Physical media is slowly going the way of the dodo. But it appears that Xbox isn't giving up on it just yet, despite having a disc-less console.

In an interview with Game File, Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared his thoughts on physical media by explaining that Xbox is "supportive of physical media, but we don't have a need to drive that disproportionate to customer demand."

"We ship games physically and digitally, and we're really just following what the customers are doing. And I think our job in running Xbox is to deliver on the things that a majority of the customers want. And right now, a majority of our customers are buying games digitally."

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From Software will reveal the first gameplay trailer for Elden Ring's DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. It'll premiere at on February 21 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET.

From Software has also confirmed that the trailer will be three minutes long. Back in December, a gaming retailer in the Philippines inadvertently leaked the expansion's possible release date as February 2024. Given the timing of this gameplay trailer, the leak may have been true after all. However, we'll have to wait until From Software gives an official confirmation.

Along with the leaked release date, the retailer also mentioned that Elden Ring would be getting another expansion in 2025 to coincide with potential Malenia and Ranni-themed controllers.

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Helldivers 2, one of 2024's most well-received games so far, launched exclusively on PlayStation 5 and PC. And since its release, it's been not just Xbox players, but also those on PlayStation who have been pleading with Arrowhead Game Studios to port the game to Xbox.

This trend recently started to gain a lot of traction when Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced that four unnamed Xbox exclusives will be making their way to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Coincidentally, this was around the same time that a challenging in-game Helldivers 2 event began, which revolves around Automatons invading human-controlled planets.

Following the Xbox announcement and the Automatons invasion, some PlayStation players have been asking for support, specifically from Xbox players. It didn't take long for people to notice the parallels between Helldivers and ODSTs from the Halo series. In short, both are highly trained soldiers who drop from space pods into combat. One X/Twitter user wrote, "The amount of veteran ODST players waiting to join the frontlines against the automatons and terminids is actually insane."

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A former Halo developer has commented on the many ideas for new Halo games that were pitched to higher-ups, including one concept that was "really dark."

Kevin Schmitt, who worked at 343 Industries for 12 years, replied to a thread on social media about ideas for Halo games that never got made. Schmitt said the team pitched as many as 30 games that he believed would have "totally worked in the Halo universe."

"Many [single-player] & [multiplayer] ODST-themed ones. Some galaxy-spanning, some more intimate…and one that was really dark. lol," he wrote.

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Last week, Sony significantly decreased its forecast for the number of PS5s it expects to sell before the end of March, from 25 million down to 21 million. Following this, the company's stock dropped roughly $10 billion in value. However, according to CNBC, analysts say that the declining margins in Sony's core gaming business might be the bigger worry.

Sony's operating margin in the gaming business was just 6% last quarter, compared to 9% in the corresponding quarter of 2022. One equity analyst, Atul Goyal, told CNBC that they would expect the margins to be higher than single-digits due to "various tailwinds," making the number especially disappointing. Goyal also cited Sony's record-breaking revenue in digital sales, add-on content, and downloads as other reasons why the margin should be higher. Another analyst, Serkan Toto, said that he expected Sony to have better operating margins by this point in the PS5's life-cycle.

It's not clear what exactly is causing this low operating revenue, but it's been clear for years that video games are getting more expensive to make. That was a clear concern revealed in documents leaked as part of the Insomniac ransomeware hack last year, with one leaked slideshow suggesting that Sony has put pressure on Insomniac to keep budgets low due to Spider-Man 2 costing significantly more to make than its predecessor.

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One of Netflix's soon-to-be released series, 3 Body Problem, is an adaptation of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy of sci-fi novels written by Cixin Liu and translated into English by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen. The Remembrance of Earth's Past follows humanity through multiple time periods after they make contact with a hostile alien civilization that is on course to invade Earth in a few hundred years. The series is considered one of the best modern sci-fi stories, nabbing numerous accolades, including the Hugo Award, for its exploration of theoretical physics and other scientific concepts in an accessible and entertaining way.

Netflix's 3 Body Problem is produced by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss and starts streaming on March 21, but if you don't want to wait that long to experience the sci-fi saga, you can catch up on the novels with this Remembrance of Earth's Past paperback box set that's on sale at Amazon for just $33 (normally $57). The set includes all three books in the main series: The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End.

