There are few things we look forward to every year. You have the usual flagship smartphone launches, including the iPhone launch and Samsung’s two Unpacked events every year. In terms of gaming, we have the E3. The E3 showcase that has been happening every year for a long time now and it is a gathering of every major game developers and even some minor ones that has been cherry picked by the likes of Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox to chow case their upcoming games on the big stage. Before YouTube, E3 was the only stage you get to premiere your games to the world.
There is a problem with E3 however. Ever since the pandemic hit the world, the E3 conference has stood on quite unstable grounds. While there are still parties keen on attending and make good on the show that is E3, there have been several occasions where big names opted out of the conference. They even had to cancel in 2021 and 2022. This year, Ubisoft has opted out of E3.
Ubisoft’s absence in E3 2023 will undoubtedly be felt. Ubisoft at this point is one of the largest game developers the world has seen. They own namesakes like Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon, ANNO, Far Cry, and more. They own enough IP that they have to have their own curated game store separate from Epic Games, and Steam. They are one of those giants in the gaming industry then that will have no presence in E3 2023 scheduled in June.
That does not mean that Ubisoft will not be producing or publishing any games for 2023 though. It does not mean that they have nothing new to show the world too in 2023. In light of them being absent from E3 2023 for whatever reason, they are also hosting their own show in June 2023. They scheduled their Ubisoft Forward Live showcase on the 12th of June 2023 in Los Angeles.
For the upcoming show, we are expecting Ubisoft to show a little more from their latest announced Assassin’s Creed title, Assassin’s Creed Mirage. We are also expecting Ubisoft to have at least a few more announcements in their other titles and probably introduce new titles in the upcoming show. It would only make sense for them to have a few more on tap to have an entire showcase of their own.
UPDATE: Microsoft and Nintendo has confirmed their presence in E3 2021. The Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo participation joins big names like Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, and Koch Media. Sony, EA, Activision Blizzard, Bandai, Sega, and Square Enix has not confirmed their presence. Sony did not turn up in 2019 and was not going to be in E3 as of last year though.
When we say E3 2021 is online, we mean two things really. For one, it is happening. That means at E3 will go on in 2021 despite its 2020 cancellation for obvious reasons. The next thing we mean when we say that it is online is that it is happening completely virtually. For obvious reasons as well, E3 will happen and showcase completely online.
There is more good news here though, it is supposed to be an all-free event. That also means that you can register yourself and attend E3 without paying a single cent. According to their Twitter page as well, there should be no contents hidden behind annoying paywalls. Attendees are supposed to have access to all the major announcements and keynotes happening at E3 this year.
E3 is one of the world’s largest, if not the largest games convention and stage. E3 usually sees developers and platform owners run huge keynotes to announce new AAA titles to be released later in the year or even beyond. One of our favourite games; “Horizon: Zero Dawn” that was launched in 2017 was teased in E3 2015. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 took even longer from its first teaser to its final launch in 2020.
E3 is where we expect huge announcements from the likes of Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox camps. They made the first announcements of their next generation consoles in E3 as well. Of course, this year we have the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S. That also means that we can expect even more AAA titles to be announced from their camps. You can expect even more announcements made for PC games as well. Best part of this year’s E3 announcement is that you do not have to pay to get access to the keynotes.
E3 2021 is expected to happen June 15th, 2021 onward this year. Early on, there were rumours of keynotes and announcement behind paywalls only for E3 to come forward to dispel the idea. Of course, as per mentioned earlier, E3 2021 will be a completely virtual event for obvious reasons. For more information on E3 2021, you can visit E3’s official website.
It seems just like yesterday that we saw the full spec sheet of the highly anticipated Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) and the console’s new controller, the Sony DualSense. In that demo, we saw plenty of PlayStation 5 exclusive that promises no load times and even more impressive graphics that can be projected to a 4K display at 120Hz. Only the most powerful of PCs can have that kind of power these days. Of course, with newer CPUs and a powerhouse in the latest generation GPUs, 4K resolution at 120Hz might be a cake walk for next generation gaming PCs.
Source: Sony
Still, the PS5 is an impressive avenue to next generation gaming alongside the Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S. For Malaysia at least, we will not be getting the Microsoft gaming consoles. That is as far as we know anyway. That does not mean you cannot get your hands on one though, just not officially supported in the country at the moment.
