Microsoft Flight Simulator's Latest Update Brings Performance Improvements, UI Fixes, And Much More
2020 has seen a lot of things, mostly garbage all thrown into a big dumpster fire. But it's not been all bad and there have been some pleasant surprises, such as the return of Microsoft Flight Simulator. The 2020 revival of the long dormant simulation series was a big success for Microsoft and Game Pass, and was on the cutting edge of tech. But, of course, when you're on the cutting edge, it also means it's a lot easier to fall off. While largely well-received, the game did suffer a lot of technical issues. But to Microsoft and Asobo Studio's credit, they are working to fix them, with a big patch now live.
The latest update to the game, 1.8.3, is now available. The big things it focuses on is performances issues relating to the GPU and CPU, but there is a lot more here ranging for updates to ATC Azure, UI tweaks and fixes, improvements to aerodynamics and so much more. You can see a partial list focused on the before mentioned GPU and CPU updates, and see the full changelog through here.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available now for PC with update 1.8.3 live now. The game is also slated to come to Xbox consoles at a later date, with promises of being just as amazing as the PC version.
- Optimized cockpit screen display when screens are not displayed on screen.
- New option available to control cockpit screen update frequency.
- Tweaked CPU thread priorities to reduce interruption of frame critical threads.
- Optimized loading system to reduce overall loading times.
- Optimized heavy airport scenes impact on CPU.
- Reduced the amount of GPU overdraw to improve GPU performance.
- Memory optimizations to reduce software memory footprint and improve performance on limited memory computers.
- Overall performance optimizations.
Xbox Humbled By "Record-Breaking" Demand For Xbox Series X And Xbox Series S
Well, today was the big day that pre-orders opened for both of Microsoft's next generation consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. It seems it went by and large as you'd expect with most places reporting that the initial batch went very quickly. Microsoft was, no doubt, excited about it since they even had a pre-order trailer to highlight the power of the Series X. It seems it was apparently a humbling day, too.
The official Xbox Twitter posted shortly after pre-orders went live giving a big thanks to fans, saying they were humbled for the demand, saying it was "record-breaking." It's not clear what record is being broken (presumably launch for Xbox One, but it's not explicitly stated), and of course this is the official Xbox Twitter so it's not like they are going to post a negative message shortly after a high profile launch, but hey, it is what it is: a nice gesture.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will be available on November 10th. Pre-orders are now open at all major retailers in all major regions, if you can find them.
We are humbled by the record-breaking demand for Xbox Series X and S. Huge thanks to everyone for the excitement.
If you weren't successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10.
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 22, 2020
Serious Sam 4 Gets Kind Of Really Serious With New Story Trailer
Serious Sam 4, much like the series as a whole, is all about killing a lot of aliens. And boy, do we mean a lot. The game has seen a few delays, but is set to come out later this month. While the main draw is the absurd amount of enemies you'll be blasting through, there is a story here. A new trailer highlights that with the actually serious part (kind of, sort of) of Serious Sam.
You can check out the trailer below. It's an interesting contrast as it begins with something of a sober tone until the main character shows up, clearly not belonging with the rest of the cast in how he talks or looks. I imagine that is part of the charm, though, and to the trailer's credit, it sticks with the gag until the very end.
Serious Sam 4 is set to launch September 24th for both PC and Google Stadia. You can see the requirements for the PC version through here. The game will also come to consoles at some point in 2021.
Gotham Knights And Suicide Squad On PS5 And Xbox Series X Listed At A Price Of €75 At GameStop Italy
There's a lot to get excited about when it comes to a new generation. This one especially can be exciting because, unlike the current gen that we're about to leave, the hardware inside these is pretty beefy and with new SSDs, a lot of possibilities have opened up. But it also seems that with that will come a higher price, in the most literal sense, as many publishers are showing now. The latest seems to be WB Games, who have two high profile titles that are both looking to carry that hike.
Listings for the next gen versions of both Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League went live on GameStop Italy, which you can see here and here. While these are clearly placeholder box art (the Suicide Squad box is erroneously said to be cross-gen, though it is not), the prices are listed at €75, which is a hike up for the region which saw €70 as a standard before hand, though still cheaper than the €80 price tag Sony is asking for their first party next gen-only titles. It seems WB Games is the latest publisher to signify a price hike is inevitable. While there is some difference here for the region, I imagine it will translate to $69.99 in the US.
Gotham Knights is set to come out for both current and next generation consoles and PC in 2021, with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC sometime in 2022.
Metal Gear Solid 1 And 2 Rumored To Be Coming To PC
There are few franchises quite as legendary as the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Originally releasing on the original PlayStation (though the series began long before on the Japanese-only MSX), it had a sizable impact on gaming that is still felt today. Unfortunately, like so many of Konami's IPs, it's been left by the wayside, especially after its Creator and long term shepherd, Hideo Kojima, left the company in dramatic fashion. But a recent rumor points to the series making a return, and a strange one at that.
A poster going by the name of Potterson posted on the popular ResetERA forums that both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 would be coming to PC "again" (most likely referencing both games having long forgotten PC ports that were before the digital standard of today). Potterson apparently has a good record of leaks and moderators of the forum allegedly verified whatever information they provided.
