The Morning After: Square Enix's not-quite-MCU 'Avengers'
And Razer's 'mental performance' drink.
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
E3 2019 is firmly in full swing. While we prepare for the show floor to officially open -- and for Nintendo Direct at noon ET -- you can take a quick look at highlights from both the Xbox and Bethesda press conferences. Otherwise, there's new info about Final Fantasy VII Remake and good news for fans of Netflix's Love, Death and Robots.
Samsung unveils its first gaming monitor with NVIDIA's G-Sync
Samsung has finally released a display with G-Sync, the 27-inch CRG5. The panel mates G-Sync with a 240Hz refresh rate to deliver tear-free visuals as long as you have a GeForce GPU under the hood. There's a low-latency mode and a reasonably quick 4ms gray-to-gray pixel response time, too, so it could be a solid pick even if you prefer Radeons.
'Final Fantasy VII Remake' will take up two Blu-ray discs
Following up on a new trailer that teased some core game changes to the 20-year-old original (Aeris, attacked by ghosts?), Square Enix used the beginning of its E3 event to dive straight into the remake. The reworked game offers new battle strategies that we saw in action as Cloud and Barrett took on a familiar-looking scorpion guard robot.
If you're ready to pre-order, the $80 Deluxe edition comes with an art book, steelbook case and even a mini soundtrack CD. A $330 First Class edition includes a special Cloud figurine, too. Feeling uneasy about buying the game one more time? Mat Smith knows your pain.
Xbox on a phone: Microsoft Project xCloud hands-on
Microsoft's Project xCloud is almost ready for public consumption. In fact, it's launching in some capacity this October, with the ability to stream games from your at-home Xbox One to any device you own. This means that getting to test the service out, with real, triple-A games was all the more important -- and that's what Mat Smith did. Resident Evil 7, Hellblade and Halo 5 all worked admirably, even through a Galaxy S10.
Square Enix's 'Marvel's Avengers' game arrives May 15th, 2020
This new Avengers title takes place in San Francisco as the team opens its West Coast HQ when the situation (as they're wont to do in the Marvel Universe) goes sideways. You'll be able to complete the campaign either solo or with the help of up to three co-op partners. The game features top-flight voice talent including Troy Baker (Joe from The Last of Us), who voices Tony Stark, while Nolan North (aka Nathan Drake) lends his verbal skills to Thor and Laura Bailey plays Black Widow.
AMD tells all about its $449 Radeon RX 5700 XT GPU
AMD's first cards from the new RDNA family will be the $449 Radeon RX 5700 XT, which will take on NVIDIA's RTX 2070, and the $379 RX 5700, which competes with the NVIDIA RTX 2060. Not stopping there, it also introduced the "world's first" 16-core gaming CPU, the Ryzen 9 3950X, which will be available in September for $749.
Razer introduces a 'mental performance' drink for thirsty gamers
Respawn is a "mental performance" drink mix that's meant to keep your focus sharp for long periods. You'll find a few familiar ingredients like choline and Vitamin B, and, like G Fuel, it's sugar-free, but there's less caffeine and none of the taurine. To no one's surprise, it won't come cheap. You can buy Respawn in 20-pack boxes for $25 in flavors like Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, Pomegranate Watermelon and Tropical Pineapple. The official shaker cup is another $30.
Gmail's 'dynamic email' will be available to everyone July 2nd
With AMP in Gmail, users perform web-based tasks right in their inbox, such as filling out forms, RSVPing to an event, responding to an edit in Google Docs or browsing images in a carousel. The feature will only be available for Gmail on the web at first, with mobile support coming "soon."
Hackers steal traveler photos and license plates from US Customs
US Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that hackers stole traveler images from a subcontractor, including photos of people entering or leaving the country as well as copies of their license plates. In a statement, CBP said that the subcontractor had "violated mandatory security and privacy protocols" by transferring the data to its own network.
Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 backward compatibility list ends here
Four years after it was announced at E3 2015, Microsoft's list of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles playable on Xbox One has grown to over 600. And that's where it will stop, as the team turns its attention to making sure games (both previous and current gen) run well on the Project Scarlett hardware that's coming out next year. It's going out with a bang though, adding games like the Splinter Cell series, Skate and Syndicate to the list. Plus, Xbox One players can snag Too Human for free.
But wait, there's more...
'Final Fantasy VIII' is getting its own, less-involved remaster
'Love, Death and Robots' gets a second season on Netflix with a new director
Ubisoft unveils Uplay+ game subscription service for PC and Stadia
Solar-powered LightSail spacecraft is ready for its second flight
Scotland will build a massive battery to store excess wind power
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