Your first look at the upcoming SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 speakers
by Jay Peters, The Verge
Earlier today, Sony announced that it would be releasing two new speakers compatible with 360 Reality Audio, its spatial audio technology that replicates the feel of live music by placing different sounds and vocals in a virtual sphere around you. It said its plan is to release them this spring, but it didn’t share what the speakers would look like. We didn’t have to wait to learn more about them, though, as Sony’s UK website now has full product pages for the upcoming SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 speakers.
The higher-end SRS-RA5000, pictured at the top of this post, will have three up-firing speakers, three side speakers, and a woofer. It’s also certified for High-Resolution Audio. The SRS-RA3000, pictured below, has two tweeters, two passive radiators, and a full-range driver.
Sony’s SRS-RA3000 speaker. Image: Sony
Both speakers can calibrate themselves to the room they’re in with an internal microphone and a “unique Sony algorithm,” too. With the SRS-RA5000, you have to press and hold a button on the speaker, while the SRS-RA3000 can calibrate itself automatically. The two speakers also have Sony’s Auto Volume feature, which adjusts the volume of each track automatically to play them at a consistent volume. And both speakers support Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
The SRS-RA5000 will cost approximately £500 / €599, while the SRS-RA3000 is priced at about £280 / €359, according to the press release on Sony’s UK website. That also says both speakers will arrive in February 2021, which is a bit sooner than the previous “spring” date we had heard before, so perhaps there will be different release dates in different regions.
Sony said it is expanding the 360 Reality Audio platform from audio to video earlier on Friday, and the company is working with major music labels and service providers to begin streaming video content with the codec later this year. Approximately 4,000 songs currently support the format, according to Sony.
PlayStation players can now order a special PS2-themed PS5, though not via Sony, Walmart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy, Amazon, or any other major retailer, but courtesy of SUP3R5. Earlier this month, SUP3R5 announced its “retro-inspired” PS5 console and PS5 DualSense controller. At the time, neither product was available to purchase, but today that changed. That said, if you want to pick up either of these custom-made pieces of nostalgic hardware, you will need to be prepared to fork over some additional cash money.
The special PS5 DualSense controller runs at $99 USD, while the console, which comes with the controller, runs at $649 USD. The former is limited to just 500 units, while the console is even more limited at 304 units. In other words, stock is going to vanish very, very quickly. In fact, by the time you’re reading this, both pieces of custom-made hardware may very well be sold out.
That said, if you decide to purchase either of these products, you should keep in mind that neither come the way of Sony, who may very well shut down the operation before any products are shipped out. Further, “the retro-inspired conversion process” for the controller includes a complete disassembly of the controller, which will void its warranty. The console does not require this, and thus its warranty shouldn’t be voided, but for now, there’s no way to confirm this will be the case. For the console, all SUP3R5 is doing is temporarily removing the side panels from the console. Again, this shouldn’t void the warranty, but for now, there’s no guarantee it won’t
It’s also important to keep in mind this is a new operation with no history, and the return policy is very vague. Meanwhile, full payment is required at checkout, though the product won’t begin shipping until sometime this spring.
Fast-food chain KFC has created a new high-end gaming console that comes with a built-in “chicken chamber” to keep your chicken warm while you play.
KFC has teamed up with CoolerMaster to create the “KFConsole,” the chicken chain said in a statement on Tuesday. It is essentially a high-end gaming PC with components made by Intel, Asus, and Seagate.
It’s a powerful machine: KFC claims it can run games at 4K resolution at 240 frames per second – more than the PlayStation 5 or Xbox One can manage. It can also run virtual reality games, KFC said.
The bucket-like console has a cooling system that transfers the heat produced by the components to the chicken chamber, helping to keep the hardware cool and the finger lickin’ chicken warm.
“The Bargain Bucket-shaped machine features the world’s first built in chicken chamber, which is kitted out to keep its contents hot, ready for consumption during intense gaming sessions,” KFC said.
Cooler Master didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. An Intel spokesperson said they don’t have anything additional to share at this stage beyond the details on the Cooler Master website.
The cost and release date of the KFConsole haven’t yet been announced.
The KFConsole chicken chamber. KFC
The console has smooth gameplay with 240 frames per second frame rate, 4K display compatibility, and can run virtual reality games, according to Cooler Master’s website.
It also includes an Intel Nuc 9 Extreme Compute Element and two Seagate BarraCuda 1TB SSD drives for storage, Cooler Master said.
“This machine is capable of running games at top-level specs, all on top of keeping your meal warm for you to enjoy during your gaming experience… what’s not to like?” said Mark Cheevers, PR & social media lead at KFC UK & Ireland, in the statement.
