Category: Video Games

Elden Ring Patch 1.13 Out Now — Here’s What It Does

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has released update 1.13 for the game following a period of server maintenance across all platforms.

This second post-Shadow of the Erdtree patch, live now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, follows early July’s 1.12.3 update, which tweaked the Golden Hippopotamus fight, among other things.

Publisher Bandia Namco released the 1.13 patch notes, and there are a few changes worth highlighting. For example, fans are getting excited about this quality-of-life change:

“Changed the default selection of the OK / CANCEL prompt that shows up when using the ‘Spectral Steed Whistle’ while the spectral steed is dead. The default selection position is now OK.”

However, localisation staff removed from the credits are still yet to be added in. The patch notes say:

“In update 1.12, an error was included in the credits of the game. This issue will be corrected in the next update.”

IGN’s Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree review returned a 10/10. We said: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”

Elden Ring update 1.13 patch notes:

PvP-exclusive balance adjustments

Equipment

  • Increased poise damage of normal attacks for the following weapon types:
    Light Great Swords / Backhand Blades / Hand-to-Hand Arts / Beast Claws
  • Increased poise damage of dual wield attacks for the following weapon types:
    Straight Swords / Thrusting Swords / Curved Swords / Katanas / Spears / Whips / Fists / Claws
  • Increased poise damage of the Claws of Night throwing attacks.
  • Decreased the backstep invulnerability window when the Fine Crucible Feather Talisman or the Talisman of All Crucibles are equipped.

Skills

Savage Lion’s Claw

  • The second hit of the follow-up attack is now easier to land.
  • Decreased damage animation of the first attack against other players.

Raging Beast

  • Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.

Blind Spot

  • Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.

Palm Blast

  • Decreased poise amount generated when charging this skill.

Spell and Incantations

Miriam’s Vanishing

  • Decreased invulnerability window against other players’ attacks.

Knight’s Lightning Spear

  • Increased attack power of the initial lightning spear.
  • Decreased attack power of the spears launched after the first one.
  • Decreased poise damage of all spears generated by this spell.

General balance adjustments

  • Increased damage animation of the Light Greatsword charge attacks against enemies (other than players).
  • Increased the stats & status of the following NPCs that can be summoned in some areas:
    • Needle Knight Leda / Pureblood Knight Ansbach / Thiollier
  • Increased the attack power and damage negation of summoned spirits, excluding the Mimic Tear, when the Revered Spirit Ash Blessing is at [5] or more.
  • Increased the attack power and damage negation of summoned spirits, excluding the Mimic Tear, when upgraded to “+8” or higher.

Armament

Increased attack power scaling when upgrading the following armaments.
Repeating Crossbow / Spread Crossbow / Rabbath’s Cannon

Shield of Night

  • Increased damage negation when blocking physical attacks.

Euporia

  • Increased Holy damage when the weapon has its luster restored.
  • Decreased the number of attacks required to restore the weapon’s luster.
  • Increased the duration of the luster restoration effect.

Golden Lion Shield

  • Increase guard strength.

Golem Fist

  • Added a damage hitbox to the hand portion of the ranged fist attack.

Smithscript Greathammer

  • Increased poise damage of the swing portion of throwing attacks (the projectile is unchanged).

Spread Crossbow

  • Decreased the generated status buildup when used with Bolts that have status effects.

Ailment Talisman

  • After the onset of a status ailment, the status build up (or duration) of said ailment will now also be reduced immediately by a certain amount.

Clarifying Horn Charm / Clarifying Horn Charm +1 / Clarifying Horn Charm +2

  • Increased Focus resistance.

Skill

Savage Lion’s Claw

  • Increased attack power and poise damage of the first attack.

Swift Slash

  • Reduced movement distance when using this skill
  • Extended recovery time.

Overhead Stance

  • Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).

Aspects of the Crucible: Wings

  • Increased attack power.
  • Increased directional control, as well as amount of poised generated when using this skill.

Lightspeed Slash

  • The additional light attacks are now affected by the attack power and ability scaling of the weapon.

Rancor Slash

  • Increased attack power of the vengeful spirits.
  • Increased stamina damage against guarding enemies.

