Gadgets 360 News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Krafton India, makers of the popular online game BGMI, on Thursday pitched for government support measures to promote the online gaming industry in the country. 

Sony's upcoming handheld game streaming device, announced at PlayStation Showcase in May, has a new name. The PlayStation Portal, earlier known as Project Q, will arrive later this year, enabling users to stream PS5 games remotely over a Wi-Fi connection. The PlayStation Portal remote player, as Sony calls it, will include an eight-inch LCD display capable of streaming games in 1080p resolution at 60fps. While a concrete release date is still missing, Sony's handheld now has a confirmed price — $199.99, or about Rs. 16,500.

Sony has planned yet another promotional sale for the PS5 in India, promising a discount of Rs. 7,500. The offer is only applicable on the 4K Bluray-equipped disc version of the console, and goes live Thursday, August 24, at select online and brick-and-mortar retailers. The sale is slated to run for nine days, going into September 2, and will cut the price down to Rs. 47,490. The drop is exactly the same as the July sale, so in case you missed that one, now would be a good time to snag a PS5. While supply shortages are certainly not an issue anymore, we'd suggest being a little prepared since flocks of gamers coming together to buy the console (online) could cause server loads.

"Call of Duty" maker Activision will sell its non-European streaming rights to Ubisoft Entertainment to get the biggest deal yet in video gaming past British regulators, potential owner Microsoft said on Tuesday. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the only regulator to block Microsoft's $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,65,480 crore) Activision deal, in a test of its post-Brexit clout.

Red Dead Redemption is out now on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch and unsurprisingly, it is a barebones upgrade to the revered Western odyssey. During the initial announcement, Rockstar Games never revealed any technical specifications, simply calling it a ‘conversion' that didn't mention anything about visual improvements or support for 60fps. That seems to be the case, judging by the new press release — dropped launch day — which states that regardless of the platform, the game is locked to 30fps. The new bit of information, however, is that the port from Double Eleven Studios runs at 1080p resolution on the Nintendo Switch and PS4, going up to 4K resolution on the PS4 Pro and PS5 (playable via backward compatibility).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III just got a gameplay reveal trailer — a slightly misleading title, given most of the footage is loaded with cinematics. Indeed, it is focused on the campaign, which sees Captain Price and his Task Force 141 take on the Russian ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov, as he extends his grasp across the world. Publisher Activision has introduced a new non-linear campaign structure called ‘Open Combat Missions,' memorable multiplayer maps, and a Zombies mode set in an open world. Pre-orders for the game are now live across all major platforms.

Microsoft said on Thursday it would pull the plug on Xbox 360's online store and marketplace next year, as it focuses on its latest consoles and subscription service Game Pass.

Starfield has finally gone gold ahead of its release next month, indicating that main development on the game has ended and that it's ready to hit store shelves soon. As such, developer Bethesda has confirmed preload details for its expansive space-set RPG, with Xbox Series S/X receiving early treatment on August 17. Meanwhile, PC players on Steam can begin pre-installing the game in anticipation, starting August 30. Additionally, the game will be available to play for free to those who're subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, though access for them will begin on launch day i.e., September 6.

Microsoft is bringing a new strike-based enforcement program to Xbox, aimed at curbing toxic behaviour among its players. The company outlined its new measures in a blog post, with a systemic diagram that clears up any confusion regarding how punishments will be handed out based on infractions. Based on the severity of the offence, be it using slurs, hateful conduct, or even sending death threats, affected players can now report toxic behaviour, triggering a response from the moderation team, who will investigate the issue. The new system will see players receiving strikes, going all the way up to eight, after which they will be barred from using Xbox multiplayer services like messages and voice chat.