“If Sony or Microsoft want any tips on how to engineer a chicken chamber for their efforts next time, they’d be welcome to get in touch,” he said.
Stephen James, global PR & influencer manager at Cooler Master, said in the press release: “When we were approached by KFC Gaming to make the KFConsole, we jumped at the chance to get involved and enter the console war.”
“The KFConsole has been custom built with the gamer at the front of mind. The last thing we want is anyone to go hungry while playing!” he added.
One Twitter used responded to KFC’s tweet asking how Cyberpunk, which has now sold more than 13 million copies, will run on the console. KFC replied: “It runs better than any console.”
This isn’t the only mind-boggling invention KFC has come up with in recent years.
In February, the food chain collaborated with Crocs to create shoes with fried chicken painted on them, topped with a chicken-scented charm. The shoes sold out within half an hour after their launch in July.
KFC announced the release of its 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog in December 2018 – basically a log that smells like fried chicken.
The anticipation was big for “Cyberpunk 2077.” At 2019’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, attendees waited in line for a peek at the game from CD Projekt Red. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
by Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times
“Cyberpunk 2077” was always going to be hotly anticipated and highly debated. But now it’s a cautionary tale.
Since Keanu Reeves appeared last year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo to announce his participation in the title, excitement for the game has been at a level that greets a new Marvel film. And the fact that it would deal with topical subject matter — including arguably questionable looks at gender, race and politics — meant that fans and the media alike were eager to spend time with the game.
But the game is broken.
Sony on Thursday even took the drastic step of removing the game for the foreseeable future from its online store on PlayStation consoles. For those who have already bought the game, Sony is granting refunds. On Friday, Microsoft responded by offering fans a refund but is keeping the game available for sale on its Xbox consoles. The game’s developer, the fan-beloved CD Projekt Red, whose “The Witcher 3” remains one of the most celebrated games of the just-completed console generation, has pledged to fix the game.
Updates that would place the game in a desirable state are weeks and potentially months away. The Warsaw, Poland-based CD Projekt Red stated that by February the game should have enough patches to run adequately on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is not without issues on the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X either (it has crashed on occasion for me on the former), but it works much better on the new hardware. Still, the new consoles, released just last month, are in short supply. For those playing on older consoles — the majority of gamers — “Cyberpunk 2077” exists in a too-fragile state.
Sony in its statement Thursday said the company “strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, therefore we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ via PlayStation Store.” On Friday, Microsoft wrote, “To ensure that every player can get the experience they expect on Xbox, we will be expanding our existing refund policy to offer full refunds to anyone who purchased ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ digitally from the Microsoft Store.”
Forced to crunch
For much of the last week CD Projekt Red has been on an apology tour, even amid touting that the game received more than 8 million preorders. Media advances were given only on PCs, where those with high-end computers have experienced minimal issues. But the game looks and feels considerably different on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, leading to questions about how the studio previewed the game, and if the project it touted was different from the one it would sell.
“We would like to start by apologizing to you for not showing the game on base last-gen consoles before it premiered and, in consequence, not allowing you to make a more informed decision about your purchase,” read a statement attributed to company’s executive team. “We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.”
Work-from-home constraints of the current COVID-19 pandemic are certainly presenting challenges across many industries, and “Cyberpunk 2077” was subject to numerous delays during the last year. To make its ultimate Dec. 10 release date, the company admitted that some staffers would be forced to crunch, that is work something akin to an around-the-clock schedule to finish the game.
Though the game is in a playable state for those with the most powerful, most expensive PC technology, the decision to push through with a wide release of “Cyberpunk 2077” simply heightens numerous questionable and unfortunate game industry tactics that have become the norm.
Chief among them: That it is OK to release a game in a near-finished state, knowing that in the coming months it would be a drastically different product.
Though it’s admirable that the game medium allows for constant updates, turning games into a livable work, this also takes fans for granted, believing they’ll still be there when the work is done. To oversimplify it, imagine a film released in an incomplete state, with the studio and the creative team simply expecting consumers to rewatch it in six months when it’s actually finished.
A screenshot from ‘Cyberpunk 2077.” (CD Projekt Red)
‘Early access’
Some developers embrace these challenges.
Games are a complex medium that stitches together art, technology and narrative components, all of them shifting based on the needs of the other elements and advancements in everything from computer power to game engine updates, not to mention user feedback.
There is the practice of releasing a game in so-called “early access,” providing a more transparent look at the development process. This year’s critically adored hack-and-slash game “Hades,” for instance, was available to purchase in a pre-release form for two years before it was properly finalized.
