2019 has been a massive year for the open source 3D application Blender.  Back in July Blender 2.80 was released, perhaps the biggest release in Blender’s history.  Just a few days later, Epic Games announced that they would be giving Blender 1.2M dollars as part of their Mega-grant program.  Then earlier this month, NVIDIA became a Patron level sponsor, the highest tier possible.  Today another company joined that tier, announced in the following tweet:

No formal details of the partnership have been announced by either Blender or AMD as of yet, but a patron level sponsorship means that AMD will be giving the Blender Foundation at least 120K Euro/month, enabling the hiring of at least two developers full time!

Learn more about this and prior announcements in the video below.

GameDev News Art Blender

A strange thing that occasionally happens to me is that I get what I’ve referred to as Paradox dreams. Not because they are self-contradicting, but because they occur when I play too much of one of Paradox’s grand strategy games, such as Crusader Kings 2 or Europa Universalis 4.

Essentially, my brain ends up thinking of ways I can improve my position in these games via my dreams.

Pacific Fire has gotten my attention in such a way that I had one of these ‘Paradox dreams’ about it. So, what’s so special about this mobile wargame that it has kidnapped my subconscious?

A PACIFIC UN-PACIFIED

Pacific Fire does not have much in the way of astounding graphics like you may see from AAA mobile studios like the big brains behind Clash of Clans or Candy Crush (people still play that, right?), or a very engaging story, but neither are really missed. Pacific Fire knows what it is good at, and has cut everything else in favor of compelling and engaging gameplay.

You are given several scenarios to try your hand at, pushing air, land, and sea units between bases in order to complete your objectives for the scenario, generally on a strict turn limit of x amount of months. Notably, the game uses WEGO, a turn method that sees both sides make their moves simultaneously, then showing how the action played out at the beginning of the next turn. This format suits Pacific Fire wonderfully, as the Pacific theatre’s naval engagements were defined by the opposing fleets guessing the other’s position, attempting them to coax them into a decisive battle on their own terms.

This brings us to the most important element of Pacific Fire, the order in which all these moves take place. There’s a grand total of fourteen steps to combat resolution, but essentially it boils down to this: air units arrive at their destination and dogfight with enemy air units, the surviving bombers attack their respective land or naval targets. The naval forces then move to their destination, fight the enemy naval forces, and bombard any land units. Lastly, land units resolve their combat with the enemy. This turn ordering allows for clever strategists to replicate the great naval battles of the Pacific, with smartly deployed squadrons and fleets able to negate an invading army’s numbers.

In a nice touch, planes and ships have their own sets of stats, which determine how they function in battle. Generally, newer vehicles operate at a higher efficiency. On a similar note, land units have 3 stats that determine combat capability: men, tanks, and guns. Men are the overall strength of the unit, tanks help the unit in offensive battles, and the guns help on defense and help protect the unit against enemy bombers. This layer of attention to units adds a degree of thoughtfulness to how you should utilize your army, making successful actions pleasing to pocket generals

ISLAND HOPPING

That’s all very well and good, but what about the context surrounding these engagements? Pacific Fire comes with a total of 13 scenarios (1 of which also operates as a tutorial), with a focus on specific areas of the war. There are several scenarios from the Allied side that capture the struggle to survive as war broke out and the Japanese overwhelmed the British, French, Dutch, and American holdings. These make for good starting scenarios, as the map is smaller, and the Allied player needs to worry about deploying smaller numbers of units rather than the entire Pacific theatre. Even while these are certainly scenarios aimed towards a beginner, Pacific Fire is not an easy game. Leaving a base without fighters to defend it can see enemy bombers quickly killing hundreds of men, leaving the player in an unwinnable position for the scenario.

The scenarios covering the later parts of the war are generally more challenging, a particularly campaign covering the time period around the Battle of Coral Sea (still haven’t managed to beat it). Even more intimidating, there are 3 full Pacific campaigns available, with increasing complexity and difficulty. While several scenarios can be wrapped up over the course of a lunch break, these will be campaigns that take a longer stretch of time.

