Monthly Archives: March 2022

Elite Dangerous Ends Development on Consoles

Elite Dangerous on console won't receive any new content, including the Odyssey expansion, as developer Frontier Developments has chosen to focus on improving the PC version.

Frontier CEO and founder David Braben announced in a blog post that console versions will now only receive "critical updates" following a "less than ideal" launch of the major Odyssey update on PC last May.

Odyssey was set to be a major step forward for Elite Dangerous but soon gained a "mostly negative" rating on Steam after thousands of players reported performance issues, problems with the UI, and several other bugs and game-breaking glitches.

The game has received a number of major updates to fix the issues on PC, but Braben said there was still a lot of work to be done, and the entire team needed to turn its attention to improving that version.

He said: "Since Odyssey’s release in May 2021, we have worked tirelessly to improve the Odyssey experience on PC, and whilst we have made great progress there is still more to be done. We have been supporting the pre-Odyssey and post-Odyssey codebases since.

"Over the last several months, we have been wrestling with the best way to move forward, and it is with a heavy heart we have decided to cancel all console development. We need to be able to move forward with the story of the game, and in order for us to do this we need to focus on a single codebase."

Odyssey is the second paid expansion for Elite, and added planetary landings, FPS combat and more. It was originally set to launch for console in Autumn 2021, but the negative response to the PC version saw it pushed back indefinitely.

Elite Dangerous is still available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and will seemingly continue to be playable for the time being, as Frontier Developments didn't indicate that console servers would be shut down despite the lack of support going forward.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Elite Dangerous Ends Development on Consoles

Elite Dangerous on console won't receive any new content, including the Odyssey expansion, as developer Frontier Developments has chosen to focus on improving the PC version.

Frontier CEO and founder David Braben announced in a blog post that console versions will now only receive "critical updates" following a "less than ideal" launch of the major Odyssey update on PC last May.

Odyssey was set to be a major step forward for Elite Dangerous but soon gained a "mostly negative" rating on Steam after thousands of players reported performance issues, problems with the UI, and several other bugs and game-breaking glitches.

The game has received a number of major updates to fix the issues on PC, but Braben said there was still a lot of work to be done, and the entire team needed to turn its attention to improving that version.

He said: "Since Odyssey’s release in May 2021, we have worked tirelessly to improve the Odyssey experience on PC, and whilst we have made great progress there is still more to be done. We have been supporting the pre-Odyssey and post-Odyssey codebases since.

"Over the last several months, we have been wrestling with the best way to move forward, and it is with a heavy heart we have decided to cancel all console development. We need to be able to move forward with the story of the game, and in order for us to do this we need to focus on a single codebase."

Odyssey is the second paid expansion for Elite, and added planetary landings, FPS combat and more. It was originally set to launch for console in Autumn 2021, but the negative response to the PC version saw it pushed back indefinitely.

Elite Dangerous is still available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and will seemingly continue to be playable for the time being, as Frontier Developments didn't indicate that console servers would be shut down despite the lack of support going forward.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

PUBG Mobile Announces Warframe Crossover Event

PUBG Mobile has announced a surprising crossover collaboration with Warframe, bringing the popular battle royale together with the online multiplayer shooter.

From March 10 to April 19, PUBG Mobile players can earn Warframe-themed skins and other items by playing and completing special missions and events. The developers say that more event tie-ins will be announced soon, so expect more Warframe content in the coming weeks.

PUBG Mobile is the mobile version of the popular PC battle royale game. The mobile version has a history of unique collaborations with crossovers ranging from other video game series like League of Legends to real-life stars like K-Pop group Blackpink.

Warframe, then, is a perfect match given how popular the series is. Digital Extreme’s free-to-play shooter multiplayer was first released in 2013 and has been a quiet and growing success ever since.

In Warframe, players control a Tenno, a member of an ancient warrior race who finds themselves in the middle of an intergalactic war between multiple factions. Tenno wear armored suits called Warframe along with a variety of weapons to fight in this hostile environment. Check out IGN’s Warframe review here.

PUBG Mobile players will likely be able to acquire Warframe-specific cosmetics, but details for what exactly will be included in the crossover event haven’t been revealed.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Steam Deck is Slowly, But Surely Adding Windows Support

The Steam Deck has added Windows drivers, meaning Valve’s handheld gaming PC will be able to boot a Windows operating system. With some caveats, of course.

