Author - Jerry Paxton

Synapse PSVR2 Launch Trailer

2023/07/05
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos

Synapse, the eagerly awaited PlayStation® VR2 exclusive action shooter, is out now on the PlayStation™ Store. The latest release from award-winning VR veterans, nDreams, Synapse combines visceral dual-wielding gameplay, a legendary voice cast and the power of the PlayStation VR2 to create a landmark VR experience.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see people’s excitement for Synapse grow from the moment we announced the game back in February,” said James Shepherd, Head of nDreams Studio. “The team have produced a true showcase of what the PS VR2 is capable of, and I’m thrilled that PS VR2 owners can finally experience the spectacle of Synapse for themselves.”

Synapse has received a slew of positive reviews ahead of its release, with the action-packed gameplay and intuitive use of the PS VR2’s hardware features singled out for particular praise.

“…a pure power fantasy that epitomises everything great about virtual reality.” – Eurogamer

“Synapse is a strong addition to PlayStation VR2’s library that any FPS fan should buy.” – UploadVR

“Synapse is a phenomenal VR game, bringing striking visuals, meaningful progression and true power fantasy together…an immediate must-buy for PS VR2 owners.” – The Sixth Axis

“Synapse is an incredibly well-built VR action game for PS VR2, and a ridiculously easy game to recommend to any action or shooter fans…” – 6dofreviews

In Synapse, players must harness a lethal combination of surging telekinetic powers and deadly weaponry as they break into the mind of notorious enemy of the state, Colonel Peter Conrad (David Hayter). Guided by their Handler, Clara Sorensen (Jennifer Hale), players will need to fight through to the Colonel’s subconscious and extract crucial intel that will put an end to his plans for mass destruction.

Synapse’s innovative gameplay has been crafted to take full advantage of PlayStation® VR2’s next generation feature set with eye-tracking enhanced, motion-controlled telekinesis and adrenaline fuelled gunplay that that players can feel through the PlayStation® VR2’s Sense™ controllers’ haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

For more information on Synapse, visit www.ndreams.com/games/synapse

Tour de France 2023 Races Presentation Trailer

2023/07/05
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

One month after the release of Tour de France 2023 and Pro Cycling Manager 2023, NACON and Cyanide Studio are delighted to share a new trailer, inviting gamers to take part in THE Grand Tour, and also discover the other major races in the cycling calendar.

Just as the Tour de France is celebrating its 110th roll-out, the games Tour de France 2023 and Pro Cycling Manager 2023 are arriving to give gamers the chance to experience their very own Tour de France, playing as either a cyclist or a sports director. And it is not the only official Grand Tour available in Pro Cycling Manager 2023. The game also contains the Vuelta a España, the Petit Tours and Classics, with more than 260 races in total. For its part, Tour de France 2023 concentrates on a faithful reproduction of the eponymous competition, but also offers a whole selection of Petit Tours and other Classics, such as the Critérium du Dauphiné and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

In Tour de France 2023, the players set out to conquer the 21 stages of the annual edition of the event, taking on the role of a pro cyclist. In Pro Cycling Manager 2023, they get the chance to play a sports director and manage a cycling team in a whole bunch of competitions across the globe.

Click here to check out the Steam page for Tour de France 2023.
Tour de France 2023 is out on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC (Steam & Epic Games Store).

Click here to check out the Steam page for Pro Cycling Manager 2023.
Pro Cycling Manager 2023 is out on PC (Steam).

Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra 4K Camera Review

2023/07/05
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is a high-end webcam with stunning image quality and excellent low-light performance. It features a large 1/1.2-inch sensor, an ultra-wide f/1.7 aperture lens, and 4K video recording support at up to 30fps. It’s full supported recording resolutions are 4K30, 1440p30, 1080p60/30/24, and 720p60/30. The camera is also very easy to set up and use. Simply plug it into your computer, and you’re ready to go. Of course, it interfaces with Razer’s Synapse software suite where you can control its various features, and I highly suggest you install Synapse if you use the Kiyo Pro Ultra. The Kiyo Pro Ultra also includes many advanced features, such as HDR, autofocus, and background blur. The Kiyo Pro Ultra is a well-designed webcam made of high-quality materials and very sturdy build quality. The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra comes with a nice mount that lets it sit gently on the top of your monitor but it can also be mounted to a boom arm or tripod via bottom screw mount.

