Nintendo announced last week that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold over 13.41 million copies in its first six weeks. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is about as far as you can get from a communications super-app geared toward in-app sales or collaboration. From a report: In fact, as a franchise originally made for children, it barely has a proper chat function. But as we watch real-world society grind to a painful halt, many players are now also using this game as an unexpected economic and creative lifeline. Here's the story of how this Nintendo Switch game has become an experimental playground for real-world businesses and creative experiences, letting players find new ways to mirror conventional culture with in-game resources.

Jeff Grubb, writing for VentureBeat: One of the tidbits revealed during the first Xbox 20/20 event today is that Dirt 5 supports 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X. Publisher Codemasters' racing game is coming in October, but it supports Smart Delivery. So if you get it for Xbox One, you'll get the Xbox Series X version at no additional cost. And what does the Xbox Series X-optimized version of Dirt 5 get you? In an interview with the Xbox team, Codemasters confirmed that Dirt 5 supports the next-gen console's high-framerate feature. This means you can drive around the rally racer at 4K and 120 frames per second. High framerate is one of a number of key features for the next-gen consoles. And that makes sense. Racing games already have nearly photorealistic visuals. More graphical effects are not going to make much of a difference to the presentation of a Dirt 5. So this enables Codemasters to put that extra horsepower toward running the game faster.

OK, so the Xbox Series X can run Dirt 5 at up to 120fps, but that's not going to matter if you don't have the right display. High-refreshrate content is common on the PC, but consoles have primarily topped out at 60fps. Because of this it hasn't matter that most TVs top out at 60Hz. But it is a problem for the next-gen consoles. To actually see Dirt 5 running at 120fps, you'll need a TV that runs at 120Hz or faster. That means the TV updates its frames 120 times every second. The good news here is that a lot of TVs already have this feature. The bad news is that even if you have an HFR panel, support is a lot more complicated than that. The issue comes down to the audio/video interface running between your TV and the Xbox Series X.

Twitch, the online video site popular among gamers, is looking for its version of "The Bachelor." From a report: The company plans to fund a slate of original, unscripted series that would be live and interactive, airing two to three times a week, according to an internal document seen by Bloomberg. Its preferred genres are game shows, dating shows, sports, music and talk -- many of the cornerstones of reality TV. The global health crisis has provided Twitch, owned by Amazon.com Inc., a rare opportunity to broaden its audience and experiment with new kinds of programming. While many TV networks have struggled to produce shows during the pandemic, Twitch's most popular personalities have always filmed themselves from home.

Slashdot reader thereitis shares a report from Ars Technica that "delves into the reversing community's efforts to produce usable C source code from N64 game binaries." Here's an excerpt: Early this week, with little warning, the Internet was graced with a Windows executable containing a fully playable PC port of Super Mario 64. Far from being just a usual emulated ROM, this self-contained program enables features like automatic scaling to any screen resolution, and players are already experimenting with adding simple graphics-card-level reshaders, including ray-tracing, as well. The PC port -- which was released with little buildup and almost no promotion -- wasn't built from scratch in a modern game engine, in the manner of some other now-defunct Super Mario 64 porting projects. And its release has nothing to do with a recent leak of internal Nintendo files dating back to the Gamecube days. Instead, the port seems to be a direct result of a years-long effort to decompile the Super Mario 64 ROM into parsable C code. This kind of reverse-engineering from raw binary to easy-to-read code isn't a simple process, but it's an effort that a growing community of hobbyist decompilers is undertaking to unlock the secrets behind some of their favorite games.

