Pokemon’s 25th Anniversary, More Resident Evil on Switch?

Microsoft “aware of performance issues” with Xbox Series X and some titles

Some multiplatform titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla run a bit better on PlayStation 5 than on Xbox Series X, despite Microsoft tooting the backwards compatibility horn very hard.

“We are aware of performance issues in a handful of optimized titles on Xbox Series X|S and are actively working with our partners to identify and resolve the issues to ensure an optimal experience,” said Microsoft. This is the first time an Xbox console features native backwards compatibility.

Recycling games: Obviously, there will still be teething trouble despite the efforts both Microsoft and Sony have made to make sure previous-generation games just work on their new consoles. Sony has not made very grand promises about backwards compatibility, but right now it looks like they are actually ahead of Microsoft.

Comparison wars: “…our partners are just now scratching the surface of what next-gen consoles can do and minor bug fixes are expected as they learn how to take full advantage of our new platform,” Microsoft explained. Devil May Cry 5 suffers from frame rate dips on Xbox Series X in performance mode, but Microsoft's console closes the gap when playing in 4K with ray-tracing according to Digital Foundry.

What was the first Harvest Moon game for the PlayStation Called?

a) Harvest Moon
b) Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
c) Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
d) Harvest Moon: Animal Parade

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Spore and its monolithic Easter Egg

Spore was based on a simple but ambitious idea: Follow the evolution of a species from a tiny microscopic organism to a sophisticated, space-faring civilization. Unsurprisingly, the game paid homage to Stanley Kubrick’s science-fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

You advance your species with the aid of the very same mysterious black monolith that appears in the film, where it appears that the alien structure inspires mankind’s ancestors to use tools and thus begin advancing as a species.

Join our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today's fact.

Google reflects on the first year of Stadia

Google Stadia has been on the market for a year now, and has decidedly not managed to make much of a mark on the industry it was supposed to redefine.

Stadia's director of games Jack Buser was recently interviewed about the past, present and future of the cloud console, and said: “There wasn’t a Stadia before Stadia. The original Xbox was the last time that an entirely new game platform of scale has been introduced.”

Free sample: Buser doesn't pay any heed to the naysayers, and doesn't feel any need to defend the way the launch was handled or the sparse game library. “You maybe spent a few moments playing a video game at worst, right?” Stadia is free to try on the official website.

The future: Google has set up two first-party studios for Stadia, with 15 exclusives on the way – and that's going to “scale pretty rapidly,” according to Buser. Google wants to “create this sort of symbiosis” between devs, streamers and gamers and certainly won't monetize streamers the way creative director Alex Hutchinson suggested.

Pokémon 25th Anniversary Celebrations

The Pokémon Company trotted out a troupe of Pikachus at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City.

Dancers in Pikachu costumes performed to the anime's original theme song on Herald Square, and finished their number by unfurling a banner bearing the logo of the upcoming Pokémon 25th anniversary, which starts next year.

Hot air: The Thanksgiving Day parade also featured a giant Pikachu balloon, which has been a staple of the parade for the last 20 years.

Long legacy: The Pokémon anime first aired in Japan in 1997, and appeared in English the following year and quickly snowballed into a global multimedia phenomenon spanning television, cinema, games and even a musical. The greatest success so far has been Pokémon Go, which has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2016.

New PSVR headset on the horizon

PlayStation VR has been somewhat overshadowed by PlayStation 5, and has clearly not been a huge priority for Sony since it's not even compatible without an adapter that allows the old PlayStation Camera to be connected to the new console.

Fortunately, it seems like Sony is working on an all-new headset judging by recent patents. The new headset appears to feature haptic feedback and a much more streamlined design. The patent lists software engineer Steven Osman from Sony Interactive Entertainment as the inventor.

Aldin Dynamics halts PSVR development

Waltz of the Wizard developer Aldin Dynamics will stop working on its current PlayStation VR projects until Sony clarifies its plans for virtual reality on PlayStation 5.

“Sony apparently isn’t hellbent on keeping 1st gen PSVR away from PS5, but question remains what they’ll do next.” said CEO Hrafn Thorisson, adding that his company will be “holding off on further VR product updates” until Sony announces plans for the future of PlayStation VR.

• Resident Evil Revelations 3 could be a Switch exclusive and could end up with a new name if the rumours are true
• Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course delayed until next year because Studio MDHR refuses to compromise on quality
• New update for Watch Dogs: Legion coming this week, adding a manual save button but multiplayer will have to wait until 2021
• Celebrate the new year on the International Space Station with Pokémon, along with a space sunrise and a new Pokémon AR experience
• Sony promises more PlayStation 5 stock available for the holidays and suggests keeping in touch with retailers for updates

What was the first Harvest Moon game for the PlayStation?

ANSWER: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature!

Harvest Moon started out on Super Nintendo, but soon appeared on other consoles too. Harvest Moon: Back to Nature was the first PlayStation game in the series, and did not appear on any Nintendo console.

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature was supposed to be a straight port of Harvest Moon 64, but it turned into a bigger project. Many characters changed roles and personalities, and there was a stronger focus on farming. Producer Yasuhiro Wada – who created the Harvest Moon series – was not thrilled with the changes, but the game was a success and was eventually ported to Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable and Switch.

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey.

We hope you've enjoyed today's issue DailyBits! Please feel free to send any feedback over to team@dailybits.news. Thank You!