Starting its life in 2024 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, ShiftUp’s Stellar Blade has slowly but surely made its way over to other platforms – landing on PC last year and officially set to arrive on Switch 2 before the end of 2026. While an exciting prospect, the team have now revealed that they’ve had to use AMD’s FSR frame-generation in order to hit 60fps on the handheld hybrid.

Taking part in an interview with the publication NintendoEverything, Stellar Blade studio ShiftUp spoke on the upcoming Switch 2 release, providing some details on the game’s technical makeup.

In terms of resolution, the team claimed that Stellar Blade will utilise DLSS in both handheld and docked mode – running the former at an upscaled 720p and the latter at an upscaled 1080. As of now, it is unknown what resolution the game will operate at internally prior to its upscaling.

By far the more controversial reveal however came in the fact that Stellar Blade will make use of frame-gen on Switch 2, with ShiftUp’s CTO and technical director DongKi Lee stating:

“So we targeted 60 frames per second in both handheld mode and docked mode […] What we did was we take AMD’s FSR 3.1 for PC and used the feature called frame interpolation to achieve the target for 60 frames per second. We use DLSS for upscaling, and then took the result we got and used frame interpolation from FSR 3.1 to be able to target 60 frames per second.”

While upscalers in general have their own benefits and downsides, frame generation in particular remains rather contentious, with the technology potentially causing increased input latency among other issues.

In an effort to try and minimise its impact, Lee made sure to note that “it was important to have even latency for players. We have 30 frames per second to have it even and then use interpolation – a frame interpolation – for targeting 60.”

Though certainly preferable when compared to the likes of Black Myth Wukong (which used frame-gen on an already inconsistent framerate experience), hopefully the team include a standard 30fps option for those who are averse to frame-generation.

KitGuru says: What do you think of frame-gen? Is the technology still too early? Does input latency bother you? Let us know down below.

The post Stellar Blade will use frame-generation to hit 60fps on Nintendo Switch 2 first appeared on KitGuru.

Following its launch on PlayStation 5 and PC, Korean developer Shift Up is hard at work on the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Stellar Blade. The release of the popular action game on the next-generation Nintendo system will be notable not only for its use of NVIDIA DLSS, which many third-party ports such as Oblivion Remastered use to deliver ports with great image quality despite rendering at low resolutions, but also for debuting AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation on the system. However, this may not lead to a great experience, due to the base framerate of the port. Using NVIDIA […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-fsr-3-1-frame-generation-switch-2-stellar-blade-fake-60-fps/

Phantom Blade Zero has been a long time coming, with the flashy action-adventure title being first announced back in 2023 – though developed stretches as far back as 2017. Following plenty of trailers and a recent State of Play deep-dive, pre-orders for Phantom Blade officially went live last week. Despite being well over a month out from release, the game is already exceeding expectations.

Taking to the social media platform BiliBili, studio S-GAME founder and Phantom Blade Zero director Soulframe Liang revealed that pre-orders for the upcoming title have already proven to be strong, writing (as translated):

“Hello everyone! The pre-orders for *Phantom Blade Zero* have been running for five days, and the pre-order results have far exceeded expectations. For this, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the friends who support *Phantom Blade Zero*! This is a vote of confidence cast upon us by our players, and we will certainly do our utmost to present everyone with an excellent game product.”

In case you missed it, the recent State of Play offered an interesting look at the game, breaking down the many different weapons and gameplay styles available, while also discussing its various difficulty modes (including the hardcore 66 days mode).

Phantom Blade Zero always looked like an impressive game, but the latest showcase has finally given the title a sense of tangibility. Hopefully the game proves to be just as big of a success critically as it appears to be commercially. Soulframe’s full statement – including discussions surrounding the involvement of Donnie Yen – can be found HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for Phantom Blade Zero? Have you pre-ordered? Let us know down below.

