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Borderlands, BioShock and XCOM are headed to the Switch
As part of today's surprise Nintendo Direct Mini (which packed in way more news than anything "Mini" should reasonably offer), it emerged several big 2K Games franchises are coming to Switch. All three BioShock games -- BioShock Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition -- will hit the console May 29th, along with BioShock: The Collection, which bundles the titles into a neat package.
'Borderlands: Handsome Collection' headlines June's free PS Plus games
With Borderlands 3 arriving in just a few months, it seems like a good time to start catching up on or revisiting Gearbox Software's FPS series. And, what do you know? Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is one of the titles Sony is giving away to PS Plus subscribers in June.
‘Borderlands 2’ comes to PlayStation VR on December 14th
October 13th is the second anniversary of the PlayStation VR, and Sony has some special announcements to celebrate. Perhaps the biggest news is that Borderlands 2, the beloved shooter-looter game, will be making its debut on the PSVR just in time for the holiday season. You can pre-order today, and the game will be available starting December 14th.
Watch live streamers play developers at their own games for charity
Erin Robinson Swink, developer of the hand-painted space-physics game, Gravity Ghost, has a simple reason driving her passion for green energy and environmental advocacy: asthma. "I remember how awful it was needing an inhaler as a kid," she says. Air pollution -- driven in large part by burning coal -- contributed to her respiratory disease. Today, Robinson Swink is combining her love of game development and clean energy for a three-day event called Beat the Dev on Twitch. The show is live now, and it promises to feature developers behind Borderlands 2, Uncharted 3, Super Meat Boy, Octodad, Nuclear Throne, Journey, Darksiders II and 17 others playing their own games against a lineup of live-streamers. Donations made during the event will benefit The Sierra Club and its clean-air, green-energy advocacy efforts.
'Blade Runner' tech gives 'Borderlands' its signature sound
"The Commodore 64 is like my Bible; that's when [game] music began because that's when they put an analog chip into a computer," composer Jesper Kyd says of the nearly 33-year-old home computer. "Before that it was PC or Atari and everything was like 'beep, beep, beep, beep-beep beep' and who the fuck wants to listen to that?"
'Borderlands' on PS4 and Xbox One comes in a $399 edition with a robot
No, the trend of recycling games for modern consoles isn't over yet -- if anything, it's gathering steam. Gearbox and 2K have unveiled Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, a bundle that spruces up both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (along with their downloadable content) for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you buy the garden variety $60 edition when it arrives on March 24th, you'll get the obligatory improved graphics, cross-platform saved games and four-way split-screen cooperative action. They're nice touches, although it's hard to see a die-hard fan buying this role-playing influenced shooter a second time just for those perks. This is more for first-timers who missed what all the fuss was about.
There's a new PlayStation Vita available in the US today: what you need to know
Look, we're not gonna review the PlayStation Vita again. Promise. Three times is enough, no? We think so too. But we do want to tell you that the second version of the PlayStation Vita is finally available in North America today -- it even comes in a bundle with Borderlands 2 for $200 -- and we want you to feel safe and secure in your purchase, should you choose to make one. So, is it worth it? In short: yes, yes it is. It's thinner; it's got rounded edges; and Sony's cut a ton of fat from the price as well. Head below for our full video review of the Japanese model, then jump into the Engadget database for specs, reviews from other publications and to discuss which games you're most excited about. It's Luftrausers, right? Come on, admit it.
Slimmer, lighter, juicier: Sony's revamped PS Vita hits the US on May 6th
Sony's slimmer, brighter PlayStation Vita has been making the rounds in Japanese and European game stores for months now while we in the States had to make do with the original. Well, the wait is nearly over: Sony today confirmed that antsy Americans can lay claim to the rejiggered portable on May 6th in a bundle that includes a digital copy of Borderlands 2 and an 8GB memory card. If the lure of a lighter handheld with a more robust battery (our review unit hung in there for about 8 hours, compared to the original's 5) wasn't enough, you can rub that copy of Borderlands in your friends' faces -- it won't be available to the masses until May 13. Just be warned: This redesigned model uses an LCD screen instead of the original's OLED panel, which makes for some less vivid colors on-screen. The other potential bummer? It looks like the black model is the one getting bundled, so those of you hoping to sear some eyeballs with a jauntily colored Vita (like the one above) will just have to keep the faith for now.