Baldur's Gate III is prepared to receive its first patch and by the looks of it, it seems like a huge one. Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke confirmed a roadmap on Twitter, promising to fix issues and make relevant tweaks to ability balances, based on user suggestions. First up, is hotfix #4, which would make some emergency fixes to crashes and progressions blocks, in addition to any bugs that hinder the general interface. That will be followed by the massive patch, boasting over 1,000 fixes, followed by patch 2, which will ‘incorporate some requests.' It's unclear what those requests could be, but we already know that the team is planning an update that would let players change their character's appearance mid-game.

Netflix will test games on select TVs and computers in a first step to make them playable on more devices, the company's vice president of Games Mike Verdu wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Overwatch 2 has made history by becoming the worst-reviewed game on Steam. Publisher Blizzard, which usually kept its PC games locked to the Battle.net client, brought its team-based shooter to Steam on August 10, only to be flooded with negative reviews. At the time of writing, merely nine percent of the overall ratings (111,234) are positive, with many criticising the title's approach to locking heroes and cosmetics behind a battle pass and the cancellation of its long-advertised PvE mode. While Blizzard might have expected some backlash, this reception must've been eye-opening for them, given Battle.net did not have a review system in place.

Pune-based developer SuperGaming has confirmed that its upcoming battle-royale title Indus is getting a closed beta, this festive/ Diwali season. In celebration, the studio has dropped a trailer featuring key operators in the game, and some clues regarding consumable items. Keys for the closed beta will be available in limited supply, and the only way to ensure a chance of access is by pre-registering for Indus on the Google Play Store. Yes, an Apple iOS release is imminent, but it appears the first beta period — akin to internal playtests — is dedicated to the more populous Android player base only, for now.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will also be out on the previous-gen PS4 and Xbox One consoles, despite rumours suggesting otherwise. Confusion about a last-gen launch arose when TheGamingRevolution, a COD content creator tweeted out a picture from the Microsoft store, which only showed the Xbox Series S/X logo — unprecedented for the franchise, but makes perfect sense when considering that every major studio is slowly trying to take advantage of the newer consoles' hardware. However, with the game's teaser claiming that both PlayStation generations would be getting a release, it felt unfair to the green team. As it turned out, it was just an error on the Microsoft store, which has since been updated to include Xbox One as well.

The Indian government has mandated offshore online gaming companies operating in the country to register the business locally or appoint a representative to pay tax on funds collected from customers.

Battle Stars: Battle Royale, the made-in-India mobile multiplayer shooter, has crossed five million players since its launch in June, becoming developer SuperGaming's fastest-growing game. To celebrate the milestone, and with Independence Day fast approaching, it's getting a new map inspired by the city of New Delhi, available as a free update. Just like the Mumbai-based map — which was well received in the first two seasons — this new arena will feature familiar locations such as the India Gate, Red Fort, and Connaught Place. The map is now live across Android and iOS, and on August 15, you'll be able to spot the Indian national flag hoisted atop key structures.

Parliament on Friday approved amendments to the Central and Integrated GST laws to levy 28 percent tax on the full face value of bets in online gaming, casinos, and horse race clubs.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen leads the pack of new titles coming to the PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe/ Premium catalogue, this month. Starting August 15, all high-tier PS Plus members can delve into Savathûn's Throne World, as you uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light — across a set of maps ranging between gothic cathedrals, palaces, swamps, and a mysterious black pyramid on the icy moon of Europa. Often considered one of the best Destiny 2 campaign packs, it will be available on the PS4 and PS5. Another key highlight this month is Sea of Stars, an eye-catching indie RPG, where two Children of the Solstice head out on an adventure to defend the lands against the monstrous creations of an evil alchemist. This one, however, is slated to drop a bit later on August 29.

Kavin Bharti Mittal-founded Hike, which owns Rush Gaming Universe, has laid off about 55 people — more than one-fifth of its total workforce — to absorb the impact of the GST hike on online gaming, a top company official said on Thursday.

