Month: January 2021

CES 2021 will arrive on schedule, starting on Monday, January 11, and continue through Thursday, January 14. But instead of the usual grandiose trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, it’ll be going fully online as a virtual event. With almost 2,000 exhibitors and a plethora of streams coming from tech companies all around the world, it’s a show that can easily become intimidating to keep up with, even when watching from the comfort of home. As such, we’ll be going over how to watch and rounding up some of the biggest and best announcements from the show so you don’t miss a beat.

OtterBox Partners With Xbox For Gaming Accessories

OtterBox and Xbox announce a lineup of gaming accessories, including an Xbox controller shell, a phone clip for mobile gaming, a heat-dissipating case, a controller carrying case, and a smartphone screen protector.

Arcade1Up’s Pong, Dragon’s Lair, and Killer Instinct Cabinets

Arcade1up announced it will be adding new Pong, Dragon’s Lair, X-Men, and Killer Instinct arcade cabinets to its lineup. The Pong machine comes in the form of a 4-player pub table and includes 8 Atari games. The Dragon’s Lair machine is a more traditional cabinet and comes with Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp, and Space Ace. The X-Men machine is a 4-player cabinet that comes with three Marvel games, including the X-Men arcade game from 1992. The Killer Instinct cabinet is a 2-player machine that comes with Killer Instinct, Killer Instinct 2, and Battle Toads Arcade. Both the X-Men and Killer Instinct cabinets allow for Wi-Fi connection so you can take on friends locally and online.

LG’s G1 and C1 OLED TVs

LG announced a G1 and C1 series is coming to its 2021 lineup of televisions. The G1 series features an OLED Evo technology that aims to bring a brighter, more vibrant picture alongside a thinner panel display. LG also added to its lineup of CX televisions with the C1 series, coming in sizes ranging from 48″ to 83″. Both series will have the new Alpha 9 Gen 4 AI processors which promise to enhance sound and audio using deep learning, and AI Picture and Sound Pro which improve picture and sound quality.

Acer’s Nitro XV282K KV Gaming Monitor

Acer revealed the Nitro XV282K KV, a 28″ 4K gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1 support which makes it a great option for console gaming.

Lenovo’s LaVie Mini Laptop

Lenovo revealed the LaVie Mini Laptop, a “pocket-sized” Windows PC that comes with attachable wireless controllers similar to the Nintendo Switch.

TCL’s 8K 6-Series QLED TVs

TCL announced its upcoming line of 6-series QLED televisions will support 8K and feature an enhanced AiPQ engine for 8K image upscaling.

Sony’s A90J OLED TV

Sony is adding the A90J OLED television to its lineup, featuring a brighter display thanks to aluminum sheet lamination that allows for cooling, a new UI built on Google TV, and the Cognitive Processor XR which uses AI and machine learning to provide enhanced sound and picture.

Samsung Consumer MicroLED TV

Samsung announced their MicroLED TVs are now available in 88” and 99” sizes. Initially announced back in December 2020 in 110” and requiring professional installation, the new MicroLED sizes allow for out-of-box, regular mounting like traditional TVs.

Samsung Neo QLED TV

From Samsung’s new line of TVs comes the Neo QLED. Featuring a thin 0.9mm frame, an AI-driven Quantum Processor, and new LED light source technology, Samsung says the Neo QLED aims to deliver more immersive sound and display, and a more refined backlight experience.

Make sure to check back once CES 2021 kicks off as we’ll be continuously updating our roundup with the biggest and best news from the show.

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Over the past week, developer Facepunch Studios revealed its online survival game, Rust, generated over $1 million twice in one week. Released in early access back in 2013, Rush is having what many say is an “Among Us” style surge in popularity.

Today, Garry Newman, founder of Facepunch and developer of Garry’s Mod, revealed Rust made over $1 million in revenue on two separate days in the same week on Steam. At the time of this writing, Rust is the most viewed game on Twitch with 717k viewers.

We made over $1m on Steam on two days this week pic.twitter.com/UTiqxgzdO0

— garry (@garrynewman) January 8, 2021

What is Rust?

Rust is a multiplayer-only survival game released in Early Access in 2013 and a full release in 2018. In Rust, several players are put on a procedurally generated map where they must scavenge and craft weapons and supplies to ensure their survival.

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While players usually begin games with only a rock and torch, these can be used to acquire other materials and eventually craft more sophisticated weapons like guns and unique ammo. Essentially, think of Rust like a really violent game of PvP Minecraft.

Why is Rust So Popular Now?

Although a fixture of multiplayer gaming since 2013, Rust is having a bonafide surge in popularity, seven years after its initial Early Access release. Facepunch revealed Rust doubled its player count record on January 7, 2021, beating a record that was set on January 3, 2021.

Rust on track to double it’s previous high player count.. which was set like 4 days ago pic.twitter.com/1AP0hkJ6EH

— garry (@garrynewman) January 7, 2021

The explosion of popularity is attributed to a group of high-profile streamers who have taken to playing Rust together on a private server started by Offline TV.