The Kiyo Pro Ultra’s image quality is simply outstanding. The large sensor and wide aperture lens combine to produce incredibly sharp and detailed images, even in low-light conditions. The HDR mode helps to ensure that your images are properly exposed, even when the scene has a wide range of brightness. The autofocus is very fast and accurate, so you don’t have to worry about your image being out of focus. This is important for streamers and content creators who are constantly moving around.

Even the Kiyo Pro Ultra’s built-in microphone works well enough, an area where most webcams fail. Of course, I would recommend that you use a dedicated microphone if you are a content creator, but for basic webinars or zoom sessions you are all set. Additionally, the Kiyo Pro Ultra’s low-light performance is outstanding in the world of webcams. In low-light conditions, the camera can produce much brighter and more detailed images than other webcams. This is due to the large sensor and wide aperture lens, which allow the camera to capture more light. The background blur effect is very natural-looking and can help you stand out from your background. This is a great way to make your video streams or recordings visually appealing.

Twisting the front of the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra will allow you to deploy or retract the built-in privacy shield, which reminds me of the “Iris” from MGM’s Stargate SG-1 television show. I dig it and it provides a little extra piece of mind when it comes to privacy.

Pros:

  • Stunning image quality
  • Excellent low-light performance
  • Advanced features, such as HDR, autofocus, and background blur
  • Well-designed
  • Easy to set up and use

Cons:

  • On the pricey side

Overall:

Overall, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is an excellent webcam that offers a lot of value for the price. It is a great choice for anyone who wants the best possible image quality for their webcam, whether they are using it for streaming, content creation, or video calls. Most of the time, the people I was in web meetings with actually thought I was using a big mirrorless DSLR camera as a web cam. Simply put: The Razer Kiyo Ultra is the best web cam you can purchase at the time of this writing. It retails for $299.99 and is available now at Razer’s official website.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Atari Haunted House Announcement Trailer

2023/07/03
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Prepare for the spookiest game of hide and “eek!” you’ve ever played in Haunted House, an all-new casual roguelite adventure from Atari and developer Orbit Studios, coming later this year to PC and consoles.

The São Paulo-based developer took to the stage at BIG Festival 2023, as part of Atari’s headlining presence, to reveal the very first teaser trailer, viewable below:

Fraught with all kinds of ookies and spookies, Haunted House is a reimagining of the old-school survival-horror title. Modernized with dynamic roguelite elements and stealth-based gameplay, sneak through procedurally generated mansion rooms while avoiding undead unwelcomed guests.

Haunted House puts players in the shoes of Lyn Graves, the sharply intuitive niece of renowned treasure hunter Zachary Graves. Along with her friends, Lyn plans a visit to her uncle’s mansion, only to be ambushed by a horde of menacing ghouls that swiftly seize her companions and vanish into thin air. To rescue her uncle and friends from the clutches of these supernatural specters, Lyn must locate and reassemble the shattered fragments of a mysterious urn.

Featuring procedurally generated room layouts, shifting walls, unpredictable enemy positions, and ghastly ghostly encounters, players must cautiously navigate through swarms of ghouls and phantoms to locate Lyn’s missing friends and her uncle. Should Lyn succumb to a sinister spirit, she’ll find herself back at the entrance of the house, facing a completely new floor layout and rearranged enemies, guaranteeing a unique experience with each run.

The Guild 3 Adds Mod Support & Map Editor

2023/07/03
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Hear ye, hear ye, be it known to all! The Guild 3 hath received a fresh tapestry of updates! With this patch, ye shall witness the advent of mod support, Steam Workshop assistance, and a map editor, where ye, the valiant players, may forge thy own medieval realms.

Verily, our hearts doth quicken with excitement, eagerly anticipating the emergence of ingenious mods and meticulously crafted landscapes!

The comprehensive scroll of the patch notes can be perused forthwith: https://steamcommunity.com/app/311260/discussions/0/3802775659504338087/

STEAM SUMMER SALE
In this season of the Steam Summer Sale, The Guild 3 offers a generous reduction of fifty percent, the game now stands at $14.99 / €14.99 / £12.49, offering an opportunity most favorable to obtain it. The offer doth draw to a close on July 13th!

