Author: David Smith

David Smith is the former games and technology editor at The AU Review. He has previously written for PC World Australia. You can find him on Twitter at @RhunWords.

YouTube adds HDR support ahead of PS4 Pro launch

According to an announcement on the official company blog, YouTube now supports high-dynamic range (or HDR) colour in videos uploaded to the site. The change comes only days in advance of the launch of the PlayStation 4 Pro console.

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PAX AUS 2016: Day Two Wrap Up

Day Two of PAX Australia 2016 brought out the crowds, packing the queue room to get into the expo hall to capacity. The halls were filled with happy faces and the atmosphere was one of positivity and excitement. Here’s what we got up to.

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PAX AUS 2016: Day One Wrap Up

The fourth annual PAX Australia convention got underway in Melbourne and we were there when the doors opened, ready to take it all in.

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BlizzCon 2016: Blizzard finally reveals new Overwatch hero Sombra

After a months long ARG that has driven players and game sleuths mad with its endless puzzles, Blizzard have finally confirmed what we knew all along: that sneaky hacker Sombra will join the game in its next major update.

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BlizzCon 2016: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is Hearthstone‘s new expansion

Blizzard have announced the next expansion for their online card game Hearthstone during the BlizzCon 2016 opening ceremony. Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will be Hearthstone‘s fourth expansion, and the third add-on released just this year following One Night in Karazhan and Whispers of the Old Gods.

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BlizzCon 2016: Overwatch getting Arcade mode, brand new maps

Overwatch is set to launch a new Arcade mode in the coming weeks. Arcade will be released onto the Public Test Realm next week along with a map based around frost damage defense hero Mei called Eco Point, and long-awaited new hero Sombra.

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EA indicates Star Wars Battlefront 2 will debut in late 2017

Electronic Arts have indicated their intention to release a sequel to 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront in time for the holidays next year. The news comes as EA hosted its annual investor conference call earlier this week.

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SEGA announces new Daytona, will return venerable racer to arcades

For a generation of kids in the 90’s, the act of going to the movies demanded that certain rituals be observed: You would call ahead and listen to the voicemail read out the session times. Choc top ice creams needed to be purchased and consumed before the trailers began (this remains true today). Finally, a…

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First time at PAX Aus 2016? Here’s what you should be checking out

For those who’ve never attended a PAX before, figuring out what do and see during the three-day gaming convention can seem like a monumental task. Worry not, friend, for at PAX Aus there are very few wrong answers.  Here’s a few ways we’d recommend spending your PAX as a first-timer.

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Video Games Review: Titanfall 2 (PS4, 2016)

I really loved Titanfall when it released back in 2014. It had so many great ideas and such a fun multiplayer component that I was truly saddened to see the player base erode as quickly as it did. It seems developer Respawn were paying attention because they’ve worked hard to address many of the original game’s…

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Video Games Review: Battlefield 1 (PC, 2016)

I hate Battlefield 1. I hate it in spite of its being lovingly made, gorgeous to look at and deeply respectful in the way it handles its subject matter. I hate it despite its decision to steep itself in a period of conflict so barbaric that video games have shied away from it almost altogether until…

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Video Games Review: Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 (PC, 2016)

Civilization 6 is the latest in Sid Meier’s 25-year-old franchise of global growth and domination and, while it doesn’t rest on its laurels, neither does it strive to do anything especially different to its predecessors. In any other game, this would be considered the height of laziness. In Civilization‘s case, its surprising to find that minimal…

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Video Games Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PS4, 2016)

Masterpiece isn’t a word you should throw around willy nilly, particularly when you’re looking to describe a video game, but Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim certainly fits the bill. It won over critics and fans alike with its craggy, unforgiving landscape, its vast array of skills and abilities, and its willingness to embrace the mod community….

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Tech Review: Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Gaming Headset (Turtle Beach, 2016)

The Elite Pro Tournament Gaming Headset are Turtle Beach’s top-of-the-line gaming cans. Built with high level eSports play in mind, they are designed to be the sort of thing a professional e-athlete would prefer.

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GX Australia 2017’s Kickstarter enters its final 48 hours

With only AU$17,000 remaining, the Kickstarter for GX Australia 2017 has entered its final 48 hours and it needs your support now more than ever.