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Phantom Blade Zero has been a long time coming, with the ambitious and flashy action title taking viewers by surprise upon its initial unveiling back during Sony’s 2023 PlayStation Showcase. Having officially gone GOLD last week, the team at S-GAME have released a lengthy 11-minute gameplay trailer as pre-orders for Phantom Blade Zero have now gone live.

Publishing a lengthy 11-minute long pre-order trailer, the team at S-GAME confirmed that Phantom Blade Zero is now officially available to pre-purchase ahead of its 29th of October launch.

While we have seen an increasing number of titles embrace the $70 and even $80 price points, Phantom Blade will retail for the standard $60 (although as expected a $70 Deluxe Edition is also on offer).

As mentioned, we just got a ton of gameplay via the pre-order trailer. For those who remain unconvinced however, S-GAME and PlayStation announced that they will be going live with a dedicated State of Play presentation next week on the 17th of August.

Though yet to be officially confirmed, rumours have claimed that a demo for Phantom Blade Zero will be released at the end of the showcase – giving you the opportunity for hands-on experience.

Either way, Phantom Blade Zero looks set to be a major success, assuming its fast and flashy combat proves to be as fun to play as it looks. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Phantom Blade Zero? Is its combat too good to be true? Let us know down below.

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This might be the thinnest laptop we have ever seen, and according to the images, Lenovo made several adjustments to accommodate USB-C ports. Lenovo Reportedly Prepares ThinkBook "Aeroblade", Featuring an Ultra-Thin Design That Appears Theoretically Impossible Thin laptops are trending due to the lightweight and compact design that helps carry them around effortlessly. Vendors have been competing against each other in producing thin laptops, and we have dedicated lineups from various OEMs that bring unmatched thin-profile notebooks such as Dell XPS, Lenovo ThinkBook/ThinkPad, ASUS ZenBook, HP OmniBook, and similar series. However, the leaked Lenovo laptop might be the thinnest of […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/lenovo-reportedly-preps-thinkbook-aeroblade-so-thin-it-sacrificed-deep-key-travel-to-hit-the-profile/

Phantom Blade Zero has been a long time coming, with the ambitious and flashy action title taking viewers by surprise upon its initial unveiling back during Sony’s 2023 PlayStation Showcase. Following plenty of presentations and even a playable demo, Phantom Blade Zero is finally almost here – having now officially gone Gold far ahead of its October launch.

Taking to its socials to make the announcement, development studio S-GAME officially confirmed that Phantom Blade Zero has now gone Gold writing: “Players, thank you for waiting! Development on Phantom Blade Zero is now complete,” adding that “pre-orders and an all-new 11-minute trailer go live on: August 11 at 7 PM PT” – or the 12th August at 3AM in the UK.

While we’ve already seen quite a bit from the game, the team have teased that the upcoming trailer will include “new story content, characters, combat, and something unexpected.”

Either way, with more than two months to go until the game’s release, Phantom Blade Zero is in a pretty good spot right now. For context, most games don’t go Gold until far closer to launch, with the average being around a month of lead-up.

Hopefully this means that when Phantom Blade Zero does arrive on the 29th of October, the full game’s data will be right on the disc from the get-go.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the game? Do you think it will play as good as it looks? Let us know down below.

The post Phantom Blade Zero officially goes Gold ahead of October launch first appeared on KitGuru.

Following the success of Stellar Blade on the PlayStation 5 back in 2024, studio SHIFT UP announced that they would be bringing the action-RPG to more platforms – eventually porting it over to PC to equal levels of success. Finally, following its official announcement during this Summer’s Nintendo Direct, Stellar Blade appears gearing up to land on the Switch 2 soon, having now been rated by the ESRB.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) recently published a new listing for Stellar Blade coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. This of course was already known, with the official announcement coming back during Nintendo’s June Direct alongside a vague ‘2026’ release window.

While this latest rating doesn’t shed any new light on the matter, we will likely learn about its expected release date sooner rather than later.

In terms of what the rating does confirm, it appears as though all of the more ‘adult’ themes from the game are being kept in tact, with the summary noting that Stellar Blade on Switch 2 “depicts some female characters in revealing costumes (e.g., deep cleavage; skintight, flesh-toned body suits), with breasts that jiggle during combat.”