Currently, the Steam Deck uses a custom version of SteamOS, but Valve has said in the past that Windows should be a viable OS for users who are interested in it. With the additional drivers for GPU, WiFi, and Bluetooth, Steam Deck is now able to better boot the popular operating system.

In a blog, Valve notes that for now, users need to perform a full Windows install. While dual-booting is not out of the question, the SteamOS dual-boot wizard is not ready yet. Similarly, only Windows 10 is available on the Steam Deck as Windows 11 requires a new BIOS that Valve is still currently working on.

Audio drivers are still being worked on with AMD but Bluetooth and USB-C audio should work with Windows on the Steam Deck.

Valve warns that Windows on Deck support is not available and that these resources are being provided as-is. If you need to return to the default SteamOS Valve is providing recovery instructions here.

While Windows on Deck is still a ways away from being fully realized, this should open up the Steam Deck to play more games than just the ones on Steam, especially games that use anti-cheat software.

The Steam Deck is a powerful device, but it very much feels like a device in progress. Check out IGN’s Steam Deck review here and our rundown of unexpected things you can do with Valve’s newest handheld.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Original Obi-Wan Kenobi Scripts Were Too Bleak

After the events of Revenge of the Sith, it looks as though Obi-Wan Kenobi is in a bad place. His fellow Jedi have been hunted and killed, and those who survived were driven into hiding.

But it could have been a lot worse.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the original Obi-Wan Kenobi scripts were scrapped because they were just too bleak.

“We're looking, ultimately, to make a hopeful, uplifting story,” she explained. “It's tricky when you're starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of Revenge of the Sith. That's a pretty bleak period of time. You can't just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel.”

Worried about the direction of the upcoming series, Kennedy decided to halt production in favor of a rewrite.

Obi-Wan star Ewan McGregor admits that the series starts in a pretty dark place.

“We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten” he explained. “Somewhat given up. He’s different because of what happened at the end of Episode III with Order 66 and the Jedi order being slaughtered and everyone who survived going into hiding. After dealing with his personal failure with Anakin, he feels that it’s his personal responsibility, that he allowed Anakin to be tempted over to the Dark Side, and that he wasn’t able to stop that. His teaching wasn’t able to protect Anakin from that, I think obviously weighs very heavily on him.”

Even after the rewrites, it sounds as though Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t pull any punches.

The first Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer saw us return to Tatooine, with our first look at the return of Darth Vader to follow. Bringing back his old apprentice, now as Darth Vader, sets up the clash we’ve all been waiting for.

Throw in a new villain in the form of Inquisitor Reva, and it looks as though Obi-Wan is in for a pretty tough time. Enough to make a man consider becoming a hermit, perhaps.

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor as the iconic Jedi, with Hayden Christensen set to appear as Darth Vader. They’re joined by Rupert Friend, Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Edgerton, and Moses Ingram.

Deborah Chow directed the upcoming series, with scripts by Joby Harold.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Original Obi-Wan Kenobi Scripts Were Too Bleak

After the events of Revenge of the Sith, it looks as though Obi-Wan Kenobi is in a bad place. His fellow Jedi have been hunted and killed, and those who survived were driven into hiding.

But it could have been a lot worse.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the original Obi-Wan Kenobi scripts were scrapped because they were just too bleak.

“We're looking, ultimately, to make a hopeful, uplifting story,” she explained. “It's tricky when you're starting with a character in the state that Obi-Wan would be in coming off of Revenge of the Sith. That's a pretty bleak period of time. You can't just wave the magic wand with any writer and arrive at a story that necessarily reflects what you want to feel.”

Worried about the direction of the upcoming series, Kennedy decided to halt production in favor of a rewrite.

Obi-Wan star Ewan McGregor admits that the series starts in a pretty dark place.

“We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten” he explained. “Somewhat given up. He’s different because of what happened at the end of Episode III with Order 66 and the Jedi order being slaughtered and everyone who survived going into hiding. After dealing with his personal failure with Anakin, he feels that it’s his personal responsibility, that he allowed Anakin to be tempted over to the Dark Side, and that he wasn’t able to stop that. His teaching wasn’t able to protect Anakin from that, I think obviously weighs very heavily on him.”

Even after the rewrites, it sounds as though Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t pull any punches.