Revenger’s Blade

  • Increased directional control for follow up attacks after a strong attack.

Horn Calling

  • Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).

Horn Calling: Storm

  • Increased attack power against enemies (other than players).

Weed Cutter

  • Increased the speed of attacks.

Romina’s Purification

  • Increased poise value when using this skill.

Red Bear Hunt

  • Increased attack power.
  • Increased poise value when using this skill.

Rancor Shot

  • Decreased status buildup generation when used with Arrows that have status effects.

Repeating Fire

  • Adjusted attack power to compensate for increase in weapon damage

Feeble Lord’s Frenzied Flame

  • Reduced Frenzy status effect buildup against enemies.

Revenge of the Night

  • Increased poise damage and attack power when this skill is used immediately after guarding against an enemy attack.

Spell

Glintblade Trio

  • Increased attack power.

Blades of Stone

  • Adjusted attack power of the first, second and third charge attacks.
  • Increased attack power of the non-charged attack.
  • Increased attack power of the first hit of the charged attack, and reduced attack power of the second and third hits.
  • Increased attack range and attack speed.

Glintstone Nail

  • Increased attack power and improved enemy tracking.

Glintstone Nails

  • Increased attack power and improved enemy tracking.

Impenetrable Thorns

  • All generated Impenetrable Thorns will now track enemies.
  • Decreased attack power and poise damage.
  • Decreased the Hemorrhage status buildup and stamina damage against guarding enemies.

Rings of Spectral Light

  • Increased attack power and Frostbite status buildup.

Vortex of Putrescence

  • Increased attack power and Frostbite status buildup.

Incantation

Minor Erdtree

  • Increased HP recovery amount.

Land of Shadow

  • Improved enemy tracking.

Spira

  • Increased attack speed.

Watchful Spirit

  • Improved enemy tracking.

Divine Beast Tornado

  • Increased attack power.
  • Enemies hit by the tornado will now be launched upwards.
  • The tornado will be less likely to disappear due to collision with the terrain.

Rain of Fire

  • Increased attack power.
  • Reduced the interval between each hit.

Roar of Rugalea

  • Increased poise damage and attack power.

Furious Blade of Ansbach

  • Increased attack power.

Rotten Butterflies

  • Increased Scarlet Rot status buildup.
  • Reduced the interval between damage ticks.
  • Increased attack range.

Ash

Wandering Noble

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Noble Sorcerer

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Nomad Ashes

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Putrid Corse

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Skeletal Militiaman

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Skeletal Bandit

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Albinauric

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Winged Misbegotten

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Demi-Human

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Clayman

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Oracle Envoys

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Man-Fly

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Lone Wolf Ashes

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Rotten Stray Ashes

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Giant Rat Ashes

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Warhawk

  • Increased HP, physical attack power and Fire attack power.
  • Increased Stance status.

Land Squirt

  • Increased HP.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Spirit jellyfish

  • Increased HP, physical attack power and poison status ailment buildup on enemies.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Spider Scorpion

  • Increased physical attack power, poison status ailment buildup on enemies and damage negation except for strike and fire attributes.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Fingercreeper

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Fanged Imp

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Bigmouth Imp

  • Increased HP and Fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Gravebird

  • Increased HP and magic attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Soldjar of Fortune

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Archers

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Greatshield Soldiers

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Page

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Vulgar Militia

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Marionette Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Avionette Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Kaiden Mercenary

  • Increased HP and physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Mad Pumpkin Head

  • Increased physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Fire Monks

  • Increased HP and Fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Ancestral Follower

  • Increased physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Horned Warrior

  • Increased HP and damage negation except for pierce attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Azula Beastman

  • Increased HP and lightning attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Man-Serpent

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Crystalian

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.
  • Increased physical attack power.

Kindred of Rot

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Bloodfiend Hexer’s

  • Increased hemorrhage status ailment buildup on enemies.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Glintstone sorcerer

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Twinsage Sorcerer

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Inquisitor

  • Increased HP.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Godrick Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Raya Lucaria Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Leyndell Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Radahn Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Haligtree Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Mausoleum Soldier

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Messmer Soldier

  • Increased Hp and physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Stormhawk Deenh

  • Increased HP and physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.
  • Increased duration of effect to increase the attack power given to allies.