So far SHIFT UP has been 2-for-2 when it comes to releasing Stellar Blade on different platforms. It will be interesting to see how the title performs when it does arrive on Switch 2 (hopefully) soon.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to Stellar Blade on Switch 2? How do you think the game will run? Let us know down below.

The post Stellar Blade officially rated for the Nintendo Switch 2 first appeared on KitGuru.

Following tons of leaks and rumours, Microsoft finally came out and confirmed that they will be making some big changes at Xbox, including but not limited to the parting of ways with 5 different studios and more than 3000 job cuts. While specifics on the extent of these cuts were kept vague, we’ve now gotten a clearer picture of its impact.

In the wake of the official announcement that Microsoft is laying off over 3000 employees from across Xbox, we’ve started to learn more about where exactly these cuts have taken place.

As reported by the publication Game Developer, multiple sources confirmed that these recent Xbox cuts have impacted DOOM studio id Software rather heavily, claiming that “around 50 percent of employees at the Texas-based studio have been laid off” – said to be a little under 100 developers.

Another team impacted is Obsidian Entertainment, with sources telling Kotaku that around 60-70 of its employees have been let go, amounting to roughly 25% of the studio.

One studio whose future still remains influx is Arkane Lyon, with The Verge’s Tom Warren claiming that “Arkane Studios is currently working on Blade under Xbox management, but the project has been delayed and is running over budget” adding that “it's not clear what will happen to Blade or Arkane Studios just yet.”

Of course, this is but a small snippet of the thousands of developers who are unfortunately losing their jobs seemingly through no fault of their own. Expect more revelations on just how bad this latest suite of cuts have been as the days and weeks progress.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Xbox’s recent moves? Is there a strategy behind all of this? Let us know down below.

The post Xbox has reportedly cut 50% of id Software’s workforce first appeared on KitGuru.

2026 is a year of great change at Xbox, with the appointment of CEO Asha Sharma ushering in new strategies, a change in direction and a ‘reset’ of sorts. Unfortunately, part of this plan seems to include the closure of many different first party studios. While officially, we still do not know exactly what’s in store, insiders have claimed that Microsoft is hoping to still release all of its previously-announced games in one form or another.

The recent reports that Microsoft is looking to shut down / sell-off a bunch of its studios has led to a ton of chaos in the video games industry, with rumours ranging from claims that the console maker is hoping to sell off some of its studios, to statements suggesting that the likes of Double Fine; Arkane; Compulsion Games; Ninja Theory and more could be wholly shut down – despite some of them literally just announcing a new game.

While we will have to wait and see what becomes of these studios, insiders are now claiming that Microsoft could be giving the teams one last hurrah, with Jez Corden of Windows Central claiming: “The best-case scenario is some of these studios do find a buyer, but there are some of the studios that could either go there, could be independent, they could be bought out by the individuals who sold the company originally.”

Corden continued, “We're going to see it from next week. We're going to see a combination of studios going independent, studios being sold to the publishers, and then potentially some smaller studios potentially being closed. But then I would expect also head counts across the board. I think every studio is going to have layoffs, at least some layoffs.”

According to Corden, the one silver lining in all this is the fact that these potentially-shuttered studios could still receive an opportunity to get their games past the finish line, stating: “So from what I've heard, the plan is if they can't find a buyer, they'll try and see those studios through to complete in what has already been announced.”

Of course, Asha Sharma herself once said “the plan’s the plan until it’s not the plan” and so we will simply have to wait and see.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest report? Would it be better or worse if Microsoft were to let these teams finish their projects only to then be shut down regardless? Let us know down below.

The post ‘Cancelled’ Xbox games might see the light of day after all according to ‘insider’ first appeared on KitGuru.

In recent weeks, we have heard an increasing number of worrying reports concerning Xbox and its supposed plans to hold major rounds of firing – possibly resulting in the closure of multiple studios. While nothing official has come to pass, insiders have claimed that one of the projects potentially being affected is Arkane Studios’ much-anticipated Blade.