Disappointingly, there are less playable scenarios for the Japanese, but these are very interesting scenarios. One follows the Japanese in the Burma campaign, looking to push into China and India with 0 naval forces in this scenario (a companion to the much harder Allied version of this campaign). Another notable scenario uses the “What If” of an invasion of the Japanese home islands, using civilians to hold off the Americans until a peace can be brokered. The Japanese don’t play significantly different to the Allies, but there is one key difference. Both sides will in a scenario have an “Industry Score” that determines how many reinforcements will be deployed at the end of the turn. The Allies gain Industry Score over time, but the Japanese player’s score depends on how many bases they hold. As they control less territory, the Japanese are less able to replenish their forces, which follows the “rules” of the history well.

While Pacific Fire does a lot right, the few flaws it has are amplified by the focus that is placed on the gameplay itself. In some of the smaller scenarios, it’s easy to feel as if there is a “right” answer to unit movement and placement, making these scenarios feel more like puzzles than proper warfighting. This may not be an issue to all players, but for a game that has several solid wargaming scenarios, these can be disappointing, as one wrong move can mean that a win is impossible.

Similarly disappointing is that with a lack of multiplayer support, the game is entirely player v. AI. The AI is… interesting. It’s difficult to realty get a feel for it, as the AI deciding to sit on a base for several turns without moving could either be a cog in a larger strategic plan, or it could be the AI not properly utilizing all of its forces. It does seem easier to lure AI naval fleets into an engagement than it does to bait an army to attack, but that may be just contextual.

CONCLUSION

Pacific Fire is a surprising hidden gem. I hadn’t heard of it at all until the Editor asked me to write a review for it, and I’m very glad he did. My other mobile games have become completely forgotten in the last week as I’ve used my work breaks to figure how to withstand the Japanese assaults on Mandalay, or how to crack the defenses around Truk. Pacific Fire has some shortcomings, but is overall an excellent use of your time, both when awake and, in my case, when asleep.

REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 23, 2019 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the following results for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, as compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year:

• Revenue was $33.1 billion and increased 14%
• Operating income was $12.7 billion and increased 27%
• Net income was $10.7 billion and increased 21%
• Diluted earnings per share was $1.38 and increased 21%

“The world’s leading companies are choosing our cloud to build their digital capability,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “We are accelerating our innovation across the entire tech stack to deliver new value for customers and investing in large and growing markets with expansive opportunity.”

Microsoft returned $7.9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, an increase of 28% compared to the first quarter of fiscal year 2019.

“It was a strong start to the fiscal year with our commercial cloud generating $11.6 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 36% year over year,” said Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Microsoft.

Revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $11.1 billion and increased 13% (up 15% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

• Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13% (up 15% in constant currency) driven by Office 365 Commercial revenue growth of 25% (up 28% in constant currency)
• Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 5% (up 6% in constant currency) with continued growth in Office 365 Consumer subscribers to 35.6 million
• LinkedIn revenue increased 25% (up 26% in constant currency)
• Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased 14% (up 16% in constant currency) driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 41% (up 44% in constant currency)

Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $10.8 billion and increased 27% (up 29% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

• Server products and cloud services revenue increased 30% (up 33% in constant currency) driven by Azure revenue growth of 59% (up 63% in constant currency)
• Enterprise Services revenue increased 7% (up 8% in constant currency)

Revenue in More Personal Computing was $11.1 billion and increased 4% (up 5% in constant currency), with the following business highlights:

• Windows OEM revenue increased 9% (up 9% in constant currency)
• Windows Commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 26% (up 29% in constant currency)
• Search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 11% (up 13% in constant currency)
• Xbox content and services revenue was relatively unchanged (up 1% in constant currency)
• Surface revenue decreased 4% (down 2% in constant currency)

Business Outlook

Microsoft will provide forward-looking guidance in connection with this quarterly earnings announcement on its earnings conference call and webcast.

Quarterly Highlights, Product Releases, and Enhancements  

Every quarter Microsoft delivers hundreds of products, either as new releases, services, or enhancements to current products and services. These releases are a result of significant research and development investments, made over multiple years, designed to help customers be more productive and secure and to deliver differentiated value across the cloud and the edge.

Here are the major product releases and other highlights for the quarter, organized by product categories, to help illustrate how we are accelerating innovation across our businesses while expanding our market opportunities.

