Yearly Archives: 2020
Nvidia RTX 3070 Delayed Until the End of October
Nvidia's RTX 3070 graphics card has been delayed until the end of October in order to ensure there's enough stock to meet demand.
Originally scheduled to launch on October 15, the graphics card manufacturer has shifted its release date to October 29, most likely in light of the demand for previous 3000 series cards. Nvidia recently issued a statement to apologize for the launch of the RTX 3080, which caused record traffic at many sites and sold out very quickly.
The news was revealed on the Nvidia blog, where a statement was issued on the delay, and what this means for the availability of the graphics card. "We've heard from many of you that there should be more cards available on launch day. To help make that happen, we are updating the availability date to Thursday, October 29th."
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Nvidia acknowledges that this may be disappointing for fans eager to get their hands on the new Ampere tech as soon as possible, but added that it was necessary to help meet demand. "This shift will help our global partners get more graphics cards into the hands of gamers on launch day," the statement reads.
At $499/£469, it's the cheapest card in the new range, but don't let that suggest that its specs aren't something to shout about. According to Nvidia, the RTX 3070 is more powerful than the RTX 2080 Ti, which was the most powerful graphics card on the market ahead of the 3000 series launch. For all the specs, price and release date details for Nvidia's new range of GPU's, check out this handy explainer.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Minecraft’s Steve In Smash Bros. May Have Been in Negotiation for 5 Years
Negotiations to get Minecraft's Steve into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may have been ongoing for "at least" five years.
Mojang co-founder Daniel Kaplan revealed the news on Twitter. Kaplan first asked his followers to guess when discussions started about the character coming to Nintendo's Smash Bros, which prompted many teasing replies.
Eventually, he confirmed in a reply that talks started "at least five" years ago. In a follow-up, Kaplan added that he has "no idea when implementation started," most likely due to the fact he left Mojang in 2017 to work at Coffee Stain Publishing.
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If you missed the news, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai revealed on Thursday that the game's next DLC characters will be Minecraft's Steve, Alex, Zombie and Enderman. An in-depth look at how these characters will work in-game is coming on October 3, where a release date for the characters will also be revealed. Twitter suffered a brief outage when the news dropped, which we're sure is just a coincidence...
A blog post on the official Minecraft website offers some more details on the deal. The game's chief creative officer Jens 'Jeb' Bergensten commented that getting Minecraft characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "is the result of an amazing collaboration with Nintendo." "As fans of the series and avid players at our studios, we couldn’t be more excited to see Minecraft join Smash’s already legendary lineup of characters.”
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Here’s How You Shouldn’t Play With Your Real-Life Mario Kart
The first previews for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit are out, and IGN got a chance to check it out early and ask a few questions to Nintendo. As a toy/video game hybrid, there are a lot of questions on what Mario Kart Live can do, but one thing it can’t — or at least isn't recommended — is be driven outside.
Firstly, Mario Kart Live is a new toy/video game hybrid where you build a race track in your living rooms and then drive a physical, remote-controlled kart through this track using your Nintendo Switch. A camera on the RC kart will transform your living room into a virtual Mario Kart track.
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After a short, virtual demo where IGN saw the Mario Kart Live kart driven on different terrains like carpet and wooden floors, we asked what conditions the RC car can be driven in outside. To which Nintendo responded, “We do not recommend outside use.”
Nintendo says that while the RC kart is durable enough to handle obstacles like table legs, the RC kart will not fare as well if hit from above by an object, nor does Nintendo recommend driving the kart off a ramp.
“Overall though, the one thing you’d want to look out for is anything falling on top of the kart itself,” Nintendo says. “Anything running into a table leg or object should be okay,” but Nintendo flatly says “No ramps.” Nintendo doesn’t even recommend a flat tiled backyard area.
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Nintendo is presumably just looking out for customers who put down a hefty $100 for Mario Kart Live. Outdoor driving opens the kart to a variety of dangers that aren’t present in controlled, indoor environments. But if Nintendo recommends not taking the kart outside, we’ll issue the same recommendation.