Ever since the huge successes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Uncharted, and The Last Of Us, films and TV shows adapted from video games have been all the rage in Hollywood. But when Neill Blomkamp received a call from Sony asking if he wanted to direct a movie based around its super-serious, hyper-realistic racing game series Gran Turismo, he was initially confused.

Shares in Japan's Sony fell 6 percent in Tokyo trade after first-quarter profit tumbled, with the entertainment conglomerate reporting lacklustre performances by its movie and financial divisions.

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a setback to Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite, in its legal battle against Apple, declining to let a federal judge's injunction take effect that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its lucrative App Store. 

Sony has reportedly begun rolling out public beta access for cloud gaming on the PS5. As per ResetEra user ArashiGames, chosen PS Plus Premium members will be able to stream select games at up to 4K resolution. While the company confirmed the addition of cloud streaming in June, it's only now that we're learning about the supported resolution. That said, it's unclear whether the maximum resolution refers to the in-game graphical fidelity or the streaming resolution, but a screenshot suggests that available resolutions are entirely dependent on the player's internet connection. The core idea is that you can play games from the cloud without actually owning or downloading any of them.

In an effort to expand its gaming section, Netflix has launched a new app that would allow subscribers to play games on their TV. Dubbed ‘Netflix Game Controller,' the app essentially works as a touchscreen gamepad, featuring an analogue stick for movement and a set of action buttons on the right. The app is now available to download for free on the Apple App Store, though it seems as though the streamer inadvertently published it a bit early. There's no official announcement from the platform about its use case or an Android release, while the product description simply states that it's ‘coming soon.'

Japan's Sony on Wednesday said first-quarter profit tumbled due to weaker performances from its movies and financial businesses.

Take-Two Interactive Software forecast second-quarter net bookings below Wall Street targets on Tuesday, in a sign that spending on games remained under pressure amid inflationary pressures.

Baldur's Gate III is dominating the Steam charts with record-breaking numbers, surpassing the 800,000 concurrent player mark on August 6. To be precise, the peak count was 814,666, perching it as the ninth-highest ranking PC game, when sorted by all-time peak variable — right below Hogwarts Legacy. It's an impressive feat, considering the game had been out for nearly three years now, albeit in early access, which allowed developer Larian Studios to slow-cook it to perfection based on player feedback. The completed version of the game dropped August 3 on PC and has shown no signs of slowing down.

The global video games market would return to growth in 2023 on the back of strong sales of consoles such as Sony's PlayStation 5, according to gaming market research firm Newzoo.

This year's Call of Duty has been revealed as Modern Warfare III, and it's coming November 10. Publisher Activision dropped a brief teaser, featuring an abstract mosaic of familiar characters from the franchise — Captain Price and Vladimir Makarov — and a voiceover saying, “Never bury your enemies alive.” There's also the mention of ‘heads of snakes,' which possibly alludes to the ultranationalist Russian Makarov, who also served as the main antagonist of the original MW3 (2011). Sledgehammer Games is taking the lead on developing the sequel, which is part of a trilogy of Modern Warfare soft reboots, which started back in 2019.

Red Dead Redemption is finally headed to PS4 and Nintendo Switch, on August 17. No, this isn't a remake or that long-rumoured remastered version, but rather a port of the original 2010 game, and includes the Undead Nightmare zombie add-on. Rockstar Games' Western epic was originally launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360, after which it was made compatible to run on newer Xbox consoles via backwards compatibility. Double Eleven Studios — known for working on the Lego Harry Potter games and Minecraft Dungeons — is responsible for this new port, which they're calling a ‘conversion.' The studio was founded by ex-Rockstar developers.

Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2023 is well underway and will be live till August 8. The sale is offering discounts and offers on a wide range of products — smartphones, laptops, cameras, appliances, and more. In addition to listed discounts, the sale is offering additional 10 percent instant discount of up to Rs. 2,500 on SBI credit card transactions.