Webcast Details

Satya Nadella, chief executive officer, Amy Hood, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Frank Brod, chief accounting officer, Keith Dolliver, deputy general counsel, and Michael Spencer, general manager of investor relations, will host a conference call and webcast at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time (5:30 p.m. Eastern time) today to discuss details of the company’s performance for the quarter and certain forward-looking information. The session may be accessed at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor. The webcast will be available for replay through the close of business on October 23, 2020.

Constant Currency

Microsoft presents constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations. To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than United States dollars are converted into United States dollars using the average exchange rates from the comparative period rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective periods. All growth comparisons relate to the corresponding period in the last fiscal year. Microsoft has provided this non-GAAP financial information to aid investors in better understanding our performance. The non-GAAP financial measures presented in this release should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, the measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Financial Performance Constant Currency Reconciliation

 Segment Revenue Constant Currency Reconciliation

 Selected Product and Service Revenue Constant Currency Reconciliation           

 About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

• intense competition in all of our markets that may lead to lower revenue or operating margins;
• increasing focus on cloud-based services presenting execution and competitive risks;
• significant investments in products and services that may not achieve expected returns;
• acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances that may have an adverse effect on our business;
• impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a significant charge to earnings;
• cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities that could lead to reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, or harm to our reputation or competitive position;
• disclosure and misuse of personal data that could cause liability and harm to our reputation;
• the possibility that we may not be able to protect information stored in our products and services from use by others;
• abuse of our advertising or social platforms that may harm our reputation or user engagement;
• the development of the internet of things presenting security, privacy, and execution risks;
• issues about the use of artificial intelligence in our offerings that may result in competitive harm, legal liability, or reputational harm; and
• excessive outages, data losses, and disruptions of our online services if we fail to maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;
• quality or supply problems;
• the possibility that we may fail to protect our source code;
• legal changes, our evolving business model, piracy, and other factors may decrease the value of our intellectual property;
• claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights of others;
• claims against us that may result in adverse outcomes in legal disputes;
• government litigation and regulatory activity relating to competition rules that may limit how we design and market our products;
• potential liability under trade protection, anti-corruption, and other laws resulting from our global operations;
• laws and regulations relating to the handling of personal data that may impede the adoption of our services or result in increased costs, legal claims, fines, or reputational damage;
• additional tax liabilities;
• damage to our reputation or our brands that may harm our business and operating results.
• exposure to increased economic and operational uncertainties from operating a global business, including the effects of foreign currency exchange;
• adverse economic or market conditions that may harm our business;
• catastrophic events or geo-political conditions that may disrupt our business; and
• the dependence of our business on our ability to attract and retain talented employees.

For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft’s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft’s Investor Relations website at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor.

All information in this release is as of September 30, 2019. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company’s expectations.

For more information, press only:

Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, rrt@we-worldwide.com

For more information, financial analysts and investors only:

Michael Spencer, General Manager, Investor Relations, (425) 706-4400

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers, and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Shareholder and financial information, as well as today’s 2:30 p.m. Pacific time conference call with investors and analysts, is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor.

Sometimes you may not need to set up a full FTP server with authenticated users with upload and download privileges. If you are simply looking for a quick way to allow users to grab a few files, an anonymous FTP server can fit the bill. This article shows you show to set it up.

This example uses the vsftp server.

Installing and configuring the anonymous FTP server

Install the vsftp server using sudo:

$ sudo dnf install vsftpd

Enable the vsftp server.

$ sudo systemctl enable vsftpd

Next, edit your /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf file to allow anonymous downloads. Make sure you have the following entries.

anonymous_enable=YES

This option controls whether anonymous logins are permitted or not. If enabled, both the usernames ftp and anonymous are recognized as anonymous logins.

local_enable=NO

This option controls whether local logins are permitted.

write_enable=NO

This option controls whether any FTP commands which change the filesystem are allowed.

no_anon_password=YES

When enabled, this option prevents vsftpd from asking for an anonymous password. With this setting, the anonymous user will log straight in without one.

hide_ids=YES

Enable this option to display all user and group information in directory listings as ftp.

pasv_min_port=40000

pasv_max_port=40001

Finally, these options set the minimum and maximum port to allocate for PASV style data connections. Use them to specify a narrow port range to assist firewalling. You should choose a range for ports that aren’t currently in use. This example uses port 40000-40001 to limit the ports to a range of 1.

Final steps

Now that you’ve set the options, add the appropriate firewall rules to allow vsftp connections along with the passive port range you specified.

