Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is the first in the award-winning series to recreate epic conflict across ancient China. Combining a gripping turn-based campaign of empire-building & conquest with stunning real-time battles, THREE KINGDOMS redefines the series in an age of heroes & legends.
After Skipping Steam, The Division 2 Sees Uplay Sales Grow 10X Over Original
The Division 2 changed things up in terms of its release this year when it bypassed PC giant Steam in favor of launching on Ubisoft's own Uplay store and the Epic Games Store. Ubisoft has now spoken about that transition and how it impacted sales overall.
Sales of The Division 2's PC edition were "in line" with those of The Division 1, chief financial boss Frederick Dugue said on an earnings call. The Uplay edition, meanwhile, enjoyed a ten-fold increase in sales compared to the original game; this uptick was no doubt driven by the game not being available on Steam.
This probably makes the PC edition of The Division 2 even more profitable, as Ubisoft owns the Uplay store and doesn't have to pay a merchant fee. The Epic Games Store, meanwhile, pays publishers 88 percent of revenue, compared to 70 percent on Steam.
PC overall is doing very well for Ubisoft lately. The company announced today that PC game sales are up 79 percent and currently represent 27 percent of Ubisoft's overall revenue. This compares to 18 percent of total revenue for the prior year. Uplay specifically saw its sales rise by 150 percent for the latest reporting period, due in part to the launch of The Division 2 on Uplay instead of Steam.
Get Inspired By The New Story Mode In Super Mario Maker 2
Nintendo just released a truckload of new information about Super Mario Maker 2 in its latest Direct presentation. One of the highlights of the 15-minute clip was the news the game would receive its very own story mode.
In this mode, you take control of Mario and your task is to rebuild Princess Peach’s castle. To do this, you’ll need coins and a lot of them. This means accepting jobs from the bulletin board and then playing through courses to help fund the construction. There are more than 100 levels hand-crafted by Nintendo, with plenty of expert designs on display. As Mario progresses, he’ll also encounter new characters who award him with even more coins. Exciting stuff!
Did you expect a story mode to be revealed for Super Mario Maker 2? Do you think you’ll spend much time in this mode? Construct a comment below!
The Moon Allows You To Create Night Themed Levels In Super Mario Maker 2
Remember the infamous Angry Sun from Super Mario Bros. 3? Well, it’s making a comeback in Super Mario Maker 2. This time, though, it will be joined by its friend: the Moon!
The Moon course part is tied to the various themes within the game. In addition to all of the existing themes from the first Super Mario Maker game on the Wii U, there’ll now be desert, snow, forest and sky templates to select from. Using the Moon course part allows you to unlock the “night versions” for each of the themes and if you make contact with the Moon during a playthrough, you’ll wipe out all of the enemies on the screen.
When swapping a level to night mode, wild things happen. Expect floating Goombas, dimmed lighting in ghost houses and sandstorms in the desert levels. Items can even transform in the dark, so watch out for rotten mushrooms and poison water! To top it off, veteran Super Mario composer Koji Kondo has recorded new music for these themes.
Do you like the idea of night time levels in Super Mario Maker 2? Sound off in the comments below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 05-16-2019, 06:15 PM - Forum: Windows
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Sony and Microsoft to explore strategic partnership
Companies to collaborate on new cloud-based solutions for gaming experiences and AI solutions
Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony Corporation (left), and Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
TOKYO and REDMOND, Wash.— May 16, 2019 — Sony Corporation (Sony) and Microsoft Corp. (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that the two companies will partner on new innovations to enhance customer experiences in their direct-to-consumer entertainment platforms and AI solutions.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties, the two companies will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services. In addition, the two companies will explore the use of current Microsoft Azure datacenter-based solutions for Sony’s game and content-streaming services. By working together, the companies aim to deliver more enhanced entertainment experiences for their worldwide customers. These efforts will also include building better development platforms for the content creator community.
As part of the memorandum of understanding, Sony and Microsoft will also explore collaboration in the areas of semiconductors and AI. For semiconductors, this includes potential joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions. By integrating Sony’s cutting-edge image sensors with Microsoft’s Azure AI technology in a hybrid manner across cloud and edge, as well as solutions that leverage Sony’s semiconductors and Microsoft cloud technology, the companies aim to provide enhanced capabilities for enterprise customers. In terms of AI, the parties will explore incorporation of Microsoft’s advanced AI platform and tools in Sony consumer products, to provide highly intuitive and user-friendly AI experiences.
“Sony is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. We collaborate closely with a multitude of content creators that capture the imagination of people around the world, and through our cutting-edge technology, we provide the tools to bring their dreams and vision to reality,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, president and CEO of Sony. “PlayStation® itself came about through the integration of creativity and technology. Our mission is to seamlessly evolve this platform as one that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere. For many years, Microsoft has been a key business partner for us, though of course the two companies have also been competing in some areas. I believe that our joint development of future cloud solutions will contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content. Additionally, I hope that in the areas of semiconductors and AI, leveraging each company’s cutting-edge technology in a mutually complementary way will lead to the creation of new value for society.”
“Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers.”
Going forward, the two companies will share additional information when available.
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. From game and network services to music, pictures, electronics, semiconductors and financial services — Sony’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. For more information, visit: http://www.sony.net/.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
For more information, press only:
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, rrt@we-worldwide.com
Sony Corporation, Corporate Communications & CSR Department, Sony.Pressroom@sony.co.jp
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.
