Gaming

Astro Bot, Concord, and everything revealed at the May State of Play

Also: Silent Hill, Dynasty Warriors, and more

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Astro Bot Kratos

PlayStation has been relatively quiet after back-to-back-to-back exclusives early in 2024 (FFVII Rebirth, Rise of the Ronin, and Stellar Blade). The silence has now been shattered with a new State of Play featuring a new Astro Bot game and much, much more.

Astro Bot

Astro is back in a super-sized space adventure. It’s a brand-new game and is a follow-up to the PS5 launch title. Here, you will explore 6 galaxies and over 80 levels in search of Astro’s scattered crew. The game launches on September 6, with pre-order beginning June 7.

Concord

Concord is a 5v5 character-driven, first-person multiplayer shooter. The State of Play showed a first look at its gameplay, universe, and characters. A beta is planned for later this year, followed by Concord’s global launch on PS5 and PC on August 23, 2024.

God of War Ragnarok PC

God of War Ragnarok PC

PlayStation continues to release its formerly PS5 exclusive games to PC. The latest to join the lineup is God of War Ragnarok. It will feature unlocked framerates, true 4K, as well as readily available NewGame+ and Valhalla DLC.

Until Dawn 

Get a new look at the seminal horror classic, which has been rebuilt and enhanced for PS5 and PC. When eight friends return to the isolated lodge where two of their group vanished a year prior, fear tightens its icy grip, and their mountain retreat descends into a nightmare with no escape.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Omega Force unleashes the largest battles ever seen in a musou game in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, coming to PS5 in 2025. A new hero emerges to fight for survival in intense Three Kingdoms hack-and-slash warfare.

Infinity Nikki

Infinity Nikki is an open-world dress-up adventure game coming to PS5, with a beta test due later this year. Alongside Nikki, awaken the magical powers hidden within various outfits and embark on a journey filled with fun.

Monster Hunter Wilds

A new trailer for the upcoming action-RPG Monster Hunter Wilds details the rich, living world you’ll be able to explore when it releases on PS5 in 2025. Capcom introduces some of the monsters and characters, as well as more info on the hunter’s new mount.

Path of Exile 2 

Path of Exile 2 is the next generation free-to-play action RPG from Grinding Gear Games. It will come to PlayStation 5 with a great new feature: couch co-op! Join Early Access later this year.

Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals unveils its Closed Beta Test on PS5 in July 2024! Venom and Adam Warlock have been added to the roster. There’s also a PlayStation exclusive Scarlet Spider costume for Spider-Man.

Ballad of Antara

TipsWorks Studio from Infoldgames announced Ballad of Antara, a free-to-play fantasy action-RPG, which is coming to PlayStation 5 in 2025.

PSVR 2

Skydance’s Behemoth

Skydance’s Behemoth is Skydance Games’s next monumental offering for PS VR2 and its follow-up effort to the award-winning The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners games. It is a first-person action-adventure VR title launching this Fall that combines brutal physics-based hand-to-hand combat with player traversal, environmental puzzle-solving, and larger-than-life boss battles.

Alien: Rogue Incursion

Survios debuts a first look at Alien: Rogue Incursion gameplay. The new action-horror VR game is coming to PS VR2 Holiday 2024.

Gaming

Acer unveils Predator Atlas 8 handheld with Intel Arc G-Series power

PC gaming on the go

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Predator Atlas 8

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 8, a new Windows 11 gaming handheld powered by Intel’s latest Arc G-Series platform. The device expands Acer’s growing handheld portfolio and targets gamers who want PC gaming performance in a portable form factor.

The Predator Atlas 8 pairs Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Intel Arc B390 graphics. It supports ray tracing and Intel XeSS 3 AI-powered upscaling to boost performance while maintaining image quality. Acer says the platform balances gaming performance and battery efficiency for gaming on the go.

Predator cooling comes to a handheld

Acer equips the Atlas 8 with a dual-fan cooling system inspired by its Predator gaming laptops. The setup includes what Acer describes as the first metal fan used in a gaming handheld. The company says the ultra-thin AeroBlade fan increases airflow by up to 10 percent. It works alongside a second fan and Acer’s Vortex Flow design to move heat out of the chassis more efficiently.

The handheld features an 8-inch WUXGA touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate support. The panel reaches up to 500 nits of brightness and uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer also protects the display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a DXC coating that helps reduce glare.

Acer complements the display with dual 2W speakers that support DTS:X Ultra audio. Dual microphones with PurifiedVoice AI noise reduction help improve voice clarity during multiplayer sessions and online chats.

Built around the Windows gaming ecosystem

The Predator Atlas 8 runs Windows 11 and supports Xbox Mode for quicker access to games and system functions. Acer also includes an Xbox Game Pass subscription, giving users access to hundreds of games from day one.

For connectivity, the handheld offers dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and UHS-II microSD expansion. The control layout includes full-size analog sticks and dual-mode triggers. Players can switch between instant-click microswitch controls for shooters and Hall-effect analog controls for racing and simulation titles.

A dedicated PredatorSense button provides quick access to performance settings, RGB lighting controls, and system monitoring tools. Acer has not yet announced pricing or local availability. The company says details will vary by market.

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Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been officially announced

And it’s coming out on the Switch 2.

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Compared to the crazier news we’ve gotten so far, a new Call of Duty doesn’t seem like it should make a ripple, but it does. Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it’s coming out on the Nintendo Switch 2.

This year’s mainline entry has a couple of firsts for the ubiquitous franchise. For one, Modern Warfare 4 will not launch on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It’s the first time that the series is dropping the last generation of consoles. Secondly, it’s launching for the Switch 2, marking the first time that the franchise is coming out on a Nintendo system since 2013. Finally, it won’t launch as a day-one release on the Game Pass.

Besides the reshuffling of launch outlets, Modern Warfare 4 will offer much of the same from the franchise: bombastic campaigns with global stakes and a thriving palette of multiplayer modes.

This time around, players will start the campaign as Private Park, a South Korean soldier thrust into a war as North Korea suddenly invades its southern neighbor. Players will also face assignments in Mumbai and New York. Captain Price is, of course, coming back but as an outlaw in pursuit of a powerful weapon.

For multiplayer, Activision promises more improvements yet again for movement and gunplay. Modern Warfare 4 will also introduce new modes such as Kill Block, which features maps that change after every round. DMZ is coming back, of course.

Activision promises more updates coming throughout the year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 23, 2026.

SEE ALSO: Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

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Gaming

The Witcher 3 is getting a third expansion, Songs of the Past

It’s coming in 2027, twelve years after the release of the original game.

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I feel like Robin Williams in Jumanji asking people what year it is. Yes, the calendar says “2026,” but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a new expansion, and it feels like 2016 all over again.

Today, CD Projekt Red announced the upcoming third expansion, Songs of the Past, for The Witcher 3, eleven years after the release of the base game. As with the graphics of the other two expansions, the announcement for Songs of the Past does not reveal much about its story. The graphic shows Geralt standing determined in front of an unnamed tree-like monster.

The studio, along with co-developer Fool’s Theory, will reveal more about the game later this summer. The expansion itself is scheduled to launch sometime in 2027.

The biggest question, of course, is where the expansion will take the story next. Blood and Wine, the second expansion, ended Geralt’s story conclusively with the witcher retiring in Toussaint. Whatever happens to Geralt in this expansion will thrust the witcher back into life on the road or recap a past story (as the name hints).

Additionally, Songs of the Past might end up bridging the stories between Wild Hunt and the also-upcoming The Witcher 4 focusing on Ciri’s life. The next mainline entry is still some ways away, though.

SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow

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