No public beta for Stadia could make Founder’s Bundle buyers the guinea pigs
There are a lot of questions about how Google Stadia is going to perform on the many different internet connections but Google won’t be making an effort to get that answered before launch. The company won’t be hosting a beta test for prospective consumers before the fall 2019 release.
Fortnite season 9, week 8 challenge guide: Where to visit 3 different clocks
The season 9, week 8 challenges are up in Fortnite: Battle Royale. As usual, there's a challenge that proves to be a bit more difficult than the rest, and it tasks players with visiting three different clocks on the map. This guide will show just where to visit different clocks and offer some tips.
You get to keep your Google Stadia games, even if the publishers pull support
There are still many questions about what happens to your purchased Google Stadia games if they are no longer supported. According to chief Phil Harrison, if a publisher or developer decides to remove a game from Stadia, your game and your save data will still be accessible.
Best Buy takes a massive $150 off of the HP Omen Mindframe cooling headset
Even old-school PC brands like HP have gotten into the head-fi game, and the HP Omen Mindframe cooling headset is now on sale for a quarter of its original price. Read on to find out more about this unique design and how much you can save.
Dota Underlords and Teamfight Tactics are a mess, and gamers love it
The up-and-coming autochess genre, lead by Dota Underlords and Teamfight Tactics, is a bit different from most strategy games you've played. Both titles are a bit of a mess, with chaotic battles and mediocre interfaces. Gamers love them despite their flaws, and that's part of a larger trend.
Stadia head thinks being able to play on any screen is worth paying full price
Google Stadia will allow users to purchase games or access a library of them via a subscription and it seems those purchased games will cost full price. Stadia Chief Phil Harrison believes that there’s value in being able to play your games on any screen and there’s no reason for games to be cheaper.
Upcoming Final Fantasy 14 TV series is first live-action take on the franchise
The Shadowbringers expansion is right around the corner but the celebration of Final Fantasy 14 is only just beginning. Sony Pictures and Hivemind, the studio behind the upcoming adaptation of the Witcher for Netflix, are teaming up for a live-action FF14 television series.
What is Dota Underlords? An introduction to Valve’s take on Auto Chess
Dota Underlords is available in early access on PC and mobile. But what exactly is it? It's Valve's take on the burgeoning genre of Auto Chess, which arrived on Steam earlier this year as a Dota 2 mod. Our Dota Underlords guide explains how the game works and offers a few tips and tricks.
What does a truly accessible game look like? We asked the pros
From Spider-Man to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a dialogue about accessibility in video games continues to come up. Given how much the gaming community has been talking about the pros and cons of added accessibility options in titles, Digital Trends took the question to the players who rely on these customizations.
Epic Games really needs to properly address Fortnite crunch
Epic Games is closed for two weeks, but Fortnite updates are still arriving as usual. If this is how Epic has chosen to respond to reports about brutal working conditions, the response is sorely lacking. As the studio behind the most popular game in the world, Epic needs to take a stand against crunch.
How to complete all the Fortnite 14 Days of Summer challenges
The 14 Days of Summer event is live in Fortnite: Battle Royale. Each day, a new challenge is added and players must complete all 14 to earn the exclusive Banana Smoothie cosmetic at the end. From beach balls and parties to fireworks and a carnival clown board, here's how to complete all 14 challenges.
Leaked Apex Legends trailers tease new character, season 2 map changes
Respawn Entertainment is gearing up to introduce the second season of content for its battle royale Apex Legends but a leak has sprung. Two new trailers for the competitive shooter introduce a cinematic and gameplay that show off major changes to the Kings Canyon map.
Amazon slashes prices on Acer laptops, desktops, monitors, and gaming gear
Leading up to Amazon Prime Day 2019 on July 15 and 16, the retail giant continues to slash prices dramatically but in a strategically selective manner as with the Acer product in this one-day sale. From now till Prime Day we'll see significant discounts each day such as these discounts on Acer hardware.
Tariffs may raise cost of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo’s next-gen consoles
The Trump administration has proposed tariffs that could impact video game consoles, controllers, arcade machines, and board games. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have joined together to pen a letter that makes a substantial case for the removal of game consoles in this proposal.
Epic Games founder says exclusive titles in digital storefronts benefit gamers
GOG Galaxy 2.0 is aiming to get all PC gaming launchers into one home and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney supports the idea. In response to a tweet about why he also embraces exclusive games for the Epic Games store, he explained the strategy in depth via a series of tweets.
Bungie delays an upcoming Destiny 2 patch to avoid overworking developers
In response to a question about a patch fix for one of Destiny 2's weapons, a Bungie developer shared that it was delayed due to an effort to preserve work-life balance for the team. He even admitted that the developers just completed an update that took longer hours and they wouldn’t want them doing that back-to-back.
Missing YouTube gaming creator and Twitch streamer Etika confirmed dead at 29
After reports of his disappearance on June 20, the NYPD has confirmed that Desmond Amofah, better known as Etika, has died at 29 years old. This news comes after the popular Nintendo-centric YouTube creator and Twitch streamer was hospitalized multiple times for previous threats of suicide.
