The new NVIDIA GeForce 546.17 WHQL driver is now available for download, packing DLSS 3 optimizations for the latest games that support it, as well as NVIDIA Reflex improvements in Counter Strike 2 and more.
25.10.2023 - 20:39 / gameranx.com
Over the last several years, numerous big-name video game developers and publishers have bought out other companies to try and bolster their game development ranks and ensure that gamers come to their systems to get certain titles. The money being thrown around to do such things has been in the double-digit billions, and it’s made many gamers’ eyes go wide in shock. For Microsoft, one of their biggest acquisition was getting Bethesda, which is one of the best developers on the planet in the eyes of many. Starfield was their most recent title and one that was exclusive to the Xbox Series X/S and PC, and Microsoft hoped it would deliver big numbers for them.
On the positive side, they were right on that front. The latest quarterly data for Xbox has been revealed, and it states that the gaming division profits for Xbox rose about 9% year-to-year, with services like Xbox Games Pass also getting a boost year-to-year. The reason for that has been largely attributed to Starfield, and it’s not hard to see why, given that it was the “big game” for Xbox exclusively in that period.
However, if you look further at the data, you’ll see “offset” via the hardware sales numbers:
Microsoft FY 2024 Q1:
Based on quarterly Xbox sales growth of 9%, its gaming division is at around $15.8B in annual revenue right now.
Compare that to $16.3B during the same time last year.
See the below chart over time, with estimated breakouts for its two categories as well. pic.twitter.com/MOKwyyZzQM
Yep, hardware sales for the Xbox Series X/S have dropped 7%, and it’s not that surprising to hear when you consider that the system doesn’t stack up to the PS5 in various hardware respects and doesn’t come close to the Nintendo Switch in software respects. Plus, while Bethesda’s game helped elevate them in the past quarter, they don’t really have anything striking coming out in the last few months of the year that would help drive up console sales or Game Pass purchases, putting the company in a bit of a sticky wicket.
The catch, as they would happily tell you, is that they do have bright things on the horizon. Not only is Bethesda cranking things out, but the finalized acquisition of Activision Blizzard will give them a potentially big boost in their game development departments. In fact, the CEO of Microsoft even said that with this purchase, they’re going to “double down” on their gaming division to ensure that they put out everything they want to and earn a bigger chunk in the gaming market.
Whether they’re able to pull that off is up in the air. Plus, it’s not like Sony and Nintendo will be “sitting around” doing nothing. Still, 2024 will be interesting to watch.
The new NVIDIA GeForce 546.17 WHQL driver is now available for download, packing DLSS 3 optimizations for the latest games that support it, as well as NVIDIA Reflex improvements in Counter Strike 2 and more.
Finish Line Games has announced Robots at Midnight, an action RPG set in a narrative-driven and expansive Cassette Futurist world. It will launch for Xbox Series and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. A release date was not announced.
Recently, a group of modders released their own Community Patch for Starfield, representing a collaboration working to improve the studio’s new IP. Creative fans have crafted mods left, right, and center since the game’s release, and that’s without official modding support from Bethesda.
Starfield's next update has been made available in a beta test on Steam ahead of its wide release and the early takeaways are promising.
In its latest earnings announcement, which concerns the second quarter of the 2023 financial year, Sony has revealed some significant new insight into the current trajectory of PlayStation 5 hardware and software sales.
2023 has been a stellar year for Nintendo, with highly anticipated new releases like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launching on Switch and the Super Mario Bros. movie setting box office records earlier this year.
Bethesda has announced that it will be releasing an update for the PC version of Starfield soon, bringing with it support for Nvidia DLSS with frame generation, display and HDR controls, and other optimisations. To start with, the update will only bne available through a beta branch of Starfield on Steam, after which it will be eventually released to all PC and Xbox players.
Publisher and developer Cygames, and developer Grounding, Inc. have released roguelite action game Little Noah: Scion of Paradise for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC via Microsoft Store. It is priced at $14.99 for the standard edition and $19.99 for the Special Edition.
New technologies and innovations have helped scientists to take the space missions to the next level. We have received various mesmerizing images of space till now with amazing high-definition cameras. Now, the NASA astronauts are prepping up to take the next generation camera to the Moon to capture the detailed images of the Lunar surface. European astronauts and scientists have come together with NASA's Artemis imagery team to complete this crucial task.
If Todd Howard up and left Bethesda, it would "leave a big hole," says Skyrim's lead designer, insisting that the Starfield director has "an attribute that none of the rest of us did."
Apple enthusiasts may soon have a reason to celebrate, as a new leak hints at the return of the 12-inch MacBook in a more budget-friendly avatar. The 12-inch Macbook was discontinued in 2019 after introducing it in 2015 as the MacBook Air took its place. However, users have been speculating for a while whether Apple plans to introduce cheaper MacBooks that could provide a more affordable alternative to their existing lineup.
Publisher Thunderful Games and developer FuturLab have announced Velocity series spiritual successor IKARO Will Not Die for Xbox Series and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.