ReCore review

PROS

• Platforming can be fun
• Joule's and her companions are likeable
• Diverse Corebot customisation options

CONS

• Combat is outright terrible
• Some technical issues

KEY FEATURES

• Available on Xbox One and PC
• Release date: 13 September
• Manufacturer: Comcept
• Review Price: £30.00

Available on Xbox One (tested) and PC

Zelda in space sounds awesome right? On paper, that's exactly what ReCore is. It borrows elements from classic open-world platformers like Prince of Persia, melds them with the dungeon-conquering mechanics from Nintendo’s iconic Zelda series, and wraps it all up in a sci-fi setting that's rife with mystery.

This should make ReCore the ideal game for space geeks like me with a penchant for platforming – and for the most part it is. However, issues with its combat, framerate and slightly by-the-numbers puzzles stop it fully delivering on its opening promise.

The game starts out strong and tells the story of a girl and her robot. Specifically it sees you take the role of Joule Adams just after she’s woken up on the alien world of Far Eden, after over two centuries in cryosleep.

Joule’s awakening isn’t a pleasant one. Far Eden was meant to have been terraformed by automated machines called Corebots during her downtime, but something went wrong. As a result, Joule wakes up alone on a dust-filled planet that's only been terraformed partially, and the Corebots have gone AWOL.

Her only clues to what’s gone wrong come from a series of video and audio messages from her father, who just so happens to be one of the chief scientists working on the Far Eden makeover and is one of the aforementioned missing humans.

From there Joule arms herself with her trusty rifle, grabs the nearest exosuit and goes with her Corebot dog, Mack, to figure out what went wrong.

The exploration format follows the same pattern as most sandbox games. The world is open, but story missions are highlighted using big green icons. Side missions take the form of optional dungeons and challenges, offering loot rewards upon completion.

The opening scenes are an outright pleasure to behold. Far Eden is a giant, beautifully created world that merges elements of Dune's sandworld and Battlestar Galactica's technology.

The rich graphics and great designs initially meant exploring the world was a joy and made me ignore the big green mission icon on my map. Within five minutes I’d found everything from the wreckage of an abandoned space ship to a mysterious cave complex and boobytrapped dungeon.

The desire to explore is helped through the game’s wonderful platforming, looting and upgrade mechanics.

Joule has a variety of different ways to get around her environment, thanks to her exoskeleton. The exoskeleton has thrusters that let her double-jump in mid-air, or propel herself forwards at increased speed for a short period. Backing this up, she has a grappling hook that can be used to pull objects open.

Her robot companions also improve her mobility. Mack is one of several mechanical buddies Joule recruits throughout the game. Each bot has its own personality and set of special abilities.

Mack, for example, is a cute and loyal robot dog with a special search capability. This lets you instruct him to hunt for buried objects in a set area. This mode's useful for finding hidden key-Corebots that open doors or for discovering loot that can be used to build new parts for Joule’s robotic compadres.

Later on you’ll find the cowardly spider-bot Seth who, despite his fear of heights, can carry Joule up special yellow rails that are otherwise impassable. Duncan is a heavy-hitting gorilla-style Corebot with a talent for smashing things.

The relationship between Joule and her companions is one of the story’s best features, and regularly throws up heart-warming sections that are reminiscent of classic Disney films.

The only limits to where you can go are how tough enemies in the area are, and how many Prismatic Cores you have. Prismatic Cores act as keys and are used to unlock dungeons and doors. Every dungeon or door you encounter will have a recommended level and core number, which tells you how many you need to access it.

Dungeons are, without a doubt, the best bit of ReCore. The game offers a variety of different labyrinth types which task you with three challenges: traverse the entire level in a certain time, shoot a set number of hidden icons, and find a single yellow switch to flip. Each of the three goals gives a unique loot reward and can be completed individually – which is a good thing, as I’m yet to complete all three at once in any of the dungeons I’ve visited.

The dungeons have great level design that showcase the best parts of ReCore’s platforming dynamics. These range from classic Zelda-like dungeons that tasked me to quickly leap between moving platforms, to multi-level pits that forced me to manically search for hidden red keys and switches using my Corebots' special abilities.

The upgrade system also acts as a decent incentive to keep exploring early on. Joule can upgrade her Corebot companions at the engineering bench in her home base using blueprints and loot she finds on her adventure.