Grab the best games in the Steam Summer Sale before the store goes down again
The 2019 edition of the Steam Summer Sale has officially kicked off. Running into July, the Steam Summer Sale offers huge discounts on some of the PC's biggest games, including recent titles. It's the perfect time to pick up a pile of games to add to your backlog as we approach the summer games drought.
The Dell G5587 Nvidia GTX 1060 gaming laptop just dropped to $799 at Walmart
Gone are the days when you had to spend a grand or more to get a great gaming laptop. PC makers like Dell are cranking out some excellent and affordable machines today like the Dell G5587, which is on sale right now for just $799.
Cyberpunk 2077 will feature romance options beyond heterosexual relationships
Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red’s upcoming first-person RPG, will feature a gender-fluid character creator, and the game’s lead quest designer reveals that the romance options will be more diverse than The Witcher 3's. The options are nearly endless for the NPCs the devs can put together.
Apple has a plan to save Mac gaming, but it’s not the one you want
2019 is going to be a busy year for Mac gamers, with developers dropping support while Apple launches Apple Arcade. What lies in store for those of us who love our Mac games?
Here’s how to get early access to FFXIV: Shadowbringers
If you want to experience FFXIV: Shadowbringers before most other players, you can get early access by pre-ordering it. Simply purchasing it before launch isn't enough to get you in, however. There are more steps and they differ depending on the platform you're on. We break that down in our guide.
Blizzard suffers another blow with exit of global esports director Kim Phan
Blizzard suffered another blow with the departure of global esports director Kim Phan, who was with the company for 13 years. Her exit follows the move of the Overwatch League's founding commissioner Nate Nanzer last month to Epic Games, highlighting the struggles of the company's esports initiatives.
Flyers in Apex Legends may be hinting at something monstrous for Season 2
Flying beasts, which were named Flyers by the Apex Legends community, have appeared in the King's Canyon map. While the creatures are peaceful for now, they may be hinting that something more monstrous is coming to the team-based Battle Royale shooter once Season 2 launches on July 2.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will come with features for faster progression
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will come with features that will enable faster progression, according to series producer Yoshinori Kitase. Players who do not want to go through the same grind as their first playthrough will be able to activate triple speed, battle enhancements, and no random encounters.
Gaming convention GuardianCon raises a whopping $3.7 million for charity
Destiny developer Bungie joined this year's GuardianCon Charity Marathon Stream, breaking the record by raising $400,000 in just four hours. The proceeds of the week-long event will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which treats the toughest childhood cancers and pediatric diseases.
Fortnite PC players may have to upgrade graphics cards once Season 10 kicks in
Epic Games said that Fortnite for PC will no longer support DirectX 10 starting Season 10, which is set to launch in August. Players will need to have DirectX 11-capable graphics cards to continue playing the Battle Royale shooter, though that would most likely not be a problem for most gamers.
Sony patent for PS5 could eliminate loading screens altogether
Game developers have found ways to mask loading screens in clever ways and a new Sony patent for the PS5 could take it another step. This patent continuation shares a method that changes how we experience the moment-to-moment traversal in next-generation video games.
343 Industries says first beta for Halo: Reach on PC will be next week
After an unfortunate delay, 343 Industries is following through on its promise to send out beta invites for Halo: Reach on PC. Next week, if all goes according to plan, a small subsection of PC gamers will be getting the first taste of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC.
Fortnite season 9, week 6 challenge guide: Search chests and get a kill at a hot spot
The Fortnite season 9, week 6 challenges are now available. The biggest and most rewarding obstacle players face this week is a multi-stage challenge that will task you to search ammo boxes and chests, and eliminate enemies at a hot spot on the Battle Royale map.
Xbox head confirms one version of Project Scarlett in development
Old statements from Microsoft execs have people wondering if multiple versions of the next Xbox console are in the works. Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed in an interview that, in fact, only one Project Scarlett is being developed for the next generation of home console gaming.
Fortnite season 9, week 7 challenge guide: Search a chest, use a vending machine, and a campfire
The Fortnite week 7 challenges have arrived in season 9 of Battle Royale. The challenges this week include one where you need to search a chest, use a vending machine, and a campfire in a single match. Here is how to do this challenge so you can receive its reward.
EA confirms it’s still considering its own game streaming platform
Google Stadia's launch titles featuring a lot of heavy-hitters across the industry but none from EA, yet. EA exec Mike Blank says that the company is still weighing the option of releasing its own cloud gaming platform and sees a space for complementary and competing services.
Digital Trends Live: Alexa monitors for heart attacks, robot fish, and more
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we discuss the biggest trending tech stories of the day, including Alexa’s new skill of monitoring for cardiac arrest, Nintendo Switch Mini speculation and a possible leak, a Nest Home security flaw, robot fish powered by battery blood (!), and more.
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to Inverse, Fanbyte, The Inventory, and more. He was previously a segment producer on Polygon’s daily gaming show Speedrun and he currently hosts the Left Trigger Right Trigger podcast. Four Tetris 99 wins, and counting.