Banished Knight Oleg

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Banished Knight Engval

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Bloodhound Knight Floh

  • Increased HP, physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Black Knight Captain Huw

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Black Knight Commander Andreas

  • Increased damage negation and guard boost against Holy and Physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Fire Knight Hilde

  • Increased Fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Fire Knight Queelign

  • Increased Vigor and Faith.

Swordhand of Night Jolán

  • Increased Vigor and Dexterity.

Jolán and Anna

  • Increased Vigor and Dexterity.

Battlemage Hugues

  • Increased physical attack power and magic attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Latenna the Albinauric

  • Increased HP, physical attack power, and magic attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Perfumer Tricia

  • Increased HP.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Depraved Perfumer Carmaan

  • Increased fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Omenkiller Rollo

  • Increased HP, physical attack power, and Fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Blackflame Monk Amon

  • Increased HP and Fire attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Curseblade Meera

  • Increased HP and physical attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh

  • Increased HP, physical attack power, and magic attack power.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff

  • Increased Lightning attack power and damage negation against Physical, Lightning, and Holy Attack affinities.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Redmane Knight Ogha

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against Physical and Fire attack affinities.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Lhutel the Headless

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against physical attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Cleanrot Knight Finlay

  • Increased physical attack power and damage negation against Physical, Magic, and Holy Attack affinities.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Black Knife Tiche

  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Divine Bird Warrior Ornis

  • Increased HP and damage negation against Physical attacks except Pierce attacks.
  • Will no longer stagger as easily.

Ancient Dragon Florissax

  • Increased Arcane.
  • Increased damage negation against all affinities.
  • Increased Skills and Incantations usage rate.
  • Increased the speed and poise values during some attacks.

Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet

  • Increased Vigor and Faith.

Jarwight Puppet

  • Increased Vigor.

Dolores the Sleeping Arrow Puppet

  • Increased Vigor.

Nepheli Loux Puppet

  • Increased Vigor and Strength.

Dung Eater Puppet

  • Increased Vigor.

Nightmaiden & Swordstress

  • Increased HP and physical attack power.

Bug Fixes

  • Changed the default selection of the OK / CANCEL prompt that shows up when using the “Spectral Steed Whistle” while the spectral steed is dead. The default selection position is now OK.
  • Adjusted the placement of NPC summon signs in certain boss fight areas.
  • Changed the NPC summon signs in certain boss fights to allow the user to summon NPCs simply by pressing the action button once.
  • Fixed a bug where the damage of some normal attacks of the Dark Moon Greatsword were lower than intended.
  • Fixed the physical attack attribute menu display of the “Warpick” weapon.
  • Fixed a bug where some attacks of the “Swift Spear” weapon were different than expected in terms of power, damage motion and hitbox generation timing.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the “Twinblade Talisman” from affecting the Perfume Bottles weapon type when equipped and used in the left hand.
  • Fixed a bug where the physical attack attributes of some attacks of the Thrusting Shields weapon type were different than expected.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed the use of Arrows / Great Arrows / Bolts / Great Bolts that should not be usable for the following weapon types:
    Light Bows / Long Bows / Greatbows / Crossbows / Ballistas
  • Fixed a bug where the effect of increasing the power of the Incantation “Light of Miquella” of the “Circlet of Light” helmet was not applied correctly.
  • Fixed a bug that caused FP consumption when using the “Unending Dance” Skill while not meeting the ability requirements of the weapon “Dancing Blade of Ranah”.
  • Fixed a bug where the physical attack attribute of some attacks of the “Deadly Dance” Skill was different than expected.
  • Fixed a bug where the physical attack attribute of the “Scattershot Throw” Skill of the “Claws of Night” weapon was different than expected.
  • Fixed a bug where the following Skills did not change correctly when performed with or without FP.
  • Dynastic Sickleplay / Raging Beast / Repeating Crossbow Fire
    • Fixed a bug where a different Rage Art was sometimes performed when following up with a strong attack after using the “Raging Beast” and “Dynasty Sickleplay” Skills.
  • Fixed a bug that caused certain Skills to perform differently than expected under certain circumstances.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented some Spells / Incantations that can be used in the air from being used in the air under some conditions.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the “Golden Arcs” Incantation to generate attacks slower when cast with the left hand.
  • Fixed a bug where the “Rain of Fire” Incantation sometimes did not hit enemies.
  • Fixed a bug where the “Furious Blade of Ansbach” Incantation did not apply Hemorrhage status build up.
  • Fixed a bug where under some circumstances, the move distance when casting some Spells / Incantations was different than expected.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes interrupted the cast of the “Roar of Rugalea” Incantation.
  • Fixed a bug where the “Cherishing Fingers” magic attack sometimes did not hit.
  • Fixed a bug in the behavior of the Mimic Tear spirit when casting Spells, Incantations and Skills.
  • Fixed a bug where NPCs could be summoned when the maximum number of cooperative multiplayer members had been reached.
  • Fixed a bug that caused some items to display different icons than expected.
  • Fixed a bug where exiting the game or going through a loading screen immediately after defeating “Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers” could make the dropped items unobtainable.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the player from performing Critical hits on some enemies.
  • Fixed a bug in which some attacks on certain enemies were interpreted differently than expected.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented rune gains when defeating some enemies.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented some enemies from working properly under certain circumstances.
  • Fixed a bug where the Multiplayer area borders were different than intended in some areas.
  • Fixed a bug where the player would spawn in a different place than intended when invading another player’s world
  • Fixed a bug in the map menu that caused some NPC icons in the Realm of Shadow to not display properly.
  • Fixed a bug in the design of the map of Realm of Shadow and the “Map Fragment” icon.
  • Fixed a bug where some cutscenes were not displayed correctly under certain circumstances.
  • Fixed a bug where some sound effects did not play correctly.
  • Fixed a bug where some effects were not displayed correctly.
  • Several performance improvements and other bug fixes.