MicroProse, an American video game publisher and developer founded by Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982, is being resurrected after an absence of almost 20 years. The publisher's last game was Grand Prix 4 released in 2002, but is most famous for the XCOM and Civilization franchises. MojoKid shares a report from HotHardware: The company is now being led by CEO David Lagettiu, while Bill Stealey, who originally founded MicroProse with Sid Meier, will be onboard as a consultant this time around. For those that would like to see some of their MicroProse classics "refreshed" for modern systems, you're in luck. It will be remastering a number of games, although those specific titles haven't been revealed at this time. What the reinvigorated company has announced, however, is that it has three new games on deck. The first is Task Force Admiral, which will have you in command of a U.S. Navy WWII (Pacifica Theater) carrier task force. This will be a full 3D simulation game with 90 ship classes and 40 different types of aircraft with realistic ballistics and full damage modeling. The game is being developed by Drydock Dreams.

Next up is Second front, which is another WWII-themed game developed by Hexdraw. "Second Front is an accessible WWII turn-based tactical game with more than 40 infantry units and 200 tanks, vehicles and guns," writes MicroProse. It has all the depth of a paper wargame and the ease of a computer simulation. Campaign, scenarios and a complete editor make it an infinite tactical sandbox experience." Finally, there's Sea Power, which was developed by Triassic Games. Sea Power shifts to "modern naval conflict campaigns." All three of the games will be launching soon via Steam, which you can check out using the follow links: Task Force Admiral, Second Front, Sea Power.

Microsoft, gearing up for its biggest-ever year of launches for Xbox products and services in the middle of a global pandemic and economic recession, will replace its plan for a splashy public game-conference event with a monthly series of online showcases. From a report: The virtual events start on May 7, with a look at third-party games planned for its new console, called Xbox Series X. In June, the company will highlight the Xbox platform and services, and July's session is intended to cover games produced by Microsoft's own 15 game studios, including the next iteration of its biggest franchise, "Halo." The Redmond, Washington-based company had originally planned to unveil many of the details about the new products next month at the E3 conference, which has been canceled. Gaming audiences "love the authenticity of us showing up in our sweatpants here in our home office and talking about what we are doing," Xbox chief Phil Spencer said in an interview. This also seemed like a good time to eschew the typically flashy, celebrity-studded events the video-game industry is known for, he said. "We can all look at the unemployment numbers right now. We can also understand we're in video games, while we have front-line medical workers out there that are keeping people alive."

The developers of the open-source QEMU (Quick EMUlator) emulator, which can run programs on various architectures such as ARM and RISC-V, have released version 5.0. Slashdot reader syn3rg writes: Hot on the heels of the 4.0 release (from a major release perspective), the QEMU team has released version 5.0. This version has many changes, including:

• Live migration support for external processes running on QEMU D-Bus
• Support for using memory backends for main/"built-in" guest RAM
• block: support for compressed backup images via block jobs
• ARM: support for the following architecture features: ARMv8.1 VHE/VMID16/PAN/PMU ARMv8.2 UAO/DCPoP/ATS1E1/TTCNP ARMv8.3 RCPC/CCIDX ARMv8.4 PMU/RCPC
• ARM: support for Cortex-M7 CPU
• ARM: new board support for tacoma-bmc, Netduino Plus 2, and Orangepi PC
• MIPS: support for GINVT (global TLB invalidation) instruction
• PowerPC: 'powernv' machine can now emulate KVM hardware acceleration to run KVM guests while in TCG mode
• PowerPC: support for file-backed NVDIMMs for persistent memory emulation
• RISC-V: experimental support for v0.5 of draft hypervisor extension
• s390: support for Adapter Interrupt Suppression while running in KVM mode

"Not a current user, but I'm happy to see the project advancing," adds syn3rg.

For the full list of changes, you can visit the changelog. QEMU 5.0 can downloaded here.