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Alternatively, you can grab the first three books in the series individually instead. While the box set is cheaper overall, the individual books are also discounted at Amazon, and all three are available in either paperback or hardcover.

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After years of making Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)-adjacent builds and minifigs, it appears that Lego will now collaborate with D&D to make official sets.

The news comes from the official Lego X/Twitter account, where it posted a video of a Gelatinous Cube, an iconic D&D monster, consuming various legos. The post reads:

"Time to party up. We're oozing with anticipation! Are you ready to build awesome adventures? #LEGODnD"

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Dune: Part II releases in theaters March 1, but how much money is the star-studded sci-fi film expected to make for its first weekend?

The film is projected to make between $60 million and $80 million in the US alone for its first weekend, according to Variety. If it can reach those heights, it would be the first movie to crack $50 million over its first weekend since Five Nights at Freddy's in October 2023.

For comparison, 2021's Dune earned $41 million in the US for its opening weekend, going on to bank $400 million over the course of its theatrical run worldwide. That movie was released simultaneously in theaters and on Max (then known as HBO Max) due to the pandemic.

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A star is about to be born in Fortnite. Actress and pop icon Lady Gaga has teased her addition to Fortnite Festival on February 22, years after asking what the game was on social media and rumors swirling about her appearing in the massively popular title.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), Lady Gaga hilariously riffed on one of her posts from over four years ago to make her Fortnite debut official. In October 2019, she asked "what's fortnight," and today, the musician corrected herself with "*fortnite" and a teaser image of her skin in Fortnite Festival. (Another amusing part of the 2019 post is popular streamer Ninja answering her "fortnight" question, to which Gaga replied: "who are you.")

*fortnite https://t.co/1FwPHmMfRJ pic.twitter.com/9BSG6S23zh

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 20, 2024

In August 2022, a Fortnite leak pointed to a Lady Gaga collaboration, following in the footsteps of Ariana Grande and Travis Scott showing up in the battle royale title. However, Gaga's official introduction will seemingly happen in Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game mode made by Rock Band developer Harmonix. The Weeknd has been the focus of Season 1 for Fortnite Festival, with his latest "Popular" music video even premiering in the game.

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Minecraft is still growing and evolving, as Mojang and Microsoft have confirmed that a new type of DLC, add-ons, are coming to the Minecraft Marketplace.

Mojang said fans can think of add-ons as mods in that they "change the way that things in the game look and behave." These add-ons, which can be added to existing worlds, allow players to set custom blocks, items, mobs, recipes, and whatever else they can think of.

Add-ons are here! Starting today, you can easily add custom blocks, items, mobs, recipes, and other game content to your Minecraft worlds on #NintendoSwitch! pic.twitter.com/1atT41aep2

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 20, 2024

"For example, an Add-on might create a gravestone safely storing items where a player dies, let players connect two points in the overworld with new types of portals, add never-before-seen pets to players' worlds, or let players furnish their bases with unique tables, chairs, and more. Add-ons can be applied to multiplayer worlds and Realms, and only the world owner needs to own the Add-on," Mojang said.

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The story of Nightingale takes place at a time when society's collapse caused intrepid explorers to search the Faewilds. This leads to countless adventures, as you and your friends create portals that take you to new realms. Our Nightingale guides hub should aid you as you set forth on your journey.

Table of Contents [hide]

• Nightingale guides hub
  • General info and basic guides
  Nightingale guides hub

  Our Nightingale guides are divided into several sections. Each one pertains to a particular facet of the game.

  General info and basic guides

  Estate Cairns and fast travel - Set your home realm and base of operations.

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The price of certain weapon skins and other cosmetics has steadily creeped up in recent years, and some Call of Duty players recently raised their eyebrows at the Gassed Up Weapon Vault Bundle, which cost 3400 COD points ($34). Now, Activision has removed the bundle from Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, saying in a post on X that the bundle suffered from a "pricing error."

❗️ #MW3 #Warzone
The Gassed Up Weapon Vault Bundle has been temporarily removed from the Store due to a pricing error. The intended price is 2,400 COD Points.
Players who purchased this Bundle for 3,400 COD Points will soon be refunded the difference of 1,000 COD Points.

— Call of Duty Updates (@CODUpdates) February 19, 2024

The tweet goes on to state that that the bundle was supposed to cost 2400 COD points, and that those who purchased the bundle for the incorrect price will be refunded the difference. In the past, previous Vault bundles have generally cost 2400 COD points. In response, several X users claimed that the original price of 3400 was leaked before it dropped, but due to the nature of leaks, it's not clear if that's accurate.