$ firewall-cmd --add-service=ftp --perm

$ firewall-cmd --add-port=40000-40001/tcp --perm

$ firewall-cmd --reload

Next, configure SELinux to allow passive FTP:

$ setsebool -P ftpd_use_passive_mode on

And finally, start the vsftp server:

$ systemctl start vsftpd

At this point you have a working FTP server. Place the content you want to offer in /var/ftp. (Typically, system administrators put publicly downloadable content under /var/ftp/pub.) Now you can connect to your server using an FTP client on another system.

Image courtesy of Tom Woodward on Flickr, CC-BY-SA 2.0.

During 2019, we’ve developed and shared a clarity of vision we’ve never had before in Destiny. We’re finally going to make the Destiny 2 we’ve always wanted to make—one world that you and your friends are going to meaningfully change and make memories in. This year, our team has felt the full weight of what we’re responsible for (even on your worst days in the game, no one is harder on us than ourselves). But we now have a unified purpose. A calling.

October 1st is the first step toward what we want Destiny 2 to become. Everything we’re doing this fall is more than just any one part – it is Destiny 2 fundamentally evolving and in some ways starting new. It’s Shadowkeep, it’s New Light, it’s Cross Save, it’s you, me, and our friends together. It’s all of it.

This isn’t just the next chapter of Destiny 2, but the next chapter of us.

Tomorrow, that journey begins again for all of us and many, many others. These past few months have been awesome with you. Thanks for being the bright points of light shining in the night. You are Destiny’s stars. Be that light for the new Guardians wandering around the Tower, soloing a public event, dropping into Crucible for the first time, or trying to learn Raid mechanics you can do with your eyes shut. We were all Kinderguardians once.

Let’s help each other, make some memories, and head back to the Moon and see what’s been going on there for the last five years. It’s weird to say five years in, but given the year we’ve had: we’re just getting started.

See you soon.

Luke Smith

The combat update from 1.9 has been a controversial topic for many. Some loved the changes, while others hated it and refused to move on from 1.8.

Mojang has been hard at work trying to make it the best experience possible to the needs of PC players while also making sure those that play on phones or tablets have a good experience.

To this end, jeb has posted on Reddit a new custom snapshot which contains several large changes to combat.

This is a summary of those changes, as explained by jeb:

This “manually installed Java snapshot” is the first experiment of the new direction of combat mechanics. It’s based upon the current Java Edition system, but with the following major changes:

• Overall much faster attacks

• Attacks only happen when fully charged, even if you spam click

• You can hold to attack

• Weapons have different reach (attack range)

• When you stop attacking, the attack timer will continue charging to 200%

• At 200% you can perform special attacks (crits, sweeping, knockback) and these attacks have longer reach

• Sweeping only occurs on swords with the Sweeping enchantment

• Critical attacks (jump attacks) bypass shields

• Shields have no warm-up delay

• Shields also activate when crouching/sneaking

• If you hit something, the target’s “invulnerability timer” will be shorter if you have a quick weapon

Installation instructions:

Finding the Minecraft application folder:

• Windows: Press Ctrl+R and type %appdata%/.minecraft and press Ok

• Mac OS X: In Finder, in the Go menu, select “Go to Folder” and enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft

• Linux: ~/.minecraft or /home/<your username>/.minecraft/

Once you have the launcher set up you can download the server files from there as well.

If you have any comments, issues, or other criticisms, then leave a comment over on Reddit so that jeb will see it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/c5mqwv/a_custom_java_edition_snapshot_to_test_new_combat/

Signups now open for college esports tournaments featuring Blizzard Entertainment’s Heroes of the Storm®, Hearthstone®, and StarCraft® II

This year’s programs offer more opportunities—and scholarships—for college gamers across U.S. and Canada than ever before

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Student gamers everywhere can now matriculate in a full schedule of college esports programs, as Tespa, Blizzard Entertainment’s college esports network, has revealed its lineup of tournaments and events for this year, including the fourth edition of Heroes of the Dorm™. With programs for Hearthstone® and StarCraft® II in addition to Heroes of the Storm®, Tespa will award more than $1 million in scholarships and prizing by the end of the 2017-18 academic year.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122006267/en/

Now in its fourth year, Heroes of the Dorm is introducing regional play. More than $500,000 in scholarships and prizes are up for grabs in this premier collegiate esports competition. Regional winners and other top teams on the national leaderboard will be seeded into the 64-team National Championship bracket. The battle for the Heroes of the Dorm National Championship—and for the scholarship money each player receives for the remainder of their college careers—will be fierce. Fans can watch all the action on both www.twitch.tv/blizzheroes and www.mlg.com.