Game Of Thrones S8 Episode 6 Photos: HBO Refuses To Spoil The Season 8 Finale
The long-awaited conclusion to Game of Thrones is just a few days away. Season 8, Episode 6 premieres on HBO this Sunday, May 19, marking the end of both this six-episode season and the series overall that started back in 2011. Following the preview trailer that debuted right after Episode 5, HBO has now released photos from the next episode--but they're a bit different than usual. Spoilers ahead.
HBO is usually quite reticent to spoil the upcoming episode with its previews; these aren't exactly modern movie trailers giving away major story beats and moments. The brief Episode 6 teaser kept the specifics to a real minimum, and now the preview photos are doing the same. They don't give away anything that wasn't already in the trailer, and just as notably, HBO has only shared a mere two images, which is far less than we typically see. Clearly, the network wants whatever is coming to be a surprise (although this does nothing to deal with the possibility of leaks, which have been a problem all season long).
The first of the two photos features Tyrion, who can be seen standing amongst the rubble in King's Landing. He doesn't look particularly pleased, just as you'd expect; he put his support behind Daenerys and believed in her, and he even put his life at risk to free Jaime in the hopes of preventing a massacre of innocents in the city. Dany opted to go Mad Queen instead, and now Tyrion is faced with having to live with this reality that Varys tried to stop.
The second photo matches up with a shot from the preview trailer. Dany, standing victorious on the edges of the burning city, faces away from us with her back to the camera as her army stands in formation all around her. If there was any question about how many troops she had remaining after Episode 3's battle, it looks like she's doing just fine in that regard.
Her troops appear to be in full support of her, and we know from the preview trailer that the Dothraki in particular seem pleased with the outcome of the battle. But we still haven't seen Dany's face in Episode 6, or really, since she made her fateful decision to destroy the city. Seeing if she has any remorse will have to wait for this Sunday, though it's too late to undo her actions. Queen of the Ashes might be the best she can hope for at this point.
Using the offer, subscribers to the company’s online service can buy two eShop game vouchers for £84.00 / €99.00 / $99.00 and redeem them for a pair of games – these can be used for pre-ordering unreleased titles. So, as detailed in the presentation, you could pre-order Super Mario Maker 2 with one voucher and use the other immediately on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With an RRP of £49.99 and £59.99 respectively, purchasing with Game Vouchers would save you £25.98. Not too shabby!
The vouchers last for 12 months from purchase, so you can sit on one or both of them for a while if there’s something releasing later in the year which you’ve got your eye on. It appears that all Nintendo first-party games are included, but the video also shows the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, which Nintendo is publishing. A full list of available games can be found on the company’s website, and it includes select third-party titles such as Octopath Traveler, Dragon Quest Builders and The World Ends With You: Final Remix.
While Nintendo has been historically reluctant to discount its games outside of ‘Player’s Choice’ lines, we’ve seen more and more first-party titles in recent sales. Offering discounts on new games is something of a first for the company, though. Interestingly, small print at the bottom of the web page says that the games on offer may change. At the moment, this appears to apply to digital games only.
Will you be taking advantage of this offer? Let us know in the comments.
Build And Play Together In Super Mario Maker 2’s Multiplayer Modes
If it wasn’t already a dead giveaway when we started seeing Luigi in the promotional materials, a co-op construction mode has now been officially confirmed for Super Mario Maker 2. During the latest Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed how you’ll be able to pass a Joy-Con to a friend in the sequel and get them to help out or speed up your course creation, with co-op making. You’ll also be able to play these courses together.
If that’s not enough, there are multiplayer versus and co-op modes as well. In online versus, four players face-off in a sidescrolling showdown and race through a randomly selected level. The online co-op requires players to work together to beat a course, and if one finishes it, everybody wins. Last of all is the nearby play option – allowing four players to play together locally on their own systems. Only the host needs to have access to an internet connection in this mode. The selectable characters in these modes include Mario, Luigi, Toad and Toadette.
This online component is supported by an online hub known as Course World, where players can browse popular courses, new courses and search with specific tags or a pre-defined set of filters. When a course has been downloaded, it can then be played anywhere and anytime (including offline). You can personalise your own Mii character’s appearance in this mode with the clothing items you unlock when you complete objectives in the game. There’s also an Endless Challenge, requiring you to try and complete as many courses as possible on a difficulty of your choosing.
Does multiplayer Mario Maker action excite you? Will you be constructing and competing against your friends and family members? Tell us below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 05-16-2019, 12:10 PM - Forum: Windows
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Watch our animated guide to inclusive design
Explanimators | Episode 7
Cobotics
While working side-by-side with a robot may seem like science fiction, cobotics (collaborative robotics) is already happening in high-end manufacturing. Rather than reading an article about how cobots support people to do their best work; let us sing it to you.
2018 marks the 40th anniversary of legendary studio SNK! To celebrate this extraordinary milestone, a variety of classic arcade games from SNK's golden age are coming back together in one anthology on Nintendo Switch. SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is packed full of retro games and a treasure trove of features!
FEATURES:
* Collection of classics in your hands! Take a piece of SNK history with you wherever you go on Nintendo Switch. Choose from over a dozen titles and experience an intense blast from the past!
* Modern Meets Retro! Rewind and save at any time while you're playing, enjoy updated graphics at 1080p resolution, and experience redesigned control schemes for a modern feel!
* Enter the SNK Museum: A history of SNK and its games await in the Museum Mode. Explore the legacy of one of Japan's leading developers with high definition artwork and original promotional assets!
