In February, Microsoft announced FPS Boost, a perk for Xbox Series X/S that greatly improves the frame rate for select backwards compatible games. The first handful of games to benefit from the upgrade included Watch Dogs 2, Far Cry 4, and UFC 4. Today, a much larger batch of titles will get the FPS Boost treatment. 

According to a tweet by Microsoft's Klobrille, over 70 additional backwards compatible games now support.. That brings the total of games to support the feature to 97. Many of the titles are available on Xbox Game Pass, which also include those available through EA Play. You can read the full list games of featuring FPS Boost, which also outlines their specific improvements, on Major Nelson’s blog but some standouts include the following: 

• Battlefield V
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Dying Light
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
• Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
• Star Wars Battlefront II
• Superhot
• Titanfall/Titanfall 2
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 
• Untitled Goose Game
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Microsoft says it isn’t stopping there, and will update the list as more games receive the feature. The new additions join a selection of Bethesda titles that received the FPS Boost following Microsoft's acquisition of the company. While you can dive into most games and expect to automatically see improvements, Microsoft also notes that FPS Boost will need to be toggled manually in certain games that take a hit in resolution while Boost is activated. You’ll know which games don’t auto-toggle FPS Boost by checking the online list and seeing which games have a checkmark in the column “Off By Default on Series X". 

Additionally, players can more easily identify if the game they’re playing is running FPS Boost or Auto HDR. Simply hit the Xbox button while in-game and a Guide overlay indicator in the upper right corner displays whether or not the features are activated. 

Have you had a chance to play backwards compatible games using FPS Boost? If so, what do you think of the performance difference? Let us know in the comments!

[Source: Major Nelson]

Just a few weeks ago, a buzzing report stated that Microsoft was conducting $10 billion acquisition talks with Discord. However, the situation came to a sudden close, with Discord reportedly ending all acquisition talks with outside parties. Today, a surprise announcement from Sony President and CEO, Jim Ryan reveals that Discord has indeed forged a partnership. Beginning early next year, Discord’s widely-used communication services will be integrated into the PlayStation social experience.

In a post published on the Sony Interactive Entertainment website, Ryan dove into the importance of the new agreement with Discord and how both companies share similar socially-focused philosophies: 

Ryan also stated that Discord will be coming to PlayStation consoles as well as the mobile app at some point early next year, which means that you’ll be able to communicate with friends more easily than ever before.

Furthermore, Ryan announced that Sony has made a minority investment into Discord's Series H round. The move further demonstrates the company's financial stake in Discord's future. 

I, for one, am looking forward to finally playing crossplay titles with my PC friends and being able to use my headset to talk with them while also hearing the in-game audio. It would also be pretty cool to start Spotify listening parties with friends while on PlayStation, but we’ll have to wait and see if that feature is in the cards.

How do you feel about the Sony-Discord partnership? Are you looking forward to the PlayStation communications reconstruction/overhaul? Let us know down in the comments section!

Earlier this year, we got some very brief insight into the tone and visuals of From Software’s exciting upcoming IP, Elden Ring. The leaked seven-second clip showcased some horseback combat as well as open prairies and rugged landscapes, which Dan Tack expertly highlights here. Moreover, another Elden Ring leak has surfaced, and while it’s nowhere near as informative as the video that came before it, an interesting never-before-seen location is still on display.

In the six-second clip which, you can watch here on reddit, a cinematic camera pans slowly through what appears to be a shadowy crypt of sorts. Ancient statues kneel above empty tombs – perhaps, these are triggerable enemies. Towards the end of the video, we get a quick look at a domed ceiling, which could potentially be signaling that the gothic crypt is a massive, multi-floored environment. Beams of sunlight peek through a crack at the very tip of the rotunda. We've seen similar environments and awesome architecture in From's previous catalogue, but we're always interested in seeing more. Any more information on what context this area brings to Elden Ring’s narrative will likely be revealed in future, official footage. 

Elden Ring was first announced at E3 2019. In an interview with IGN, famed Soulsborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Director Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that Elden Ring is his most ambitious project yet, “With a larger world, new systems and action mechanics inevitably become necessary. I think that Elden Ring is a more natural evolution of Dark Souls.”

Leaks, of course, are not to be taken lightly as they can be particularly deflating and even harmful to a game’s launch. Solid information about Elden Ring has been kept under wraps, but it looks like it could be a fresh, revolutionary take on the infectious die-until-you-succeed gameplay loop. As of right now, Elden Ring is scheduled to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. No release date or release window is available at this time.

What can you glean from the new leak, and has it made you even more excited to see what FromSoftware has been concocting?

[Source: ScreenRant]