Set thy sights upon The Guild 3 within the realms of Steam: http://n.thq.com/30kD30rcw4g

Thou art unfamiliar with The Guild 3? Cast thy gaze upon the grand trailer marking its commencement:

The Guild 3 on GOG.com: https://www.gog.com/game/the_guild_3

Loupedeck Live S Review

2023/07/03
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review, Trailers / Videos

Loupedeck has been making custom controllers for creative professionals for a few years now, and their latest offering, the Loupedeck Live S, is a smaller, more affordable option still packed with features. But does it do what you need, and is it worth its $189 price point? Read on to find out!

The Loupedeck Live S is a small, compact device that measures just 5.9 × 3.4 × 1.2 inches and weighs only 0.4 pounds. It’s made of durable plastic with a matte finish that resists fingerprints and smudges. The top side of the Loupedeck Live S is dominated by a 15 touchscreen buttons with haptic feedback, two analog knobs, and 4 RGB-lit buttons. The analog knobs are particularly useful for adjusting settings, and the tactile buttons are great for quickly launching tools or commands. The touch screen button grid is made of 15 buttons, in three rows of 5. This smaller controller does lose the two side strips featured in the Loupedeck Live. However, the functionality that those strips had on the Live is emulated on the Live S. When adjusting an analog knob, the touchscreen button to its right temporarily changes to show what is being adjusted. It’s an elegant solution.

The overall build quality of the Loupedeck Live S is excellent. The plastic body is sturdy and well-made, and the buttons and knobs feel solid and responsive. The touchscreen display buttons are also high quality, with a bright, clear image that’s easy to see even in bright light.

The Loupedeck Live S is a powerful and versatile controller compatible with various applications, including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, OBS Studio, and Twitch. The included software makes creating custom profiles for each application easy, so you can assign specific functions to the controller’s buttons and knobs.

The Loupedeck Live S has a comprehensive software suite that makes it easy to customize the controller and create custom profiles for your applications. The software is easy to use and has a wide range of features with pre-made configurations, sound packs, overlays, and a lot more for you to choose from. This software also allows updating of the controller’s firmware, so it is a very important part of the whole Loupedeck Live S ecosystem and, thankfully, it works wonderfully. I do wish that there were more direct game integrations with the Loupedeck Live S as having the small controller act as a second panel in, say, DCS World would be awesome. There are some game profiles in the library but the list is scant. There are a lot more application downloadables which will help make the lives of the creatives out there somewhat easier.

Pros:

  • Compact and portable design
  • Bright, and responsive touchscreen buttons
  • Well-made analog knobs
  • Responsive RGB buttons
  • Compatible with a wide range of applications
  • Easy-to-use software
  • More affordable than the Loupedeck Live

Cons:

  • Not quite as many controls as the other Loupedeck controllers
  • Lack of game profile downloadables

Overall, the Loupedeck Live S is a great streaming controller for creative professionals who are looking for a powerful and versatile tool at a more affordable price. It’s smaller and more portable than the Loupedeck Live, but it still offers many features and functionality. The Loupedeck Live S retails for $189 on Loupedeck’s official website.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Five Nights at Freddy’s Official Trailer

2023/07/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, Movie News, News, Trailers / Videos

Can you survive five nights? The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse— the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man— brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen.

The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.

The film stars Josh Hutcherson (Ultraman, The Hunger Games franchise), Elizabeth Lail (You, Mack & Rita), Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, Unstable), Kat Conner Sterling (We Have a Ghost, 9-1-1), with Mary Stuart Masterson (Blindspot, Fried Green Tomatoes) and Matthew Lillard (Good Girls, Scream).

Five Nights at Freddy’s is directed by Emma Tammi (The Wind, Blood Moon) and is written by Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi and Seth Cuddeback.

The film’s iconic animatronic characters will be created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is produced by Jason Blum and Scott Cawthon. The film’s executive producers are Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman and Christopher H. Warner. Universal Pictures presents a Blumhouse production, in association with Striker Entertainment.