If films like Heat and Sexy Beast are anything to go by, when you're in the professional heist business, retirement does not come easily. There's always that one last job you get called in to tie up some loose ends, rekindling greed and the drive to plan elaborate robbery schemes within you. With the old gang rounded up, Payday 3 now takes us to the bustling streets of New York City, several years after our reign of terror in Washington DC, masked-up and prepared for new challenges in a present-day environment of mass surveillance gadgets, cryptocurrency, the deep web, and more. Having spent a few hours in the internal playtest, followed by the ongoing closed beta, I must say that I'm truly impressed with how streamlined this sequel is shaping up to be.

Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2023 is well underway and is now open to all customers. Prime subscribers received a one-day head start to avail all the discounts on offer, but now the sale is live for non-Prime customers, too. The Great Freedom Festival Sale, which concludes August 8, is offering deep discounts across product categories — smartphones, laptops, computer accessories, cameras, headphones, home appliances and more. SBI credit card holders can also avail an additional 10 percent instant discount of up to Rs. 2,500 on select products.

The decision to impose a 28 percent tax on the full face value of bets placed on online games will be implemented from October 1 even though there was demand for a review from states like Delhi and Goa, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.

Baldur's Gate III might not release on Xbox platforms until 2024. That's according to Michael Douse, Director of Publishing at Larian Studios, who tweeted out some issues on the platform, adding that the lack of a release date isn't due to some exclusivity deal. BG3's PC version is coming August 3, followed by a PS5 version on September 6, though there haven't been any updates for the Xbox Series S/X release. He attributes technical limitations to the lower-end Xbox Series S consoles, on which the studio is having trouble getting split-screen co-op working properly.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is headed to old-gen platforms. During the Q1 2024 earnings call, EA confirmed that developer Respawn Entertainment is in the early stages of developing dedicated versions for the PS4 and Xbox One. The Cal Kestis-led (Cameron Monaghan) galaxy-spawning adventure originally launched in April, but entirely skipped previous generations — akin to other major publishers, who've been leaning toward the newer consoles for ease in optimisation and being able to render the visuals to the highest quality they desire. Currently, there's no release window, though when it eventually drops on older systems, will be an interesting testing bench to see how much visual fidelity the game sacrificed to run at minimum 30fps on a hard drive.

Nintendo's next mainline console is reportedly set to launch in the second half of 2024. As per VGC's sources, development kits for the next gaming console have been sent out to ‘key partner studios,' adding that it can be used in portable mode akin to the current Nintendo Switch. It's common for console manufacturers like PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo to provide test units to developers, way ahead of launch, so they can start making, testing, and optimising games for the said platform. No pricing details were mentioned, but for comparison, the Nintendo Switch was launched at $299.99 (about Rs. 24,684) in the US.

A new month brings more new games to look forward to, and August is no different. A diverse lineup of games both big and small awaits us, covering a wide spectrum of genres. Kicking things off is a heavy hitter — Baldur's Gate 3, the much-awaited RPG from Larian Studios, which arrives August 3. You can expect the purest RPG experience from Baldur's Gate, one whose roots can be traced to tabletop RPGs of yore. Larian doesn't cut corners and its games offer a plethora of meaningful choices, character builds, and gameplay approaches.

Epic Games on Thursday asked the US Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling to take effect against Apple that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is bringing popular rappers into the game, in celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop music. As part of its Season 5 update, coming August 2, Activision confirmed that Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj will be joining the game and its battle royale counterpart, Warzone 2.0, as playable operators. Other major additions include three new multiplayer maps and several ‘War Track' packs composed of hip-hop music to listen to in-game. The studio also teased a third operator by only showing their silhouette, but Activision's blog post reveals it's 21 Savage. No pricing details have been confirmed at this time but like previous collaborations, they should be available to buy as separate bundles.