Check out our full Mario Kart Live preview and our new screenshots in the gallery above.
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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
The Internet Thinks Minecraft in Smash Bros. Crashed Twitter
This morning Nintendo announced the newest DLC character joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, and it’s none other than Minecraft Steve (and friends). Coincidentally, Twitter suffered a brief outage right after Minecraft Steve was announced, and while Twitter wouldn’t confirm the reason for the outage fans believe the two are related.
At 7 am PT, Nintendo revealed the newest character joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighters list. According to Down Detector, Twitter experienced an outage two minutes later. When IGN reached out to Twitter to inquire about the cause of the outage, Twitter declined to confirm the cause of the outage. Although Twitter did confirm there was a short outage.
This hasn’t stopped Twitter users from claiming that the two events are related. After all, a lot of people were online to see the new character for Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Minecraft Steve has been a long-rumored, though unconventional, character. When Steve was finally revealed as the next character, the reaction online was swift and immediate.
twitter the exact moment minecraft steve got announced for smash pic.twitter.com/CAR6riDrcP
— Kevampire Williwolf (@AwestruckVox) October 1, 2020
Sakurai: Minecraft Steve in Smash! Twitter Servers: pic.twitter.com/TNQMDsPriT — TRAFON (@RiseFallNick) October 1, 2020
Twitter has survived numerous election campaigns, election days, election result, natural disasters, and a pandemic. Sakurai announces Minecraft Steve in Smash and this app just frame 1 exploded. — Itano Circus (@TheItanoCircus) October 1, 2020
Again, neither IGN nor Twitter can confirm the reason for the 7 am disruption to Twitter that followed the new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC news. And Twitter users are free to speculate on the reasons for themselves. We’re just pointing out a funny coincidence. Minecraft Steve, Alex, Zombie, and Enderman will be released as upcoming DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They are part of the second Challenger Pack in Fighters Pass Vol. 2 following Arms’ Min-Min. You can see their announcement and move sets in the trailer below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-reveal-trailer"] For more, check out IGN’s review of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.Literally Twitter after Minecraft steve reveal: pic.twitter.com/U1pe3G6GoY
— Jesus (Joestar) Renteria ζ⃠ (@Jolly_Inkling) October 1, 2020
Crash Bandicoot 4 Review – Bandicoots Are Forever
The increasingly popular reboot-sequel is a hard needle to thread. You have to create a game that hews close enough to the original to make nostalgic fans happy, while modernizing and innovating enough to resonate with new players. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time balances the two effortlessly. It impeccably preserves the vibrant look and feel of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, while integrating new ideas and platforming possibilities. And like the original Crash games, the hybrid of Crash's old and new ideas will test your platforming skills in interesting new ways.
Like its groan-inducing dad-joke of a subtitle says, Crash 4 is about time… travel. When the villains of Crash's past open an interdimensional portal, Crash and Coco have to collect a set of quantum masks in order to set things right. As with past Crash games, small exchanges in cutscenes between levels do a lot of narrative legwork. It's not much of a "story" per se, but Crash and his friends' charm fills in the gaps and makes you care enough to follow along.
Crash 4's time-traveling story takes you to all sorts of times and places, including dinosaur-infested jungles, futuristic cities full of flying cars, and sunken pirate ships. Every place you go feels lush, full of color and detail, with a painterly quality that's simply wonderful to run through. My favorite is the Mardi Gras world, where Crash and Spyro balloons float in the background as you hop over neon-colored flames and trumpet valves. Occasionally, you'll run through an area and the camera will pull back to let you take in the scenery. The environments never failed to impress me with their visual depth.
