Gaming

Open Beta shows glimpse of Modern Warfare II’s multiplayer features

Innovative improvements

Published

September 19, 2022

GadgetMatch

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s massive Open Beta testing provided a comprehensive first look into the innovative multiplayer features of the upcoming multiplayer FPS game from Infinity Ward.

Here’s a deep dive into the improvements. These surely will get players well acquainted ahead of the launch on October 28, 2022.

Swimming and Aquatic Combat

One of the most significant improvements in Modern Warfare II is how the water-based combat has received technological advancements.

Action now happens above, on, and in water. The water physics captures the currents and rapids in rivers and large waves in oceans; the water conditions may vary from clean, murky, to even polluted with debris. As for vehicles, they can be driven into or on top of water.

These updates allow players to work around the water and use them as an escape or include them in their strategy.

Mantle and Ledge Hang Movements

Modern Warfare II is building on the introduction of Tactical Sprint and Mounting from Modern Warfare three years ago.

Now, characters can Slide or Dive to the floor, depending on running speed. The new Dive occurs from a Tactical Sprint into a Crouch.

The Ledge Hang aids in vertical maneuvering as a natural progression from Climb or Mantle. Developers are also exploring the possibility of being able to pull up a pistol from a Ledge Hang.

For now, you can now Ledge Hang and Mantle out of a parachute descent.

Vehicle Interactivity and Destructibility

For this aspect, Infinity Ward focused on more dynamic destruction and action-oriented maneuvers, particularly on the new vehicles.

Among new moves that one can be capable of executing are:

Leaning out of vehicle windows and shooting (both driver and passenger)
Mantling onto vehicle roof
Destroying vehicle sections (bumpers, doors using RPG or high-powered rifle)
Blowing out tires to slow down vehicles
Employ multiple ground, air, and water vehicles, depending on the game mode and map

The roster of all-new vehicles includes nine land-based ones, such as hatchback cars, SUVs, cargo trucks, and heavy tanks. Players may also take the Light Helo and Heavy Chopper airborne, or the Rigid Inflatable Boat and Armored Patrol Boat in the waters.

Tacticals, Lethals, Field Upgrades, Perks

More unique options have also been introduced to Tactical Equipment and Field Upgrades:

Tactical Camera (field upgrade): Can be thrown at a surface to activate a small camera and tripod to monitor the area, to be accessible by anyone on your team
Shock Stick (equipment): Depending on its environment, the Shock Stick sends out a burst of electricity that can harm opponents and destroy equipment or vehicles
Drill Charge (equipment): An even more lethal piece that can be thrown, the Drill Charge bores a hole and then launches a grenade for splash damage when lobbed towards a building
DDoS (field upgrade): This attack lets you know if there are equipment or vehicles in the periphery for you to deactivate them and disrupt enemy sensors
Inflatable Decoy (field upgrade): A dummy that rapidly inflates after throwing that doesn’t only fool enemies but also acts as a proximity mine

Aside from these, Perk Packages which consist of two base plus a Bonus and Ultimate which are earned during a multiplayer match at the 4- and 8- minute marks in non-round based modes may be utilized.

Gunsmith: Weapons Platforms

With Modern Warfare II, Gunsmith weapon customization also receives enhancements. Unlike in the preceding Modern Warfare where every weapon is a separate family within Gunsmith, weapons are now grouped into “Platforms” for more control over the weaponry brought into matches.

Here’s how it works:

Rank up to receive base Weapons Platform
First weapon unlocked on a Platform is known by its Receiver, a core of the weapon that determines its primary use and strengths
Unlock more Receivers as you progress to access additional weapons within a Platform
Change a receiver and alter a weapon. It’s considered a “new” weapon when building a loadout but still stays within the same Platform

For example, the Open Beta Weapons Platform for the M4 unlocks the base M4 AR, as well as four Receivers. The additional M4 receivers will be unlocked later on. These are the M16, 556 Icarus LMG, FTac Racon Battle Rifle, and FSS Hurricane SMG.

Change the Receiver and you’ll build a weapon with different capabilities, like an AR, LMG, Battle Rifle, or SMG.

Players can also augment weapons via two pools of attachments, the Weapons Platform Attachments and Universal Attachments.

In the Vault Edition of the game, the FJX Cinder Weapon Vault which is free to use is an entirely unlocked Weapons Platform – with every attachment unlocked and ready to use. This is the Ultimate Weapon Blueprint which allows for immediate customization.