Borderlands 2 mobile app turns QR codes into absurd in-game armaments (update: how it works!)
Borderlands 2 is attempting the Herculean task of exciting people about QR codes. With its new LootTheWorld mobile app, Gearbox Software (Borderlands, Brothers in Arms and, er, Aliens: Colonial Marine) is turning any barcode or QR square into in-game gear like acid-burst armor or a flame-spewing sniper rifle with a 12x zoom scope. Whether you bought the game last year or just downloaded it for free from the PlayStation Store, this app could be one of the more useful mobile companions on your phone. Perhaps best of all, it's free and available right now from iTunes and Google Play. We've reached out to Gearbox for info on how the loot is determined and will update this post if we hear back. You should hurry along though; Mercenary Day is almost upon us. Update: Gearbox got back to us about how the app determines what gear comes from the scans. The loot is totally random (just like it is in the game proper), but there's a twist: Once you scan a product UPC or a QR code, the generated item is forever tied to that item. For instance, if you get a rocket launcher that does ice damage from a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, everyone who scans the cereal will get it. Gearbox's Adam Fletcher tells us this was designed so you could tell your friends where to find wacky kit in the real world. When we asked how the loot distribution worked, Fletcher assured us it was totally random and not tied to a real-world product's price. "A small box of paper clips could mean a legendary and your 50-inch Samsung [TV] may not," he said.
Hands-on with NVIDIA's Gamestream, the evolution of Shield's PC streaming tech (video)
NVIDIA Shield's PC streaming tech is impressive, but NVIDIA's Gamestream tech is even more impressive: employing the Shield's HDMI-out port, games can not only be streamed to the Shield, but also to your living room TV. The functionality goes live on October 28th and officially takes PC streaming on Shield from beta to final. It'll add "Console Mode" as well, which enables control of the Shield's entire OS on your TV screen via connected Bluetooth controller. Though gaming is, at launch, limited to 720p, NVIDIA says 1080p is on the way -- you'll of course need a pretty hefty GPU to make that happen. After today's announce of Gamestream, we had a chance to sit down and try it out with a Falcon Northwest Tiki PC and a Nyko wireless controller, playing Borderlands 2. As you'll see in the video below the break, streaming and controlling the Shield via Bluetooth controller is a snap -- we're actually quite looking forward to using a DualShock 3 with the Shield for controlling our favorite PC games.
gdgt's best deals for August 5: Dell Inspiron Laptop, 22-inch LG LED 1080p HDTV
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's hottest deals suit those looking for cheap back-to-school basics. You can prepare to move into the dorm with a Dell Inspiron laptop and a 22-inch LG HDTV for a total of $430. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Borderlands 2 to get content boost this fall
The Borderlands series has built a rabid fan base by providing a massive open world full of treasures to loot and enemies to fights. Even without add-on content, it's a massive game to explore, but developer 2K has piled on with four large packs of downloadable content to expand the world. Borderlands 2 is already an absurdly big game. But it can get bigger. 2K Games has announced a new batch of downloadable content for the game will be released in the fall. Along with the expected new levels and boss fights, gamers can also look forward to an increased level cap, from 61 to 72. While the DLC's themes haven't been announced yet the bar was raised considerably with the last release, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, which placed players in a Dungeons and Dragons-themed fantasy world. With assault rifles. Sadly this new downloadable content isn't available under the Season Pass that allowed players to purchase the first DLC packs at a discounted rate. Apparently the Season Pass only included the first four packs, which is fair given the amount of content those add-ons provided. While the Mac version of Borderlands 2 was released after the game hit PC and consoles, these new updates will be available for all platforms at the same time. We'll have more information as it becomes available.