Steam-only adjustments

  • Fixed a bug where “Anti-aliasing Quality” was unintentionally set to “High” each time the game was restarted.

Correction of end credits

In update 1.12, an error was included in the credits of the game.

This issue will be corrected in the next update.

Possible unstable performance fixes

  • For the PS5 version of the game, unstable framerate may be improved by using the “Rebuild Database” option from the device’s safe mode.
  • In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance. Please check the Ray Tracing setting in the “System” > “Graphics ” > “Ray Tracing Quality” from the title screen or in-game menu.
  • In the PC version, the message “Inappropriate activity detected” may appear without cheating.
  • To fix this issue, please verify the integrity of the game’s files before restarting the game.
  • App Ver. 1.13
    Regulation Ver. 1.13.1
  • In PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions, Regulation files can be downloaded by logging in to the server.
  • If the Regulation Ver. listed in the lower right corner of the title screen is not1.13.1, please select LOGIN and apply the latest regulation before enjoying the game.

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.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: edges towards greatness and won’t take you long to beat

British comedy is too often defined by its relationship to America: either as merely irony and sarcasm, which we’re told Americans don’t understand, or as a sprightly ideas factory for works such as The Office, which Americans can bless by re-making at scale.

Peel back the curtains of American cultural hegemony however and you may find the true pulsing core of British comedy that lies beneath: innuendo. No American network is in a bidding war to import Vic and Bob or remake Bottom, and Carry On and Benny Hill are assumed to be anachronisms in our modern times, but Thank Goodness You’re Here! enters the conversation with a nudge and a wink. It’s a cheeky 2-3 hour adventure through a small northern town, and it’s here to educate the entire world of our nation’s obsession with sausages and bare bottoms.

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Best Video Game Deals Today (July 2024)

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. Deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby. Some of our favorite deals at the moment are on this 3 month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, which is down to $45 at Amazon, and this incredible all-time low discount on the PSVR 2 (down to $349), but there are plenty more to check out. Whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below. And if you’ve taken advantage of lots of these deals, see our roundup of game storage ideas.

PSVR 2 for $349 (was $550)

Any PlayStation fan who’s curious about virtual reality is in luck. Right now, in addition to launching a huge PS5 game sale, Sony is dropping prices on PSVR 2 to new all-time lows.