PlayStation Plus' monthly free games for August 2023 have been announced. The three titles will be available to members of PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Deluxe/ Premium plans, starting August 1. Members can compete to become the next FedExCup Champion in PGA Tour 2K23, slay armies of fantastical beasts and demigods in Death's Door, and dive into the ever-changing universe of Dreams, which is laden with community-created games and tools to unleash your creativity. These games can be added to your PS4 and PS5 games library until September 4, after which you'll need to hold on to your PS Plus subscription for continued access.

The Queen's Gambit Chess has finally gone live on Android and iOS, via Netflix Games. Almost three years since the Anya Taylor-Joy-led miniseries premiered on the platform, developer Ripstone Games — best known for immersive board video games like Poker Club and Chess Ultra — has dedicated this love letter composed of lessons for newbies, puzzles, and faithfully recreated locations from the show. The game is available exclusively to Netflix subscribers, regardless of what plan you're on. Now, it's only natural for players to wonder what this game provides that Chess.com doesn't, and much of it boils down to the presentation and the 3D world it has created. Plus, the show's brand recognition is good for introducing chess to more people.

After something as monumental as July's ‘Barbenheimer' event, any impending films in the year are bound to appear less enticing. However the month of August isn't without its highlights, with Bollywood serving two highly-anticipated sequels — OMG 2 and Gadar 2. The former sees Akshay Kumar returning as a godlike figure - this time as Lord Shiva - to partake in an amusing courtroom drama at the request of an unhappy civilian. OMG 2 is out August 11 in theatres. On the same day, Sunny Deol's Tara Singh once again embarks on a trip to Lahore, Pakistan, to bring his now fully-grown son back to India, amidst the roars of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Gadar 2 also sees most of the original cast reprise their roles.

Earlier this month, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council implemented a 28 percent tax on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharama, on July 11, announced the new taxation policy, adding that tax would be levied on the full face value of transactions, which included the amount being wagered or deposited for the game. Since the announcement, industry stakeholders, which include investors, gaming companies and others, have expressed concerns about the impact of the 'online gaming' tax on businesses, industry jobs, and foreign investment.

India isn't seen as a huge market for handheld gaming consoles. Nintendo doesn't have an official presence here at all, Sony never really promoted the PS Vita, and there's no hope of the Steam Deck coming in anytime soon. There clearly is some demand, evidenced by the easy availability of grey-market Nintendo Switch units, online listings for niche Chinese manufacturers such as Ayaneo, and even small yet vocal crowds of retro console enthusiasts in forums online. However, they're a microscopic niche compared to smartphone gamers here, with PUBG/BGMI becoming a cultural phenomenon and even casual titles making enormous money. Over 500 million Indians are estimated to play games on their smartphones; double what the figure was just five years ago. That's incredible in terms of sheer market potential.

Ubisoft confirmed that it won't be deleting ‘inactive' accounts, leading to the permanent deletion of digitally purchased games. Over the weekend, a screenshot circulated on Twitter — now, X — showing an email, which suggested that Ubisoft had temporarily suspended a user's UPlay account for being inactive for long periods and would be closing it permanently within the next 30 days unless the user cancelled it. Included in the email was a link to cancel the closure, which normally sounds like a red flag, but the official Ubisoft Support team replied confirming that the email was legitimate and that users could avoid account closures by logging into their accounts within 30 days of receiving the email. Even its terms of service claim that Ubisoft accounts could be terminated if they have been inactive for longer than six months.

PlayStation fans can rejoice as Sony has confirmed a limited-time promotional offer for its PS5 console, promising a discount of flat Rs. 7,500 in India. The offer is only applicable on the 4K Blu-ray-equipped disc version of the console and goes live on Tuesday, July 25, at select online and offline retailers. The sale will run for two weeks, going through August 7, and will cut the price of the PS5 down to Rs. 47,490, which is slightly lower than the original cost at which the console was launched in February 2021. This does not affect any game bundle variants of the PS5 console, either. In November 2022, Sony raised the prices for its current-gen consoles by 10 percent for the disc version and 12.5 percent for the digital variant, and now, even if just for a brief period, the former's price is coming back down.

