Gamer's Outpost Press (archived)

SUP3R5 Says It Received “Credible Threats To Our Safety” After Selling Out Of Custom Consoles

by Andy Robinson, VGC

The launch of a batch of custom black PlayStation 5 consoles ended in disaster this weekend, as third-party company SUP3R5 cancelled all orders due to alleged threats made to its staff after it sold out of units.

Around 300 of the highly-anticipated consoles, which feature a custom design based on the PlayStation 2, went on sale to North American customers on Friday, priced at $649 – $200 more than the regular PlayStation 5 RRP.

Unsurprisingly, given the continuing demand for Sony’s console, the black PS5s sold out in less than 20 minutes – and likely would have done so much faster had it not been for significant technical issues on SUP3R5’s website as it struggled to cope with demand.

The company issued a statement on Friday evening saying it was “embarrassed” with how the North American launch went, with some customers reporting that they were charged for their orders without actually receiving confirmation that they’d secured a console.

A large number of the black PS5 consoles also started appearing on reseller sites like eBay, with users asking for thousands of dollars, though SUP3R5 said it would cancel them.

SUP3R5 insisted it would refund those who had been incorrectly charged and pledged to do better with its international launch, which it delayed from Saturday to later in the month.

However, just hours after that message, the company announced it was cancelling all orders and issuing refunds due to its team allegedly receiving “credible threats to their safety.”

“Last night, our team began receiving credible threats to their safety,” the firm said in a statement. “We take these threats seriously. We aren’t willing to risk the safety and well-being of our team, or the potential impact this would bring to delivering your order.”

It added: “All existing orders will be cancelled and fully refunded in the coming days. You will receive a notification when this happens.

“We intended this to be a fun way to celebrate a shared nostalgia. As it turns out, there are people out there who are willing to interfere with that. If we determine that it’s safe to try again, we will. For now, please stay safe.”

The news was predictably met with frustration by those who had managed to purchase a console, with many customers accusing SUP3R5 of scam tactics (however, there’s not evidence of foul play).

Currently, Sony has not committed to releasing different colour PS5 consoles or customisation options, although some other third-party companies have promised their own solutions.

Canadian peripheral firm Dbrand recently announced it would soon be taking orders for a range of black PS5 faceplates and dismissed suggestions Sony could stop it.

Dbrand’s product launch follows a high-profile case in the UK which saw one company cancel its plans to create custom PS5 faceplates after Sony allegedly threatened legal action.

Asked by a Reddit user if it feared similar legal action over its faceplates, Dbrand dismissed the notion, writing: “We encourage them to try.” A caption on its Reddit post also reads: “sue us, Sony.”

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NSFW! SPOILERS! MORE!

by Wesley Yin-Poole, EuroGamer

CD Projekt has clarified Cyberpunk 2077’s Judy romance after players found unused male voice lines in the game.

THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD. ALSO, NSFW!

Last week, modders discovered male V is able to romance Judy in the PC version of the game via a simple code change inserted via the console command.

Doing so means the Judy romance scene occurs with the male V body type with male voice over. Unmodified, Judy can only be romanced as a female body type and female voice type V.

Later scenes with Judy that are only possible after the romance scene is completed also include full male V voice work, which replicates the lines exactly as they’re spoken by female V.

The NSFW video, below, from YouTuber FredrickFlower, explains how to use mods to play the Judy romance as male V, and includes the unused dialogue:

There are some irregularities when playing the Judy romance as male V, however. While you can see the male body type in the sex scene, V’s hand clips through objects on occasion. Later, in a scene involving Carol and Judy, Carol tells Judy and male V: “leave you girls to it.”

Some fans have called this “cut content”, but speaking to Eurogamer, a CD Projekt representative denied this was the case, insisting the male voice lines were only recorded “so we could avoid missing something by mistake that would require future recordings”.

“It was simply more convenient and easier for our localisation team from a production point of view to record all lines with both voices, so we could avoid missing something by mistake that would require future recordings,” the CDP rep explained.

“This was done with pretty much everything just to be on the safe side although it can vary between the different languages.

“Judy was always only a female V romance partner and that was the artistic vision from the start, there was no male romance option cut from the game.”

Cyberpunk 2077 includes four romance NPCs, each with a different V type condition. Panam requires V to have the male body type, but you can have any voice. River requires the female body type and any voice. As mentioned, Judy needs both the female body type and female voice. And Kerry needs both the male body type and male voice.

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by Nathan Birch, WCCFTech

Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have their own advantages, with Sony’s new DualSense controller being a big check in the “pro” column. The DualSense features cutting edge haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and is arguably the first gamepad in quite some time to really enhance gameplay in a new way. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S controller is also solid, but it doesn’t bring quite as much to the table.

Well, it seems like Microsoft may be eying some of those new DualSense features jealously. Microsoft recently sent out a survey to new Xbox Series X and S owners, asking them to rate their experience and state what they might want in the future. Interestingly, one question specifically asks whether the user is “aware of features on PlayStation controllers” and which of those features they’d like to see included in future Xbox controllers.

While the basic Xbox Series X/S controller is likely set for now, Microsoft is almost certainly working on a third iteration of their Xbox Elite controller – could we see features like haptics and adaptive triggers added to that gamepad? It wouldn’t surprise me! As a reminder, here are some of the unique features the DualSense controller brings to the table…

• Haptic feedback – Feel physically responsive feedback to your in-game actions with dual actuators which replace traditional rumble motors. In your hands, these dynamic vibrations can simulate the feeling of everything from environments to the recoil of different weapons.
• Adaptive triggers – Experience varying levels of force and tension as you interact with your in-game gear and environments. From pulling back an increasingly tight bowstring to hitting the brakes on a speeding car, feel physically connected to your on-screen actions.
• Built-in microphone and headset jack – Chat with friends online3 using the built-in microphone – or by connecting a headset to the 3.5mm jack. Easily switch off voice capture at a moment’s notice with the dedicated mute button.

What do you Xbox fans think about this? Do you want Microsoft to take some notes from the DualSense or is the Xbox Series X/S controller just fine as is?

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by Tyler Fischer, ComicBook.com

A proper next-gen Assassin’s Creed game on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S is reportedly releasing next year. Adding to this, the new report, claims that Ubisoft will use 2021 to focus on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which will be primarily bolstered with two separate single-player expansions. That said, while 2021 won’t feature a new Assassin’s Creed game, 2022 reportedly will, and its development will be helmed by Ubisoft Sofia, the company’s Bulgarian studio.

Ubisoft Sofia isn’t known as one of Ubisoft’s lead studios, with the bulk of its existence since it was founded in 2006 being primarily a support studio and a studio that works on handheld games. However, it has served as the lead studio behind two Assassin’s Creed games: Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.

As for the report, it comes the way of French streamer and YouTuber xj0nathan, who doesn’t divulge much else of consequence other than the aforementioned information. The big thing with Assassin’s Creed games, at least in the modern era, is the setting. Right now, there’s no word from any reputable source where the game will be set, but there have been some dubious rumors pointing towards the series heading to China, or more specifically, ancient China.

Of course, not only should these rumors be taken with a massive grain of salt, but take all of the other information with a grain of salt. Not only is all of the unofficial variety, but it’s vague enough that it’s unclear what is scoop and what is speculation.

At the moment of publishing, Ubisoft has not commented on this report in any capacity, and it’s unlikely it will, as it maintains a pretty strict “no comment” policy when it comes to rumors, reports, and anything and everything of the speculative and unofficial variety.

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