If all you want is the hardware itself, you can pick up this bundle that includes the headset, two PSVR 2 Sense controllers, and all the cables you need to play. This is a terrific deal, landing it at $150 less than the price of Meta Quest 3 (see at Amazon).

PSVR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle for $399.99 (was $600)

The bundle that includes the PSVR2 hardware, along with the flagship title Horizon Call of the Mountain, is also on sale. It costs $50 more than the non-bundle (and is probably worth picking up, imo; check out our Horizon Call of the Mountain review for details).

Best Xbox Game Pass Deals

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has been discounted at Amazon, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. Amazon has three-month memberships discounted to $45, which is well worth taking advantage of.

Considering the new price of Game Pass Ultimate is $19.99/month, you’re saving $15 with this 3-month deal. This is the best way to avoid the upcoming Xbox Game Pass price hike in September. By stacking these codes you can set yourself up for success to play all of their upcoming releases at a lower price.

Score a Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing for $159

Walmart still has this excellent deal available, which is worth taking advantage of if you’ve been hoping to get your hands on a Switch console. Right now, you can grab a Nintendo Switch Lite (Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition) bundle with Animal Crossing for 20% off, marking it down to $159.

PS5 Slim Consoles on Sale (Save $50)

Sony’s Back to School Sale on several of their PlayStation products even includes the consoles. The PS5 Slim Disc Edition has dropped to $449.99 from its $500 MSRP and the PS5 Slim Digital Edition has dropped to $339.99 from its $450 MSRP. These deals will all expire on August 3.

Best Physical Game Deals

The summer sale events still have quite a lot to offer gamers. There are several excellent games discounted at the moment that are worth picking up, including incredible discounts on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for PS5 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder for Switch. Alongside those, there are several more PS5 games discounted at Amazon right now that are absolutely worth checking out, starting from $30.

More Physical Game Deals:

Best PC Game Deals

There are plenty of excellent deals for PC players to enjoy right now, from newer releases like Dragon’s Dogma 2 to God of War Ragnarok preorders for PC. More importantly, you can also score an excellent deal at Fanatical right now on Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. There’s no better time to journey to the Realm of Shadow. You can check out even more of our favorite PC game deals below.

More PC Game Deals:

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Alienware RTX 4070 SUPER Gaming PC for $1499.99

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated tower? Navigating the options online can be quite the ordeal. Desk space, portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Alienware RTX 4070 SUPER Gaming PC, which is available for $1499.99. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

More PC Deals:

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Perfect PS5 2TB SSD for $105 at Amazon

SSD prices have been rising in 2024, making now the perfect time to buy with significant discounts available. This is one of the best deals on a 2TB SSD post-Prime Day: Amazon is offering the TEAMGROUP MP44Q 2TB SSD for just $104.99. It, unfortunately, does not have a heatsink so you’ll have to invest in one, but you can easily do that here for under $10. It also offers transfer speeds of up to 7,400MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write.

Our Favorite Micro SD Cards for Switch and Steam Deck Are On Sale

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it was recently revealed a Switch successor will be announced within the fiscal year. Therefore, you’re going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That’s a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we’ve left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

More SD Card Deals

Our Favorite Power Bank for Steam Deck is Discounted Right Now

Some excellent power banks are discounted at the moment that are perfectly portable and packing plenty of power to keep you going. In particular, the fantastic Anker 737 Power Bank is down to $109.99. This is a great discount on a reliable power bank that likely won’t last long, so grab it at this price while you can!

Select Xbox Controllers Down to $44

There are quite a few discounts on Xbox controllers right now at Amazon. While not as low as they were during the two-day Prime Day sale event, they’re still worth picking up at these prices. The Robot White, Shock Blue, Velocity Green, and Carbon Black controllers have dropped down to $44, but you can see even more controller deals below.

More Xbox Controller Deals

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Beta Decay is a low-poly dystopian RPG whose grimy cover-shooting shows promise

Edwin spotted this game called Beta Decay that’s not got a release date yet or anything, but looks very cool. It’s being developed by Rotoscope Studios and it’s a low-poly, 90s-inspired mix of dystopian RPG, survival, third and first-person shooter, with some roguelike bits slapped in there, as well. Whew, that’s a lot. Potentially too much. But hey, I am here for something ambitious and interesting, of which it ticks both boxes.