New Maps, Modes, Third-Person Perspective

Lastly, a more refined design across MP maps and modes could also be seen particularly in the Battle Maps (up to 32v32) and Core Maps (6v6).

There are three new modes: Knockout Mode, Prisoner Rescue, and Invasion (Ground War).

Knockout Mode takes elements from the 2v2 Gunfight and the final circle action within Warzone. Here, players eliminate opposing forces or hold the package to win – without respawns.

In Prisoner Rescue, players will have to locate hostages and get them out alive while defending them. All Players may also switch to a third-person perspective across the multiplayer and specific modes.

Meanwhile, the chaotic Invasion mode is a mayhem deathmatch. It’s a mix of players and AI fighting alongside and against each other. It can be condensed to as simple as eliminate or be eliminated.

Additionally, Special Ops has been brought back, giving players even more exciting things to look forward to.

Players who pre-order the Modern Warfare II through the PlayStation store will receive an exclusive operator at launch: Hiro “Oni” Watanabe, who will be playable in both Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

Features

Why choose the MSI Claw?

Is it the gaming handheld for you?

Published

April 18, 2024

GadgetMatch

The MSI Claw is the latest gaming handheld from a major PC and laptop brand. The competition in this emerging gadget segment is tighter than ever. So, what is it about the MSI Claw that can scratch your gaming itch? Here’s a quick list.

Best grip in the game

One quick glance and it’s hard not to compare the claw with another popular gaming handheld. But a closer look and actually holding the thing will reveal that its grip easily feels better.

It has a slightly deeper groove that makes it easier to hold. So, MSI’s “Grip and Game” tagline isn’t all talk. Its design truly does provide one of the better feeling handles among its competition.

The overall design makes sure it’s made for extended gameplay sessions. The buttons are where you expect them to be. That includes the four mini buttons on the upper edges of the screen. These are the View, MSI Center M, Menu, and Quick Settings buttons.

In addition, the face buttons and d-pad all feel great. The face buttons, in particular, feel comparable to those of regular console controllers.

The rest of the buttons and triggers have a very satisfying tactile feel. It also uses Hall Effect technology to get rid of any stick drift issues.

Up top, you’ll find the power button, MicroSD Card slot, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, audio jack, and the volume buttons. These are intuitively placed and just makes sense given the overall design approach.

As cliché as it sounds, you’ll really think you got your money’s worth once you hold, touch, press, and grip the MSI Claw.

Dragon Vision

Now, MSI isn’t really calling it that but I thought it sounds pretty cool. A big part of the whole gaming experience is the display. Balancing resolution and frame rates is always tricky but the MSI Claw does it convincingly.

With this gaming handheld, you get a 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Looks great on paper and it’s even better in real life. It’s the sweet spot in terms of both size and performance. There’s enough here to immerse you all while delivering a satisfying level of crisp and smoothness.

It’s comfortable to view whether you’re on the couch, on a desk table, or lying down getting a quick game in before you get some shut-eye.

Battery Life

At 53Whr, the MSI Claw has a 36% larger battery capacity than its contemporaries and promises 50% more play time.

MSI claims “elevated performance with extended endurance” using the Claw with faster charging capabilities.

These percentages are hard to measure in real life usage. What we can say for certain is that you get the expected performance and playtime typical of a handheld. That’s a little under two hours for graphically demanding titles, and close to four hours on less demanding ones.

The charging claim is legitimate. The MSI Claw juices up faster than most other handhelds, going from 20% to 100% in about a little over a K-Drama episode (roughly a little over an hour).

MSI Center M

Any self-respecting gaming handheld has its own software to make navigating the thing more manageable. While its direct competitors have an armoury crate and a space, MSI went with Center M.

The best part about MSI Center M is it puts your installed games front and center. Right when it launches, you get immediate access to the titles you have available on your machine.

MSI Afterburner is already the most commonly used app for taking a look at how your machine is performing while you play. That functionality is built-in to the MSI Claw. You can access it view the Quick Settings buttons.

Layout and functionality-wise, the MSI Center M is certainly one of the better Gaming Handheld softwares available right now.

Competitive Performance

A defining trait of the MSI Claw is that It’s the first gaming handheld to be powered by Intel Core Ultra. With it comes Intel XeSS tech. What it does is leverage AI upscaling to boost the fps of select titles.

As of launch, 50 notable games are supported. That number will certainly grow throughout the device’s lifespan. Some of the titles include Hi-Fi Rush, Dying Light 2, Forza Horizon 5, Call of Duty Warzone 2.0, Returnal, and many, many more.