In a one-of-a-kind broadcast partnership with Raycom Sports, Heroes of the Dorm will have a dedicated, nationally-syndicated program during a five-week period of competition. Raycom will produce the weekly, one-hour Heroes of the Dorm program, featuring schools competing in the tournament’s Atlantic Coast Region. The original series, which will cover competition as well as spotlight player and team stories, will be broadcast across Raycom Sports’ syndicated network of affiliates in more than 50 markets in the United States.

“With intense student competition and an epic tournament bracket featuring schools across the United States and Canada, Heroes of the Dorm showcases the kind of excitement that can only come from college esports,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to cheering on all of the talented players who will be competing in Heroes of the Storm, as well as Hearthstone and StarCraft II, for their share of Tespa’s biggest scholarship prize pool ever.”

Starting today, eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up to compete in Heroes of the Dorm at www.heroesofthedorm.com. See the full schedule below:

Hearthstone Collegiate Championship

Teams vying for the 2018 Hearthstone Collegiate Championship will have their hands full as they battle for their share of $150,000 in scholarship prizing. Each team of three will have to battle through a seven-week regular season and the regional playoffs to make it to the single-elimination championship bracket. Fans can watch the tournament live on www.twitch.tv/playhearthstone.

Eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up to compete in the Hearthstone Collegiate Championship at compete.tespa.org starting today. See the full schedule below:

Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft

The first ever Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft will award $35,000 in total scholarship prizing to the top performers in the 16-team league. Teams of three players will battle it out in StarCraft II twice a week during the eight-week regular season, with four teams joining the tournament via the open qualifiers. Matches will be broadcast on www.twitch.tv/starcraft and www.mlg.com. Eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up for qualifiers at compete.tespa.org starting today. See the full schedule below:

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

About Tespa

Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader in college esports, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to distribute more than $1 million in scholarship prizing in 2018 through intercollegiate leagues. Tespa has had more than 5000 teams from more than 1400 universities compete in its college tournaments and has empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.

About Raycom Sports

Charlotte, N.C.-based Raycom Sports is a leader for compelling storytelling, production, and content distribution across all platforms. With an award-winning production team, Raycom creates original feature programming such as Football Saturdays. Raycom is the syndicated rightsholder of Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball and football since 1982, and manages live television broadcasting, original programming, archival footage, mobile applications, social media, the official ACC website and the ACC Official Corporate Champions program. Raycom also serves as the digital content, marketing, video and broadcast production partner of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). Raycom manages client activations and hospitality at ACC FanFest at the ACC Football Championship and ACC Basketball Tournaments.

Raycom Sports’ parent company Raycom Media, owns and/or provides services for 65 television stations and 2 radio stations located in 20 states covering 16% of U.S. television households.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates and features of Heroes of the Dorm 2018, the Tespa Collegiate Series—StarCraft, and the Hearthstone Collegiate Championship, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180122006267/en/

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Christy Um
Director, Esports Communications
949.955.1380 x61251
christy.um@blizzard.com
or
David Gordon
Global PR Manager, Esports
949.955.1380 x13506
dgordon@blizzard.com
or
Sara Zaidi
Global PR Manager
949.955.1380 x61091
szaidi@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media

If you’ve been left intrigued by Ring Fit Adventure but haven’t yet taken the plunge, you’ll be pleased to know that you’ll soon be able to check it all out for free at a number of locations around the UK.

Nintendo’s taking its fitness and RPG mash-up on tour, giving players a chance to get their sweat on and see what the game’s all about. It’s all kicking off next month; you can see all of the locations and dates below.

In your one hour session, you can expect to experience the game either solo or with three other people of all ages and fitness levels. Places are limited but free; you can go ahead and book your session here.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our full review of Ring Fit Adventure.

Are you still on the fence about this one? Let us know below.

