Too Many Game Streaming Services In the Future?
A Future of Too Many Game Streaming Services?
Game streaming, at least in the mainstream, is coming. Despite PlayStation Now’s 5 years on the market, streaming is just now becoming a widespread viable option. Google is entering the fray with Stadia, Microsoft are preparing their Project XCloud service, and Sony are reiterating that PlayStation Now will be pushed more with PS5. All this means is 1 thing; Competition. Can that competition turn into too many game streaming services?
In and of itself, competition can be a great thing. It pushes tech further quicker, and leads to better products and services for consumers. What if, though, too much competition became a strain on an otherwise great idea? We’ve seen the advent of streaming do wonders for TV shows and movies by consolidating a wealth of content from different companies into one convenient platform. Couple that with a palatable cost for some consumers to have as many as 2-3 services at once, and it sounds great. Right? Enter: Competition *queue dramatic entrance music*.
The success of the streaming model has driven companies to begin pulling their content from staples of the business in an effort to create their own service. We’ve seen Disney, NBC, and more begin to make their own services which means that the at one time convenience of streaming, starts to become more of a hassle. This same sentiment is already being tossed around in regards to game streaming. Companies like Ubisoft have conveyed interest in making their own streaming service. If each of the big publishers pull their games to justify their own service, then what does that leave PlayStation Now, Stadia, and Microsoft?
We discuss this and more this week on Triangle Squared: A PlayStation Podcast!
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More evidence of a Switch Mini appears
After months of speculation, there’s finally some solid evidence of a Switch Mini. Indeed, for months, investors have been said that there’ll be new and smaller model of the Nintendo Switch. Sources say it’ll be smaller with detachable Joy-Cons. There was expectation that it was to be revealed at E3 but it wasn’t shown. Some emails are being sent by a Chinese company about accessories for it as well. There is a high suspicion of those emails. Now there’s concrete evidence by known Nintendo Switch accessories seller, BigBen as reported by Go Nintendo.
These images seem to confirm that there will not be detachable Joy-Cons. The Nintendo investor’s meeting is on July 31st. We should be expecting either a comment on these rumors or an official announcement of the Switch Mini.
The Switch Mini has been heavily rumored for quite a while now, as various publications such as The Wall Street Journal have reported on the potential model releasing this year. The WSJ recently stated that Nintendo moved the production of some Switch units to Asia to counter the proposed tariff, and stated that Nintendo had started production of the Switch Mini and Switch Pro there.
What do you think about these images? Do you think they’re legit? Tell us down below in the comments!
CD Projekt Red reportedly working on two more Cyberpunk projects
It appears that the developers behind Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red, don’t only have 2077 in the works right now. The developer reportedly has two more projects related to Cyberpunk in the works right now. This news is coming from an article by Polish news site Bankier.pl posted today.
The post is completely in Polish but we’ve managed to get a rough translation. The studio says in the article that they are “working on three cyberpunk things – over the main game and over two more”. They also have two other teams both working on GWENT (Witcher card game), and an unannounced project. This means they have five teams all working on different things which is pretty large.
While this look like awesome news, I wouldn’t get your hopes up just yet. There’s a good chance that these two teams are likely working on DLC which could potentially get scrapped at any point. This is definitely an interesting development though, and we’ll have to wait and see what’s made of these two projects. This all combined with an unannounced project may bring a future of surprises for fans of CD Projekt.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be available on April 16th, 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Nintendo announces Tetris 99 Maximus Cup 5 featuring Splatoon!
Nintendo has announced the theme for Maximus Cup 5 – Splatoon! In honor of the final Splatfest happening soon, Maximus Cup 5 will start on July 7, and go until the 15th. Players are encouraged to get 100 points through online matches so the event theme can be saved on their game permanently.
The last Maximus Cup to feature a custom theme for Tetris 99 was the third, when the Big Block DLC was introduced, adding offline modes and future DLC to the multiplayer Tetris battler. Maximus Cup 3 also featured a custom “retro” Tetris theme, complete with old school music and graphics.
Tetris 99 has quickly become a popular feature of Nintendo Switch Online, as all Online subscribers get it as a free download along with the NES Classic Library of games. The release of the optional Big Block DLC pack for $9.99 was a welcome addition, as it enabled players to play offline against the computer to be the last one standing.
This upcoming fifth Maximus Cup looks to be a great one and it looks like it’ll pay tribute to one of the most popular multiplayer titles on the Switch.
The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition coming September 10th
It appears we’ll get one last adventure through Telltale’s Walking Dead games soon. Skybound has announced that the Definitive Edition of the games will be coming on September 10th to PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Along with this, the team also brought a new trailer to showcase what’s changed.
The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition will feature everything from Seasons 1-4 along with Walking Dead: Michonne. There will also be a slew of graphical improvements to make the games feel more polished. To add that extra little bit of change, you’ll also find updates to the menus and some behind the scenes content to enjoy. Unfortunately, the game will be coming exclusively to the Epic Games Store for PC. This will upset a lot of people (including me), but it doesn’t come as a surprise. Still, there’s nothing saying it won’t ever come to Steam so we can at least have hope.
