Recap 1.19.18

PlayStation


  • Sony’s PhyreEngine, which has been a free-to-use game engine for more than a decade, now officially supports the Nintendo Switch. One upcoming title running on Sony’s engine is Dragon Quest Builders.

Nintendo


  • There are rumblings that another 2D Metroid is in the works, hopefully for Switch.

  • Nintendo has seen wonderful success with Switch including with it’s first party titles. The newest milestone for the big N regards Splatoon 2 and it’s sales in Japan. Specifically, Splatoon 2 was the first home console title to sell 2M copies in the region within the past decade.

  • Speaking of Japan, Switch sold 3.4M units in it’s first year. For reference, PS4 sold under 1M at 920k units within it’s first year.

  • Level-5 announced it’s porting 3DS game The Snack World:TreJarers to the Nintendo Switch. The exact release date is still TBA, and no word yet if it will get an international release.  Now Tristan and I can cross our fingers until they fall off that Level-5 will bring Fantasy Life over to Switch.

  • Team Meat has confirmed the Super Meat Boy’s day one sales almost topped those racked up during its Xbox 360 debut.

  • If you have a 3DS and somehow haven’t picked these up, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Super Mario 3D Land and Ultimate NES Remix are now part of the Nintendo Selects range, making them $19.99 each.

  • Nintendo, being Nintendo, took the industry by surprise with the reveal of Nintendo Labo, a concept where players create interactive toys made of provided cardboard and other bits like rope and more. Each kit comes with it’s own cutouts and game cartridge and utilizes the motion capabilities of the Joy-Cons as well as integrating the Switch console itself. It’s a really novel and customizable concept that is surely an activity kids and parents can bond over. Not only that, but it’s also eco-friendly in an industry plagued with plastic peripherals housing electronic bits and rare metals. I showed my wife and she thought it was neat. It’s definitely something I’d have fun partaking in if I had kids.

  • A year ago, the reveal of Nintendo Switch helped swell Nintendo’s market value by a staggering $1 billion, and now, mere months before the release of Nintendo Labo, the Japanese firm’s worth has shot up by another 2.4%. That might not sound like a big percentage, until you realize that translates to a crazy $1.4 billion, closing out its market performance on a seven week high.

Xbox


  • PUBG has passed the 3M player mark on Xbox One.

  • Microsoft’s games chief Phil Spencer has reorganized his studio structure, appointing Matt Booty as corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios. Booty will take over Spencer’s previous role of managing Microsoft’s network of games studios, including Turn 10 (Forza series), 343 Studios (Halo), Mojang (Minecraft), The Coalition (Gears of War) and Rare (Sea of Thieves). A former boss at Midway’s U.S operation, Moody’s previous role at Microsoft was running Mojang.

  • Xbox One’s backward compatibility is a killer feature, although games have to be manually updated to work. Two new titles have been added to the list and include Far Cry 2 and Driver: San Francisco. In my experience backwards compatible games run pretty well and those that may have run poorly initially (some of the Halo games) have since been updated with much better performance.

  • Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller is pricey, but arguably the top choice for Xbox owners who want a gamepad that’s fully customizable for their gaming needs. Well apparently, the original controller garnered enough demand to warrant a sequel as multiple leaks appear to have uncovered a new Elite controller that builds on lessons learned from the original. If the tips are correct, the new model will include Bluetooth for easy connection to your PC, a USB-C wired connection, an Apple MagSafe-style charging connector on the back, and a built-in battery rechargeable battery rather than disposables.

Industry News


  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition has been announced and includes FFXV, all previous DLC, and new bosses as well as a new dungeon. There’s also new gear, missions, a first person mode, and more. Owners of FFXV can upgrade the Royal Edition for $19.99.

  • Fortnite Battle Royale, Epic’s free-to-play shooter, has just reached a new player count milestone with the total player count now passing 40M and peaking at 2M concurrent players.

  • Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg will step down in March, according to a statement released today by the company who said they are actively looking for a replacement.

  • Twitter’s live stream of Overwatch League had more individual viewers than Thursday Night Football, as tweeted by ESPN. This ia a pretty big deal since football is in the playoffs right now.


Antonio Worrall
Antonio Worrallhttps://antonioworrall.com
I'm a Senior IT Support Engineer, every day tech geek, gaming enthusiast, world traveler, and foodie living with my wife and cat in the NY/NJ area.

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