The first Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer saw us return to Tatooine, with our first look at the return of Darth Vader to follow. Bringing back his old apprentice, now as Darth Vader, sets up the clash we’ve all been waiting for.

Throw in a new villain in the form of Inquisitor Reva, and it looks as though Obi-Wan is in for a pretty tough time. Enough to make a man consider becoming a hermit, perhaps.

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor as the iconic Jedi, with Hayden Christensen set to appear as Darth Vader. They’re joined by Rupert Friend, Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Edgerton, and Moses Ingram.

Deborah Chow directed the upcoming series, with scripts by Joby Harold.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Official Pokémon ASMR Videos Are One of the Coziest Ways to Enjoy Pokémon

Sometimes, in the middle of a stressful workday, it's good to find a way to relax. Maybe make a cup of tea or a snack. Or stand up and stretch. Or maybe watch an eight-minute ASMR YouTube video of the Pokémon Chespin crunching on colorful cookies?

If you're not familiar with the term, ASMR stands for "autonomous sensory meridian response," and is basically a fancy way of classifying certain kinds of sounds that make your brain feel good. In some people, ASMR provokes a pleasant tingling sensation on the back of the head, neck, and spine, though not everyone experiences this. In recent years, ASMR has been discovered and popularized primarily as a genre of YouTube videos featuring sounds ranging from tapping objects, whispering into special microphones, cooking, crinkly sounds like from paper or plastic, and numerous other variants. You can find everything from intimate ASMR roleplays and performances to hours-long videos of people carefully raking tiny zen gardens or organizing their make-up containers.

Not everyone experiences the tingling sensation ASMR is meant to trigger, and exactly which kinds of sounds an individual will respond to can vary. But there's no doubt that even if you don't get the tingles, many ASMR videos can be very pleasant and relaxing to watch and listen to. So, why not combine them with adorable Pokémon characters to make them even more enjoyable?

That's what The Pokémon Company Video Team in Japan has been up to over the last two years. It began back in January of 2020, with a 30-minute video posted to The Pokémon Company's Japan YouTube of Charmander sleeping by a fire, only waking up occasionally to keep it burning with his tail. That's it! The whole video - just Charmander having a half-hour nap while the flames crackle and pop.

The next one didn't appear until the following August, and it's a bit more active. In this video, Squirtle has a 15-minute romp on a beach, complete with the relaxing sounds of ocean waves, his little feet crunching in the sand, occasional splashing around in the water, and a few guest appearances by Wingull flying overhead.

Since then, The Pokémon Company has released a small handful of others, spaced out over several months each time. There's one that's a whole hour of just Bulbasaur wandering around a little forest, a short playtime session with Pikachu in a living room, and half an hour of Piplup rolling around a bedroom before getting sleepy and dropping off. Most recently, there was a three-part series called Sweet Winter With Pokémon produced by Chinese creator Lao Dao, who runs a YouTube cooking channel called Cat's Kitchen. Though the series isn't labeled explicitly as ASMR, it features the detailed gentle sounds characteristic of those videos, paired with some adorable Pokémon-themed recipes.

While ASMR videos are a common genre on YouTube, what's fascinating about The Pokémon Company's versions is seeing them interspersed on the official channel with game trailers, announcements, music videos, anime promotions, TCG announcements, and basically a lot of content that's focused on informing and hyping up an audience - you know, the kind of stuff brand channels are normally up to. In the midst of all that, it's a bit astonishing that so much time, and energy was put into producing something like this that seemingly exists only to be cute and relaxing.

We were able to get in touch with The Pokémon Company in Japan to answer a couple of questions about the videos, with a spokesperson saying that the Pokémon and activities were chosen "based on seasonality and the Pokémon’s ecology."

But why make Pokémon ASMR videos in the first place?

"The Pokémon Company’s channels didn’t have any long length videos when the demand for them were high for people to watch while they did something else (or were working)," the spokesperson said. "In addition, one of Pokémon’s strengths is that people can feel their existence closely, as you can see in the popular Pokémon GO game in which you can catch Pokémon in real life. We thought there was a demand for something that you can feel close to within videos.

"Considering this, we came to a conclusion of making these videos utilizing the ASMR format that was already popular on YouTube. We thought there was potential in producing videos in which sound is the protagonist and the existence of the sound can be felt."

