Xbox Series X Tech and Features…

Xbox 12 Teraflops X

Microsoft talks Xbox Series X features

Want the specs? Wanna know how fast the CPU or GPU is and how much RAM there is? Well, tough, because Microsoft ain’t telling ya.

What they will tell you, however, is the GPU’s peak throughput of flops – floating point operations per second. Spoiler: it’s a lotta flops. Enough flops for you, me and everyone else. Twelve trillion of them, in fact.

CPU and GPU:

• Custom designed AMD chipset (Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures)
• Four times the processing power of Xbox One X
• GPU with peak throughput of 12 teraflops, twice of Xbox One X
• Variable Rate Shading allows developers to prioritize “individual effects”
• Hardware-accelerated raytracing via DirectX

Storage and data transfer:

• SSD storage for faster loading and streaming of game content
• Quick Resume takes multiple games out of suspended state
• Dynamic Latency Input for better multiplayer over wifi
• HDMI 2.1 features Auto Low Latency Mode and Variable Refresh Rate
• Support for 120Hz video output

Game compatibility:

• Backwards compatible with Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games
• Smart Delivery lets you purchase a title once and play it on any Xbox
• Xbox Game Pass will “continue to have our first party games” at launch

Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?

Who was the main writer for Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords?

• David Cage
• Chris Avellone
• Drew Karpyshyn
• Marc Laidlow

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.

Daily Fact

Linkle was meant to be Link’s little sister in Hyrule Warriors

The Legend of Zelda’s iconic hero Link almost had another little sister! Omega Force and Team Ninja designed a character named Linkle for the musou-style Wii U action game Hyrule Warriors, and she certainly had the look down pat.

However, series producer Eiji Aonuma wasn’t happy with this as Link’s only sibling was Aryll, from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for GameCube. Linkle reappeared in the updated Hyrule Warriors Legends for Nintendo 3DS as a “girl with heroic aspirations.”

Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today’s fact.

The Week Ahead in Gaming

This Week in Games

The biggest event this week is PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts. After several prominent companies started cancelling their appearances at trade shows over fears of COVID-19, the organisers are promising “enhanced cleaning and sanitization” to assuage anxious visitors.

Tuesday – February 25th

• Dota Underlords launches for PC, iOS and Android
• Dragon Quest of the Stars launches for iOS and Android
• Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection launches worldwide for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch
• Rune Factory 4 launches for Switch in North America
• Samurai Shodown launches for Switch
• Sayonara Wild Hearts launches for Xbox One
• Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! launches for PSVR
• Two Point Hospital launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch

Wednesday – February 26

* Hero Must Die. Again launches for PC and PlayStation 4
* Yakuza 0 launches for Xbox One

Thursday – February 27

• PAX East opens its doors in Boston, Massachusetts
• Hero Must Die. Again launches for Switch
• Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection launches for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch in Japan
• MouseCraft launches for PC
• One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows launches for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Japan

Friday – February 28

• Metro Redux launches for Switch
• One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows launches worldwide for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV launches for PC and PlayStation 4
• Rune Factory 4 launches worldwide for Switch

Dualshock 5 Is Alive

Biofeedback patent for DualShock 5

Fans have sleuthed up another one of Sony’s patents for the redesigned DualShock 5 controller: A way to track players’ sweat secretions and heart rate through pad’s grips.

This kind of sensor could for example allow a game to dynamically change its difficulty based on the player’s stress levels, and it’s not the first time Sony has toyed with biofeedback. Supermassive Games used the DualShock 4’s sensors to make Until Dawn’s QTE sequences harder, for example.

Blood, sweat and tears: “…biofeedback information is used to select between one or more options presented in a piece of content without the user having to provide further input,” according to the patent. The sensor is designed to create “an immersive and highly interactive experience for players.” The patent also specifically mewntions virtual reality and measuring the player’s emotional responses to affect gameplay.

Esports Bits

Rainbow Six Siege hits record number of players

After just over four years, Rainbow Six Siege has set a new concurrent players record at over 180,000 players. Ubisoft has put the game on sale for £6/$8 during The Six Invitational championship, which seems to have injected a lot of fresh blood into the community.

Ubisoft has spent a lot of effort keeping Rainbow Six Siege fresh since launch with constant balance and content updates featuring a load of new maps and operatives, and the game will even stay alive on next-generation consoles, proving that Ubisoft is in for the long haul.

FIFA 20 pro player calls out EA

Donovan “Tekkz” Hunt is one of the world’s best FIFA 20 players, and took the opportunity to call out EA after he secured his place in the semi-final of the FUT Champions Cup IV. The relevant quote from his postgame interview: “Every one game on FIFA 20 is a 50/50, he’ll win this one, I will win the next one. Because the game is so unrewarding, anyone can win, guys who aren’t good can win on FIFA 20.”

This isn’t the first time an esports pro has criticized EA – there have been many complaints about the ‘overload the ball’ tactic, which makes it hard to score goals against defensive teams. As a result, the average match sees fewer goals than in previous FIFA games.

Faker becomes part-owner of T1

League of Legends superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has signed a new three-year deal with T1 that gives him part ownership of the team.

“Since T1’s inception, Faker has been the cornerstone of our team’s success and his undying passion for this organization will continue to drive us forward now that he is a part-owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports,” said Joe Marsh, CEO of T1.

Riot Games does not allow teams to sign players for more than 3 years at a time, so the deal is most likely an unofficial way of encouraging Sang-hyeok to stick with T1 when his current contract lapses.

What Else Happened Today?

• EA has cancelled a third Star Wars title according to Kotaku. The cancelled game was an open world Star Wars: Battlefront spin-off codenamed Viking
• Kojima Productions pulling out of GDC 2020 over COVID-19 concerns, meaning Hideo Kojima will not appear at the conference.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 gets a sip of Hot Coffee on PC, but the mod promptly disappears after Take-Two threatens legal action.
• Team17 partner with One More Dream Studios: Bend time and command nature to solve puzzles and defeat bosses in Ageless for PC and console
• Fortnite revenue finally declining while Apex Legends is up 12 percent, but PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds ‘wins January’ with huge 512 percent Season 6 launch spike

Quiz Answer - Did You Get It Right?

Who was the main writer for Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords?

Answer: Chris Avellone!

Few games have raised as many eyebrows as Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and that’s mostly thanks to Chris Avellone’s writing.

Famous for his work on games like Fallout 2, Planescape Torment and Alpha Protocol, Avellone has a deft sense of the subversive. Knights of the Old Republic II questions core concepts of the Star Wars universe, from philosophical musings about the Force to outright disdain for the Jedi and Sith ideologies, marking a definite shift from the first game’s straightforward adaptation. Much like the Last Jedi, it could be seen as a breath of fresh air – or a betrayal.

Unfortunately, the game was rushed out for a Christmas release and a bunch of content was missing from the game at launch. A lot of the missing content has been patched back in by diligent fans, so it might be worth revisiting this slightly different take on the Star Wars universe – especially since it’s just ten bucks on Steam.

Today’s issue of DailyBits was written by Simon Priest, Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Christian Vaz and Jamie Davey