The PS5 though, that is going to make it into Malaysia. The older generation console, the Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro was made available almost immediately when they made the launch announcement. With the new PS5, we can expect the same thing as well.
According to Sony, the PS5 will be available in most markets from 19th November 2020 onward. That would most likely include Malaysia too, except if there are issues with the custom clearance and shipping. Still, pre-orders are supposedly open already for most regions. There are certain regions that gets the PS5 earlier though – United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. But it is just a week earlier on the 12th of November 2020. That also means that finding going to another region to source for your PS5 may not be worth it.
Source: Sony
Still, the thing that even we want to know is how much money do we have to fork out to own a piece of kit like the PS5. As pointed out before too, there are two types of PS5 that will be available later in the year. One is a Digital Edition that has no Blu-Ray tray. The other is a traditional PS5 with a disc tray. The Digital Edition is the cheaper option at US$ 399.99 (MYR 1,657.91*) and the regular PS5 will set you back US$ 499.99 (MYR 2,072.40*). Yes, I know I said that it is less than US$ 500 (MYR 2,072.54*). Technically I am not wrong though, it is US$ 0.01 less than US$ 500. If you go for the Digital Edition, it is way less than US$ 500.
*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.15 as of 17/09/2020
It is hard to believe when we say that the Sony PlayStation 4 platform is already about 7 years old now. When it was launched, it was ‘The’ next generation console to get your hands on. It was supposedly less powerful than the Xbox at that time, but it came with a chock-full of exclusives that made the Xbox look boring.
In its 7 years of service, there has been some great games that was made on the PlayStation platform. Plenty of the titles that came even later in its life cycle was very respectable titles still. Games like Grand Theft Auto V that was launched about the same time the PlayStation 4 was launched gained high praises for its graphical prowess and gameplay. That still holds true even today. Then there is games like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Last of Us. These games launched just a few years ago still held up to the standards of games today. These games are still regarded as some of the best games today even when you compare them to games you can play on PC.
Mind you, all these games that are filled with praises and great graphics are played on 7-year-old system. That is a testament to the prowess of the system itself in Full HD 1080p gaming. They’ve launched a specific model to accommodate the rising trend of 4K televisions though, the PlayStation 4 Pro with 4K Ultra HD capabilities but limited to 30fps. That is okay though because most TVs do not go over 75Hz in refresh rate. Still, pushing the original PS4 hardware to take on 4K gaming also adds some heat issues and a slightly different power regulation measures. The PS4 Pro handled that nicely and is still a benchmark in 4K gaming. Heck most PCs still maintain their gaming resolution to 2K. That is also to keep the refresh rate higher though at 120Hz at least to get 120fps.
Seven years on and it is time for the PlayStation 5. It is time for the next generation gaming console. It has also been teased since 2018 technically and we have seen renders of the PS5 floating around in the world wide web. None of them, in our hopes, was true renders though. PS5 finally revealed some things early on in the year and just about a month ago. They revealed that, like the Microsoft Xbox, the PS5 console platform will feature AMD’s latest chips with RDNA 2 and Ray Tracing. It is touted to be less powerful than the Xbox too, just slightly. They claim that the Sony PS5 is about 10x faster than the previous generation console thanks to the more powerful hardware and cleverer SSD storage management and usage. People from Epic Games claim that the PS5 console is more powerful than any current generation gaming PC with an Unreal Engine demo.
There was a lot of hype around it especially after Sony revealed the Dualsense controller. Mind you, we have already seen how the other competing gaming console looks like. The Microsoft offering is black and box; purposeful. The renders of the next-gen Sony console does not look promising with weird valleys in the design and huge bulges that is less than attractive. At least he controller looks good though. It looks bulkier with more ergonomics as a part of the design consideration. It looks more comfortable than before. It looks better than before too. It departs from the traditional Sony Dualshock design that became an icon of a controller in the gaming world.
With the console and controller mix too they promise an even more immersive gaming experience with not just ultra high-resolution and sharp graphics, and pulling horsepower; but also with immersive 3D audio even without purpose built audio systems. They are building that immersive audio into the Dualsense controller too. More than that, the trigger buttons on the PS5 are now adaptive to the games you play and its requirements. Now, we are more excited than ever to see the PS5 console itself. We hoped, we prayed that the new console does not look like anything that has been in the renders.