The spokesperson added that the team was grateful for the positive reactions to the series, and wanted to keep making them going forward, though there's no set schedule in mind. Looking at what's already been covered, we've seen cooking, lots of nature sounds, various tapping and cloth sounds from the Piplup and Pikachu videos, and of course, Chespin's eating noises. If we're going to eventually cover all the major genres of ASMR, that means we're well overdue for thirty minutes of Psyduck whispering in our ears - though personally, I'll be on the lookout for Alolan Raichu doing an ASMR pancake-making tutorial.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Official Pokémon ASMR Videos Are One of the Coziest Ways to Enjoy Pokémon

Sometimes, in the middle of a stressful workday, it's good to find a way to relax. Maybe make a cup of tea or a snack. Or stand up and stretch. Or maybe watch an eight-minute ASMR YouTube video of the Pokémon Chespin crunching on colorful cookies?

If you're not familiar with the term, ASMR stands for "autonomous sensory meridian response," and is basically a fancy way of classifying certain kinds of sounds that make your brain feel good. In some people, ASMR provokes a pleasant tingling sensation on the back of the head, neck, and spine, though not everyone experiences this. In recent years, ASMR has been discovered and popularized primarily as a genre of YouTube videos featuring sounds ranging from tapping objects, whispering into special microphones, cooking, crinkly sounds like from paper or plastic, and numerous other variants. You can find everything from intimate ASMR roleplays and performances to hours-long videos of people carefully raking tiny zen gardens or organizing their make-up containers.

Not everyone experiences the tingling sensation ASMR is meant to trigger, and exactly which kinds of sounds an individual will respond to can vary. But there's no doubt that even if you don't get the tingles, many ASMR videos can be very pleasant and relaxing to watch and listen to. So, why not combine them with adorable Pokémon characters to make them even more enjoyable?

That's what The Pokémon Company Video Team in Japan has been up to over the last two years. It began back in January of 2020, with a 30-minute video posted to The Pokémon Company's Japan YouTube of Charmander sleeping by a fire, only waking up occasionally to keep it burning with his tail. That's it! The whole video - just Charmander having a half-hour nap while the flames crackle and pop.

The next one didn't appear until the following August, and it's a bit more active. In this video, Squirtle has a 15-minute romp on a beach, complete with the relaxing sounds of ocean waves, his little feet crunching in the sand, occasional splashing around in the water, and a few guest appearances by Wingull flying overhead.

Since then, The Pokémon Company has released a small handful of others, spaced out over several months each time. There's one that's a whole hour of just Bulbasaur wandering around a little forest, a short playtime session with Pikachu in a living room, and half an hour of Piplup rolling around a bedroom before getting sleepy and dropping off. Most recently, there was a three-part series called Sweet Winter With Pokémon produced by Chinese creator Lao Dao, who runs a YouTube cooking channel called Cat's Kitchen. Though the series isn't labeled explicitly as ASMR, it features the detailed gentle sounds characteristic of those videos, paired with some adorable Pokémon-themed recipes.

While ASMR videos are a common genre on YouTube, what's fascinating about The Pokémon Company's versions is seeing them interspersed on the official channel with game trailers, announcements, music videos, anime promotions, TCG announcements, and basically a lot of content that's focused on informing and hyping up an audience - you know, the kind of stuff brand channels are normally up to. In the midst of all that, it's a bit astonishing that so much time, and energy was put into producing something like this that seemingly exists only to be cute and relaxing.

We were able to get in touch with The Pokémon Company in Japan to answer a couple of questions about the videos, with a spokesperson saying that the Pokémon and activities were chosen "based on seasonality and the Pokémon’s ecology."

But why make Pokémon ASMR videos in the first place?

"The Pokémon Company’s channels didn’t have any long length videos when the demand for them were high for people to watch while they did something else (or were working)," the spokesperson said. "In addition, one of Pokémon’s strengths is that people can feel their existence closely, as you can see in the popular Pokémon GO game in which you can catch Pokémon in real life. We thought there was a demand for something that you can feel close to within videos.

"Considering this, we came to a conclusion of making these videos utilizing the ASMR format that was already popular on YouTube. We thought there was potential in producing videos in which sound is the protagonist and the existence of the sound can be felt."