A recent update for Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 introduced significant balance changes and a number of quality-of-life additions, such as an estimated match duration when picking game modes. For example, it decreased the ADS time of the Longbow sniper rifle and increased its hip fire spread reduction. It also increased the bullet velocity and decreased the recoil kick of the Striker 9. Additionally, in a recent creator call, Treyarch confirmed that there are no plans for Modern Warfare 3's Zombies mode to receive new enemy types or additional perks to zombies.

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There are numerous worlds to explore in Nightingale. However, only one can be truly called your home. You also need a particular structure to help with your base. Here's our guide on how to fast travel and use Estate Cairns in Nightingale.

How to fast travel and use Estate Cairns in Nightingale

The Nightingale fast travel system is primarily done by way of an object called the Estate Cairn. This structure can only be built in Abeyance Realms, and it requires 20x Rocks and 5x Stone Block.

The functions of the Estate Cairn

Upon placing an Estate Cairn and activating it, the Abeyance Realm that you're in will be saved as your home realm. Regardless of whichever world you go to, you can always fast-travel back to your home realm by opening the map and clicking on the "Travel to Respite Realm" button. Be forewarned that you might not be able to return to the same world that you're leaving due to procedural generation.

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You're going to have to farm a lot of materials that are needed for crafting in Nightingale. Some of these are available fairly early in the campaign. Here's our guide on how to get Gems, Ore, and Ingots in Nightingale.

How to get Gems, Ore, and Ingots in Nightingale

You can get Gems and Ore by using a Simple Mining Pick to break apart mineral deposits. Here's a quick summary:

• The Simple Mining Pick is crafted via a Simple Workbench. It requires 1x Stone Block, 1x Wood Bundle, and 2x Straps.
  • Stone Blocks and Wood Bundles are readily gathered by breaking down stone and chopping down trees with a Mining Pick and Wood Axe, respectively.
  • Straps, meanwhile, need to be crafted by placing Animal Hides in a Tanning Rack.
• Mineral deposits with Gems and Ores are often found near cliffsides, rocky crags, and coastlines. Gem deposits, naturally, have crystalline parts, whereas Ore deposits appear as darker lumps.
• Strike these objects repeatedly using your Simple Mining Pick, and pick up the items that drop.
• Note that it's also possible to find these materials as loot from chests or enemy drops.

Gallery Mineral deposits are often seen along cliffside areas (left) and rocky coasts (right). How to turn Gems into Glass and Ore into Ingots

You can refine Gems and Ore into Glass and Ingots, respectively, once you've built a Simple Smelter. If you don't have the blueprint yet, we advise buying one from an Essence Trader. Assuming you already have the Simple Smelter blueprint, you can build it if you have 4x Stone Block and 6x Rocks.

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You're going to need a certain currency if you want to purchase blueprints or repair your gear in Nightingale. Thankfully, there are ways for you to amass this resource. Here's our guide on how to get more Essence in Nightingale.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to get more Essence in Nightingale

How to get more Essence in Nightingale

You can get more Essence through the following means:

• Use the "Extract" option on unneeded resources.
• Collect from enemy drops.
• Obtain from treasure chests.
• Acquire as clusters in mini-dungeons.

Note that there are four Essence tiers denoting their rarity. You should be able to amass higher-tier Essences as you progress further in the campaign.

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Nightingale is an open-world survival game. We should emphasize the word "survival" since there's one particular mechanic that can cause hassles to no end, leading to unexpected character deaths. Here's our guide on how to cook food and manage hunger in Nightingale.

How to cook food and manage hunger in Nightingale

You can cook food by collecting ingredients and placing them in a Campfire. Here's a quick summary:

• You can easily gather ingredients like Berries and Mushrooms by pressing the "E" key when you're right beside the resource. You won't need tools at all.
• Likewise, if you kill wild animals, you can skin them for hide, leather, and meat, too.
• It's even possible to catch fish while you're near bodies of water.
• As for the Campfire, just open the build menu and place it in a proper location. You only need 6x Rocks to build one.
• Note that a Campfire, similar to other workbenches, gains bonuses based on environmental factors. As such, it's ideal to place one inside a tent (i.e. sheltered bonus) and on rock-solid ground or stone foundations (i.e. grit bonus).