The roster of streamers includes Shroud, XQc, Disguised Toast, Pokimane, Myth, and more. Their streams have brought over a million viewers to Rust, and this exposure is translating into player interest.

The Rust Private Server

Given the high-profiles of these streamers, the private server has become akin to a TV show with different streamers starting up competing factions and focuses. XQc, for example, leads a competitive PvP stable called Team Rocket.

THE OTV RUST SERVER IS TOO FUN THATS ALL I THINK ABOUT. MY COMPETITIVENESS OVERWHELMED ME AND I WAS RUDE TO NON-PVPERS. TOMORROW WERE GONNA DO BETTER AND TEAM ROCKET WILL TAKE OVER

— xQc (@xQc) December 31, 2020

Other streamers on the server prefer role-playing over PvP and Offline announced it will spin up a second, smaller private Rust server with a focus on role-playing.

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Rust was recently rated for consoles by the ESRB, which times perfectly with the newfound popularity. With ongoing stay-at-home orders around the world, more players might discover Rust now. Check out IGN’s Rust review.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

From a four-player TMNT cabinet to the sit-down driving experience, Arcade1Up has released a ton of interesting arcade cabinets, and now it’s announcing its first-ever four-player Pub-Style Head-to-Head machine.

Arcade1Up’s latest machine is called the Pong 4-Player Pub Table and it’s basically a tall round table you and your friends can gather around to drink and play Atari classics. There are 8 licensed Atari games including Pong, Pong Doubles, Quadra Pong, Pong Sports, Warlords, Circus Atari, Tempest, and Super Breakout

Aside from play classic Atari games, the Pong 4-Player Pub Table is a functional piece of furniture. It even has a clear cover top to protect it from accidental spills. It’s also now available for preorder at Best Buy.

If you’re looking for a more traditional arcade cabinet, Arcade1Up has also announced a new Dragon’s Lair machine. The machine features an HD transfer of all the original arcade games including Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace. This cabinet is an almost perfect replica of the early ’80s machine with nearly identical art and the same form factor.

Acrade1Up is also rolling out a new X-Men 4 Player Arcade. Similar to the company’s previous 4-player TMNT cabinet, it’s loaded with the 4-player X-Men arcade game from 1992 but with Wi-Fi added so you can play with others both in-person and online. You’ll also find Captain America and The Avengers and The Avengers in Galactic Storm loaded onto this machine.

Lastly, there’s a new Killer Instinct made in collaboration between Arcade1Up and Rare. On this machine, you’ll be able to play Killer Instinct and Killer Instinct 2, as well as Battle Toads Arcade. It also features Live Wi-Fi, so you can take on opponents playing from their own Killer Instinct cabinets.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com

Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the remaster collection of the original Bioware RPG trilogy, releases on March 12, 2021, according to a report by Eurogamer.

The release date leak comes courtesy of Singapore retailer Shopitree and Indonesia company GSShop, both of which have posted the March 12 date, which was spotted by Twitter user Idle Sloth.

Eurogamer states that their sources believe the date to be accurate.

Udah ga sabar buat lihat petualangan Commander Shepard menjalani kehidupan baru dalam resolusi super tajam, framerate lebih cepat, dan peningkatan visual yang indah ?

Yuk Pre Order Mass Effect Legendary Edition di Outlet GSSHOP terdekat kamu..
Jangan sampai ketinggalan ya  pic.twitter.com/sCNxsurLFx

— GSSHOP (@GSShopID) January 11, 2021

 

Electronic Arts has yet to confirm any official release date for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The collection will include all single-player base content and DLC from the first three games, with “forward compatibility and targeted enhancements on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.” It will also include all promo weapons, armors, and packs, all in a package that’s remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD, along with improved frame rates. BioWare hasn’t shown any gameplay footage from Legendary Edition, but with a March release date, it’s possible they’ll debut some in the near future.

“Our goal was not to remake or reimagine the original games, but to modernise the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form,” BioWare

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You can pre-order Mass Effect Legendary Edition on PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC right now with our pre-order guide.

BioWare also revealed a new Mass Effect game at December’s Game Awards, teasing a look at an Asari who appears to be Liara T’Soni. BioWare also recently lost two of its most noted members, general manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah.

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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/romanceable NPC for IGN.

Longtime smartphone case maker OtterBox is entering the gaming space by partnering with Xbox to launch several products aimed at both console and mobile gamers alike. The primary product is a controller shell for Xbox controllers (there’s versions for both the Series X and Xbox One controller) that provides a bit of grip as well as protection against drops (or being smashed in a fit of rage).