Continue Reading at GameSpotCrash Bandicoot 4 Review – Bandicoots Are Forever
The increasingly popular reboot-sequel is a hard needle to thread. You have to create a game that hews close enough to the original to make nostalgic fans happy, while modernizing and innovating enough to resonate with new players. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time balances the two effortlessly. It impeccably preserves the vibrant look and feel of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, while integrating new ideas and platforming possibilities. And like the original Crash games, the hybrid of Crash's old and new ideas will test your platforming skills in interesting new ways.
Like its groan-inducing dad-joke of a subtitle says, Crash 4 is about time… travel. When the villains of Crash's past open an interdimensional portal, Crash and Coco have to collect a set of quantum masks in order to set things right. As with past Crash games, small exchanges in cutscenes between levels do a lot of narrative legwork. It's not much of a "story" per se, but Crash and his friends' charm fills in the gaps and makes you care enough to follow along.
Crash 4's time-traveling story takes you to all sorts of times and places, including dinosaur-infested jungles, futuristic cities full of flying cars, and sunken pirate ships. Every place you go feels lush, full of color and detail, with a painterly quality that's simply wonderful to run through. My favorite is the Mardi Gras world, where Crash and Spyro balloons float in the background as you hop over neon-colored flames and trumpet valves. Occasionally, you'll run through an area and the camera will pull back to let you take in the scenery. The environments never failed to impress me with their visual depth.
Continue Reading at GameSpotWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands Delayed
Blizzard has announced it is delaying the release date for the next major World of Warcraft expansion, Shadowlands. The next expansion will not be released on October 27 as originally planned, and there is currently no replacement date announced.
In a blog post addressed to the WoW community, Blizzard announced it made the difficult decision to delay Shadowlands to “later this year.” World of Warcraft executive producer John Hight says that this was the “right decision for the game — and for our players.”
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“Over the past several months of testing, we’ve made significant progress iterating on and polishing the core features and gameplay of Shadowlands,” writes Hight. “We’re at a point where the zones, the campaign, the level-up questing experience, and the story we have to tell are essentially ready to share.”
“However, as everything started coming together and we’ve been listening to and building upon your feedback, it’s become clear we need a little more time for additional polish, and to balance and iterate on some interlocking pieces — particularly those related to the endgame,” Hight explains.
Although Shadowlands will be delayed, Hight says that on October 13 the pre-patch for Shadowlands will be released which will include groundwork for the expansion, revamped character leveling, and a new-player experience on Exile’s Reach, along with new character customization.
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Shadowlands is the eight expansion since World of Warcraft was released and is set to feature the first “level squish” for the MMO along with an overhauled leveling system. Covenants are coming to the new zones which Hight says are “at the heart of the expansion.”
Check back on IGN when the new release date for Shadowlands is announced.
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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
Don’t Fear the Raptor: Scientists Extract DNA From Insects Preserved in Resin, But …
Scientists who extracted genetic material from an insect preserved in resin, for the purposes of a newly published study, are aware of the Jurassic Park overtones of what they're doing but assure the public "we have no intention of raising dinosaurs." So far, scientists have been unable to conclude that ancient DNA can viably last for millions of years inside insects preserved in resin, thus dampening the hopes of real-life John Hammonds everywhere.
A group of European scientists is specifically studying how long DNA can last in insects preserved in resinous materials -- its shelf life if you will. These scientists successfully extracted genetic material from two-year-old and six-year-old resin samples and hope these new methods can be applied to future studies of much older samples.
"However, we have no intention of raising dinosaurs," said Dr. Mónica Solórzano-Kraemer of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum. "Rather, our current study is a structured attempt to determine how long the DNA of insects enclosed in resinous materials can be preserved."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/jurassic-park-the-t-rex-detail-you-never-noticed-and-other-secrets-revealed"]
Past attempts to extract ancient DNA from million-year-old or several hundred thousand-year-old fossil resin have been criticized or deemed unsuitable for genetic studies as "the result of modern environmental contamination and for lack of reproducibility."