July looks set to be the time in which Microsoft will finally make its official decision on the fates of many of its studios, following the past few weeks of reports in which it was claimed that the likes of Double Fine Productions; Ninja Theory; Compulsion Games and others could be on the chipping block.

One studio whose name has also been thrown about is Arkane Lyon. Known for developing the Dishonored series; Deathloop and NOT Redfall, the France-based team have been working on Marvel’s Blade since early 2022.

Unfortunately, despite recent claims which seemed to suggest otherwise, it appears as though Arkane and Blade are potentially being shut down and cancelled respectively.

According to known industry insider Tom Warren via The Verge, “Microsoft is currently weighing closing at least five studios, including the developers behind Marvel's Blade,” adding that “Sources tell me Microsoft wants to cancel Blade as part of a wave of cost cuts and job losses that are planned for the company's Xbox gaming division.”

As per the report, Blade was internally delayed to late 2027, and was suffering from some budget-related issues – though it is not clear whether this is the reason for the potential decision.

Either way, it looks as though Microsoft are still willing to try and sell off these studios – Arkane included – and so hopefully all of these teams are able to stay together in one form or another.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you been looking forward to Blade? How disappointed would you be if Arkane were to close down? Let us know down below.

The post Arkane Studios and Blade might get cut after all first appeared on KitGuru.

The entire video game industry is in a tense state this week. After Bloomberg reported that Xbox planned massive layoffs following the close of its current fiscal year (which ends today, June 30), we've seen multiple reports suggest that this could be one of the worst mass layoffs the industry has seen in recent years. A high bar to hit, but one that Xbox seems poised to clear. Now, as we're surely only hours away from official confirmation of the cuts, a new report suggests that the layoffs could involve shuttering "at least five studios," including Arkane Lyon, which would […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-reportedly-considering-closing-five-studios-arkane-lyon-marvels-blade/

Arkane Studios’ Blade project has been surrounded by uncertainty in recent months. The game did not reappear at this year's Xbox Games Showcase and with Microsoft set to announce another round of layoffs across the Xbox division soon, the lack of official news on Blade has led to concern that the game could be cancelled, or Arkane could be closed down. However, there are still signs of life for the Blade project.

A newly published Entertainment Weekly interview offers at least a small update on Blade. Although the piece went live in mid‑June, the interview itself took place back in May, and during that conversation Bethesda’s Todd Howard said he had seen Blade “just yesterday” and that Arkane is “doing a really great job”. Howard did not elaborate further, but his comments indicate that the project was still in active development very recently.

Howard primarily oversees Bethesda Game Studios, but he does occasionally check in on projects across Bethesda’s other studios. He was notably involved with MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which launched to strong reviews in 2024, so his awareness of Blade isn’t unusual.

With that said, the broader situation remains unclear. Xbox and Arkane have not provided an official update since the game’s first teaser, which contained no gameplay or release window.

KitGuru Says: I hope development on Blade continues. Unfortunately, we still don't know the full breadth of Microsoft's cost-cutting plans for Xbox. So far, only Ninja Theory, Double Fine and Compulsion Games are confirmed to be involved but there are likely to be some cuts across Zenimax (Bethesda parent company) too.

The post Todd Howard confirms Arkane’s Blade game still in development first appeared on KitGuru.

In Entertainment Weekly's piece about the 25th anniversary of Xbox and the studio's push for Hollywood adaptations (including a Sea of Thieves movie), we also got a few more updates about some of the most interesting Xbox projects, including Kojima's OD, Bethesda's TES VI, and Arkane's Marvel's Blade. Let's start with The Elder Scrolls VI, which is definitely the biggest of these projects in terms of fanbase. Todd Howard, head of Bethesda Game Studios, acknowledged the pressure of having to "get it right", as well as the long wait since 2011's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. TES VI is our […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/kojima-od-horrors-limits-todd-howard-tes-vi-blade/

We were all a bit confused when we learned that Ninja Theory was on the chopping block at Xbox. The studio had only just revealed its next game at an Xbox Games Showcase earlier in the month. Now, it would seem that the trailer was only shown to try and attract a potential buyer for the company. 

