel, but it’s also an emotional, thought-provoking story in its own right, and it’s a world that is hard to leave when it’s done.”

• Standard Edition — $42.23 ($60)
• Special Edition — $52.79 ($80)
• Ultimate Edition — $66 ($100)

Borderlands 3 | $33.36 ($60)

From GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review: “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.”

• Standard Edition — $33.36 ($60)
• Deluxe Edition — $44.67 ($79)
• Super Deluxe Edition — $67.85 ($120)

More flash deals will be added every day. Tomorrow’s discounts belong to The Outer Worlds and Ancestor’s Legacy. We’ll be sure to report back when their sale prices are revealed.

However, these aren’t the only discounts available during Green Man Gaming’s winter sale. There are already a ton of games from Ubisoft, 2K Games, and THQ Nordic featured. More will be added throughout the week–all of the winter sale’s deals should be available by Friday, December 20. You can see a list of the best in the list below.

• Alan Wake — $5 ($20)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $20.64 ($60)
• Assassin’s Creed Origins — $12.90 ($60)
• Borderlands 3 — $33.36 ($60)
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection — $13.50 ($60)
• Civilization VI — $13.50 ($60)
• The Crew 2 — $12.90 ($60)
• Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition — $6 ($30)
• Darksiders III — $20.40 ($60)
• Far Cry 5 — $12.90 ($60)
• Far Cry New Dawn — $13.76 ($40)
• For Honor — $11.35 ($40)
• NBA 2K20 — $27 ($60)
• Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition — $10 ($20)
• Ghost Recon Wildlands — $21.50 ($50)
• Rainbow Six Siege — $6.88 ($20)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $42.23 ($60)
• Sunset Overdrive — $15 ($20)
• Trials Rising — $8.60 ($25)
• Watch Dogs 2 — $15.48 ($60)
• Wreckfest — $16 ($40)
• WWE 2K20 — $27 ($60)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition — $9 ($50)
• XCOM 2 — $13.50 ($60)
• XCOM 2: War of the Chosen — $11.88 ($40)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-2-and-borderlands-3-featured-in-huge-pc-g/1100-6472275/