Naturally, results will vary depending on the game mode you’re using. But in general, AAA games get anywhere between 10% to 45% better frame rate performance with Intel XeSS.

For our part we played TEKKEN 8 and the recently launched Horizon Forbidden West. Both graphically demanding games played relatively well on the MSI Claw. Frame rate performance on TEKKEN 8 is crucial and we got a relatively consistent fps, never dropping below 40.

Horizon Forbidden West is a much more graphically demanding game. We were able to run it in Medium Settings and while it doesn’t look as incredible, it still played relatively well with a frame rate surprising for a gaming handheld.

Extras

MSI made sure that if you wanted to, you could get some extra stuff with the MSI Claw. Its separately sold accessory set includes the Claw Travel Case, Nest Docking Station, Claw Lanyard, and Claw Keychain.

On paper, the MSI Claw lists its ergonomic design, AI Engine, and App Player as distinct advantages over its competition.

Whether it’s the Gaming Handheld that matches your needs is still ultimately up to you. If you have the opportunity to test drive the device, we suggest you do so. That might just solidify your purchase decision.

Price and availability in the Philippines

The MSI Claw will be available in three configurations in the Philippines. There are priced as follows:

MSI Claw A1M-075PH (PhP 45, 995).

Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 processor 135H
512GB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4
LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Claw A1M-076PH (PhP 50, 995).

Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 processor 155H
512GB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4
LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Claw A1M-077PH (PhP 53, 995).

Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 processor 155H
1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4
LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Ongoing Promotion

You can still get your own MSI Claw with exclusive bundled freebies 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 until 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒!

This feature article is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and MSI Philippines.

Deals

Play Assassin’s Creed Mirage for FREE

For a limited time

Published

April 17, 2024

GadgetMatch

If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to try Assassin’s Creed Mirage, that opportunity has come. The game is available for free trial on the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Ubisoft Store, and the Epic Games Store. The promotion will be available from April 17 to 30.

During the Free Trial, players will have access to the first two (2) hours of the. Progression will carry over if they purchase the game.

Players streaming will be able to get and offer to their viewers an exclusive reward: Basim Valhalla Sword, if they stream during the Free Trial period. This unique sword is Basim’s weapon from his later years in England.

Discounts will also be available on PC via Ubisoft Connect only. From April 17t to 24 , Assassin’s Creed Mirage Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition will be 40% off.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage spins a tale centered around an already established character, rather than a blank slate like Valhalla’s Eivor. It follows Basim Ibn Ishaq, a character introduced in Valhalla. Taking place before the events of the previous game, Mirage has the assassin root out the Order in 9^th-century Baghdad, a setting familiar to those who played the original title in 2007.

Gaming

New PUMA collection lets you wear PlayStation’s iconic symbols

PUMA x PlayStation collaboration

Published

April 16, 2024

GadgetMatch

PUMA and Sony Interactive Entertainment have joined forces to deliver what should be a hit collaboration for gamers and sneakerheads alike. The PUMA x PlayStation collection will be available starting April 18, allowing fans to wear the iconic PlayStation elements through PUMA’s famous Suede and RS-X sneakers.

As reported by Sole Retriever, both PUMA shoe models come in PlayStation’s signature colors: blue, grey, white, and black. The Suedes will be available in black and grey, although the latter looks more like it’s dirty white. Stamped down throughout the upper body are the PlayStation’s triangle, circle, X, and square symbols. The sole sports mostly a blue color, which transitions smoothly either to black or white with a dynamic gradient effect. Speaking of, you will see even larger versions of the elements underneath the shoe.

For those who love bulkier and high-cut shoes, the RS-X also adopts dominant black and dirty white colorways. The four symbols are distinctively visible on both the toe cap and tongue. Various parts of the shoes are colored differently, making up for a unique blend. Special hangtags featuring the symbols also accompany each pair.

There are just a lot of details on both shoes to adore. Especially if you have some personal connection with either the footwear and apparel brand or PlayStation itself. Per Sneaker Files, the Suede will retail for US$ 100 while the RS-X at US$ 120. The collection will be available from PUMA.com, PUMA flagship stores, and selected retailers.

Aside from the shoes, there are also various apparel choices like hoodies, tops, caps, and shorts, all emblazoned with the symbols. These go perfectly along with the shoes, with their white and light blue colorways. For now, it looks like the collection will only be available in North America. But who knows, may it’s just a matter of time before Southeast Asia and other regions get theirs, too.