The only thing more fun than playing video games is reading about them, and in the past few years, we’ve seen the number of game-specific books explode as players seek to learn more about the industry and writers strive to catalogue and analyse what has become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment. It has gotten to the stage where we’ve amassed so many tomes at Nintendo Life Towers that we’ve decided to put together a handy guide to all of the very best books about games money can buy.

As a few of these books are part of wider (and ongoing) series, we’ve lumped some together in categories based on publisher or author – rest assured, however, we only do this when we’re totally sure that each and every book in that range is worth a look. We’ve also updated this guide for 2019 with some new entries from the likes of Geeks Line, Bitmap Books and Read-Only Memory.

With that out of the way, let’s turn the page, shall we?

The NES Encyclopedia

Penned by highly-respected UK games journalist and Nintendo Life contributor Chris Scullion, The NES Encyclopedia aims to catalogue every single game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, Chris really is that crazy. But you know what? He’s absolutely pulled it off and this book is the ultimate resource for anyone even the slightest bit interested in the massive NES library of games. Scullion knows when to lay on the knowledge and when to crack a joke, so it’s a real joy to read, too.

Please note that some links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection

This delightful release from Bitmap Books is a compendium of gorgeous cover artwork, all taken from Japanese Super Famicom releases. Each game’s cover is shown via high-quality photography and is accompanied by a short description. This is the perfect coffee table book and a must for all Nintendo fans – especially those who grew up importing weird and wonderful games based purely on their covers alone.

Retro Gaming: A Byte-Sized History of Video Games

While there are some pretty weighty tomes available that try to exhaustively chart the entire history of the games industry, there’s something to be said for a less-heavy approach – and that’s exactly what erstwhile Nintendo Life scribe Mike Diver has done with this superb coffee table book. Packed with enlightening nuggets of info and loads and loads of lovely images, Retro Gaming: A Byte-Sized History of Video Games is the ideal way to quickly get yourself (or a loved one) up to speed on decades of games, systems and much, much more.

The Visual Compendium Collection

Published by Bitmap Books, the Visual Compendium series has covered significant home computers and consoles from gaming history and more recently has focused on the NES and SNES systems. Packed with screenshots, exclusive interviews and in-depth features, the series has become incredibly popular with retro gamers and collectors alike, and the Master System edition is the first to have official approval from a hardware manufacturer, with Sega coming on board to offer exclusive access to key developers.

Hardcore Gaming 101 Series

Hardcore Gaming 101 is one of the longest-running game history websites on the internet and its utterly invaluable analysis of classic games is a real godsend for players who want to brush up on the history of our beloved pastime. A while back the team behind the site decided to repackage some of its web content in the form of physical books, each one packed with text and imagery. The series has covered individual franchises – such as Castlevania – as well as genres, publishers and consoles, and each and every book is worth the asking price several times over. Exceptionally researched yet totally accessible, each and every volume is worthy of a place in your collection. Digital versions are also available.

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

Surviving the Aftermath is Coming to Xbox Game Preview Plus New Surviving Mars Update
Hello, Survivors! I’m thrilled to reveal the next game in our Surviving brand, Surviving the Aftermath! Launching on Xbox One late 2020, players who want to get in on the ground floor of the game’s development will be able to purchase the game on Xbox Game Preview… Read more

Introducing App and Game Limits for Family Settings
The new school year is well under way, and as families continue to balance homework and after school activities with screen time, Xbox is here to help. We’re continuously studying ways to improve children’s safety online and to give you, their parents or guardians… Read more

October 2019 Xbox Update Delivers New Family Settings Features, Wish List Notifications, and More
October is here and we know many gamers are already spending quality time with their favorite horror games (we won’t judge if you turn the brightness up). But never fear, we’re here to share lots of new features and improvements with the October 2019 Xbox One Update… Read more

Top 5 Ways to Stay Alive in Worse Than Death
Hey there, Xbox fans! We are a mom-and-pop indie studio from Toronto, Canada, and we’ve been making spooky, story-rich and thoughtful games for a decade now. Our newest title, Worse Than Death, launches today and is our first foray into the Xbox family. Worse Than Death… Read more

We Visit Afterparty’s Hell One More Time Before Its October 29 Release with Xbox Game Pass
We don’t want to surprise anyone, but the Hell of Afterparty can be a little messed up. At a recent preview event in San Francisco, developer Night School Studio gave us the opportunity to sit down with the game largely as players will get to experience it in just a few short weeks… Read more