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal is back in the hands of Britain's antitrust regulator after an appeals court granted an adjournment, and the grounds for why the UK should reconsider its block on the US software giant's takeover were published.

Acer Nitro 16 was launched in India on Friday, quipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS octa-core processor in two GPU variants — GeForce RTX 4060 and GeForce RTX 4050. The models have 16-inch LED-backlit TFT LCD screens and customisable 4-Zone RGB backlight keyboards. Notably, the company released the Acer Swift Edge 16, the Acer Predator Triton 16 the Acer Aspire 5 model earlier this year in May and over the past couple of months. The 2023 Acer Aspire 5 with the 13th Gen Intel Core i5 1335U processor is priced in India at Rs. 70,990.

Tiger Global, Peak XV and Steadview Capital are among 30 foreign and domestic investors asking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review a 28 percent gaming tax, saying the levy would adversely impact $4 billion (roughly Rs. 32,811 crore) in prospective investments, a letter showed.

Spider-Man 2 just got a story trailer during the San Diego Comic-Con 2023 panel, dropping big hints about the future of our heroes Peter Parker and Miles Morales, as they head into conflict with two primary threats — Kraven the Hunter and the Symbiote Venom. During the Summer Game Fest event, held last month, co-creator Bryan Intihar confirmed that, unlike the comic books, Eddie Brock won't be Venom in the game, promising a mystery twist for fans that now seems to point toward Harry Osborne. Developer Insomniac Games also revealed a new Spider-Man 2-themed limited edition PS5 bundle, where both the console and DualSense controller appear to be getting consumed by the blackness of the symbiote.

The US Federal Trade Commission official on Thursday withdrew the agency's case before an in-house judge that sought to block Microsoft's $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,66,200 crore) acquisition of game-maker Activision.

Diablo IV's much-awaited season 1 update is almost upon us and ahead of that, Blizzard has rolled out a new patch for preparation. The hefty 8GB patch 1.1.0a brings a range of balance changes, fixes some bugs, and adds unique items, in addition to making permanent upgrades such as Altars of Lilith unlocks available account-wide when starting as a new character. For the uninitiated, ‘Season of the Malignant' is set after the events of the main campaign, once you've defeated Lilith and unravelled the Tree of Whispers. Diablo 4 season 1 goes live tonight at 10:30pm IST in India/ July 20 at 10am PT in the US, across PC and consoles.

PlayStation has launched its annual Summer Sale, offering discounts of up to 75 percent off on select titles on the PS4 and PS5. If you were looking to score some sweet deals on the biggest PlayStation exclusives, however, this promotion is lacking in that respect, instead shifting focus to more third-party titles on the platform. The promotion will be live for a limited time, ending on Wednesday, August 16, albeit some unspecified games will be removed from sale on August 2. A highlight among PS-exclusives in the sale is The Last of Us Part I (remake), available at a 25 percent discount for Rs. 3,749. PS Plus Premium/ Deluxe members also get a two-hour free trial period, in case you're doubtful about the purchase.

Blizzard is bringing a selection of its PC games over to Steam, starting with Overwatch 2. The free-to-play team-based shooter is headed to Valve's gaming client on August 10, in what appears to be a change in Blizzard's strategy due to its impending acquisition by Microsoft and the low player engagement the game has garnered in recent times. The Windows PC version of Overwatch 2 and other games from the publisher is largely restricted to its Battle.net launcher — a hot topic for most PC gamers, who prefer having all their games on one platform and hate having to juggle between them. The Steam version will also include the niceties of unlockable achievements and cross-platform multiplayer.

Activision Blizzard said on Wednesday it has extended the deadline for the close of its $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,66,200 crore) takeover by Microsoft to October 18 as the companies work to secure approval from the United Kingdom's antitrust authority.