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Activision Secretly Turned Off Skill-Based Matchmaking in Call of Duty as an Experiment; Players Hated It

Pop into the Call of Duty subreddit on any given day, and you’re almost certainly going to trip over a few people complaining about SBMM, or skill-based matchmaking, and how it’s ruining Call of Duty. But according to a recent study by developer Activision, getting rid of SBMM would be far, far worse for the game as a whole, and it’s got the data to prove it.

In a 25-page white paper published last week, Activision reveals that it actually conducted an experiment in 2023’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 where it reduced SBMM for some of its players, resulting in more players quitting games or not coming back to the game for more sessions.

Matches Made in…Heaven?

Currently, Activision says the way matchmaking works in Call of Duty is by taking into account a number of factors. Top priority is player connection quality and the time it takes to enter a match, but other factors including skill, platform, recent maps and modes, and other things are considered too. And skill itself is a complex equation that takes into account individual match total kills, kill/death ratios, and kills/deaths by enemy ratios (to ensure players can’t drop their skill levels on purpose by self-killing). Skill levels are recalculated after every match, and Activision says it’s constantly trying to find a happy balance of ensuring players aren’t seeing wild swings in where the game thinks they’re at, but also to adjust quickly if a player’s having an off day or trying out a new loadout. In short, it’s skill calculations and matchmaking are finnicky processes, but Activision is doing the best it can.

In the study earlier this year, Activision ran a “deprioritize skill test” where the developers decreased skill’s importance in matchmaking in the algorithm, but did not shut it off entirely. It ran the test for 50% of its North American playerbase for a two-week period in early 2024, and the results are… pretty conclusive!

In Figure 3 we can observe the percent difference in the number of players returning after 14 days between the treatment and control groups. With deprioritized skill, returning player rate was down significantly for 90% of players. The 10% of highest skilled players came back in increased numbers, but in aggregate, we see meaningfully fewer players coming back to the game. This effect may appear small, but this change was observable within the duration of the test. This will compound over time, just like interest, and will have a meaningful impact on our player population. This is a concern for all players, including the top 10%, as if this pattern is allowed to continue, players will exit the game in increased numbers. Eventually a top 10% player will become a top 20% player, and eventually a top 30% player, until only the very best players remain playing the game. Those original top players will become increasingly likely to not return to the game. Ultimately, this will result in a worse experience for all players, as there will be fewer and fewer players available to play with.

While single-digit percentages might not seem like a lot, given the sheer volume of participants over a relatively short period of time, this is a fairly significant difference in drop-off. What’s more, Activision expects that based on other studies it has done over time, this would compound. If left unchecked, the lowest-skilled players would disappear at higher rates, meaning only players of higher skill levels would remain. Maybe that sounds great for the higher-skilled players, but in the smaller pool of players, those who had previously been mid-level would now be the lowest-skilled, and would themselves start to drop off at higher rates. Basically, it’s bad news for player retention all around, and retention is necessary to keep an online game alive.

Skill Issues

The paper details other data as well, including a similar survey where Activision tightened the skill constraints in matchmaking and saw inverse results: higher-skilled players dropped off at higher rates, but lower-skilled players stuck around more frequently. It also saw a higher rate of “blowouts” (when one team wins a match with a significantly higher score than the losing team) when skill was deprioritized, which players find less fun, and lower kill-per-minute rates with lower-skilled players. Basically, when SSBM was turned down low, the vast majority of players had less fun, and didn’t come back to play the game more as frequently as when SSBM was on.

In response, players have expressed skepticism about the study. Some point out that the algorithm is too aggressive and shouldn’t recalculate skill after every single game, while others point out that a matchmaking system based on wins/losses would be better than the numerical system Activision uses. It’s a controversial subject, one that online gamers and Call of Duty players in particular have been debating for years. Much of it boils down to, it’s fun to win and less fun to lose, and losing a lot feels exceptionally bad. Should players who are very good at the game be rewarded by being allowed to win a lot against random pools of players, or should games like Call of Duty try to balance the experience by pitting players against others of relatively equal skill so everyone wins and loses a roughly equal amount over time? Activision, at any rate, is erring on the side of keeping more players playing Call of Duty for longer.