Microsoft now has 10 million subscribers to its Xbox Game Pass service, the company said during an investor call yesterday. It's the first time Microsoft has publicly disclosed Xbox Game Pass numbers, and it's a sign that the company's ambitious bet on subscription gaming is starting to pay off. From a report: Microsoft has been trying to build a "Netflix for video games" for years, and it looks like it's taking an early lead before a significant expansion to game streaming later this year. 10 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers is a significant milestone. EA's competing subscription services, EA Access and Origin Access, hit more than 5 million subscribers last year, and Sony's PlayStation Now subscriber base reached 1 million in October, five years after its debut. Apple and Google haven't disclosed numbers for Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, and Nvidia's GeForce Now service reached 1 million users shortly after its launch. Microsoft is also sharing some additional Xbox Game Pass statistics today. "Since March, Xbox Game Pass members have added over 23 million friends on Xbox Live, which is a 70 percent growth in friendship rate," explains Xbox chief Phil Spencer. "Game Pass members are also playing twice as much and engaging in more multiplayer gaming, which has increased by 130 percent."

Nintendo is telling partner developers it's not going to hold one of its Nintendo Direct video events in June. From a report: The publisher has had a June Direct to correspond with E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) every year since 2013. And before that, it held annual stage presentations. But complications brought about from Japan's work-from-home order as part of its attempts to mitigate COVID-19 are forcing Nintendo to push back its schedule. Nintendo was putting together a June event. The company was lining up partners and was planning to unveil its first-party schedule for the rest of 2020. That included highlighting the Mario franchise's 35th anniversary, which it's going to celebrate with the release of some classic 3D Mario games on Switch, according to various reports. But now, the company is far less certain. If it holds another Direct, it may not come until the very end of summer.

Mike Bouma is Slashdot reader #85,252. (And judging by his Slashdot profile, he was also a participant in the short-lived Amiga webring.) He writes: KK of the demo scene group Altair is making a Doom clone for the Amiga 500. The system requirements are a mere 7 Mhz Amiga 500 with 1 MB of RAM!

Have a look:

Dread Ep 01 — making "Doom" clone for Amiga 500

Dread Ep 02 — "Doom" clone for Amiga 500 — Laying out the map...

You can find KK/Altair at the English Amiga Board.

Nintendo has confirmed that about 160,000 Nintendo Network ID accounts have been compromised since the beginning of April. Digital Trends reports: The Japan-based video game company says login ID and password information of these profiles were obtained "illegally by some means other than our service" and in response, it's freezing the ability to log into a Nintendo account through Nintendo Network ID (NNID). Nintendo began looking into a potential breach after several players reported suspicious logins and fraudulent transactions for digital items like Fortnite VBucks through linked PayPal accounts earlier this month. Nintendo's investigation revealed intruders may have accessed personal data such as nicknames, dates of birth, country of residence, and email addresses.

Plus, for users who used the same password for an NNID and Nintendo account, it's warning that their "balance and registered credit card/PayPal may be illegally used at My Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop." In addition to halting Nintendo Network ID (NNID) logins, Nintendo is reaching out to affected customers via email and resetting their passwords. It's also recommending enabling two-factor authentication to everyone. Despite this, Nintendo is asking users who have discovered fraudulent transactions in their accounts to contact the company so it can cancel the purchases and possibly for initiating refunds.

Valve told ZDNet today that it's safe to play games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2 even after their source code leaked online this week on 4chan and torrent sites. From a report: The leak has caused panic in the two games' online communities. For most of the day, gamers have been warning each other that hackers may develop exploits based on the leaked source code that may be used to hack computers connecting to CS:GO and TF2 servers. Warnings have been circulating all day on Twitter and on the official /r/counterstrike and /r/tf2 subreddits.

"The source code for Team Fortress 2 has apparently been leaked, leading to hackers reportedly able to deliver malware through Remote Code Execution to other players," reports TechRadar. However, Valve assures users that playing on official servers is perfectly safe. From the report: This leak was initially reported by @SteamDB on Twitter, with the source code in question dating back to 2017 and 2018, affecting Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2. According to a report on the issue from PCGamesN, several Team Fortress 2 server communities have advised players to avoid the game until further notice.