Regardless, this should still have fans of the Walking Dead game series excited. Being able to dive back into the four (plus Michonne) titles with improvements should offer great nostalgia. If you’d like to find out more information regarding the game including some minor features left out here, check the game’s official page.
Dry Bowser is coming to Mario Tennis Aces this July
A new playable character heading to Mario Tennis Aces! Dry Bowser is joining the roster this August, and you can unlock him early by participating in this month’s online tournament. Dry Bowser will be Mario Tennis Aces’s final DLC character
DRY BOWSER’S ABILITIES:
– Will not take damage from Zone Shots (Special Shots act as normal)
– Slice pushes the opponent back at stage 2 charge (similar to Koopa’s drop shot)
– Side Trick always comes out as a Max Charge Slice
– Slice curves a lot
Also in this update is the release of Wario and Waluigi’s Classic costumes, and more Shy Guy costumes. Be sure to participate in the online tournament starting from July 1st until the end of the month.
Mario Tennis Aces originally launched on June 22nd, 2018, and has been supported with free DLC through characters ever since launch. The game has seen characters such as Pauline from Super Mario Odyssey, and Kamek, who is notoriously known for causing mayhem in the Mario & Luigi series. As of writing this, the game’s roster has over 26 characters with the new addition of Dry Bowser. For more on Mario Tennis Aces, be sure to check out our other articles here at FinalWeaponX4.
UK Charts: Super Mario Maker 2 is Nintendo’s best selling first party title of the year, Bloodstained sells more on Nintendo Switch than PS4 and Xbox One combined in week one
In the United Kingdom, Super Mario Maker 2 was unsurprisingly Nintendo’s biggest first party launch of the year. First party wise Nintendo hasn’t had much this year. The first party releases of 2019 before Super Mario Maker 2 we’re New Super Mario Bro. U Deluxe, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and Nintendo Labo Kit 4 Virtual Reality Set. Overall Super Mario Maker 2 was the best selling game in the United Kingdom in its first week. The top 10 for that week was Super Mario Maker 2, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, F1 2019, Judgement, Mario Kart 8, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night also debut. The game surprisingly sold best on the Nintendo Switch. It outsold the Xbox One and PS4 versions combined in week one. The UK is a very Sony dominated area, so this news comes as a shock to a lot of people. It should be noted that the Nintendo Switch version of the game reportedly has a lot of performance issues. It seems like United Kingdom gamers have no problem sacrificing performance for portability, as these sales numbers prove.
Battleborn made Borderlands 3 “as good as it is”
According to Gearbox Software (developers behind the Borderlands franchise), Borderlands 3 wouldn’t be as good as it is right now without the development and reception of Battleborn. The information comes from an interview conducted by Metro with Gearbox Art Director Scott Kester.
One of the questions asked of Scott during the interview was regarding how long it took for Borderlands 3 to be where it is now. He responded saying that they “needed a break” and that the game inevitably wouldn’t be as well done as it is now. He went on to talk about Battleborn and said that without it, the game easily wouldn’t have been “as good as it is”. The game caused Gearbox to think differently on their development process.
To an extent, this statement actually does make sense. It’s no doubt that Battleborn wasn’t exactly regarded as a solid experience. It was riddled with many different issues and this would’ve likely made Gearbox actually do things differently. We won’t know just how good the game is until September, so we’ll have to see how that holds up.
The interview went on to talk about several other topics regarding improvements of BL3’s predecessors. It’s a read that is definitely worth your time. Borderlands 3 will release on the Epic Games Store, PS4, and Xbox One on September 13th, with Stadia and Steam releases later down the line.
Xbox’s Games with Gold for July have been revealed
A few days early, we have received news regarding the Xbox Live Games with Gold. As per usual the four available titles are all playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility.
Starting with Xbox One, you have INSIDE available from July 1st to the 31st. INSIDE is a puzzle-platforming adventure game made by the brilliant team behind Limbo. You take on the role of a kid in a heavily dystopian future trying to cheat death along with solve many puzzles. The game currently has a 93 on Metacritic and should be a must play if you haven’t tried it already.
The second Xbox One title is a lesser known title named Big Crown: Showdown, available from the 16th to the 31st. The game is an action platformer, having you and up to 3 other friends battling it out on several different worlds to see who can claim the crown. The game has received generally favorable reviews, and should be a joy for couch coop or with a few friends.
Moving on to Xbox 360, you have Castlevania: Symphony of the Night available from the 1st to the 16th. Following that is Meet the Robinsons available from the 16th to the 31st. Both games are solid classic games, receiving generally positive scores.
You can find more info about these Games with Gold on their official Xbox Wire post. If you’re more into deals, you can check our post on the Deals with Gold for this week.