Month: May 2019

Following a leak or two, Valve has now formally debuted its virtual reality hardware solution, named Valve Index. The official site promises high-fidelity VR with superior comfort and control. Pre-orders begin on May 1, and pricing has been announced for the full set along with the a la carte pieces of it.

The centerpiece of the VR kit is the headset, which boasts two 1440×1600 RGB LCDs, promising more pixels and less screen door effect than OLED displays. It also runs at 120Hz (with optional 90Hz and 144Hz modes) for higher framerates. Valve promises a greater field-of-view than other devices, and the headset itself sports two off-ear near-field speakers to balance comfort and sound quality. It also has an adjustable head band for head size, ear placement, and angle, and swappable face pads for sharing the kit. Finally, the headset has room for expansion and mods with cameras and a front expansion slot.

A pair of custom-built controllers strap onto your hand and respond to natural movements like throwing or dropping held objects. Valve boasts that each controller has 87 sensors to help determine your movements and intent. The grip input helps determine how you’re holding objects and finger tracking, and the controllers sport a full range of standard buttons along with a track button. A pair of base stations have a 160º x 115º field-of-view range, and are expandable to up to four stations.

The full Valve Index set costs $1,000, while the headset and controllers alone are $750. The headset is the most expensive single part at $500, and a pair of controllers are $280 by themselves. A single base station costs $150. Each of these are planned to ship by June 28, 2019.

This gives PC users another option for their VR support, as the race for headset dominance continues with other companies like Facebook and HTC having gained a following with their own devices. Consoles are looking to support VR as well, and Sony has hinted that its next console will continue to support PSVR.

The eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones was one of the most anticipated TV events of recent years, and last weekend, Episode 3 finally delivered the Battle of Winterfell. Fans have waited a long time for this epic confrontation, and as a result, the episode has smashed viewing records.

HBO states that the episode, titled “The Long Night,” delivered 17.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in the show’s history. This figure includes replays and streaming; in terms of on-air viewing, the episode drew an audience of 12 million across two airings on Sunday night. The previous record was held by Episode 1 of Season 8, which was watched by a total of 17.4 million viewers earlier this month. “The Long Night” was also the longest Game of Thrones episode ever, clocking in at 82 minutes.

While these figures make Season 8 the most popular to date, the show has been a ratings hit from the very start. The show is HBO’s most popular series of all time and the most watched scripted show on TV. There are three episodes remaining in Season 8–Season 4 airs next Sunday, while with the final one hits on May 19.

Despite the huge viewings figures, “The Long Night” received a mixed response from some critics and viewers. In his review, GameSpot’s Michael Rougeau argued that the episode “subverted all our expectations in the worst ways possible. We expected some real, impactful main character deaths in this episode, and it turned out the stakes weren’t nearly as high as we thought. We expected some payoff for things Game of Thrones has spent seven seasons setting up, and the reality is much of it was simply pointless.”

For more on the latest episode of Game of Thrones, check out our look at the Night King’s true goal, what happened to Rhaegal and Ghost, and all the Easter Eggs and references you probably missed.

Although Game of Thrones is nearing the end, there is a prequel spin-off on the way. X-Men: First Class’ Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner and has developed the story with George RR Martin, who wrote the original novels. Earlier this year it was reported that the show will start filming early this summer. However, another potential spin-off, from Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman, is no longer happening.

As those living in Japan enjoy the annual week-long vacation period known as Golden Week, those of us living in other parts of the world are enjoying some perks of our own in the form of game deals across several digital stores. The PlayStation Store and Steam have both launched Golden Week sales recently, and now Nintendo is getting in on the fun with a publisher sale from Nippon Ichi Software, the developers behind games like Disgaea and Phantom Brave. It’s a small sale, with only 18 games, but there are some decent deals here worth checking out.

Disgaea 1 Complete and Disgaea 5 Complete are marked down–the classic strategy RPGs are currently selling for $40 and $30, respectively. Disgaea 1 Complete has been remastered to match the quality of Disgaea 5 for the Nintendo Switch, with improved sprites, character portraits, and backgrounds, as well as a new playable character and a few other UI tweaks. Disgaea 5 Complete comes with all DLC content, including eight bonus scenarios and more characters and classes.

You can grab Yomawari: The Long Night Collection for just $30 on Switch; the bundle includes both Yomawari: Night Alone and Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. Each game has a unique story, but in both you’ll play as young girls making their way through a bizarre, spooky rural Japanese town at night. Another solid deal: The Longest Five Minutes, a game about a hero who loses his memories in the last five minutes of a final boss fight, which is available for 50% off ($20).

Nintendo’s Golden Week Sale is running through May 7 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 3 PM GMT (1 AM AET on May 8), so you have about a week to claim these deals. According to an NIS America blog post, the sale is available in the US, Europe, and Australia Eshops (prices may vary).

