Category: Video Games

HTC Vive’s $999 Focus Vision Lets PC Gamers ‘Bring the Same High-End Headsets Used in VR Arcades Into Their Homes’

HTC Vive has upgraded its lineup of Extended Reality headsets with the new HTC Vive Focus Vision, promising gamers built-in eye-tracking, improved cameras, and better hand-tracking. If actual reality is just too much and you’ve recently received an unexpected inheritance from a wealthy benefactor, the new headset is available to pre-order today.

HTC Vive Focus Vision price:

  • USD $999
  • UK £999
  • €1229
  • AUD 1,899 inc GST

Not to be confused with the currently available Vive XR Elite, Focus 3, Focus Plus, Pro 2, or Viveflow VR models, the HTC Vive Focus Vision will also offer a DisplayPort mode that will connect directly with a PC’s graphics card to let VR gamers work their way through their Steam VR back catalog without a drop in visual quality. The only catch with that feature is that it won’t be available until “late 2024.”

HTC Vive Focus Vision features:

  • Built-in eye-tracking and motorized auto-IPD adjustment
  • DisplayPort mode for stunning, visually lossless PCVR experiences
  • Dual 16MP color cameras for stereoscopic full-color passthrough
  • Up to 120-degree FOV and 90Hz refresh rate. Support for 120Hz refresh rate via
  • DisplayPort mode coming late 2024
  • Combined 5k resolution across both eyes
  • Depth sensor for scene recognition
  • Infra-red sensor for enhanced tracking in low-light conditions

“VIVE Focus Vision gives you the best of both worlds, with outstanding standalone capabilities, and DisplayPort mode support for visually lossless PCVR experiences,” said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC VIVE.

“Now, PC gamers can bring the same high-end headsets used in VR arcades into their homes. We’re taking everything to the next level with built-in eye-tracking, stereo color passthrough cameras for depth-correct Mixed Reality, and even an infra-red sensor for enhanced hand tracking in low-light conditions.”

Extended Reality – or XR – is the umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. HTC Vive is one of the biggest players in the space, and its new toy will compete with the Meta Quest 3 and of course the Apple Vision Pro. We’ll let you know how it stacks up against them when its released later this year.

Rachel Weber is IGN’s Managing Editor.

Skate heelflips into my calendar with an early access release some time in 2025

The upcoming skate. game now has an (admittedly vague) early access release date of 2025, according to a post by the developers on Xitter. It’s difficult to write about the new skate. game because if you choose to write skate. with the imposed stylings which skate. publishers Electronic Arts insist, you end up putting a full stop after every instance of skate., which makes your sentences about skate. sound fucking stupid. and. belaboured. with. pauses. Game makers, please stop putting punctuation in your game names.

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Retro-Inspired Soulslike ‘Bloodless’ Punches Its Way To Switch Next Month

Bring it, Shogun.

Publisher 3D Realms and developer Point N’ Sheep have revealed that the pixel art Soulslike Bloodless will be bringing the school of “non-lethal combat” to Switch on 10th October.

Yes, we did just say “non-lethal”. You see, this Soulslike is all about tackling foes in a slightly less stabby manner. You play as Tomoe, a ronin who has given up her blade and sworn to never use it again. You’ll have to utilise dash counters and powerful ki-attacks to overpower foes and bring the fight to Shogun Akechi, the bloodied leader responsible for bringing Tomoe’s homeland to its knees.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

LYMBUS is hostile to my existence and keeps demanding brain cells I haven’t grown yet

What are you LYMBUS? In what vat were you grown? I feel like I’ve sluggishly ambled my way down to the fridge and tried to scoop a gherkin from the jar, only to find a disconcertingly tasty sliver of my own brain. Like a creature from Flatland trying to play 4D chess, and all the pieces are just tiny carvings of my face with “lol get a load of this prick” whittled into the forehead. I quite like it.

“We combined your favorite genres into one grotesque piece of software! You’re welcome, game journalists,” reads the Steam page for the demo. That is a very polite way to kick me in the head and call me a bitch, LYMBUS.

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Nintendo Announces 4 SNES Games for Switch Online Library

Nintendo has announced four Super NES games from the early ‘90s are now live via the Nintendo Switch Online library.

First up, we have Battletoads Double Dragon, a crossover beat-’em-up developed by legendary studio Rare and released in 1993. Here’s the official blurb, from Nintendo:

The warriors from Double Dragon join forces with the toad-acious Battletoads trio to form the ultimate team in this 1993 beat-’em-up! Tussle with terrific twins Billy and Jimmy Lee as they team up with Zitz, Rash and Pimple to defend the Earth against the combined might of the Dark Queen and the Shadow Boss! Leap from the Battlecopter onto the tail of the Colossus spaceship and fight your way through beastly baddies and lethal objects using the Battletoads’ arsenal of Smash Hits or the Dragons’ array of Dragon Force Techniques – each provides incredible attacking combos, including kicks, punches, throws and more! You’ll also put your driving skills to the test with the Speeder Bike and high-speed Space Pod. How will this struggle for Earth’s future end?

Next, we have Jaleco’s Big Run, a racing game originally released for the Super Famicom in 1991. Check out what the game is about, per Nintendo:

Race across the vast landscape of Africa – from Tripoli to Dakar – over the course of nine stages in this racing game originally released for the Super Famicom system in 1991. This monumental task isn’t only about putting pedal to the metal, though! First, you’ll need to select a sponsor and then use those funds to hire staff. Next, you’ll need some spare parts to replace tires and engines when they get damaged or worn out. The glory of victory awaits if you can combine precise tactics and bold driving to weather the brutal driving conditions that stand between you and your goal.

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a 1993 action puzzle game developed by Namco and originally released for the Super Famicom.

