Daily Briefing, Tuesday 1st December 2020

Hello and welcome to December! A new day, a new  issue of the Bellular Daily Briefing.

Xbox  now offers pre-loading for Xbox Game Pass

In a new update, rolling out on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S from today, Xbox Game PAs subscribers will be able to pre-install certain games before they launch on the service proper.

• This update also adds a few other handy things, such as HDR and "Optimised for Xbox Series X|S" tags for relevant games, and six new dynamic backwards based on a combination of "homages to previous generations of Xbox consoles" and "popular profile themes." Neat.

Nintendo vastly improve Switch media sharing

Previously the only way to transfer things like screenshots or videos off of a Nintendo Switch was via Twitter or fumbling with the Micro SD card - but the new Version 11.0.0 update has added functionality for wireless transfer to smart devices, and USB-to-PC support.

• The update has also added a permanent Nintendo Switch Online icon to the Switch's home screen, meaning that users can quickly access details about their membership without having to dig around the relevant eShop pages.

Turns out the Xbox Series S can run PS2 games pretty well

The Xbox Series S's Developer Mode, which can be activated for a $20 fee, allows users to install software that uses Windows Universal Platform - which, as it turns out, includes various emulation software.

• A promotional video released for the Retroarch emulator shows a number of big PlayStation 2 titles (like God of War, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Shadow of the Colossus) running pretty smoothly on the Series S. Take that, Sony...sort of.

New PlayStation research suggests "singleplayer is thriving"

Leaked documentation from Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was distributed to developers last year, has suggested that PS4 users spend much more time playing offline than online.

• The research also turned up issues players report experiencing in singleplayer games, like not knowing how to do something or how long they have to do it. This research appears to have been instrumental in the development of the PS5's new Activities feature.

Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer is a more than just a mode

Cyberpunk 2077's release is right around the corner but its multiplayer component is still a ways off. It's set to be pretty substantial though, with CDPR joint-CEO Adam Kiciński telling investors that it's more than a mode - it's a "standalone product.

• Kiciński told investors that the multiplayer component is a "separate dedicated production, a big production" which will be thematically connected to the mainline, singleplayer release while still operating individually with its own team working on ongoing content. Yes please.

That's everything for today - catch us back here tomorrow for another blast of daily news!