Of course, take it with a grain of salt for now. It's a rather bizarre return for the series if it is indeed only the first two games, largely because there was a HD Collection that collected MGS2, 3 and Peace Walker that one would assume would be much easier to port over. The first two games have much more intertwined plots, though, to be fair. It's also unclear if this would only be for PC or also some kind of console release as well or if we're talking about simple ports or something more akin to remasters.
As it stands now, the only games readily available in the series across multiple platforms is Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, the last mainline title in the series, and Metal Gear Survive, a survival-based spinoff that came out after the above. Will we see a return of the original two games soon? Only time will tell.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Will Also Run At 4K/60 FPS On PS5
This November will see a lot of action with the release of the next generation consoles: the PS5 on Sony's side and the Xbox Series X and Series S on the Microsoft side. But, of course, there's also going to be a double whammy of the big blockbusters we've come to expect from the big publishers. One of those is Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the latest entry in the adventure series from Ubisoft. It promises big open worlds, a dash of mythological with your historical drama and, of course, drugs. But it seems those who will get it on next gen consoles will be getting a pretty and smooth version.
It was revealed that the game would, in fact, be pushed up a few days to coincide with the launch of the Series X and S. It was also said to be 4K/60 FPS on the Series X as well. Many also assumed that would be the case for the PS5 version, and Ubisoft confirmed that was the case via the German side of Eurogamer, which you can read in full here.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is set to launch on November 10th for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. Those who buy the game on current generation systems will also get free upgrades to next generation versions on both respective console families.
Microsoft Celebrates The Power Of Xbox Series X With Pre-Order Trailer
2020 has been a rough year. I don't really think there's any other way to say it, but boy, it's one for the record books no doubt. At the very least, the holiday season will see the release of new consoles and new games to go along with them, for what that may be worth to you in whatever your current situation may be. While November is the date to pick up the console of your choice, today was actually the day pre-orders went live for Microsoft's Xbox Series X and S, and they are celebrating the power of the Series X alongside that.
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft's high-end console for next gen which is being aimed primarily at the core audiences while the Series S is more towards the casual and mainstream audiences. The brief pre-order trailer brags on the system's unmatched power and speed, being the most powerful system (at least on paper, though some would argue that based on how the SSDs in both systems function) of the new generation of systems. Check it out below.
Both the Xbox Series X and S will be available on November 10th. Pre-orders are live now for both, good luck hunting them down.
Godfall – Weakpoints, Breach, and More Detailed in New Video Interview
Counterplay Games' Godfall has been looking better in its most recent combat trailer. Along with showcasing some new Valorplates, it also briefly indicated the existence of weakpoints. How do these differ from other titles and for that matter, what else can be expected from the combat? Arekkz Gaming managed to speak to technical producer Dick Heyne about all this and more in a new video.
Weakpoints will crop up when dealing enough damage to an enemy but require aiming one's reticle at a specific point. This is to help prevent mindless button mashing and imbue some strategy into the combat, which is further reinforced by the various build options that players will have. Different items could provide different effects upon hitting a weakpoint like recovering health or generating projectiles that seek out other foes. And yes, bosses have weakpoints as well.
There's also Breach, indicated by a meter on each foe. Filling up the Breach meter will stun an enemy and expose them to takedowns for massive damage or outright execution. Once again, you can acquire loot that will trigger different effects with takedowns, like an explosion that can damage nearby enemies. Almost every enemy can be taken down and there will be items for increasing Breach damage.
The full interview is worth watching, especially with its look at the new Valorplate, Armistice, and mechanics like Soul Shatter. Godfall is out on November 12th for PS5 and PC. It recently went gold with prices for both platforms and various editions revealed.
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Pre-orders Now Live
Though pre-orders have already gone live in certain regions, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is now available to pre-order worldwide. Granted, it might have sold out by the time you've viewed the trailer for the Series X below. But there's still a ways to go till launch.
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft's flagship 4K console with 12 TFLOPs of performance and a 1 TB solid state drive. Powered by AMD's Zen 2 CPU and RDNA2 architecture, it's capable of up to 120 FPS performance and ray-tracing. The Xbox Series S is suitably less powerful but still packs the same CPU and GPU, a 512 GB SSD and is capable of 1440p/60 FPS gaming.
Both consoles are out on November 10th. The Xbox Series X costs $499 while the Xbox Series S is $299. Microsoft is also offering Xbox All Access, a monthly plan that provides an Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for 24 months at $34.99 per month. With Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media, the console wars are about to heat up significantly in the coming months – stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light Trailer Explores Europa, Variks Returns
Big things are happening with Bungie's Destiny 2 in November. Several older destinations and activities will be going into the Destiny Content Vault. On the same day, Europa will be the next big destination that players venture to in the Beyond Light expansion. Check out a few bits of what to expect on Jupiter's moon.
Along with confirming the return of Variks of the House of Judgment, the trailer offers some background on Europa. The moon has been subject to Darkness for year and serves as the perfect location for Eramis to create her House of Darkness. The Fallen here can utilize Stasis to chilling effect but players will also have to contend with the Vex who seem to have their own agenda.
An aura of mystery surrounds the expansion, especially when it comes to the Golden Age Braytech facility and Deep Stone Crypt, the latter being a new six-person raid. What rewards can one expect? We'll find out when Destiny 2: Beyond Light launches on November 10th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at release.