Source: Sony
Fast forward to way too early this morning and our prayers were answered with the reveal of the PS5. Thank the heavens, it does not look like anything the renders put out. Thank heavens, Sony was able to keep the project under wraps for such a long time. Thank heavens, they have lined up a bunch of exclusives to be released within the first year of the PS5 launch in the late 2020s to the early 2021s.
The Sony PS5 looks like nothing in this world. It looks more like a sculpture than anything else you can put your finger on. It is a far cry compared to the sharp, boxy slate design we are used to with the PS4. Instead, the sharp boxy design continues only with the Microsoft Xbox Series X, a boxy bin like structure that is more purposeful and stealthy. The PS5 is made so that you can really show off.
It comes in two variants too, a regular PS5 with a Blu-Ray disc insert for the usual Blu-Ray media that we are used to since the PS4. Then there is a curious PS5 with no disc tray. They call it the Digital Edition and that starts to make a little bit of sense since games are purchased online and digitally these days.
Source: Sony
Still, in its first launch phase, you are getting the first generation of Sony’s anticipated Dual-sense controller. There will be a Sony PS5 headphone to purchase as well. We assume that this is going to be fully optimised with Sony’s proprietary Tempest audio engine. There is also a Nintendo Wii-esque controller that we assume would be a VR or AR motion controller that you need to pair with a tracking camera which they are also selling together later on when the PS5 launches. There are no PS VR headset in sight just yet.
Back to how it looks. There are plenty of smooth curves on its body that is standing tall. The only sharp edges are the two plates on each side holding everything upright and in its place. Those plates reveals a black cutaway cross structure that holds the integrity of the PS5 and encases all the horsepower inside. There are plenty of ventilation holes revealed here too, presumably for cooling and airflow: important in something that holds as much power as a very high-end gaming PC in less space than a mini-ITX build. We wonder at its thermal performance and throttling now though.
Source: Sony
In a sense, this looks beautiful. This looks more like a show piece with its large white panels and distinctive, yet muscular curves and grooves. It looks powerful, yet elegant and modern. It looks like it belongs on your coffee table as a centerpiece more than in your TV shelf as a gaming device.
We still do not know how it will actually perform though. All we know so far are just numbers. From the demos, it is looking good too. The only issue is that we are not directly having our hands-on with it just yet, so it is difficult to say.
Still, like when they launched the PS4, they lined up very compelling titles out of the box within the first year of its release. We can expect even more than what they have already showcased too. Within the announcement itself, we are already excited to place our wallets on the counter for one PS5.
Source: Sony
First of all, the announcement starts with Grand Theft Auto V (GTA). Yes, it is an old game. As old as the PS4 itself. But Rockstar is not announcing any new GTA titles anytime soon and the best we will get at this time is GTA V. Rockstar and PlayStation announced that the title will be available for free to current GTA V players on the PS4 console. Players on PS4 console will also be getting 1 million in-game currency every month until the PS5 launches. Great deal? Great deal.
Then they continue with not just a handful of games to be released just for the PS5. It looks like they announced a whole year worth of games if you play them one by one. It is as though they are giving you a reason to buy the console at least to keep it for a year worth of binge gaming.
We have our highlights of course, and we are lovers of exclusive titles. One of the ones we are really excited about is Horizon: Forbidden West. We love the first title, and we are still playing it (we suck at games, please forgive us). The award-winning Spider-Man on PS4 is followed up with Spider-Man: Miles Morales too. Then, there is Grand Turismo 7 (we are also quite big on racing games). We are unexpectedly excited for Sackboy: A big Adventure, because we played Little Big Planet 3. Then there are titles like Resident Evil VIII: Village, and Hitman III. If those titles do not get you excited, we don’t know what will. Best of all, you can still play all your titles from the PS4 if you already have them, thanks to backward compatibility this time. They are still based on the Blu-Ray media system anyway. The list of PlayStation exclusive titles that will be launched within the first year of the PS5 release are listed below.