This can, however, deal a blow to any sort of publicity and marketing campaigns. The game industry is highly secretive, and often attempts to turn meaningless details such as the reveal of a character’s name into a news story. Early access destroys this careful build-up.
Additionally, when “Hades” came to the Nintendo Switch it may not have been seen as a brand “new” game. But also, by this point any underlying issues were worked out, and once people started playing the game word of mouth spread that “Hades” excitedly merged story and gameplay.
I personally avoid games released in early access. While it can be interesting to see how a game evolves, it simply makes more sense for me to wait until the game is at the state its developers want it. It’s safe to say “Cyberpunk 2077” isn’t there. Thus, at this point, it would be recommended for console owners to not play “Cyberpunk 2077” until its issues are smoothed out. The game that exists now will not be the same game that exists in a few months.
But the decision to rush “Cyberpunk 2077” before the holidays also points to long-standing and underlying issues about how the mainstream industry views its entertainment. CD Projekt Red was aware of the game’s hiccups, even admitting that it failed to show how the title ran on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. For all the supposed big ideas about the future of our world that the game possesses, this is evidence the studio ultimately considered it little more than a product, one that was so hotly anticipated that consumers would overlook the fact that it was not ready for prime time.
While The Times was offered interviews with the CD Projekt Red team for a story that could run around the launch of the game, I’ve increasingly grown skeptical of doing game features before having the ability to play the game in my home. Game events or previews are often carefully tailored to show a fraction of the title that runs mostly fine in a stitched-together state, with public relations reps interrupting interviews anytime the conversation strays from the specific moment of the game that the company has deemed as safe to cover — often detailed in nondisclosure agreements that The Times isn’t allowed to sign.
Instead, not having access to a PC that could run the game, we confined our coverage to an interview with Reeves. The actor was certainly interested in the power of the interactive medium, and spoke with curiosity on how user choice allowed him to essentially play multiple versions of the same character.
Reeves himself hadn’t seen the finished version of the game at the time we talked — and he acknowledged he would need a more game-inclined friend to show it to him. His interest in the game seemed fueled in part by the success CD Projekt Red had with “The Witcher 3” and in part to gain a better understanding of how games would impact all media.
“I don’t know where it’s going, but I know it’s going to be wacky,” he said. “It’s a good kind of puppeteering. Like, if I can play with the animation, I have more control.”
And yet it’s rare, as we just saw at the Game Awards this month, for a developer to be allowed to speak candidly about the art, the theories and the politics that inform every game. In such a climate, video games are handled with the cold precision of a new tech product rather than a work of entertainment. Thus, critical analysis around games is more vital than ever.
In turn, the legacy of “Cyberpunk 2077,” regardless of how it rebounds in 2021, will be that it is remembered as the work of a studio that disregarded the time its development team needed to finish the game — and in turn viewed its fans and the media with cynicism, even as it courted both with a product it specifically hyped as being politically edgy. It’s far from the first time this has happened, but rarely has it been done with such callousness.
Reportedly, an internal GameStop memo claims that CD Projekt RED aims to launch a “major” patch for Cyberpunk 2077 on December 21.
by Brianna Reeves, Screen Rant
Since the chaos surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 refunds has yet to subside, GameStop reportedly issued a memo to staff, claiming CD Projekt RED will roll out a “major” patch for the RPG on December 21st. This particular fiasco started earlier in the week, following a statement from the studio wherein it promised refunds to players who wanted one.
Trouble arose, however, when some PlayStation and Xbox users found themselves unable to secure a refund from the platform holders. Said chaos spurred on yet another response from CD Projekt RED executives, who clarified that the company hadn’t been in contact with Microsoft or Sony about reimbursement, meaning whichever policy the two digital storefronts have in place applies to Cyberpunk 2077 regardless of what CDPR’s original statement insinuated. Now retailers like GameStop are caught in the middle with respect to physical purchases. Upon informing its staff of how to handle refund-related matters for Cyberpunk 2077, the retailer let loose another interesting tidbit.
GameStop employees reportedly passed along a memo from higher-ups to VICE‘s Patrick Klepek (via Wccftech). According to Klepek’s reporting, the memo notes that CD Projekt RED aims to deliver a patch on December 21st, which should represent a “major fix” for the glitch-filled role-playing title. If customers still aren’t pleased with the product’s post-patch state, the message advises staffers to direct customers to CDPR for their reimbursement needs. The full memo begins with GameStop stating the message is being relayed “on behalf of our partners at CD Projekt RED,” before continuing as follows,
“CDP will issue a patch on 12/21 that should be a major fix to address customers’ concerns about Cyberpunk 2077. If customers are still unhappy and want to return their product, they should be directed to send an email to: helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com for reimbursement directions and refunds issued directly from CDP. The complete CDP message to Cyberpunk customers can be found here: https://en.cdprojektred.com/news/important-update/“
At the time of writing, CD Projekt RED has yet to corroborate the claim that a “major fix” will drop on December 21st. However, this particular detail does align with the studio’s statement from earlier in the week, which announced that a new patch would arrive within seven days. The seventh day falls on the date in question. Should GameStop’s memo prove accurate, December 21st could exemplify the first step to CDPR’s turning things around for Cyberpunk 2077 and, in turn, appeasing players who are demanding more transparency.
