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Nintendo hosts Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, Splatoon 2 World Championship tournaments

Nintendo hosts Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, Splatoon 2 World Championship tournaments

On June 11-12 in Los Angeles, an invited group of players will gather to play Super Smash Bros., and qualified teams will compete in Splatoon 2, as Nintendo hosts an event featuring high-level gameplay on these two games for Nintendo Switch. This will be the first-ever exhibition tournament featuring the recently announced Super Smash Bros. game coming to Nintendo Switch in 2018. Additionally, this will be the first world championship for Splatoon 2 after the game’s launch. The gathering will be a celebration of fun for all ages, and will highlight Nintendo’s unique approach to competitive play. The event will be just one of Nintendo’s activities at the E3 video game trade show, which runs June 12-14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Additional details about Nintendo’s E3 plans will be announced at a later time.

The event will showcase players from around the globe in the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 tournament for the newly announced Super Smash Bros. game coming to Nintendo Switch this year and the Splatoon 2 World Championship. The competitions will be livestreamed.

Prior to the Splatoon 2 World Championship, Nintendo will host U.S./Canada online qualifiers. The U.S./Canada qualifier will be the Splatoon 2 U.S./Canada Inkling Open 2018 hosted by Battlefy. Open qualifiers for teams of four ages 13 and up will take place on April 21 starting at 11 a.m. PT, and finals will take place on April 28 at 8 a.m. PT. Teams will compete in Turf War during the open qualifiers and in Ranked Battle modes during the finals. Players can learn more about the qualifiers at https://e3.nintendo.com/splatoon-2-inkling-open/. Players from around the world competed in their region’s qualifying events for a spot at the Splatoon 2 World Championship, and those in Japan (Splatoon Koshien 2018), Europe (Splatoon European Championship) and Australia (AUNZ Splatoon Cup) should check information from their local regions regarding these qualifiers.

“Nintendo always takes an original approach to video game competitions, and the portability of Nintendo Switch enables unique gameplay possibilities,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We’re looking forward to watching some of the best players in the world test their skills against each other in these two uniquely competitive games.”

For additional details about the Nintendo Switch event, visit https://e3.nintendo.com. Visit https://battlefy.com/splatoon2 to register for the Splatoon 2 U.S./Canada qualifiers. More details about the Los Angeles event will be announced in the future.

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Pre-Purchase Now – The Elder Scrolls Online – Summerset

The Elder Scrolls Online – Summerset is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam.

Join over 10 million players in the award-winning online multiplayer RPG and experience limitless adventure in a persistent Elder Scrolls world. Be part of an ever-expanding story across Tamriel and travel to the stunning home of the High Elves to save the world from destruction in the latest Chapter of ESO.

Pre-Purchase today to immediately receive the Morrowind Chapter and Nightmare Senche mount, along with the Queen’s Bounty Pack at launch!

You can also try the Elder Scrolls Online for free until 10am Pacific on 3/28! If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play The Elder Scrolls® Online. If you don’t have Steam, you can download it here.

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Steam Client Update Released

A new steam client has been released and is being automatically downloaded.

General

  • Reduced CPU usage of Steam when redrawing the UI, such as when the mouse is moved back and forth over part of the Library view
  • Improved behavior when re-installing from retail discs or backup files, preferring to avoid downloads whenever possible
  • Fixed an issue where corrupt workshop items could be re-downloaded endlessly
  • Fix for new Steam Workshop item requests not being downloaded due to the “Only Allow Auto-Updates During Specific Hours” feature being enabled
  • Fixed an issue where the in-game overlay could crash or become unresponsive in some Vulkan-based games
  • Improved some cases where chat text was incorrectly treated as a clickable URL when it should not have been
  • Fixed an issue where games could no longer be launched in offline mode if Steam had previously started or scheduled an update

Windows

  • Added high-DPI monitor support when running under Windows 10 with the 2017 Creators Update
  • Added window transition animations when opening, closing, or minimizing Steam windows
  • Improved taskbar handling of Steam windows on multi-monitor systems
  • Added detection and support for exFAT-formatted drives

macOS

  • Added support for turning off or restarting the system from Big Picture mode
  • Improved native OS integration of Steam client windows. For example, Steam windows can now be dragged up past the menu bar to trigger the Spaces UI.
  • Improved reliability of the Steam Input and Streaming Audio drivers for macOS
  • Added a custom kernel driver for Sony DS4 controllers which allows use with Steam Input when connected over Bluetooth
  • Improved checks for case-sensitive APFS file systems. The Steam client only supports case-insensitive file systems on macOS, and will continue to warn users when running with an incompatible file system

