Games

A new service from Microsoft called Project Xcloud is on the way, and it will stream Xbox games, not just to consoles and PCs, but to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Microsoft shared new information about its plans in a blog post and a talking-heads YouTube video. The company made a vague announcement about the new service at its E3 press conference earlier this year, but this is the first time the industry giant has provided details about how it works and when it might become available.

Just hours after launching, the brand new Nintendo Switch Online service has already been hacked. One of the key features of Nintendo Switch Online is the ever-expanding library of classic NES games which you can play online with your friends. Unfortunately, the launch lineup is rather paltry, with a couple of highlights and a bunch of filler. And so it probably won’t surprise you to learn that by Tuesday night, the NES library had been hacked.

A Doom 2 fan has discovered the game's final secret nearly 24 years after its release, winning praise from the series' co-creator.

A player going by the name Zero Master posted a video on YouTube -- first reported by Rock, Paper, Shotgun -- revealing how to unlock the secret in the first-person shooter's 15th level. This was previously thought to be impossible due to a bug.

Triggering the secret requires a player to draw an enemy to an area -- in this case, a Pain Elemental. The enemy would then push the player onto the secret and trigger it.

Nintendo may be considering an entry into the VR market if a recent report from Ars Technica is any indication. According to the outlet, hackers have managed to dig up a
"VR Mode" hidden within the Switch's software.

Interestingly, this mode is nothing new - it's been tucked away for well over a year. Whether this is because Nintendo has actively been developing the feature in that time frame, or because the company has decided to abandon it is not known at this time.

Tera, a Korean MMO that debuted in the US in 2012, has shut down its in-game chat system after some players discovered a potentially serious vulnerability. According to the players' report (Google docs), Tera's chat interface uses HTML, which people can exploit to blast players with external images and links, as well as to collect people's IP addresses. More importantly, someone truly unethical could use it to spread malware.

What's the point of being an all-seeing, all-powerful hacker if you don't aim your powers at the biggest targets possible?

This question went unanswered in 2014's Watch Dogs, an open-world adventure game that gave its gun-wielding, car-stealing, parkour-hopping hero a super-charged smartphone but failed to make us care about using those hacking powers. Ubisoft's first shot at the Watch Dogs franchise offered players a chance to fight crime (and have a decent time doing so), but its confusing plot and ho-hum use of tech buzz words didn't keep players rooted in the experience.

A new video game console is usually a chance to envision an entirely new future for popular gaming. After years of developers and players exploring the old console inside and out, a new console cleanly breaks with the past. Typically, it introduces new features, new exclusive franchises, and a clear, new high-water mark in what's possible as far as graphics and processing power (in a non-PC living room console, at least).

These days, one tool has essentially unlocked the world of game development for the masses.