Dolby Vision For Gaming Available On Xbox Series X|S Now

Microsoft continues to break ground when it comes to incorporating new technology into its platforms with the addition of Dolby Vision on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series, It's also the first console this tech has come to.

The new feature will be available for over 100 next-gen titles, with it boosting visual enhancements on thousands of classic HDR10 and Auto HDR games.

Players will see an improvement with "incredible brightness, color, contrast, and detail" for applicable TVs. It will also work in unison with current Xbox Series X|S features, such as "DirectX raytracing, automatic low-latency mode, variable refresh rate, and up to 120FPS".

Here's a quote regarding the addition:

"Starting today, gamers with compatible Dolby Vision-enabled TVs will be able to enjoy full-spectrum visuals with the rollout of Dolby Vision gaming on Xbox Series X|S. With Dolby Vision, epic worlds – such as lush rainforests or neon futuristic cities – are brought to life in more vivid color.

Dolby Vision deepens your immersion into the experience by enabling you to see an enemy hiding in the shadows or spot hidden clues through expanded contrast and better clarity in both bright and dark scenes."

The easiest way to check if your setup is compatible is by doing the following steps on your Xbox:

Go to Settings

Select General

Select TV & Display Options

Select 4K TV Details.

From there, you'll be able to see if you can tick the option to enable Dolby Vision on your console.

This isn't something I've personally experienced myself but i don't have a huge infinity for Dolby products, specifically, I'm not a fan of Dolby Atmos for gaming. I personally prefer Stereo for competitive games such as Apex Legends or Halo Infinite but i know that's more down to a preference rather than the software not being very good.

EA Play Live Announced For July

EA has announced that it will be skipping E3 2021 and will instead be holding EA Play Live showcase on July 22.

No details on what games they'll be showing off but my guess would be a gameplay reveal of Battlefield 6 after showing off a launch trailer at the Xbox E3 show. The Usual EA Sports title will probably make an appearance of some sort and something related to Apex Legends, maybe a tease for Season 10 or a new event.

EA tends to update their players on games they've already announced so it's a possibility that Skate 4, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Squeal, New Mass Effect, and Dragon Age 4 could show up but I think it's unlikely.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to get dedicated Xbox Series X|S and PS5 releases

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is going to be getting a full Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 release later on in the year.

The news was announced on the official Star Wars website during the reveal for the annual Star Wars Day celebrations on May 4. Details on the game are planned to be revealed at a later date, it looks like that these versions will include a more improved upgrade to the previously released "optimisation" patch that the game recently recieved. The new versions will be a free upgrade to those that own the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

I personally hope that the game comes with something more than just a makeover, maybe a DLC expansion or the prospect of addtional content coming to the game at a later. It's a fantastic game that deserves some cool add-on content, so hopefully EA and Respawn Entertainment are on it.

Apex Legends introduces a new permanent mode called Arenas

Respawn has revealed their first permanent mode coming to Apex Legends since Duos and it looks amazing.

The new mode which is called Arenas will launch alongside season 9 (Legacy) and it will put two squads of 3 to battle against each other in smaller Arena maps.

Each round, players will select their characters and then a buy phase will commence, both teams will get to spend allocated crafting materials to buy weapons and equipment. Then the games will begin in a deathmatch-style mode with no respawns. The team to gain a two round lead will win the match.

The mode will launch with two Custom Maps called Party Crasher and Phase Runner but will also have adapted Arenas of parts of the Kings Canyon, World's Edge, and Olympus maps.

Apex Legends Season Nine: Legacy will drop on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on May 4.

Respawn Entertainment Reveals it's working on a brand new IP

Respawn Entertainment has announced that it's working on a new IP according to a job listing that appeared online over the weekend.

studio head Vince Zampella went on to retweeted the job listing for an 'Incubation Team Software Engineer' and states that the studio is looking to add to a currently-five person team and join a "compact incubation team currently developing a new IP" with Zampella calling it an "exciting new opportunity."

Sadly there's not much more known about the new project but it’s exciting regardless. Respawn created some of the best games from the Xbox One and PS4 generation and I can't wait to see what they'll achieve in the near future.

Apex Legends Season 9 Legend Is Called Valkyrie

Apex Legends is mere weeks away from dropping season 9 to the game and Respawn entertainment is ramping to the release with the announcement of their next legend.

in a newly released episode of 'Stories from the Outlands' short, the developer introduced its next character Valkyrie, who has a strong connection to Titanfall.

Valkyrie is the daughter of Titanfall 2 character Viper, who's the pilot behind the NorthStar Titan. (Boss fight in Titanfall 2) In the short, titled 'Northstar' Valkyrie is out to take revenge against her father boss, and leader of the Apex Legends in the form of Kuban Blisk.

The short provides a great introduction to Valkyrie for players and adds some interesting lore and backstory to both Titanfall and Apex Legends. interestingly enough, the new season isn't numbered but instead is just called Legacy.

In regards to Valk abilities, it looks like she'll have some form of flight with the short showcasing Rampart taking apart NorthStar with a shadow engulfing Valkrie with the Jetpack wings of the titan.

Apex Legends Legacy (Season 9) will begin on May 4 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Additionally more details and announcements for the upcoming season will be available in the coming weeks.

Apex Legends Nintendo Switch Release Date Announced

EA and Respawn have announced that Apex Legends will finally be dropping onto Nintendo Switch on March 9.

game director Chad Grenier revealed the game will support cross-play on console, as well as the latest season and full feature parity with the other versions of the game. The Nintendo Switch version is being ported by the studio known as Panic Button.

Those who buy the Season 8 Battle Pass on Nintendo Switch will also get the first 30 levels plus XP earned will be doubled for the first two weeks after launch.

I jumped into the new season on launch and I'm currently enjoying most of the content, I still however do not like Kings Canyon. Fuse is pretty fantastic but his concussion ability is a little on the loud side. It's definitely an improvement on Season 7 and hopefully, with a little time and some patches, it'll be awesome.

Apex Legends Season 8 Mayhem Details Revealed

Respawn Entertainment has announced the date for Season 8 of Apex Legends, as well as revealing some details on its latest Legends to join the apex games.

The new season which is entitled Mayhem will see the introduction of Fuse in an explosive way. Respawn Described him as "The Champion of Salvo" and as a "blow-up-first-ask-questions-later kinda guy".

The season will also bring changes to the Kings Canyon map, which respawn is calling Obliterated King's Canyon, more details were promised to come later in the week. Lastly, they showcased a brand new weapon in the form of a bolt action rifle called The 30-30 Repeater.

A few more details on the upcoming season are available on the Apex Legends website.

Season 8: Mayhem will be dropping into the world of Apex Legends on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC from February 2.