 

Other products include a clip to hold your smartphone while gaming, a heat-dissipating phone case, a controller carrying case, and a smartphone screen-protector that functions as a privacy shield. The Mobile Gaming Clip attaches to Xbox controllers with or without the protective shell, and collapses to a relatively compact size when not in use. Meanwhile, the Gaming Glass Privacy Guard adds protection to your phone screen from both scratches and prying eyes. The privacy glass keeps everything clear for you while looking straight-on, but obscures the screen from anyone looking at an angle.

OtterBox’s gaming offerings will be available for pre-order on January 25, and should begin shipping in mid-February.

Note: this is a spoiler-free review of Batman: Soul of the Dragon, which releases in Digital HD on Tuesday, January 12 and on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD on Tuesday, January 26.

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Batman: Soul of the Dragon marks the 41st installment in the long-running DC Universe Movies line, and it’s also among the most unique. Rather than act as a direct adaptation of any particular DC Comics storyline, it loosely draws from the work of the late Denny O’Neil to give the DCU a ’70s martial arts movie makeover. If Warner Bros. had made a Batman movie in 1973 starring Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, and Jim Kelly, it would have gone a little something like this. The resulting stew is every bit as fun and campy as it sounds, though, like many martial arts movies, the characters often take a backseat to the action.

Soul of the Dragon casts Grimm star David Giuntoli as the Dark Knight, who in this ’70s setting is a relative newcomer to the superhero game and struggling to balance the dueling sides of his life. Fate quickly reunites him with his old martial arts buddies Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos), Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu) and Ben Turner (Michael Jai White), as the butt-kicking quartet takes on the terrorist organization Kobra and its ringleader Jeffrey Burr (Josh Keaton). Along the way, viewers are treated to extensive flashbacks to our heroes’ early years training in Nanda Parbat under the sly, watchful eye of O-Sensei (James Hong).

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Plot matters little here, which is just as well given how often DC’s animated movies have buckled under the constraints of the standard 70-minute running time. Soul of the Dragon wastes little time before the wandering hero Richard Dragon gets the old gang back together and begins battling endless armies of ninja warriors and demonic snake monsters. The flashbacks serve to flesh out the collective group dynamic and the various characters’ motivations, but the plot is about as straightforward as it gets in the DCU.

In terms of fun factor, Soul of the Dragon doesn’t disappoint. The film obviously borrows liberally from ’70s martial arts classics like Enter the Dragon. There’s also a whiff of the classic James Bond movies and their globetrotting international intrigue. Nor does the movie lose touch with the thoughtful, philosophical framework of O’Neil’s work on books like Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter. The whole thing plays like a loving throwback to a simpler time in action movie-making.

That retro influence is directly reflected in the animation and music. While Soul of the Dragon’s animation style doesn’t entirely escape the generic same-ness that hinders most of these projects, the vintage character designs and tech certainly help. So too does composer Joachim Horsley’s funk-heavy score. It’s a shame the stylish opening credits sequence isn’t more reflective of the movie’s visual style as a whole, but that’s always been where the relatively modest budgets of these direct-to-video projects have been most apparent.

The voice cast is almost uniformly great, fortunately. Giuntoli’s Batman is a bit too bland compared to his predecessors, though he does do a fine job of drawing a subtle distinction between the dark knight and his alter ego, projecting a greater aura of confidence whenever Bruce dons his cape and cowl. Dacascos is pitch-perfect as Richard Dragon, bringing a much-needed dose of warmth and humor to a character who’s written as very straightforward. Arrow veterans Hu and White are also inspired casting choices. Hu actually seems more at home with the deadly, aloof Lady Shiva than she did as China White, while White is allowed to explore very different sides of a character who always stood out on Arrow. The fact that White is technically reprising his Arrow role highlights the fact that this voice cast would probably work just as well in live-action. Who knows? Maybe that’ll even happen someday.

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Entertaining as it is, Soul of the Dragon isn’t without its storytelling problems. The simple, straightforward plot isn’t an issue so much as the uneven character development over the course of the film. Soul of the Dragon emphasizes the family nature of the Batman/Richard Dragon/Lady Shiva/Ben Turner quartet, but even with the flashbacks it never fleshes out their shared history to the extent it should. Dragon himself receives almost no development. His one defining character trait is “being really good at martial arts” in a movie where nearly every character fits that description. Again, Dacascos is able to make the most out of his limited material, but it’s a shame to see such a fascinating character tamped down to become a generic martial arts movie protagonist.

Perhaps the one real flaw of Batman: Soul of the Dragon is that it doesn’t really need Batman in the first place. That would certainly be truer to O’Neil’s Richard Dragon stories. Had the Dark Knight been excised from the plot, there would have been more room to focus on the remaining three characters and their respective origins. It certainly would have been nice to see more of Turner’s history that’s glossed over in a quick montage sequence. You can’t entirely fault DC here, as it’s obviously much, much easier to market a movie with Batman plastered front and center. Still, it would be nice if the DC Universe Movies line could finally get to a place where it’s not so wholly dependent on the Dark Knight or the Man of Steel.

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