According to Stephen Totilo of Game File, Microsoft already had its plan in place to shut down Ninja Theory when the new game was announced. The source claims that “the thinking was that the promise of a newly announced game would draw investor interest”.

Right now, it is unclear if Ninja Theory itself was aware of this plan, or if it was a move on the Xbox corporate side. It is also unclear if the strategy worked, but we can at least assume that Ninja Theory will keep the Hellblade IP if it does split off from Xbox.

The new Hellblade game, simply titled Senua, was set to be a new action-focused game in the series. While Hellblade 2 was well liked, it was highly linear and had fewer gameplay sequences than the original. Based on the teaser trailer alone, it looked like Senua would be a bit more like the original game rather than the sequel.

KitGuru Says: There has still been no official announcement on Ninja Theory yet, but it shouldn't take much longer for that to happen. The news about Compulsion and Double Fine has also leaked well in advance at this point. 

The post Ninja Theory’s new Hellblade game announced to ‘attract investors’ first appeared on KitGuru.

After hosting what many fans agreed was a solid Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month, Microsoft / Xbox have since found themselves surrounded by seemingly nothing but bad news. Alongside concerns of rising component costs, mixed messaging regarding console exclusives and more, insiders are now claiming that multiple Xbox studios could be on their way to being shut down soon including Arkane and Compulsion Games.

Following their recent summer games showcase, Microsoft have been talking quite a bit on the future of Xbox, referring to the next 100 days being a “reset” for the console maker while speaking candidly on some of the issues which the platform is facing.

In amongst all of this, multiple insiders have indicated that these changes could include a number of studio closures, with Mike Straw of Insider-Gaming claiming that both Arkane and Compulsion Games are “scared” and showing “real concern” that their studios could be shut down as part of these plans.

With regards to the latter, Kotaku’s Rebekah Valentine reported that Compulsion Games are indeed on the chopping block – although leadership at the studio is currently “in ‘negotiations’ with Microsoft over the studio’s fate”. Compulsion Games is of course known for their work on We Happy Few as well as the more recent South of Midnight.

While Arkane Austin was shut down back in 2024, their main studio – Lyon – has continued to operate and are supposedly currently working on the much-anticipated ‘Marvel’s Blade’. For context, Arkane Lyon is/was the more tenured of the two halves, being responsible for the likes of Dishonored 2; Deathloop and, as mentioned, the upcoming Blade.

Whether these studio closures will come to be or not, we will have to wait and see. That said, there is no denying that Microsoft / Xbox is planning a ton of changes over the coming months.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Xbox under Asha Sharma’s leadership? Have you been looking forward to Marvel’s Blade? Let us know down below.

The post Insider claims Arkane Lyon and Compulsion Games to be shut down by Xbox first appeared on KitGuru.

Update 15/06/2026: Kotaku's report (linked below) has been updated to claim that leadership at Compulsion is "in negotiations" with Microsoft over the studio's fate, though any details and decisions have not been shared. Original Story: Shortly after a report from Bloomberg claimed Xbox was planning more mass layoffs for the end of June 2026, a report from The Verge added that those layoffs could also include studio closures. Now, a new claim from Mike Straw, a reporter at Insider-Gaming, adds that at least two of the studios concerned for their safety are Compulsion Games in Montreal, makers of last year's […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/compulsion-games-arkane-lyon-xbox-studios-scared-of-being-shut-down/

Nintendo’s most recent General Direct saw the Switch 2 console maker announce a number of upcoming first-party titles including the likes of Switch Sports Resort and the rumoured Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake. Alongside this, the showcase also featured a plethora of 3rd party games which are coming over; including Stellar Blade; Devil May Cry 5; Lies of P and a bunch more.

