Recap 7.14.17

PlayStation


  • If you’re a Destiny fan who hasn’t yet upgraded to a PlayStation 4 Pro, this might be an enticing deal: Sony is bundling Destiny 2 with a white PS4 Pro, the company announced today and is only available through this bundle.

  • If your online status on PSN shows as offline, it seems like a bug related to the recent 4.72 update. We expect it will be resolved soon.

Nintendo


  • A new Japanese trademark application has been filed for ‘Nintendo Check’ with an image reserved just a few weeks ago on June 20. This will likely tie into the company’s MyNintendo program which most of us at Pixelrater feel is significantly inferior to what was previously Club Nintendo.

  • The upcoming 20th anniversary Pokémon movie, I Choose You, is a reimagining of the anime’s first season — but don’t expect everything to be the same. Among the biggest changes are new takes on classic moments and, for whatever reason, the replacement of Ash’s best friends, Brock and Misty. Longtime fans of the series seem pretty unhappy about the move.

  • Saber Interactive has (finally) released the multiplayer update for NBA Playgrounds in version 1.1.3. The update also completely overhauls the game’s shooting system along with adding 15 new players.

  • Outright Games announced its making games for both Adventure Time and Ben 10 that are set to also release on Switch.

  • This week Nintendo released a big update (version 2.0) for ARMS which added a feature called Records. Each time ARMS receives a notable new update (version 3.0, 4.0., etc.), new records will be added with version having its own page of records. Past records can always be revisited, but previous ones can’t be changed. The update also added new characters, new arms, a new stage and a new mode.

  • Niconico, a popular online video streaming service in Japan, has released and is officially the first app for Switch. We’re sure it’s only a matter of time before other services Netflix and Hulu join the party.

  • Production of the standard sized new Nintendo 3DS has ceased in Japan as Nintendo Switch sales continue to climb in the territory.

Xbox


  • Microsoft will soon let users gift games digitally to one another. Too bad there aren’t really any good games coming except for Cup Head.

  • The Pokémon Company announced plans for upcoming worldwide events other than Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago July 22. You can find read all the details on their official website.

  • Xbox One received an update with some nifty features like the ability to add your own customer Gamerpic and co-streaming with up to three friends on Mixer, directly from the console.

Industry News


  • Singer Dion DiMucci has filed a lawsuit against ZeniMax Media for $1M over their use of his ’60s pop hit ‘The Wanderer’ in conjunction with Fallout 4. He’s claiming his song was the backdrop for an ad which contains “…repugnant and morally indefensible images designed to appeal to young consumers”

  • You may not have watched Netflix’s animated adaptation of Castlevania yet. Hell, you may not even know it existed until just now. But after a mere few hours after the mini series launched, Netflix renewed the series for a second season and doubled it’s episode count to 8.

  • This year Summer Games Done Quick beat out last year’s record of $1.3M by raising a little over $1.7M for Doctors Without Borders.

  • Those who preorder Battlefront 2 will get access to the multiplayer on October 4 while everyone else will only have to wait two additional days to October 6.

  • Valve’s VAC system doles out around 3,500 suspensions on an average day. However, on Thursday July 6th, an unprecedented wave of bannings took place. The VAC had hammered nearly 30K accounts by noon Pacific in a move that occurred immediately after the end of its annual Summer Sale.

  • A new Netflix-style service is launching for indie games called Jump. For $10 a month, users can play any of the service’s initial catalogue of 60+ games, with ten more coming each month for desktop and VR platforms. Jump’s beta period is running from now through July 24th with a limited game selection. Once the service launches this summer, a 14 day trial period will be open to everyone.

  • Logitech is picking up popular gaming headset maker Astro Gaming for $85M in August. Astro was previously owned by Skull Candy. There is no word on if this acquisition will affect pricing.

  • If being able to peek around corners thanks to the third-person camera in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is too unrealistic for you then I’ve got some great news—the game will be getting first-person-only servers in North America and Europe before expanding to there regions. The mode will be available first in solo and duo games before making it’s way into other game types.

  • Bandai Namco and Level-5 announced that Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom has been pushed back into 2018.

  • Waking Titan is an Alternate Reality Game that has been ongoing for a month, and is expected to continue until the end of August. Keen players on Reddit have been tearing the game apart and documented numerous subtle references to No Man’s Sky. Many believe this game is a marketing ploy to introduce a massive update for NMS that includes multiplayer and more. The most recent finding was discovered in a PDF file within Walking Titan and reads as the following:

    We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the Mercury Subroutine so far. We hope you have enjoyed the successful distribution of 180 Access IDs, and we hope you will also appreciate the other interesting artifacts we have in store for you going forward. We intend to keep the process alive until the completion of Project Waking Titan in August. It is important to mention that we are very excited by the coming Phases 2 and 3. Input from the Mercury Subroutine will pave the way toward new experiences in version 1.3 of a familiar universe. We look forward to the successful conclusion of this ground-breaking experiment. Regards. S.M.


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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