Since its launch late last week, Cyberpunk 2077’s long-awaited arrival has been beset by a wide range of performance issues. While last-gen versions of the title took the hardest hit, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S builds are struggling in their own right. Texture issues, pop-ins, inconsistent frame rates, hard crashes, and a litany of immersion-breaking bugs keep the title from living up to its true potential. As a consequence, many are looking for someone to blame, a party to point a finger at in the name of demanding change. For a brief time, Microsoft and Sony were on the receiving end of the blame game due to uncertainty about the Certification process. Yet, it seems evident that those at fault are CDPR bosses who decided to ship a broken game before it was ready.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available to play now on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.
Cyberpunk 2077 has some scenes which can cause an epileptic seizure. Unfortunately, one reviewer found this out firsthand.
Game Informer’s Liana Ruppert has struggled with epilepsy after an injury she sustained during her time in the military, she explained in her recent Cyberpunk 2077 review.
In the piece, Ruppert said she suffered a grand mal seizure when playing through a braindance, which is a sequence in the game featuring rapidly flashing lights.
In response to Ruppert’s piece, CD Projekt said it will add a more prominent warning in the game for epileptic triggers and impliment more accessibility features in the future. Ruppert responded positively to the news.
“Thank you so much for listening!” she tweeted. “I’m so proud of how far accessibility has come and while there’s more work to do, it takes moves like this to make them happen. I look forward to learning more about the steps being taken so that everyone who wants to can enjoy Night City!”
Epilepsy is becoming increasingly common among Americans and at least 3.4 million Americans live with it today, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
For a game of Cyberpunk 2077’s stature, not even including a warning prompt at the beginning of the title feels like a big oversight. It’s also not difficult to implement.
In 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made headlines for its infamous “No Russian” mission. It featured a squad of Russian terrorists gunning down civilians in an airport in order to spark a war with the United States. The player is a C.I.A mole in the squad who can choose to participate or not.
Because of its violent and disturbing nature, players were given the choice to skip the mission entirely.
CD Projekt adding a separate warning in the game to inform players with epilepsy is a welcome move. There’s no word yet on whether the permanent solution they discussed would be skipping the braindance sequences entirely or to have them reworked so anyone can enjoy them without fear of seizures.
Thanks to Ruppert, millions of gamers will now have a heads up about triggers that could await them in Cyberpunk 2077.
Cyberpunk 2077 has only been available for a couple of days, but its first post-launch patch is already rolling out. Hotfix 1.04 is already available to PC and PlayStation players, and CD Projekt Red says it should go out “as soon as possible” on Xbox platforms.
There’s a long list of tweaks for various mission-based issues that could otherwise interrupt your gameplay, and there’s nothing specifically mentioned about the rogue penis problem, but the most important adjustment is probably to the game’s “bytedance” segments. As highlighted by Game Informer reviewer Liana Ruppert, it included a sequence of flashing lights that could trigger epileptic seizures. CDPR said it would address that, and in the notes says that now “The effect has been smoothed out and the flashes reduced in frequency and magnitude.”
There are, of course, unspecified changes to resolve problems with crashes and improve stability, and specific tweaks on PS4 and Xbox One to improve the quality of reflections.
Some players on Reddit have had issues launching the game after installing the patch, but it’s unclear whether that’s due to problems with the patch or waiting for it to finish unpacking. For PC players the update is a little over 1GB, but on PS4 people have noted a 17GB download.
A Taiwanese man was forced to part with his PlayStation 5 last month after his wife discovered that he had lied to her about it being an air purifier, Taiwan News reports.
This heartbreaking story comes courtesy of Jin Wu, who turned out to be the lucky recipient of Sony’s next-gen console. Wu detailed his interaction on Facebook, claiming that one day after agreeing to buy the PlayStation 5 from a reseller in person, he called the individual he believed to be a man on the phone only to hear a woman pick up.
After his brief conversation with the mysterious woman, Wu could ascertain that she didn’t know much about the PS5, but was adamant about selling it, even at a remarkably low price. While he doesn’t specify just how cheap she was willing to go, the Digital Edition costs $399 and the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive version will run you $499.