Exclusive Games 2020/2021 Release
Spider-man: Miles Morales
Grand Turismo 7
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Project Athia
Stray
Returnal
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Destruction: All Stars
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Goodbye Volcano High
Oddworld: Soulstorm
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Jett: The Far Shore
Godfall
Solar Ash
Hitman III
Astro Playroom
Little Devil Inside
NBA 2k21
Bugsnax
Demon’s Soul
Deathloop
Resident Evil VIII – VIllage
Pragmata
Horizon: Forbidden West
The Sony PlayStation 5 will be launched later in the year 2020. We are looking at the fourth quarter of the year for the highly anticipated console. We kind of know which console we will get our hands-on first with this reveal. Still, as per said by plenty of sources in Sony, we can expect prices to land somewhere near the US$ 500 mark, most likely more than that, but less than US$ 600 hopefully. We are keeping our eyes open, so stay tuned. What do you think of the Sony PlayStation 5 now that we have seen it? Which would you get? Comment below.
Video games are a big part of our lives. The industry continues to grow and fascinate anyone who cares to look at its stats. In Asia, the industry grows at a pace that is quite unprecedented.
The only thing missing in the grander scheme of things in Malaysia is a big gaming convention that we can liken to E3 in the United States, or Comic Con, or PAX East, or even Gamescom. Well, that was about to change later in the year with Gamescom Asia happening in Singapore from the 16th to 18th of October 2020.
So far, they have been adamant about holding the event in 2020. The mounting pressure that surrounds COVID-19 situations globally though is not encouraging. That is why they have made the decision to postpone the event instead to 2021.
The new dates are 14th to 17th of October in 2021. Yes, it is happening in the final quarter of 2021, about a year after the 2020 dates. It may not be a bad thing though. We are seeing large improvements over the COVID-19 situation currently and would most likely see a large improvement in the coming year with vaccine’s produced and circulated.
While we are going to not see the world’s biggest convention coming to Asia this coming October, we remain excited for the upcoming Gamescom Asia happening next year October 2021. They have reported that the participations and requests for Gamescom Asia 2020 has been quite overwhelming. They also mentioned that there will be AAA title publishers present in the Asia leg of their convention. It will be a world class event, they say. We are hopeful that we would see it too.
Gamescom Asia 2021 will be held, as mentioned, from the 14th to 17th of October in Singapore still. The convention will be housed in Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre; that is right in the heart of Singapore. For more information on Gamescom Asia, you can head over to their website.
The COVID-19 situation is not looking great, if we are all being honest. In Malaysia, if you have not known yet, is under a state sanctioned Movement Control Order (MCO). In other words, we are on partial lock down. Only essential services and businesses are allowed to operate. You are not even allowed a stroll in the public park; at least you are discouraged to with summons from the authorities. Even kids are not exempted from this ruling.
Source: Mercedes-AMG F1
In other parts of the world as well, the authorities have started encouraging self-quarantines and social distancing. Our neighbouring country has already started issuing fines for those who are not in accordance to their guideline of social distancing. In other words, everyone is doing their parts in combating this global pandemic. Even F1 teams have committed their resources and expertise in break-neck, cutting edge engineering to combat the disease with something they call Project Pitlane as we have covered yesterday.
There are plenty of tips out there about staying sane and
productive at home. There are also plenty of guides about staying healthy at home
with exercises and what not. One thing that everyone says they have more time for
now that they are at home is gaming. We are gamers here too, and we agree; I sunk
more than 50 hours already in Death Stranding in the first week of our MCO alone,
before realising that I need to be a little bit more productive and active.
Source: Ubisoft
One thing people do not say about gaming though is that it
costs money. You need money to buy these games. Some of these games can get quite
expensive too. Imagine buying all the AAA titles you can find out there today.
That would empty your back account very quickly.
Still, Ubisoft, one of the biggest game developers in the world and running their own UPlay curated game marketplace is doing their part in the battle against COVID-19. One of the things that was encouraged for these few weeks is self-quarantine and staying at home. Ubisoft is all for that and that is why they are giving out free games starting from the 30th of March 2020.
Source: Ubisoft
They start with ‘Rayman Legends’ from the 30th March to the 3rd of April 2020 onward. After that they will line up other games to giveaway at least for a few weeks. That is good news for everyone. All you need to do is sign up for Ubisoft’s UPlay account and download they UPlay app for desktop. For us gamers, that gives us even more reason to stay indoors and even lock our doors to keep playing all the games we have not finished. Now, excuse me while I finish Death Stranding and get to all my other games.