You can read the entire white paper here for some fascinating data on how Call of Duty matches players against one another, and there was another paper from back in April that examines the impact of matchmaking based on ping.

In our review, we gave Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer a 6/10, saying it “reheats and reserves the same multiplayer from Modern Warfare 2 with some extra maps and tweaks as garnishes.” And Activision just dropped its Season 5 update last week, with a long list of balance change and improvements for that multiplayer mode.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Booby-trapped based-building FPS Meet Your Maker has another free trial

In Behaviour Interactive’s post-apocalyptic multiplayer FPS Meet Your Maker, you raise grim forts of rusty blocks, pop-out manglers and robot ambushers from the desert sands. Each base harbours a cannister of genetic material and other resources, and the idea is to fiendishly arrange traps and defences to stop people taking your precious genmat while doing your best to clean out their bases. Sound like good wholesome fun? You might want to check out the current free trial on Steam.

Read more

Best PS5 and PlayStation Deals Today (July 2024)

The big Prime Day sale event may be officially over and done with, but there are still quite a few discounts lingering around. We’ve gathered up some of our favorite PS5 deals below, including all-time low prices on PS5 Slim and PS5 Slim digital, and the first (and best) ever deal on PSVR2 which is $200 off. These deals scratch the surface of what’s available now though. Below, you can also find other deals on everything from consoles to SSDs and even information on where to buy a PS5 now.

Navigate to:

PSVR 2 for $349 (was $550)

Any PlayStation fan who’s curious about virtual reality is in luck. Right now, in addition to launching a huge PS5 game sale, Sony is dropping prices on PSVR 2 to new all-time lows.

If all you want is the hardware itself, you can pick up this bundle that includes the headset, two PSVR 2 Sense controllers, and all the cables you need to play. This is a terrific deal, landing it at $150 less than the price of Meta Quest 3 (see at Amazon).

PSVR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle for $399.99 (was $600)

The bundle that includes the PSVR2 hardware, along with the flagship title Horizon Call of the Mountain, is also on sale. It costs $50 more than the non-bundle (and is probably worth picking up, imo; check out our Horizon Call of the Mountain review for details).

Best PS5 Video Game Deals

Amazon has an excellent sale going on at the moment on a variety of PS5 games. Some are discounted all the way down to $30, including Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, Returnal, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but there are a few more on sale that are available at slightly higher prices.

Marked down to $40 are The Last of Us Part II Remastered, God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition, and Gran Turismo 7, while Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is enjoying a nice $20 discount to $50. Many of these are limited time offers as well, so grab ’em while you can at these lower prices!

Perfect PS5 2TB SSD for $105 at Amazon

SSD prices have been rising in 2024, making now the perfect time to buy with significant discounts available. This is one of the best deals on a 2TB SSD post-Prime Day: Amazon is offering the TEAMGROUP MP44Q 2TB SSD for just $104.99. It, unfortunately, does not have a heatsink so you’ll have to invest in one, but you can easily do that here for under $10. It also offers transfer speeds of up to 7,400MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write.

PS5 Slim Consoles on Sale (Save $50)

Sony’s Back to School Sale on several of their PlayStation products even includes the consoles. The PS5 Slim Disc Edition has dropped to $449.99 from its $500 MSRP and the PS5 Slim Digital Edition has dropped to $339.99 from its $450 MSRP. These deals will all expire on August 3.

PlayStation Portal Back In Stock

Best PS5 Headset Deals: 33% Off the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset & More Deals

There’s no shortage of PS5-compatible headsets. If you’re constantly having to turn down the volume when you play, you might want to pick up one of these, then you can listen to your games as loud as you darn well please. And if you’d like to see even more options that are worth buying, check out our collection of the best gaming headsets.

More PS5 Gaming Headset Deals:

How to Trade in Your Old PlayStation Consoles

If you’re looking to trade in your old PlayStation consoles, you can do so at select retailers in-store and online. Often, the most widely available retailers are GameStop and Best Buy. However, you can also trade your used devices online at retailers such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Some retailers will offer you cash for your used goods, while others may provide you with a gift card that can be used in-store and online. This is a great way to offload your old gaming gear and get some money that you can put towards a newer console and games.