SHOP NINTENDO’S GOLDEN WEEK ESHOP SALE »

And see the full list of game deals below:

Switch

• Disgaea 1 Complete — $40 (20% off)
• Disgaea 5 Complete — $30 (25% off)
• Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory — $30 (25% off)
• God Wars: The Complete Legend — $30 (25% off)
• Happy Birthdays — $30 (25% off)
• Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk — $40 (20% off)
• The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince — $15 (25% off)
• The Longest Five Minutes — $20 (50% off)
• The Lost Child — $25 (50% off)
• Penny-Punching Princess — $20 (50% off)
• Touhou Genso: Wanderer Reloaded — $30 (40% off)
• Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle — $12 (40% off)
• Yomawari: The Long Night Collection — $30 (25% off)
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana — $42 (30% off)

3DS

• Culdcept Revolt — $21 (30% off)
• Rodea the Sky Soldier — $10 (50% off)
• RPG Maker Fes — $21 (30% off)

3DS deals exclusive to UK/AU

• Etrian Mystery Dungeon — 25% off
• Etrian Odyssey Untold — 25% off
• Etrian Odyssey II Untold — 25% off
• Legend of Legacy — 50% off
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker — 25% off
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers — 25% off
• Stella Glow — 50% off

Wii U

• Rodea the Sky Soldier — $10 (50% off)

Gearbox is soon giving fans another look at its upcoming loot shooter, Borderlands 3. The developer is livestreaming a “worldwide gameplay reveal” tomorrow, May 1, starting at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, which will showcase “the first hands-on gameplay of Borderlands 3.”

Gearbox hasn’t shared many details about what the stream will entail, only that fans will be able to potentially earn some in-game loot by watching Twitch streamers play the game via a new Echocast extension. The stream will be broadcast on the Borderlands website and Twitch channel. You’ll also be able to tune in right here on GameSpot and watch the stream above.

Borderlands 3 Gameplay Reveal Stream Start Times

• 10 AM PT
• 1 PM ET
• 6 PM BST

Borderlands 3 had long been rumored, but Gearbox officially announced the title last month in a rather…memorable livestream presentation during PAX East 2019. A few days later, the developer shared another trailer for the game. This one introduced its cast–including its four new playable Vault Hunters–and confirmed its released date: September 13, 2019.

The latest Borderlands 3 trailer also gave us our first look at the game’s antagonists, the Calypso twins, and confirmed a handful of returning characters. You can read more about the upcoming game in our roundup of what we know about Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 3 is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC. However, players hoping to pick it up on the latter will need to do so from the Epic Games Store, as the game will be exclusive to Epic’s storefront until April 2020. That move certainly wasn’t met without controversy, however, and users began review bombing previous Borderlands games on Steam in response.

While Avengers: Endgame hasn’t even been in theaters for a full week, many people are speculating about the future of the MCU. In fact, GameSpot already has a few villains we think the Marvel heroes should fight next. But did the end of Endgame actually drop hints at what’s coming next? Get ready for some speculation.

This is your final warning for spoilers.

According to Reddit, there is a huge reveal in the background during the final moments of Endgame. In the scene where we see Ned Leeds and Peter Parker reunited at a high school, there is a school administrator greeting the students, high fiving them. According to the poster, the actor playing that role is Ben Mendelsohn. In Captain Marvel, he played the Skrull Talos, disguised as SHIELD’s high-ranking member Keller. Could this be Keller or Talos disguised as Keller?

In the comics, Skrulls disguised themselves as humans and launched an all-out attack in the story Secret Invasion. The Skrulls even had sleeper agents, aliens disguised as humans the didn’t know they were invaders. Could this quick shot be a hint at what’s coming? It’s hard to make out if the man in the shot is Mendelsohn, as it’s obviously been taken from someone’s phone in a movie theater, but that’s not the only possible hint at what’s coming.

In what seems like a throwaway line early on in Endgame, Okoye is talking to Black Widow via holograms, and Okoye mentions there was an earthquake under the ocean. At first, we all thought this was nothing, but GameSpot’s Meg Downey reminded us that Wakanda has had a long-time feud with Atlantis and its leader, Namor. Could this line of dialogue be a clue as to what’s coming next? Could the next Black Panther or Avengers movie be a battle against Atlantis?

At this point, we know a little about what’s happening with Phase 4 of the MCU, but there haven’t been many official announcements about what’s coming next. Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters on July 2, but it will actually close out Phase 3.

If you’re looking for more hot Endgame content, check out the spoiler review of the movie, all the Easter eggs and references, every moment from the trailers not in the movie, and everyone from the MCU that dies or stays dead in Endgame.