The spokesperson added that the team was grateful for the positive reactions to the series, and wanted to keep making them going forward, though there's no set schedule in mind. Looking at what's already been covered, we've seen cooking, lots of nature sounds, various tapping and cloth sounds from the Piplup and Pikachu videos, and of course, Chespin's eating noises. If we're going to eventually cover all the major genres of ASMR, that means we're well overdue for thirty minutes of Psyduck whispering in our ears - though personally, I'll be on the lookout for Alolan Raichu doing an ASMR pancake-making tutorial.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Dune Part 2 Casts Elvis Star Austin Butler as Villain Feyd-Rautha

Dune Part 2 has found its Feyd-Rautha – none other than Elvis star, Austin Butler.

According to Variety, the 30-year-old actor is in talks to join the cast of Dennis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune sequel as the villainous Feyd-Rautha – the nephew of Baron Harkonnen and heir to his uncle’s empire.

As per their source, Butler is in “the very early stages” of joining Dune Part 2.

Feyd-Rautha is one of the more iconic Dune roles, having originally been played by Sting in the 1984 version of Dune, directed by David Lynch.

One of the main antagonists in Dune, Feyd-Rautha is often considered to be a villainous counterpart to Paul Atreides, who is played this time around by Timothée Chalamet. Both of them were a product of the Bene Gesserit breeding program… and Feyd was intended to be married off to Jessica Atreides’ daughter. Instead, she gave birth to a son – Paul.

Of course, there’s been much speculation about who would take the role of Feyd-Rautha in Villeneuve’s adaptation. Now, it looks as though we have our answer.

Austin Butler is perhaps best known for the role of Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, but is also set to star in Elvis – the upcoming biography of the legendary rock and roll singer, written and directed by Baz Luhrmann. Butler takes the leading role opposite Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker.

Here’s the Elvis trailer for a sneak peek:

I get the feeling Butler will make a great Feyd opposite Chalamet’s Paul. After all, the two seem to have similar energy and youthfulness on their side. But he’s certainly no Sting.

This latest casting news comes just days after Florence Pugh was cast as Princess Irulan in the upcoming Dune sequel. Meanwhile, Dune Part 2 is planning to begin filming later this year.

Dune Part 2 will star Timothée Chalamet as Paul, alongside Rebecca Fergusson as Jessica. They’re joined by Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Stellan Skarsgård. Denis Villeneuve will direct the film with a script he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts, based on the original novel by Frank Herbert.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Dune Part 2 Casts Elvis Star Austin Butler as Villain Feyd-Rautha

Dune Part 2 has found its Feyd-Rautha – none other than Elvis star, Austin Butler.

According to Variety, the 30-year-old actor is in talks to join the cast of Dennis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune sequel as the villainous Feyd-Rautha – the nephew of Baron Harkonnen and heir to his uncle’s empire.

As per their source, Butler is in “the very early stages” of joining Dune Part 2.

Feyd-Rautha is one of the more iconic Dune roles, having originally been played by Sting in the 1984 version of Dune, directed by David Lynch.

One of the main antagonists in Dune, Feyd-Rautha is often considered to be a villainous counterpart to Paul Atreides, who is played this time around by Timothée Chalamet. Both of them were a product of the Bene Gesserit breeding program… and Feyd was intended to be married off to Jessica Atreides’ daughter. Instead, she gave birth to a son – Paul.

Of course, there’s been much speculation about who would take the role of Feyd-Rautha in Villeneuve’s adaptation. Now, it looks as though we have our answer.

Austin Butler is perhaps best known for the role of Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, but is also set to star in Elvis – the upcoming biography of the legendary rock and roll singer, written and directed by Baz Luhrmann. Butler takes the leading role opposite Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker.

Here’s the Elvis trailer for a sneak peek:

I get the feeling Butler will make a great Feyd opposite Chalamet’s Paul. After all, the two seem to have similar energy and youthfulness on their side. But he’s certainly no Sting.

This latest casting news comes just days after Florence Pugh was cast as Princess Irulan in the upcoming Dune sequel. Meanwhile, Dune Part 2 is planning to begin filming later this year.

Dune Part 2 will star Timothée Chalamet as Paul, alongside Rebecca Fergusson as Jessica. They’re joined by Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Stellan Skarsgård. Denis Villeneuve will direct the film with a script he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts, based on the original novel by Frank Herbert.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.