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Google Details Stadia’s Missing Launch Features
Those who pre-ordered Google Stadia‘s Founders Edition will be the first to log-in next week when the service kicks off on November 19. It doesn’t look like being smooth sailing for Google, however. The recently announced launch lineup has already been roundly criticised for an underwhelming scarcity of games (not to mention a lack of exclusives), and now the list of missing features at launch is also a growing concern.
In a Reddit AMA with Stadia’s Andrey Doronichev and Beri Lee, the pair of Google employees revealed that the company’s cloud-based games service would be rolling out next week with a host of missing features. For example, Stream Connect, State Share, and Crowd Play (all features based around multiplayer) won’t be available at launch. Stream Connect may arrive before the year’s end, but State Share and Crowd Play won’t be up and running until sometime in 2020.
PC Chrome gameplay won’t support 4K, HDR, or 5.1 surround sound on day one either. Stadia will be able to stream 4K/HDR/5.1 on Chromecast Ultra, but support on PCs won’t be added until 2020. The Stadia controller will only work wirelessly when using the Chromecast Ultra dongle, too, so if you want to play Stadia’s launch lineup on a PC, tablet, or phone, you’ll have to plug the controller in. On top of this, existing Chromecast Ultra devices won’t support Stadia until a firmware patch is released sometime after launch.
The achievement system is also missing, there won’t be a family sharing option until early 2020, and The Buddy Pass for Founders won’t arrive until two weeks after Founders have received their bundle. Controllers aren’t all being sent out at once either, so you may have to wait a few days after November 19 to receive yours, which means playing with a keyboard and mouse to begin with.
“Our approach to releasing features on Stadia is similar to how we run Google Search, YouTube, and other Google services: gradual rollout and continuous improvement, based on your feedback,” Doronichev said. “We always start with nailing the key user-journey and then proceed with releasing extra features. YouTube started with ‘watch video.’ For Stadia it’s ‘Play the Game on your biggest screen.’ New features will start popping as soon as one week after launch. I expect the first game with Stream Connect to launch by the end of the year. The games that support State Share and Crowd Play will be released next year. And of course, there are many more cool new platform features on the roadmap. We’re aiming to release new stuff weekly after 11/19.”
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/google-details-stadias-missing-launch-features/1100-6471437/
Flash Deal: Xbox One X With Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Discounted To $310 (Refurbished)
Black Friday 2019 is right around the corner, and with it comes quite a few deals on Xbox One X bundles. However, online retailer Woot has one of its own, and it’s available right now. For $310 USD, Woot is offering a “factory-reconditioned” Xbox One X with a standard-edition copy of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, one day before Jedi Fallen Order’s release. The same bundle goes for $500 at full price. Please note that Woot only ships to the United States.
A Woot representative told GameSpot that a factory-reconditioned item is returned, inspected, and restored to working condition by the original manufacturer or a certified partner. Each factory-reconditioned item comes with the assigned manufacturer warranty or Woot’s own 90-day guarantee. If you’d prefer to have a brand-new console, this deal may not be for you, but if you’re just looking to pick up an Xbox One X without breaking the bank (knowing that the next-generation Xbox console is coming next year), you probably won’t find the console much cheaper than this, especially when paired with a brand-new AAA game.
Xbox One X (Refurbished) with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order | $310 ($500)
Here’s the catch: This flash deal will only be available for a short time. The bundle went on sale at midnight ET on November 14, and the deal will run for 24 hours or while supplies last.
If you’re holding out for a new console and can wait until Black Friday, you’ll be able to get the Xbox One X bundle with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (Deluxe Edition) for $350 from multiple retailers. Best Buy’s Black Friday sale includes the bundle with three months of Xbox Live Gold for that same price. That said, we expect the Black Friday offer will sell out fast, so be sure to snag that bundle quickly if you’ve got your eye on it.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order releases November 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It’s developed by Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment and takes many cues from the Dark Souls series. We wrote about its thoughtful combat and Metroidvania inspirations in our Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order preview.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/flash-deal-xbox-one-x-with-star-wars-jedi-fallen-o/1100-6471427/
Path Of Exile’s Fan Convention Promises Lots Of News, Creators Of Diablo Will Also Attend
The first-ever fan convention dedicated to Path of Exile, ExileCon, takes place this weekend in developer Grinding Gears’ home city of Auckland, New Zealand. It’s primed to be a big show for the Diablo-esque free-to-play action role-playing game, as the studio is promising announcements for the game’s next expansions and holding deep dive talks with developers.
The event kicks off with a keynote address on Saturday, November 16, featuring Grinding Gear Games’ founder Chris Wilson and technical director Jonathan Rogers, beginning at 10 AM NZDT / 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. This event–which is probably where the big reveals will take place–will be streamed live on Twitch. GameSpot will be in attendance at the event to bring you all the big news.
ExileCon Day 1 rolls on with a panel at 11 AM NZDT featuring FX artist Ivan Leong, called “Creating Game Effects in Path of Exile.” There will also be panels on Day 1 focused on the upcoming 3.9.0 and 4.0.0 updates, and these will also be streamed live.
Day 2 (Sunday, November 17) will feature big panels as well. The founders of Blizzard North, the team that created the original Diablo, will be on hand for a group interview presentation. David Brevik, Max Shaefer, and Erich Schaefer will speak at the panel, which won’t be streamed. However, GameSpot plans to be in attendance. Day 2’s events also include panels about procedural world generation and another Q&A with the Grinding Gears’ founders.
You can see the full ExileCon schedule here. If you’re interested in attending, tickets are still on sale, starting at $180 USD.
Path of Exile was initially released on PC in 2013 before coming to Xbox One in 2017 and PS4 earlier this year. The game is free-to-play, supported by microtransactions.
In 2018, Grinding Gear was acquired by Chinese internet giant Tencent. That company also has a controlling interest in Riot Games (League of Legends) and Supercell (Clash of Clans). Tencent also owns 40 percent of Fortnite studio Epic Games and has a 5 percent stake in Activision Blizzard.
Disclosure: Grinding Gear Games is paying for GameSpot’s flight and accommodation to attend ExileCon.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/path-of-exiles-fan-convention-promises-lots-of-new/1100-6471433/
