Game Breaking News

Audio player loading… Video codecs are one of those things that everyone uses, but few understand. For many users, codec support is little more than a frustration, such as when your software player tells you an audio or video format is not supported. Anger ensues. Current video codecs include H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC), but there’s another one gaining traction. AV1. AV1 is developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) (opens in new tab) , which is a consortium made up of a who’s who of tech companies (opens in new tab) . The signs point toward AV1 becoming the dominant internet video format. It’s gaining widespread support from major content providers, hardware and infrastructure companies, game streamers, and creators. The aim of AV1 is to deliver equal video quality at a lower bitrate (with a resulting smaller file size), or higher quality at an equivalent bitrate to the likes of an HEVC video. This means it’s able to stream 4K and future 8K content more … [Read more...] about The AV1 codec is coming, and it’s a big deal

Audio player loading… Here at PC Gamer we tend to like playing games on PC. Many of us are open minded enough to find fun in other places, like on consoles and the likes, but we still like our PCs. We like our PCs so much we get excited when we can play non PC games on them. Every time Sony decides to release something like God of War (opens in new tab) , or Spider-Man (opens in new tab) on our beloved platform we go nuts with celebratory mods (opens in new tab) . These huge ultra impressive games (opens in new tab) finally coming to PC is always cause for excitement, but what about potentially hundreds of little ones? As of today, Google has officially launched its Google Play Games for PC beta across Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. This means that users with Google Play accounts from those regions, will be able check out some Android gaming titles on their PC. The application can be downloaded straight from Google's site, (opens … [Read more...] about Google Play for PC Beta brings your android games to the big screen

Audio player loading… 11 days ago South Korea issued an arrest warrant for Do Kwon, who is the co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs and one of the individuals most entwined in this year's widespread crypto crash. The Terra ecosystem's collapse was the domino that sent plenty of others tumbling, including the linked Luna token (fans of which termed themselves 'Lunatics'), and Do Kwon and five others involved have subsequently relocated to Singapore. This may have been because Singapore has no extradition treaty with South Korea, which could have meant a long and potentially tricky legal process. On the other hand, scratch that, because Interpol has now issued a red notice for Do Kwon. This essentially means that every police force in the world is being asked to locate and arrest him. A spokesperson for South Korean prosecutors confirmed the red notice to Techcrunch , which was issued following their request. Kwon meanwhile is tweeting out very innocent lines like " you … [Read more...] about Interpol issues red notice for Terra co-creator behind $40 billion crypto crash

Audio player loading… At this kind of distance, it's much easier to see how important Ultima Online is in the history of videogames. It wasn't the first MMOG, but it is perhaps the foundational game for what we'd come to think of as MMOGs, and its influence can be found in everything from the obvious (World of Warcraft and even much more contemporary examples like New World) to edge cases such as Minecraft's crafting system. Ultima Online is a landmark, and that is most obviously shown in the fact it's still a going concern: servers remain live to this day, and the game receives regular if small updates. This month marks 25 years since the game launched and, alongside a merry in-game celebration (including drinks vouchers and a 'troll kissing booth'), Ultima Online also offers one of the most remarkable in-game collectables you'll see: a shield that reflects a player having spent 25 years playing the game . Hildebrandt shield As special recognition for … [Read more...] about Ultima Online has a special shield if you’ve been playing for 25 years

Audio player loading… The Epic Games Store turns four years old in December and has had its fair share of teething problems. Functionality has been particularly slow in arriving, with the store lacking things as essential as an 'add to cart' feature until last December. Epic's been slowly grinding away nevertheless, and is now finally adding another much-needed feature as our list of free games grows ever-longer: library collections. Yep, you can finally create up to 11 folders to store your games in, as well as the option to now add games to a favourites list. The process is simple—either hover over a game and hit the heart icon in the top-right corner, or click the three dots underneath the game's thumbnail and select 'add to collection,' choosing an existing collection or making a new one. Folders seem like a feature that shouldn't have taken such an awfully long time to arrive—hell, even the Nintendo Switch got folders before Epic did—but good (or basic) things come to … [Read more...] about Epic Games Store adds a key feature at last