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Video Games Review: Dragon Quest Builders (PS4, 2016)

Dragon Quest is one of the most venerable franchises in the history of video game role players. In its homeland of Japan, the series has spent its lifetime frequently and handily beating the sales all other comers, even genre titans like Final Fantasy, but in recent years has seen a bit of a drop off as…

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Video Games Review: FIFA 17 (PS4, 2016)

GOOOAAAAL. With the usual patronising phrasework out of the way, let’s talk about football.

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The PAX AUS 2016 Schedule is now live. Plan your weekend accordingly.

PAX Australia 2016 has released its final schedule this morning, allowing punters to start planning their whereabouts for the massive three-day convention. Tourneys, panels, tutorials and concerts — so much to see, and only three days to see it in.

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Rockstar confirms Red Dead Redemption 2, our bodies are ready

Rockstar have completed their three-day run of teases with the reveal of Red Dead Redemption 2. Not only was the game’s title announced via the developer’s Twitter account last night, they also provided a release window.

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Video Games Review: F1 2016 (PS4, 2016)

Alright, look. I’m going to level with you right away: I don’t know anything about Formula 1 racing. Why then, you might ask, am I the one reviewing the year’s premiere F1 title? The short answer is because I like throwing myself into games I don’t have a frame of reference for and seeing if they surprise…

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Rockstar releases second new teaser image for possible Red Dead Redemption sequel

Following on from their surprise logo reveal yesterday, Rockstar Games have released a second teaser image via their social media accounts overnight, all but confirming a sequel to their 2010 surprise hit Red Dead Redemption.

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Rockstar updates their logo ahead of possible announcement, internet goes crazy

Could Rockstar be about to announce a sequel to Red Dead Redemption? The Grand Theft Auto developer took their their Twitter account this morning to post the image in the header above, seemingly a teaser for things to come.

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Video Games Review: Gears of War 4 (Xbox One, 2016)

I wasn’t really expecting to like Gears of War 4 as much as I did. The Gears series is frequently everything that bores me in modern action games — template-like, gravel-voiced roid bros charging headfirst into military fist-bumps excessive chainsaw-related gore. The series also found its formula from the jump and didn’t deviate far from it over…

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Video Games Interview: Playground Games’ Mike Brown talks Forza Horizon 3

One of many developers in Australia for Xbox FanFest and EB Expo over the weekend, Mike Brown is the senior game designer at Playground Games, developer of the recently released Forza Horizon 3. We were able to chat to Mike about the game’s Gold Coast setting, its new features and what’s in store for fans post-launch.

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Video Games Interview: Joe Nickolls talks Dead Rising 4

With Xbox FanFest and EB Expo both kicking off over the weekend, we had a chance to chat with Joe Nickolls, studio director of Capcom Vancouver, currently developing Dead Rising 4. We pelted him with questions about the upcoming invent-your-own-mayhem zombie adventure title.

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10 Things You Need To Check Out At EB Expo This Weekend

The EB Expo kicks off tomorrow and if you’re still wondering what you’re going to do with yourself at such a huge show, relax, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our top 10 things to see at the convention!

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Video Games Review: NBA 2K17 (PS4, 2016)

Basketball is one of the few American sports I follow zealously. A long-time Celtics fan (you heard me, wannafightaboudit), I find myself with a love-dread relationship with basketball video games. NBA 2K17 comes loaded for bear with an involved My Career mode that gets right to heart of my idiosyncratic relationship to these games. 

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End of an era: Blizzard to retire the Battle.net name

Blizzard Entertainment have indicated that they will be “transitioning away from” Battle.net, the name the company has used to denote its multiplayer services since Diablo‘s release in 1996, citing confusion over the name from outside parties.

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Video Games Review: Forza Horizon 3 (Xbox One, 2016)

GOD, I love the Forza Horizon series. It’s everything I want in a racing game — a balance of work hard/play hard — race now, then go where you like, in whatever car you want and just enjoy the act of doing that. It’s a total breath of fresh air, especially after the endless procession of staid, serious…

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Video Games Review: Just Sing (PS4, 2016)

Just Sing is the latest entry in the storied genre of video games that involves singing at your television and have it grade your abilities with cold, unfeeling science. Singstar dominated the genre (and sales charts) back in the PS2 era, but no karaoke game since has managed to crack the code the way Singstar did. Just Sing gives it…

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