- Genshin Impact is an open-world action RPG game that continues to captivate players in 2024 with its stunning visuals, engaging storyline, and gacha-based character acquisition system.
Mojang announced that Minecraft will cease support for VR headsets starting in March. The developer stated that its ability to support VR/MR devices has ended, with a final update scheduled for that month. While PC players can still access the VR version post-update, it will lack virtual reality components. This decision follows complaints from Oculus users about performance issues and aligns with a survey indicating a decline in the VR market. Meta has closed its first-party VR developer, Ready at Dawn, while Canadian studio Archiact has also shut down. In contrast, Sony is expanding its VR presence with PC support for PSVR2 and new titles, experiencing a surge in sales after a price drop.
IO Interactive is transitioning into third-party publishing after self-publishing its Hitman franchise since 2017. The company will publish MindsEye, an action thriller developed by Build A Rocket Boy, founded by Leslie Benzies, a former Rockstar executive. CEO Hakan Abrak indicated that the company has been considering this move for some time and sees it as a natural progression. Abrak highlighted the shared values and ambitions between IO Interactive and Build A Rocket Boy, suggesting a strong partnership for future projects.
Solo developer ANB_Seth will release their debut title, Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone, in early access in 2025. The game is a VR shooter developed in partnership with publisher 2080 Games and will be available on Steam for both VR and flatscreen. It originated as a mod for Half-Life: Alyx and features a gritty mobster narrative. The early access phase is expected to last two to three years, with players initially having access to Gunman's Base, a variety of weapons, and the first contract. The game aims to include around six contracts by its full version 1.0 release.
The Asus Zenbook S 14 features an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor with eight cores, combining Lion Cove P-cores and Skymont E-cores, and is equipped with the Arc 140V integrated graphics unit. It delivers a commendable gaming experience at 1080p, outperforming the Intel Arc Graphics in the Zenbook 14 and competing effectively against AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in various titles. The Zenbook S 14 has a power draw of around 40 W during intensive workloads and maintains a similar form factor and specifications to the Zenbook 14. The Arc 140V iGPU surpasses the Intel Arc Graphics found in the 155H, and despite a lower clock speed, the 258V shows a 5% performance advantage in games like Hitman 3. In Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, both the 258V and AMD chip achieve 27 fps, with Intel slightly ahead in 1% low frame rate metrics. The specifications include 32 GB LPDDR5X RAM, a 512 GB SSD, a 14-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 72 Whr battery, and a weight of 1.2 kg. The Zenbook S 14 achieves 155 minutes of gaming in 3DMark's battery life test, outperforming the Zenbook 14 and Zephyrus G16. Compatibility issues with some titles may arise from early driver releases.
- Hitman Sniper is one of the most popular sniping games for Android in 2024, allowing players to upgrade weapons and participate in a Bonus Zombie survival mode.
- Lonewolf is a challenging sniping game with multiple chapters where players must eliminate enemies quietly.
- Sniper 3D offers over 180 weapons, offline mode, and the ability to complete missions or play against other players online.
- Pure Sniper City Gun Shooting is a realistic sniping game with campaign mode, multiplayer PvP combat mode, and various scenarios to test sniping skills.
Many gamers debate the merits of borderless versus fullscreen modes in PC gaming, often seeking optimal settings for performance. A recent benchmarking of modern games revealed little to no performance differences between these display options. Notable titles tested, including Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2, showed consistent results, with only Hitman 3 presenting an exclusive fullscreen option. The term "fullscreen" can be misleading, as it traditionally referred to exclusive fullscreen where the graphics card controls the display, while modern games may not adhere to this definition. The introduction of the DXGI flip presentation model in Windows 8 improved frame rendering efficiency, allowing even fullscreen games to utilize the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) for composition. As of 2024, the distinction between borderless and fullscreen modes is less significant, allowing players to choose based on preference rather than performance.
AMD has addressed concerns about the gaming performance of its Ryzen 9000 "Zen 5" Desktop CPUs by clarifying discrepancies between its performance metrics and those reported by reviewers. The company initially claimed a 9% uplift at 1080p compared to Ryzen 7000 CPUs and a 6% improvement over Intel's 14th Gen chips, based on testing with over 30 games. AMD's revised evaluations demonstrated performance parity with Intel's CPUs when using DDR5-7200 memory and maximum power profiles. The Ryzen 9000 CPUs now reportedly deliver a 10% increase in creative tasks, a 25% boost in AI workloads, and a 5-8% enhancement in gaming applications. AMD's gaming test suite includes a variety of game types, and the testing included Windows Virtualization-based Security (VBS), which may impact performance. A new Branch Prediction code patch is expected to enhance gaming performance by up to 13%, particularly when Windows 11 is run in "Admin" mode. AMD is also developing new chipset drivers to address "Core Parking" issues, benefiting multiple generations of Ryzen CPUs. Some reviewers noted that fresh installations of Windows can improve performance for both AMD and Intel CPUs.
In a performance analysis comparing Windows 10 and Windows 11 for gaming, both operating systems were tested on four hardware configurations using the latest versions available. The "core isolation" feature was disabled on Windows 11 to align it with Windows 10's default setting. The testing involved 13 games, with results showing that Windows 10 outperformed Windows 11 in five of the titles tested.
1. Baldur's Gate 3: No performance differences between Windows 10 and 11.
2. The Last of Us Part 1: Windows 10 marginally outperformed Windows 11 by 1-2%.
3. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty: Windows 10 showed a 10% increase in average frame rates for the 7800X3D and 3% for the 7700X; Intel CPUs had increases of 6% and 7%.
4. Hogwarts Legacy: No significant performance differences.
5. Assetto Corsa Competizione: Windows 10 performed slightly better with margins of 3% and 2%.
6. Spider-Man Remastered: No significant performance disparity.
7. Homeworld 3: Windows 10 favored with performance boosts of 6% for the 7800X3D and 4% for the 7700X; Intel CPUs improved by 3-5%.
8. A Plague Tale: Requiem: Windows 10 had a 10% increase for the 7800X3D and 5% for the 7700X; Intel processors gained 3-4%.
9. Counter-Strike 2: Windows 10 outperformed Windows 11 with a 3% advantage for the 7800X3D and a 10% increase for the 7700X; Intel processors improved by 11% and 7%.
10. Starfield: Windows 10 provided a 4% boost for the 7800X3D and 2% for the 7700X.
11. Horizon Forbidden West: No performance differences.
12. Hitman 3: Maximum variance of 1.5% between Windows 10 and 11.
13. Watch Dogs: Legion: Windows 10 showed frame rate differences of up to 2%.
Overall, the analysis suggests that if users are satisfied with Windows 10, there is little reason to upgrade to Windows 11, which may explain its slow adoption rate among gamers.