While trading devices in at retailers will often net you the lowest amount for your used consoles, there are also online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp that may fetch higher prices, but you’ll often be responsible for packing and shipping costs, or be required to meet someone in person for the transaction, the latter of which poses its own risks.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and we keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

PSA: Receive 1,000 Gold Points With This Switch Online Family Membership Offer (North America)

A “limited time” offer.

Nintendo is currently running a “limited time” promotion where you can earn 1,000 My Nintendo Gold Points when you purchase or renew a 12 month family membership for NSO or the Expansion Pack service.

This offer is currently open to residents located in North America and will be available until 11th August 2024. These Gold Points can be exchanged for games on the eShop and other Nintendo Switch content.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night To Address “Switch Crash” In Next Update

“We apologize for the inconvenience”.

There have been some concerns raised about the state of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on the Nintendo Switch in recent times, and it seems the development team is looking to resolve some problems in the next update.

In a brief post on social media from the official account, the team apologised to players for any inconvenience and mentioned how it’s working on fixes to resolve a “Switch crash” as well as some issues associated with other platforms.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

(For Southeast Asia) First Look: Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense Wireless Controller

Hi everyone! It’s a pleasure to be back here to make another Astro Bot-related reveal.


(For Southeast Asia) First Look: Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense Wireless Controller

If you have been following Astro news as of late, then you know Team Asobi have been hard at work on a brand-new game coming out on September 6. The game features over 50 planets, new powerups, lots of enemies, secrets and PlayStation-infused characters to collect. And it also features a DualSense wireless controller turned into a living character and helping Astro on his mission.

Today, it is an immense pleasure to announce that you will be able to charge into Astro’s new supersized adventure along with the cool new DualSense wireless controller – Astro Bot Limited Edition.

We know many of you were hoping for this after seeing the game trailer. So, we quickly asked our lovely bots to engineer this beauty and tada! No, no, I’m just kidding; it had been in the making for some time, carefully crafted by the amazing teams at SIE. And what splendid work they did.

The controller’s design features Astro’s signature blue accents on the handles and buttons, carved-in, sci-fi lines as well as the trademark playful pair of eyes on the touch pad.  It is a true work of art, and we could not be happier with the end-result at Team Asobi. 

With this dynamic addition to your set-up, a supersized space adventure awaits… 

The DualSense wireless controller – Astro Bot Limited Edition will be available in limited quantity in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam for SGD 114 / MYR 399 / IDR 1,449,000 / THB 2,690 / PHP 4,590 / VND 2,299,000 and will launch on September 6, day-in-date with the launch of Astro Bot

Pre-orders will be available through local retailers starting from Friday, August 9, 2024.

I will take this chance to summarize some of the cool things this new Astro Bot game does with the DualSense wireless controller

First, as many of you expect from an Astro game, you can feel the surfaces that Astro runs and slides on, from grass, sand, metal to more squishy textures or water. That was already the case with Astro’s Playroom, but we have increased the number of textures you can feel through the controller.

Next, we doubled down on the adaptive triggers combined with haptic feedback, by tying them tightly to Astro’s new powers. For example, when using Barkster, the bulldog Jetpack, you can feel the thruster ratting against your finger in synch with the animation, giving a very dynamic and immersive feeling. Every new power up has been given that same special treatment so you will be able to experience various expressions through your fingers.

Finally, given the number of enemies and boss battles we added to this new adventure, it was important to work on battle and impacts by combining all of the above. Whether it’s stretching, pounding or pummeling hard surfaces, there are many new types of impacts that can be experienced in Astro Bot. 

And of course, we could not finish this post without mentioning the Dual Speeder, one of Astro’s most recurrent gadgets, allowing him to fly into various planets. The Dual Speeder makes full use of motion control, adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. Here is a piece of very early concept art and how it looks in the final game.

That’s all from us! We’ll be back soon for more news around Astro Bot. Until then, please tell us in the comments what you think of this cool DualSense wireless controller – Astro Bot Limited Edition!

Astro Bot is out on PS5 on September 6, we are waiting for you all to join Astro for his first big new adventure.

Team Asobi out.