  • Genre: Horror
  • Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling and Piper Rubio, with Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard
  • Directed by: Emma Tammi
  • Written by: Scott Cawthon, Emma Tammi, Seth Cuddeback, based on the video game series created by Scott Cawthon
  • Producers: Jason Blum, Scott Cawthon
  • Executive Producers: Bea Sequeira, Russell Binder, Marc Mostman, Christopher H. Warner

Homeworld 3 Developer Update Blog

2023/07/01
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Windows PC News

Today Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing released a developer update blog for Homeworld 3, the latest installment of the award-winning sci-fi strategy series.

As the team’s biggest developer update yet, the blog co-written by Technical Art Director Demetrius Apostolopoulos, Audio Director Dave Renn, and Art Director Karl Gryc, provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the team is developing the game’s visuals, audio design and more.

Notably, the blog discusses how they’ve been pushing the limits of Unreal Engine to create dynamic lighting with realtime surface reflections, shadows and global illumination to bring environments to life.

Additionally, the blog features some never before seen footage and environments.

Thrusmaster Unveils TH8S Shifter Add-On

2023/06/30
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Peripherals News

Thrustmaster is expanding its racing ecosystem with a new shifter: TH8S Shifter Add-On. A direct descendent of TH8A Shifter Add-On, the gold standard of high-end shifters, TH8S Shifter Add-On is a more affordable version that boasts the same excellent performance, retaining the essential features of its predecessor.

With its 8-position “H”-pattern shift plate, TH8S Shifter Add-On is the versatile shifter for all types of games and vehicles with manual shifting, for next-level racing immersion sensations.
TH8S Shifter Add-On is compatible on PS5™, PS4™, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S with Thrustmaster Force Feedback racing wheels, and compatible with all racing wheels on the market on PC.

PUSH YOUR GEARS TO THE RED LINE

TH8S Shifter Add-On is the perfect complement to your sim racing setup for enhanced racing sensations. Push your gears to the red line and get started double-clutching with this 8-position manual shifter.

  • Versatile shifter

TH8S Shifter Add-On inherits the same 8-position (7+1) “H”-pattern shift plate used by its big brother, TH8A Shifter Add-On, allowing for direct shifting of the 7 gears plus the reverse gear with no unnecessary movements required. TH8S Shifter Add-On adapts to all types of games and vehicles with manual shifting: rally, GT, NASCAR, trucks. The number of gears can easily be doubled using a keyboard/gamepad shortcut to be configured in order to adapt to driving trucks with up to 14 gears.

TH8S Shifter Add-On’s design has been modernized with a red ring — echoing the ring found on Thrustmaster’s recent T128 and T248 racing wheels, for aesthetic coherence in users’ sim racing setups. The “H”-pattern shift plate features a pronounced texture for the Thrustmaster “TM” logo, also stamped on top of the shift knob, giving the product real character and class.

  • Responsive shifting

With its 1.6″ / 4 cm metal shift lever, TH8S Shifter Add-On is a “short” shifter — specially designed with responsiveness in mind, for clean and precise shifting. The frictionless H.E.A.R.T technology derived from Thrustmaster’s high-end TH8A Shifter Add-On shifter version is incorporated into TH8S Shifter Add-On, ensuring the same extreme level of precision throughout the product’s lifespan.

TH8S Shifter Add-On features an ergonomic “sport-style” shift knob for easy handling, helping you stay in control in all situations — even off-road!

  • Full compatibility

The dual connectors (DIN and USB-C) on the back of TH8S Shifter Add-On allow for outstanding compatibility with virtually every type of sim racing setup. On PC, TH8S Shifter Add-On is compatible with all racing wheels via the USB-C/USB-A connection. On PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, the shifter is compatible with all Thrustmaster Force Feedback racing wheel bases via the DIN connection.

The two cables are included with the product, for Plug-and-Play use. The sliding notch lets you hide the unused connector.

  • Built-in clamping system

TH8S Shifter Add-On features a built-in sturdy clamping system for all types of tables, desks and supports (0.04–1.6″ / 0.1–4 cm thick). Clamping doesn’t require any tools, allowing the shifter to be attached and unattached quickly and easily. Set up TH8S Shifter Add-On only when you need it, and then conveniently store it away in just a few seconds when you’re not using it.

Commercial information

TH8S Shifter Add-On is available at a suggested retail price of £59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99 for worldwide release:

  • Preorders start June 29, 2023.
  • Commercial availability starts July 27, 2023.