When he arrived to their agreed upon pick-up spot, Wu was greeted by a middle-aged man. The two discussed how he was able to get his hands on such a highly sought after device. “Did you buy two? Otherwise, why are you selling it?,” Wu remembers asking the man, who fell silent before coming forward with the truth, saying, “My wife wants to sell it.”
“I went silent after seeing the look in his eyes. I could feel his pain,” Wu recalls, remembering the bitter expression on the man’s face as he struggled to keep their suddenly awkward conversation going. “It turns out that women can tell the difference between a PS5 and an air filter.”
Since it was released last month, the PlayStation 5 has made some people do the unthinkable just to get their hands on one. A man named Tyler Lopez started waiting in line outside of a GameStop in Dublin, California at 8 p.m. Wednesday evening and proceeded to stay in line for 36 hours just so he could be the first person when the store opened on Black Friday.
Square Enix has yet to earn back the money it spent on the development of Marvel’s Avengers. In its most recent earnings report, spotted by IGN, the company said its HD Games segment posted a 7 billion yen (approximately $67 million) loss for the quarter.
Yosuke Matsuda, the president of Square Enix, attributed the downturn to a combination of poor sales and an expensive advertising campaign the company ran to promote the release of the game. “The HD Games sub-segment posted an operating loss as initial sales of Marvel’s Avengers were lower than we had expected and unable to completely offset the amortization of the game’s development costs,” he said. The executive went on to say Square Enix hopes DLC like the Kate Bishop add-on developer Crystal Dynamics announced last week will make the game profitable over the long run.
To find out Marvel’s Avengers has been struggling isn’t too surprising. When we previewed the game ahead of its release, we didn’t come away with a strong positive impression of what it had to offer. It also highlights that live-service games are a risky proposition for publishers. Much-hyped titles like Anthem have fizzled out, and even a heavyweight like Destiny has struggled at times, leading to a split between the game’s developer and publisher. Even with a lucrative property like The Avengers, there’s no guarantee a game will find an audience that can sustain years of ongoing development.
Cyberpunk 2077 is the most highly anticipated game of the year, but according to a former developer, it’s coming at a high human cost.
An anonymous Reddit poster who identified themselves as a former CD Projekt Red developer described a brutal working schedule and leadership who had a disturbing disregard for the wellness of its workers. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed the poster was indeed an employee of CD Projekt Red.
I think this Reddit comment from someone who worked at CD Projekt Red is worth sharing, especially since folks out there still think their overtime is limited to 48 hours a week. I can confirm they used to work at CDPR (just got off the phone with them): https://t.co/kWdSzlTUCIpic.twitter.com/XCDjqo2KsH
The former CD Projekt Red developer said that some Cyberpunk 2077 teams have been crunching (the game industry term for excessive mandatory overtime) since July 2019. If what the poster is claiming is true, it means that the company has been forcing its employees to work 16-hour workdays for more than a year now.
“The people that want the product out ASAP are the board and the marketing directors,” the former CD Projekt Red employee wrote on Reddit. “And they don’t give a flying f*** about the work balance.”
When Bloomberg released its report on CD Projekt Red mandating six-day workweeks in the two-month lead-up to Cyberpunk 2077’s release, it sent shockwaves through the industry. CD Projekt Red had backed out on its promise in June 2019 when the company’s leadership vowed that it wouldn’t force its employees to crunch.
Fans were divided by the news. Many rightfully condemned CD Projekt Red for labor abuse and reneging on its commitment to work-life balance. However, some defended the company and dismissed the Bloomberg piece as a smear campaign, despite the fact that crunch has a long-documented history of harming workers and has even led to class-action lawsuits.
CD Projekt Red’s defenders claimed that the six-day workweek wasn’t a mandate but rather a collective decision made by the employees. Schreier spoke with several current CD Projekt Red developers who told him this was false — there was never a discussion, only an order.
To clear up another point, I asked a couple of CDPR devs if it’s true that the majority of them wanted six-day weeks over a delay. They said that conversation never took place. One: “We got the email and then a meeting with our team leaders. It was never an option or question”
Crunch is a sadly common aspect of video game development, an industry that has a long history of abusing the average worker with the justification that they should be grateful that they even have a job in games in the first place. Though there is no evidence that crunch increases productivity, it continues to remain a toxic cultural precedent.
“And this my friends is why I left the game dev industry,” Another Redditor wrote in the same thread. “I’ve sat through many crunches to the point I didn’t even feel like I was alive anymore.”
Gamer's Outpost Press (Archived) 