After a three-year hiatus from live events that included one digital event in 2021, the Electronic Entertainment Expo will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2023 June 13-16, and it will feature separate areas and days for industry and consumer events. E3 Business Days are scheduled for June 13-15 and will be limited to registered industry members for networking, meetings, and more. Media will also be allowed to go hands-on with upcoming games in dedicated, industry-only spaces, including one half of the LACC. E3 Gamer Days--the portion of the event open to the public--will run June 15 and 16 in the other half of the LACC, separate from the industry area. This will allow players to go hands-on with the same upcoming games, as well as connect with developers, content creators, and more. This area will also be open to industry members during their designated days. The press release announcing the new structure also confirms that "partnered digital events and … [Read more...] about E3 2023 Dates Set For June 13-16, Will Feature Separate Business And Consumer Areas And Days

A new Silent Hill game might be on the way, according to a Korean rating that has appeared online. The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has rated Silent Hill: The Short Message, with the publisher for this title being listed as Uniana. According to Gematsu , Uniana regularly publishes Konami games in South Korea. Other details on what exactly this new Silent Hill experience could be weren't revealed in the listing, and it's worth noting that Uniana also runs an arcade cabinet business. Another dormant Konami franchise, Metal Gear, infamously got a pachinko machine even as the series itself was otherwise largely ignored Around a decade has passed since the last proper Silent Hill game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories on the PS Vita, was released and rumors have begun circulating of multiple games in the Konami horror series being in development. Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team is reportedly working on a new Silent Hill game in collaboration with Konami … [Read more...] about Unannounced Silent Hill Game, The Short Message, Gets A Rating

Audio player loading… Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has sparked controversy by saying that "you need a little friction" to make videogames, a remark that's caused backlash because of the company's well-known problems with toxicity and abusiveness in the workplace. "Creating a videogame is not easy," Guillemot said in a recent interview with La Presse (opens in new tab) ( Google translated (opens in new tab) ) in reply to a question about why workplace misconduct seems so widespread in the game industry. "There is a 'challenge,' from time to time a lot of tension. Techniques must be put in place to ensure that everyone succeeds in finding their place. To create, you need a little friction, because everyone has to succeed in getting their idea across. It's a job that brings a lot of rewards when you succeed, but it's difficult." It's a fairly innocuous statement about the nature of collaborative work, and not quite a direct quote because the interview is in French. Still, … [Read more...] about Ubisoft CEO sparks controversy by saying that making games requires ‘friction’

One of the most anticipated releases of the year has finally arrived with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic. We’ve already taken out a Lady, handed a set-back to a Prince, set time straight, and proven we were prepared by banishing the Legion. Now it’s time to show a King that they don’t rule forever. Consider this leveling guide your cheat sheet to reach level 80 quickly in the new Wrath Classic expansion. It doesn’t just apply to Northrend—a lot of these tips can also be used when leveling a fresh character from level one. You'll also find it useful if you created a Death Knight, the new hero class introduced in Wrath Classic, and are looking to level them up from 55 to 80. If you're ready to start exploring Northrend, or want some general tips for lower-level characters, this Wrath Classic leveling guide will set you on the right path. Wrath Classic leveling guide: Preparation is key It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the new … [Read more...] about Wrath of the Lich King Classic leveling guide: Tips to reach level 80 fast

Wrath of the Lich King Classic introduces a large northern continent just waiting to be explored—or revisited in many cases. If you can't quite remember how to get to Northrend the old-fashioned way, this guide is here to help you out. Whether you play Alliance or Horde, I'll explain where you need to go to get started on your journey to Northrend. Before you head out though, you'll need to decide where you want to start. You can choose between Borean Tundra to the southwest or Howling Fjord over on the southeastern corner of the new continent. As each destination has a different departure point, I'll go over those too. Here's how to get to Northrend in Wrath Classic. How to get to Borean Tundra in Northend Borean Tundra is the easiest destination to get to for both Horde and Alliance players and is likely to be the zone you end up in if you don't realise there's an alternative. For Horde players , head to Orgrimmar's main gate —the southern one that leads to … [Read more...] about How to get to Northrend in Wrath of the Lich King Classic