As recently published in the journal PLOS, the scientists said, "Our objective is far from starting an uncontrolled search for aDNA in amber as it was in the past, but to start resolving basic aspects from the DNA preservation in resin and search from the most modern samples to the ancient ones, step by step. We conclude that it is therefore possible to study genomics from resin-embedded organisms, although the time limits remain to be determined."
In other words, they can now successfully extract genetic material from samples preserved in amber but it's unclear if genetic material can actually last for millions of years in such a state (as opposed to in other fossilized remains). This study has proven genetic material can last at least up to six years but could ancient DNA -- OK, let's just say it, dinosaur DNA -- actually survive in fossilized resin for millions of years?
Right now, the answer appears to be no or at least highly unlikely but these scientists hope to determine just how long genetic material can be preserved in future studies using the modern genomic techniques applied in this study.
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"Our experiments show that water in the inclusions is preserved much longer than previously assumed. This could also affect the genetic material's stability. The extraction of functional DNA from several-million-year-old amber is therefore rather unlikely," said Dr. Solórzano-Kraemer.
But are these scientists so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should? Well, that they're hip to the Jurassic Park of it all suggests they don't want raptors coming back to life either.
Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go Movie Announced, Produced by JJ Abrams
Dr. Seuss is coming back to the big screen with multiple Cat in the Hat movies and a J.J. Abrams-produced Oh, The Places You'll Go.
Vanity Fair says that three movies have already been greenlit with the third movie a Cat in the Hat spinoff starring Thing One and Thing Two. The animated movies will come from Warner Animation Group, which is the same studio behind the recently-released Scoob! and The LEGO Movie. The Cat in the Hat movie was originally announced in 2018.
Susan Brandt, president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, said that the "Seuss universe" will "not necessarily" intersect characters across different franchises like the Marvel movies.
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“The Cat in the Hat will not meet the boy in Oh, the Places You’ll Go, nor would the Things go visit the Lorax,” Brandt said. “While it will all feel like part of the Seuss universe, they live in their worlds, and they’re not necessarily going to interact in the same films.”
However, Brandt said there is still room for sequels and spinoffs like the Thing One and Thing Two movie.
“For the first time we’re not just doing one film for one book," Brandt said. "We’re going to franchise-build beyond the initial story of these books and find out what happens next. I call it stretching the fabric. How far can it go, to go a little bit deeper with our characters.”
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The Cat in the Hat will be directed by South Park producer Erica Rivinoja and Disney artist Art Hernandez and is expected to hit theaters in 2024. Thing One and Thing Two is aiming for a 2026 release and Oh, The Places You'll Go isn't planned for release until 2027.
Oh, The Places You'll Go will be the first animated movie to come from Abrams and Bad Robot Productions. Bad Robot is currently working with Warner Bros. on a Justice League Dark TV series and a TV series based on the hotel from The Shining.
The Cat in the Hat was previously adapted into a movie in 2003. It was a live-action movie starring Mike Myers in a cat suit and it bombed at the box office after it was roasted by critics. Dr. Seuss' widow hated the movie so much that she said she would never allow one of her late husband's books to be adapted into a live-action movie ever again.
Since then, the creators of Ice Age brought Horton Hears a Who to the big screen in 2008 and the studio behind the Despicable Me movies adapted The Lorax in 2012 and The Grinch in 2018. Netflix recently adapted Green Eggs and Ham as a TV series, which has been renewed for season 2. The developer of that series, Jared Stern, will be an executive producer on The Cat in the Hat movie.
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The IGN review for Scoob! gave the movie a 7 out of 10 calling it "earnest and entertaining." Warner Animation Group is providing animation for the upcoming live-action Tom and Jerry movie and the Space Jam sequel, the latter of which recently showed off the new jersey that Lebron James will wear in the movie. The animation studio is also developing a fully-animated DC Super Pets movie.
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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who had a nightmare about Jim Carrey's The Grinch when he was a kid.
GTA Online: Score 2X Rewards in Special Vehicle Work, Business Battles, and More
This week in GTA Online, get double rewards across a variety of activities, claim free login bonuses, and more.