Happy August and happy Monday, folks! Strap in, because today was filled to the brim with video game news. A new PlayStation State of Play was announced for later this week, Spider-Man is coming exclusively to PlayStation versions of Marvel’s Avengers, Call of Duty: Warzone Season Five can be pre-loaded on PlayStation 4, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is getting PC-Xbox cross-play, and Valorant Deathmatch is becoming a reality at last. Here’s the video game news you might’ve missed on Aug. 3, 2020.
PS4 Players Can Pre-load Warzone Season Five Prior to Launch
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its Warzone companion game are infamous for having laughably large install sizes, regardless of platform. On PS4, the current version of Modern Warfare / Warzone sits at around a staggering 193 GB. Fortunately, players on that platform will be able to pre-load the game’s Season Five update, which will be around 36 GB.
Players are randomly split into two categories — the first of which was able to pre-load the patch last night, while the second batch will be able to download the update tonight, Aug. 4, starting at 2 a.m. EST. To start downloading, press Options on the game from the PS4’s home screen and hit Check for Update. Keep in mind that pre-loading is only available for PS4 users. Warzone Season Five will go live on Aug. 5 across all platforms.
Activision Support has provided more info on the pre-load of the Season 5 update.
First group of PS4 players got it last night, second group of PS4 players will get it tonight.
Only for PS4 — Xbox and Battle net does not support pre-loading of a patch. https://t.co/o3KcIBTBfS
— Call of Duty News (@charlieINTEL) August 3, 2020
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Will Get PC-Xbox Cross-Play This Year
By the end of 2020, players will be able to enjoy cross-play between PC and Xbox in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, courtesy of 343 Industries. The developer confirmed this in an update and also noted that Xbox will be getting keyboard and mouse support, as well as input-based matchmaking across all platforms before the year’s end.
Specific dates were not given, but all of the aforementioned features are actively in development. With the release of Halo: Infinite on the horizon, as well as its free multiplayer mode, there will be no shortage of Halo goodness to enjoy this year.
Read More: Halo: The Master Chief Collection will get Xbox-PC cross-play in 2020
Stream Cyberpunk 2077 Anywhere via GeForce Now This November
Since Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping up to be a powerhouse of a game with some of the most beautiful visuals we’ve seen, it makes sense to play it on the best piece of hardware possible: a high-end PC. The problem is that this isn’t always viable due to cost, but luckily, the game will be launching on Nvidia GeForce Now, allowing users to experience the graphics and performance of an expensive PC without spending a boatload of cash.
Instead, GeForce Now uses streaming technology to bring high-end games to its audience for a monthly fee. Of course, latency is always a major factor with game streaming, but the service has garnered favorable praise in that department. It was reiterated today that it will be available on GeForce Now when the game launches on Nov. 19, 2020.
Let nothing slow you down. Bring GeForce PC gaming power to any device. 👊
P.S. Watch till the end. 😉 pic.twitter.com/42yqmds8Mg
— NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) July 27, 2020
Valorant Is Getting a Deathmatch Mode This Week
Riot’s free-to-play shooter Valorant is getting an update later this week, featuring the highly requested Deathmatch mode. This marks the start of Act 2, giving players a new free-for-all mode to enjoy, as announced via the official Valorant Twitter page, today. The rules are reportedly simple: 10 players fight to the death, and the first to 30 kills (or whoever has the most kills at time expiration) wins. The update will go live on Aug. 5 and will be free to all players.
BREAKING: There will be a FFA Deathmatch mode coming to #VALORANT on Wednesday, after the start of Act II.
– 10 Players
– 30 Kills to win (or most kills after time limit)
– Players can buy any gun
– Ever player spawns with heavy armor
– 3 second spawn delay— VALORANT intel (@ProjectVALORANT) August 3, 2020
Microsoft Seems to Be Removing “Optimized for Series X” Stickers from Game Cases
You’ll recall a couple months back after the reveal of Xbox Series X game cases that Microsoft had been placing large stickers on the covers, with text that read “Optimized for Series X.” It seems now, however, the company will be dialing back on that, following criticism from the community. Many argued the stickers were eye sores that took up too much room on front covers.
Now, according to Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, Microsoft will subtly make “mention” of these enhancements on the backside of game cases instead of the front. Keep in mind we haven’t actually seen a live case with the supposed change, but considering Ahmad’s track record, this is likely true.
Microsoft listened to feedback pic.twitter.com/2rFqMuMZSP
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 3, 2020
Read More: Microsoft reportedly binning ugly “optimised for Xbox Series X” sticker