Fruits and fungi should keep you alive. Just be sure to cook them first.The basics of cooking

Once you have a Campfire, you should be able to cook food in Nightingale by adding sticks, plant fiber, or wood as fuel. You should see a few recipes, though others can be unlocked by purchasing them from Essence Traders or obtained as random rewards from Hope Echoes/Bastille Challenges. Here are some examples of early-game cooking recipes:

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You're going to fight all sorts of creatures in Nightingale. Still, with all the fauna surrounding you, there's an opportunity to gather more materials for crafting and cooking. Here's our guide on how to get Animal Meat and Leather in Nightingale.

How to get Animal Meat and Leather in Nightingale

You can get Animal Meat and Leather by defeating a wild creature and using the Hunting Knife on them. Here's a quick summary:

• By default, you should have access to the Makeshift Hunting Knife, which can be crafted if you have 3x Rocks, 3x Sticks, and 6x Plant Fiber.
• After building a Simple Workbench, you can craft a Simple Hunting Knife, which should be used on higher-level enemies. You can craft it once you have 1x Stone Block, 1x Wood Bundle, and 2x Straps.
• When you defeat an animal with any type of weapon, make sure a Hunting Knife is equipped. Switch to it and stab the carcass a couple of times. This ensures that your character skins the animal and various materials drop. These include Animal Meat, Bones, and Hides. Creatures might also drop Essence currency.
• Note that drops are often categorized based on the type of creature. For instance, you get separate types of Animal Meat from prey and predators. There are also some unique or fabled, and these count as separate items, too.

Bring down creatures in the wilderness.How to use materials dropped by animals

The Animal Meat and Hides in Nightingale are used to create all sorts of items. These are primarily crafted via a Simple Tanning Station, which requires 6x Sticks and 10x Plant Fiber to build. Here are some examples of craftable items:

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You'll use all sorts of armaments and tools in Nightingale. However, there will come a time when you need to improve their damage and capabilities. Here's our guide on how upgrade and infuse weapons in Nightingale.

How to upgrade and infuse weapons in Nightingale

You can infuse and upgrade weapons via the Simple Enchanter's Focus and Simple Upgrade Bench, respectively. Take note that simple-tier options are just early-game workbenches. There are higher-end variants that can be unlocked later, and you need those to create even better refinements.

How to build and use the Simple Upgrade Bench

The Simple Upgrade Bench can be built if you have 4x Lumber, 2x Ingot, and 3x Twine. Note that you may need to buy the blueprint itself from an Essence Trader. In any case, here's where you can find the materials:

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The core gameplay loop in Nightingale requires you to combine different types of card modifiers so you can enter portals and reach new realms. A lot of dangers await, given various types of enemies and even environmental hazards. Still, before you set out on your journey, you might be wondering just what you need to activate portals in the first place. Here's our guide on how to craft and use Realm Cards in Nightingale.

Table of Contents [hide]

• How to craft and use Realm Cards in Nightingale
  • Types of Realm Cards
  How to craft and use Realm Cards in Nightingale

  The Nightingale Realm Cards come from various sources. Here are a couple of notable examples:

  • Essence Traders - At least one vendor can be found in each particular world. You can purchase Realm Card blueprints from them if you have enough Essence currency.
  • Mini-dungeons - There are landmarks such as Fae Towers and Sites of Power. Completing these can sometimes net you a particular card. Tackling some of these is required for further campaign progression.
  Types of Realm Cards

  Your adventures will eventually lead to all sorts of Realm Cards, which have different types or categories. Here are some examples:

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Nightingale allows you to explore strange new worlds by going through dimensional portals. Still, there's a particular feature that lets you make changes to your current location, offering benefits and maybe some dangers, too. Here's our guide on how to use the Realmic Transmuter in Nightingale.

How to use the Realmic Transmuter in Nightingale

The Realmic Transmuter is a type of machine that can be found in random locations in certain worlds. For instance, in the first Abeyance Forest Realm that we visited, it was located in the northeastern corner of the map. However, procedural generation might mean that its location would be different for other players.

There's also a chance that you might see one at the very top of a Fae Tower. These imposing structures have tough challenges for you to tackle. But if you reach the very top, you could reveal the entirety of the region, making it easier to explore the landscape and discover points of interest.

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