Valve has reached out with a comment, saying "We have reviewed the leaked code and believe it to be a reposting of a limited CS:GO engine code depot released to partners in late 2017, and originally leaked in 2018. From this review, we have not found any reason for players to be alarmed or avoid the current builds (as always, playing on the official servers is recommended for greatest security)." Valve goes on to clarify that it's investigating the problem and anyone who has any information can report it on Valve's security page, which will explain how to fix the issue.

The sandbox video game Minecraft has teamed with the United Nations for a PSA campaign that aims to spread helpful information and health tips amid the coronavirus pandemic. From the Hollywood Reporter: In an official blog post on Tuesday, a spokesperson from the game's Swedish developer wrote, "At Mojang, we find that distributing factual information is incredibly important, as that information will help people make informed decisions, which in turn may save lives. One thing we're doing to help is teaming up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and their partner, Heart17. Together, we'll spread the word under the banner of #TomorrowTogether."

The blog post noted that over the next week or so, Minecraft's social media channels will be devoted to sharing crucial health advice derived from the World Health Organization's safety recommendations. There will be three videos in the campaign that replay guidelines about practices such as handwashing and social distancing. "So if you suddenly come across a Creeper asking you to wash your hands, don't worry: their agenda has not permanently changed," the blog post continued. "In the game, they still want nothing more than to get cozy with you and proceed to blow up. But in our social channels, and for the time being, they also want to help put an end to the pandemic."

Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming service is losing access to more titles later this month, the company announced said. From a report: Starting April 24th, GeForce Now will no longer be able to play titles from Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Codemasters, and Klei Entertainment. Without Xbox Game Studios, GeForce Now can't access popular titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection or games in the Gears of War or Forza franchises. Warner Bros.' game division is another popular publisher, owning the rights to series like the Batman: Arkham games developed by Rocksteady and Mortal Kombat titles from NetherRealm. Codemasters is well known for developing racing titles with the Formula 1 brand and rally racing games under the Dirt series. And Klei is well known for making indie hits like Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja The news is another blow for GeForce Now, which differs from Google Stadia by letting subscribers stream games from their existing Steam libraries on a remote PC. .

NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said on Tuesday that hardware spending in March 2020 grew 63% when compared to a year ago, to $461 million. "Nintendo Switch hardware sales more than doubled when compared to a year ago, while PlayStation 4 and Xbox One each grew by more than 25 percent. First quarter hardware spending increased by 2 percent, to $773 million," he added

Over the course of the last month, Nintendo users have been increasingly reporting that their accounts have been getting hacked and accessed from remote locations around the globe, with some users losing money as a result of the unauthorized intrusion. From a report: The account hijackings appear to have started mid-March and have reached a peak over the weekend when more and more users started receiving email alerts that unknown IP addresses have been seen accessing their Nintendo profiles. The way accounts are getting hacked is currently unknown. It is unclear if hackers are using passwords leaked in data breaches at other sites to also gain access to Nintendo accounts. Some users reported using complex passwords generated through a password manager, passwords that were unique to their accounts, and not used anywhere else. This suggests hackers might be using more than the classic credential stuffing, password spraying, or brute-force attacks. Nintendo has yet to release a formal statement about the attacks; however, the company has advised users earlier month on Twitter and Reddit to enable two-step verification (2SV) for their accounts, suggesting that this might prevent intrusions.

Facebook's dedicated Gaming app is now live on Android, months before its planned June release. From a report: The social media giant pushed the app out two months prior to its scheduled unveiling amid a global pandemic that's left people all over the world isolated at home, rapidly burning through entertainment options. The New York Times announced the upcoming release in an exclusive over the weekend, noting that Facebook's massive gaming investment has culminated in more 700 million of the sites's 2.5 billion users actively playing games through the platform monthly. The launch of a devoted app is a clear next step for content that has, until now, been the domain of the site's Gaming tab. Social engagement is the focus for the app (naturally), which will be getting an iOS version at some point in the near future (pending Apple approval).