The Cosmo Gang take on falling-block-style puzzles across three modes in this 1993 action-puzzle game that was originally for Super Famicom. Focus on clearing blocks to get the high score in 1P Mode, play competitive battles in VS Mode and put yourself to the test in 100 Stage Mode, where you can solve stage after stage of strategic challenges. In each of the modes, progress is made by removing containers and Cosmos that fall from the top of the screen. You can remove the containers by lining six up in a horizontal row — and Cosmos are removed when they touch the blue orbs that occasionally make their way down. Though the two types of blocks are cleared in different ways, try to see if you can perform a combo by clearing both types at once!

And finally, Technōs Japan’s sports game Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen’in Shūgō!, which came out on the Super Famicom in 1993, is available. The Kunio-kun series, known as River City outside Japan, is now in the hands of Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works, with recent revivals from WayForward.

This sports game, released for the Super Famicom system in 1993, features Kunio-kun (who you may recognize from the River City series!) and his striking dodgeball moves. Take the field and square off against teams from various countries and employ a variety of jumps, passes and dynamic knockout shots as you aim to become the greatest dodgeball team in the world. Plus, each stage has hidden gimmicks to discover, so your matches may even take some unexpected turns! Build your ideal team, power up with in-game items and train your teammates to be the best they can be. Can you take the dodgeball championship by storm?

Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library additions for September 2024:

All four games are now part of the Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library, and are available for all Nintendo Switch Online members to play today.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

You’re now much stronger against tanks and armour in Helldivers 2, as Arrowhead patch for “more versatile” tactics

Last month, Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead thrust a white flag out from their shelled position in an attempt to placate mutinous fans of the co-op shooter. In response to a community sentiment best summed up by a popular Reddit post titled “Let the super earth burn”, Arrowhead released a statement. “In short, we didn’t hit our target with the latest update…what matters most now is action. Not talk.” Said action (which it must be pointed felt a bit troublingly reactive to the loudest and most histrionic voices in the roo..uh, subreddit) was foreshadowed in a list of issues to be tackled over the coming months.

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Video: Mario & Luigi: Brothership New Trailer Highlights Battle Mechanics

“Jazzy jumps, humongous hammers, and boisterous Bros”.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership has this week received a new trailer focused on “enjoying the action in Concordia”.

It’s brief, but if you haven’t been keeping up with the updates, it’s another great look at what exactly you can expect from the battle mechanics in this latest entry. It also follows on from a separate video, welcoming fans to the new location.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Freedom Wars Remastered Bringing Vita Favorite to Modern Platforms as Potential First Step Toward Sequel

Freedom Wars, the fan-favorite multiplayer action game frequently hailed as one of the PlayStation Vita’s best games, is officially coming back. Bandai Namco announced today that Freedom Wars will be getting a remastered version on modern platforms, bringing with it 4K resolution, 60fps support, and other enhancements.

First released on Vita back in 2014, Freedom Wars is a dystopian third-person multiplayer action game similar to Monster Hunter that supports up to eight players. It was originally developed by the now-defunct Japan Studio, which was merged into Team Asobi in 2021. Freedom Wars’ servers were turned off that same year. The remastered version is being developed by Dimps Corporation, which was able to gain permission from Sony to use the license.

Despite Freedom Wars’ status as a niche favorite, it was able to develop a cult following and earn a spot on our list of the 25 best Vita games.

“Freedom Wars’ emphasis on fighting, looting, and upgrading creates an addictive gameplay loop for Vita owners. It certainly isn’t the only Monster Hunter clone available on Vita, but it’s perhaps its most successful one,” we wrote at the time. “The staying power of its addictive fight-loot-upgrade cycle is enhanced by deep gameplay, customization options, and a really interesting online component made it one of our favorite portable releases of 2014.”

In addition to graphical enhancements, Freedom Wars Remastered will feature an overhauled weapon crafting system and additional difficulty settings, among other additions. Nevertheless, we wrote in our hands-on preview that it feels similar to how it was 10 years ago.

“Part of me sees Freedom Wars Remastered more as a novelty – a Vita classic that is now at least playable on modern platforms with its most important parts unsullied, for better or worse. It’s fundamentally the 2014 game with some quality-of-life necessities,” our previewer Michael Higham wrote. “It was a perfect fit for Sony’s last handheld, and a blast to sink hours into, competing with other Panopticons across your region and reducing your prison sentence in futility. I’m not sure if it’s going to take the same way it did 10 years ago, but I do believe this is a big win for preservation and making a cult classic much more accessible in a faithful form.

In the same preview, director Takashi Tsukamoto calls the remaster a neccessary first step on the path toward eventually make a sequel.

“We’ve been wanting to create something like this for a long time, but we really didn’t have the opportunity. As Dimps [the development team], we’ve been looking for opportunities to release something, maybe a sequel – something related to Freedom Wars. However, it was very difficult to set up a team and nothing was really lining up. At some point, we said maybe a remastered version of the original would be good.”

[W]e don’t know if there’s going to be a sequel yet of course, but if there is a sequel, we have tons of ideas we’d want to implement into said sequel

As for why it’s taken this long to revisit Freedom Wars, Tsukamoto said, “The opportunity never really presented itself until now. We were able to come to an agreement with Sony regarding the license and they were able to partner up with Bandai Namco, and it just so happens that it’s about 10 years later that all of it started coming to fruition.”

Tsukamoto says he hopes the new remaster will be successful enough to “take the next step into potentially releasing a sequel,” adding, “As much as we’d like to share it with you, we don’t know if there’s going to be a sequel yet of course, but if there is a sequel, we have tons of ideas we’d want to implement into said sequel.”

Freedom Wars Remastered is set to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch on January 10, 2025. In the meantime, check out our list of the best 2024 games so far.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.