Linux

  • Added a 2X-scaling mode with high-res text and graphics when running the Steam client in desktop mode on 4k-resolution monitors. You can also force 2X scaling with the “GDK_SCALE=2” environment variable, or disable it with “GDK_SCALE=1”.
  • Improved window-resizing interactions with the window manager
  • Fixed an issue where the Steam client could prevent some desktop sessions from shutting down

Big Picture

  • Fixed a browser hang when a web page transitions to or from full-screen mode

Steam Input

  • Added “Exit Application” controller action. When this action is used within a game, it will prompt the user if they actually want to quit and if confirmed will immediately close the application.
  • Added Chorded Press Activator. The Chorded Press Activator requires another input to be active for it to fire. This can be combined with other activators and either interrupt them or not based on those activators settings. So a regular press can optionally fire or not based on the chorded state, while a long press can optionally interrupt both for example. Chords require the chord button to be pressed first to activate (like shift or control would on a keyboard).
  • Added the ability to unique-ify configurations across Xbox and generic controllers. While the actual hardware cannot be differentiated, we treat them as unique controllers based on connection order. So if they elect to use unique configurations, configurations will be applied based on first, second, third, etc. identical controller.
  • Added hardware Joystick Calibration section in Controller Settings. This allows customizing the controller joystick deadzone on a per-controller, per joystick basis. There is an auto-calibration system that attempts to determine the ideal deadzone, as well as manual sliders for overriding those values. As Xbox controllers can’t be differentiated beyond type, they will only rely on controller order. Different device types, such as an Xbox One vs and Xbox One S controller, will be differentiated.
  • Made previewing state much more obvious when previewing a configuration.
  • Opted-In 3rd party controllers will now detect launchers and use a launcher specific configuration that is the same as opted-out controllers.
  • Improved compatibility with PS4 controller remapping programs – controllers no longer need to be reconnected when starting/exiting those programs. Also users will get a warning dialog if they are launching a game which is using the Steam Input API to support PS4 controllers while a remapper is running.
  • Fixed a bug where non-Steam games would use a desktop configuration when streaming if the controller wasn’t opted into Steam Input support.
  • Fixed using non-tracked gamepads in SteamVR’s Big Picture Mode overlay
  • Fixed Big Picture Mode’s Disk Management screen to accept gamepad/keyboard input on the disk selection dropdown
  • Fixed stuttering in some games due to excessive rumble updates
  • Fixed non-Steam games not being able to take screenshots from the controller
  • Fixed several layer bugs related to change layer bindings
  • Added a mouse movement threshold when determining if the Guide button is being used for a chord or to hold down the button to bring up the Big Picture menu
  • Fixed various On-Screen Keyboard issues including Non-Steam Controller dual cursor mode, improved language accent and modifier key support, and input immediately upon invocation
  • Made Controller Options always visible in the Big Picture Mode library page, even when no controller is currently active; users will be prompted to connect a controller if none can be found.
  • Fixed navigating multiple action sets via the bumper buttons when previewing a controller configuration
  • Fixed a case where the Big Picture Mode overlay could receive input when not active

In-Home Streaming

  • Fixed AMD hardware capture support on R9 200/300 cards
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Midweek Madness – Mortal Kombat XL, 66% Off

Apex Construct is Now Available on Steam!

Travel to the shattered future of Apex Construct, where merciless robots prowl the world as a result of mankind’s reckless experiments. As these synthetic creatures seek to dominate their new hunting grounds, you must use both your wits and combat skills to survive. In this atmospheric first-person Action/Adventure game, built exclusively for VR, the fate of mankind rests on you – the last human alive.

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Daily Deal – Battle Brothers, 50% Off

Masters of Anima is Now Available for Pre-Purchase on Steam and is 10% off!

Masters of Anima is an original adventure game that takes you deep into the magical world of Spark. Battle against the forces of evil in strategic, action-packed battles, where making tactical decisions quickly is vital. Summon and control large armies of up to 100 Guardians, thanks to intuitive and innovative gameplay made from the ground up for controller play, as well as keyboard and mouse.

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Now Available on Steam – Apex Construct

Apex Construct is Now Available on Steam!

Travel to the shattered future of Apex Construct, where merciless robots prowl the world as a result of mankind’s reckless experiments. As these synthetic creatures seek to dominate their new hunting grounds, you must use both your wits and combat skills to survive. In this atmospheric first-person Action/Adventure game, built exclusively for VR, the fate of mankind rests on you – the last human alive.