The Washington Post describes it as "the next internet." Wikipedia defines it as "a collective virtual shared space...including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet." But it was Neal Stephenson who named it "the metaverse" in his 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash.

Are we closer to seeing it happen? The Washington Post reports: In the past month, office culture has coalesced around video chat platforms like Zoom, while personal cultural milestones like weddings and graduations are being conducted in Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Metaverse not only seems realistic — it would probably be pretty useful right about now. The Metaverse reality is still years, possibly decades, away. But Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has been publicly pushing for its creation, and he isn't alone in his desire to push for the Metaverse, where the online world echoes and fulfills real-world needs and activities. Constructing the virtual Internet space is Silicon Valley's macro goal, many of whom are obsessed with Neal Stephenson's 1992 book, "Snow Crash," which defined the term.

In recent years, Facebook, Google and Samsung have all made heavy investments in cloud computing and virtual reality companies in anticipation of a Metaverse... But it's Epic Games, with Fortnite, that has the most viable path forward in terms of creating the Metaverse, according to an essay by venture capitalist and former Amazon executive Matthew Ball... [The article also notes other "traits" of the metaverse in Minecraft and Roblox.] The most widely agreed core attributes of a Metaverse include always being live and persistent — with both planned and spontaneous events always occurring — while at the same time providing an experience that spans and operates across platforms and the real world. A Metaverse must also have no real cap on audience, and have its own fully functioning economy... Fortnite hasn't reached Metaverse status yet. But Fortnite as a social network and impossible-to-ignore cultural phenomenon, Ball says, provides Epic Games a key advantage for leading in the Metaverse race. Fortnite draws a massive, willing and excited audience online to engage with chaotically clashing intellectual properties... "This organic evolution can't be overemphasized," Ball writes in his essay. "If you 'declared' your intent to start a Metaverse, these parties would never embrace interoperability or entrust their IP. But Fortnite has become so popular and so unique that most counterparties have no choice but to participate... Fortnite is too valuable a platform...."

The current swarm to an online-only social and capitalist economy has only highlighted the current Internet's failings, and what the Metaverse needs to do, Ball said. Big sites like Facebook, Google and Amazon continue to dominate online activity, as do larger streaming services like YouTube and Netflix. But each location requires its own membership and has separate ecosystems. "Right now, the digital world basically operates as though every restaurant and bar you go to requires a different ID card, has a different currency, requires their own dress codes and has their own units [of service and measurement]," Ball said. "It is clear that this really advantages the biggest services. People are just sticking to the big games, really. However there's a clear argument that reducing network lock-in can really raise all boats here."

Sweeney said as much in his DICE Summit keynote speech February. If the game industry wants to reshape the Internet and move away from Silicon Valley's walled gardens, Sweeney stressed that publishers need to rethink economies in the same way email was standardized... "We need to give up our attempts to each create our own private walled gardens and private monopoly and agree to work together and recognize we're all far better off if we connect our systems and grow our social graphs together.
Neal Stephenson answered questions from Slashdot readers back in 2004.

An anonymous reader quotes CNN: A 16-year-old Iranian chess prodigy has upended the chess world by beating World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the final of the Banter Blitz Cup. Alireza Firouzja defeated the Norwegian 8.5-7.5 in the final of the online quickfire knockout contest -- where players must comment verbally on their moves, and their opponents, during the game -- to claim the $14,000 prize...

After 7 months and 131 matches, the series of three-minute games involving 128 contestants ended in a final between the world champion since 2013 and the rising superstar...

The Iranian is the second-youngest player to reach the 2700 Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) rating -- the rankings that govern international chess competition... Firouzja initially rose to fame when he came in second to Carlsen in the Moscow World Blitz in December.
The speed chess tournament saw Firouzja "best 132 players in a knock-out style tournament that included 109 grand masters going head to head," reports News.com.au.

"Despite living in France since he was eight-years-old when his family fled from Iran, Firouzja has elected to compete as a stateless competitor that doesn't represent any country."