Game updates today: The Blockheads, Heroes of Order and Chaos, and Borderlands 2 on Mac
There are a number of big game updates today on both Mac and iOS that are worth picking up if you happen to have the apps installed. First up, the excellent The Blockheads has a big multiplayer update coming, which will allow players to host multiplayer worlds with up to 32 people (which means 128 possible blockheads) in a single world at a time. The update also comes with a free Mac-based server app, which can host worlds for various devices and save items, structures and even queued actions. There's also lots of new content to find, and a map view that provides a nice overview of everything. Developer David Frampton tells us that the server app is being developed for Windows and Linux, too, and the Android version of the app should be on that store soon. Gameloft's free iOS MOBA Heroes of Order and Chaos also has a big new update, with new heroes to play, and a new 5v5 steampunk-styled map. There's also a new matchmaking system, and the game has introduced weekly tournaments, so you can win some real prizes if you're good. And finally, Aspyr tells TUAW that it has released the latest Borderlands 2 DLC, called Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, day-and-date on the Mac along with the PC version. You can buy it for both PC and Mac through Steam for US$9.99. This is a long-awaited expansion for the popular open world shooter, and Aspyr has timed out the port exactly with the regular PC version, which is very impressive.
Borderlands 2 for Mac gets a multiplayer update
Borderlands 2 arrived on the Mac late last year, but unfortunately the publisher, Aspyr Media, wasn't able to get the multiplayer working in time for the release. Today the company has released a patch that enables multiplayer co-op through Game Center, along with leaderboards and achievements. Aspyr has also made five different content packs available through in-app purchase, so you can pick up new items, new levels and the Mechromancer class as well. To celebrate the game's update, Aspyr has put the title on sale at 50 percent off for a limited time, so you can grab it for just US$29.99 right now. It's a shame this content wasn't available at launch, but better late than never, and having the game available at such a low price puts us in a pretty forgiving mood anyway.
Borderlands 2 now available on Mac
Odds are that you're seeing Borderlands 2 on sale all over the Internet today, as Black Friday goes down (and we head towards Cyber Monday next week). But we did want to let you know that just in case you were waiting for a Mac version, the wait ended last week. Aspyr has released the Mac port of the sequel to Gearbox's popular open-world shooter, and you can get it nearly everywhere Borderlands 2 is available. Including on Steam, where it's currently on sale for US$44.99. I haven't had much time to play it yet, but the reviews on this one are great, and especially if you were a fan of the first title, there's definitely reason to grab this and play it on the Mac of your choice. Enjoy, and here's hoping you find all of your other Black Friday deals today as well.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti review roundup: impressive performance for around $300
No one's saying that $300 is "cheap," but compared to the GTX 670 and GTX 680 before it, the newly announced GeForce GTX 660 Ti is definitely in a more attainable category. The usual suspects have hashed out their reviews today, with the general consensus being one of satisfaction. A gamechanger in the space it's not, but this Kepler-based GPU managed to go toe-to-toe with similarly priced Radeon GPUs while being relatively power efficient in the process. That said, AnandTech was quick to point out that unlike Kepler reviews in the past, the 660 Ti wasn't able to simply blow away the competition; it found the card to perform around 10 to 15 percent faster than the 7870 from AMD, while the 7950 was putting out roughly the same amount of performance as the card on today's test bench. HotHardware mentioned that NVIDIA does indeed have another winner on its hands, noting that it'd be tough to do better right now for three Benjamins. Per usual, there's plenty of further reading available in the links below for those seriously considering the upgrade.
NVIDIA announces $299 GeForce GTX 660 Ti, lets Kepler walk among the people
It's taken NVIDIA a mighty long time to squeeze its Kepler GPU into something more affordable than the GTX 670, but it's finally happened -- the mid-range GTX 660 Ti is out and available to purchase for $299 on boards from EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS and the usual suspects. Some buyers may complain that's $50 more than the 560 Ti, while others will no doubt be reeling off their CVV codes already. For its part, NVIDIA claims the 660 Ti is the "best card per watt ever made" and that it beats even AMD's higher-priced Radeon HD 7950 at 1920 x 1080. Check out the slide deck below for official stats, as well as for examples of what the card can do with its support for DirectX 11 tessellation, PhysX (particularly on Borderlands 2, which you may well find bundled free) and NVIDIA's TXAA anti-aliasing. We'll wait for independent benchmarks in our review round-up before making any judgment, but in the meantime it's fair to say that this 150-watt card comes fully featured. For a start, it has just as many 28nm CUDA cores as the GTX 670, the same base and GPU Boost clock speeds, the same 2GB of GDDR5 and indeed the same connectivity. The only sacrifice is memory bandwidth: all that computational performance is limited by a 192-bit memory bus, compared to the 256-bit width of the 670. Judging from those specs, we'd expect it to be almost 670-like in performance, and that's going to be pretty impressive.%Gallery-162585%