From recent releases to generations-old titles, the latest Nintendo Direct saw a variety of publishers announce Switch ports of their games.

While there were of course a number of new surprises, a solid portion of the showcase was dedicated to said ports – the list of which includes:

• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (Available Now)
• Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition (23rd of June)
• Lies of P: Complete Edition (6th of August)
• Kingdom Hearts I-III (8th of October)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (12th of November)
• Stellar Blade (2026)

Compared to the Switch 1, it does seem as though we are getting ports of more recent games at a faster rate. Whether these titles will perform well on the Switch 2 however, we will have to wait and see.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the Nintendo Direct? Were you satiated or disappointed? What 3rd party title would you like to see ported? Let us know down below.

The post Tons of older 3rd party titles have been announced for Nintendo Switch 2 first appeared on KitGuru.

One of the biggest announcements during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase was the official unveiling of Senua – the 3rd entry in Ninja Theory’s Hellblade series. While a welcome surprise, many fans were then wondering what has become of the studio’s previously-teased Project Mara. Unfortunately, according to the team, they “took the decision to not work on that any further.”

Taking part in a lengthy interview via the Xbox Wire blog, Ninja Theory’s studio head Dom Matthews was asked about the upcoming Senua, their reasons for not going with the title Hellblade 3 and the renewed focus on combat and gameplay.

In amongst these discussions, Matthews took time to speak on Project Mara. For the uninitiated, this was pitched back in 2020 as a horror experience focused around “real-world and grounded representation of mental terror”. At the time, Ninja theory shared two teasers: one being a more traditional sneak peek and the other being a developer diary.

Unfortunately, Project Mara has since been scrapped, with Matthews confirming “with the fact that we have the entire team working on [Senua], I suspect some people might ask what’s happened to Project Mara […] I took the decision to not work on that any further.”

Matthews continued, “These decisions are never easy, but I did so to take the opportunity to have all of the talent and expertise in the studio, all 85 creatives, working together to realize the potential of what Senua can be.”

While a disappointing conclusion, hopefully this does mean that Senua will represent Ninja Theory’s best work in a decade (at the very least on the gameplay front).

KitGuru says: What did you think of Project Mara back when it was first announced? Are you disappointed in its cancellation? Do you have high hopes for Senua? Let us know down below.

The post Ninja Theory’s ‘Project Mara’ has been officially cancelled first appeared on KitGuru.

All the way back in 2019, Microsoft kicked off the announcements for this current generation with a teaser for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. Finally launching many years later in 2024, the sequel was met with a somewhat mixed reception owing to its relative lack of gameplay. The team at Ninja Theory seem to have taken this feedback to heart, officially unveiling ‘Senua’ alongside what appears to be tons more gameplay opportunities.

Making the surprise announcement during Microsoft’s recent Xbox Games Showcase, Ninja Theory officially showed off Senua.

The 3rd entry in the studio’s Hellblade series, this upcoming 2027 title is described as “a new action-adventure set in the Hellblade universe” in which “Senua, a Celtic warrior, is trapped between life and death in a fractured vision of purgatory. She must fight to reach the afterlife and reunite with those she loved and lost, battling forces that threaten everything she believes in.”

While it is too early to tell, the trailer shared does seem to show off plenty more gameplay opportunities when compared to the previous entries, including moments of stealth, more free-flowing combat and what appears to be dynamic enemy placements.

This matches previous rumours from earlier this year, in which it was claimed that a new Hellblade game was in development with a focus on being “a bit more interactive than Hellblade 1 and 2.”

Of course, we will have to wait for a bit more of a concrete look at gameplay before coming to any conclusions, but it seems as though Ninja Theory have taken feedback from Senua’s Saga and will be doubling down on gameplay for this upcoming entry.

Senua officially comes to Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and Steam sometime in 2027.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of the Xbox Games Showcase? Were you expecting a new Hellblade game to be announced? Did Hellblade 2’s visuals-first approach bother you? Let us know down below.

The post New Hellblade game officially announced; simply titled ‘Senua’ first appeared on KitGuru.