Play Moons of Madness with the Lights On
There is nothing quite like closing the curtains, turning off the lights and powering up your Xbox with a brand-new horror game installed. Usually the ominous music, the screeches, or worse; whistling, that accompanies the dark and gloomy intro screen are enough to make… Read more

The Outer Worlds, Stellaris, and More Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC
“Are you feeling anything that could be construed as explosive cell death? No? Wonderful! Let’s get started.” –  Dr. Phineas Wells from The Outer Worlds We think this quote from The Outer Worlds is applicable in most situations. No explosive cell death? Awesome! Speaking… Read more

The Challenging Hand-Drawn Adventure of Indivisible is Available Today on Xbox One
Indivisible is the latest game from Lab Zero Games, best known as the studio that created Skullgirls. Their latest production is an RPG/platformer featuring Lab Zero’s signature hand-drawn and hand-animated art style that gives the game a unique look and feel… Read more

Pets Lift Pirates’ Spirits Ahead of October’s Spooky Sea of Thieves Update
October has just arrived, and inevitably brings with it Halloween and the anticipation of gaming events given a certain graveyard twist. Sea of Thieves is set to continue this tradition with its next Monthly Content Update – Fort of the Damned, a challenging event arriving… Read more

World of Warships: Legends Gears up for Halloween
World of Warships: Legends celebrates Halloween early with a new Campaign! Players can get started on the way to earning a free Halloween-themed premium ship and tons of rewards throughout October! The Wicked Waves Campaign features the Jackal, a steampunk war machine… Read more

The Future of Atlas on Xbox Game Preview, Available Today on Xbox One
When I talk to players about Atlas, there’s one phrase I often hear: “Atlas could be my perfect game.” As a developer, it’s very exciting to hear so many people express that opinion. You can’t help but think “Wow, people really love what our game has to offer.” But when you work… Read more

Conquer the Red Planet in New Warface Update on Xbox One
looked to the stars for a new start, free from conflict and war. But there is no running from war. Blackwood Games and My.Games are proud to introduce the Mars update, a new chapter in the Warface saga on Xbox One which takes the action from Earth… Read more

Mortal Kombat 11 Free Trial Weekend Coming to Xbox One October 11 to 14
Fellow fighters! We’re excited to report that the Mortal Kombat 11 Free Trial Weekend on Xbox One is coming up starting October 11 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and running through to October 14 at 12:59 p.m. PDT. With new DLC fighters and various content updates available… Read more

Free Play Days – Warhammer: Chaosbane
We are glad to announce that Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play Warhammer: Chaosbane for free on Xbox One during this weekend’s Free Play Days! The Free Play Days event begins Thursday, October 10 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and runs through… Read more

Inside Xbox One X Enhanced: Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Ghost Recon Breakpoint’s open world of Auroa is huge, diverse, and bursting with rich natural detail. Whether they opt to see Auroa in 4K or 1080p, higher resolution or increased graphical fidelity, Xbox One X ensures that console players get the best experience possible… Read more

Details on Vigor 1.1 Update: Bridges
Hei, Outlanders. Post-war Norway was quite a ride over the last months. As Vigor went free-to-play during the gamescom announcement, new Outlanders started to flow in. We are humbled by the number of players who decided to give Vigor a try. There were already… Read more

The Meaningful Design of Frostpunk’s Society System
Society is everything in Frosptunk, the Victorian-era city-builder and a society simulator from 11 bit studios that is making its way to Xbox One today, October 11. As you reign in the last city on a severely frozen Earth, your success heavily depends on how you steer society… Read more

The Gorgeous Co-Op World of Trine 4, Out Now on Xbox One
If you’ve been looking for an amazing puzzle-platforming experience to play solo or co-op with friends, then you’re in luck! We’ve just released Trine 4 and Trine: Ultimate Collection to give you the chance to experience the lush environments and physics-based puzzles of the iconic… Read more

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for October 15 to 18
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below… Read more

Narrative Adventure Game The Bradwell Conspiracy is Available Today on Xbox One
Hi Xbox Fans, The Bradwell Conspiracy is a narrative adventure game about photography, 3D printing and some worrying corporate underhandedness. We’re launching on Xbox One today and we wanted to share with you some behind-the-scenes insights that’ll make your experience… Read more