Each blueprint alters the Corebot’s appearance and buffs their attributes. The higher level the part, the better the stat boost. You level up your bots by completing missions and beating enemies. You can further boost your bots’ core attributes using captured enemy cores.

The system’s pretty basic, but it works well enough and gave me a further nudge to keep hunting for parts and visit dungeons.

All this is great, but sadly I quickly found a some large flies in the ointment. Combat is one area no platformer has ever truly gotten right, and sadly ReCore does little to buck this trend.

There are a variety of different enemy types, ranging from flying moth-like Corebots, to exploding beetle bots, slashing spider bots and gargantuan gorilla-bots. But every single type is killed the exact same way: pick the right ammo type, auto-lock and shoot.

The colour-coding system should, in theory, add some variety, but if anything I soon found it to be an added source of frustration. Joule’s gun can fire red, white, yellow or blue ammo. Each type is strong against different enemies: blue ammo beats blue enemies, red against red, etc. This is fine early on when the enemies conform to one type of colour and stick to it, but against bosses and, later, hybrid enemies which rapidly switch their type, it becomes annoying.

This is because you have to switch your ammunition type using the D-pad – a practice that makes you, even if just for a millisecond, have to stop controlling Joule’s movement. Initially this isn’t a problem, but against tougher enemies, which inflict lots of damage and attack constantly, it feels like the game’s forcing you to be vulnerable and it leads to a number of fairly cheap deaths.

I had the same issue with the game’s core extraction mechanic. After inflicting a certain amount of damage a pop-up appears above enemies, giving you the option to extract their core. If you do, Joule will fire her grappling hook and begin playing tug-of-war with the bot to pull out its core – the item you need to upgrade her robo-companions' core stats at any engineering desk.

The practice can take some time, and again it forces Joule to remain stationary. This isn't a problem in most regular fights, as you can always ignore the icon and just blast your enemies to pieces. But in boss battles, which involve lots of enemies and only end when Joule gets the big baddy’s core, the process regularly leads to boring fights that outstay their welcome.

The only saving grace for the combat is its nifty combo system. Each of Joule’s Corebots has a special attack that can be activated using the Y button (on Xbox). Mack, for example, charges forward and shocks enemies for Joule, while Seth will fire a barrage of yellow bombs. The companions' attacks follow the same colour system, so blue enemies will be vulnerable to Mack, while reds will want to avoid Duncan, and so on.

You can only have one of the Corebots on screen with Joule at any one time, but switching between them simply requires a quick push of the RT button. The ability to swiftly change bots and mix their attacks feels far more fluid than the ammo system and is a saving grace in ReCore’s otherwise dull fight mechanics.

The boring fights wouldn’t be an issue if combat played second fiddle to platforming, as it did in Prince of Persia, but ReCore seems hell bent on pushing it to the forefront. Nearly every mission ends with a long-winded battle against a bullet-sponge Corebot boss. The ensuing battles usually take so long that you’ll have all but forgotten the fun you had getting to the fight in the first place.

Then there are the technical issues. ReCore may look nice, but the loading times are painful. The game regularly takes over three minutes to load, even when doing basic things like moving from one area to another, or restarting a section after dying.

I’ve also noticed some serious framerate issues. During busy sections the game noticeably slows down and suffers from framerate drops. For a game where timing is everything, the slowdowns are particularly annoying and regularly result in cheap deaths during combat and missed leaps during platforming.

VERDICT

ReCore has a lot of great things going for it. Joule is a likable protagonist and her robotic companions are outright adorable. The platforming exploration is an absolute blast.

However, it's all dragged down by a combat system that ruins the game. The end result often frustrates as much as it excites.

Still, if you’re a die-hard fan of platformers in the old-school Nintendo style, ReCore will be a fun stopgap while you wait for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

If you lack that nostalgia for retro gaming, though, you might be best-served looking elsewhere.

Forza Horizon 3

KEY FEATURES

• Available on Xbox One, Windows PC
• Release Date: September 27
• Manufacturer: Playground Grames
• Review Price: £39.99

Forza Horizon is my favourite race series. Playground Games’ bonkers racers ooze fun from every pore, while still maintaining racing quality. They’ve also treated us to gorgeous vistas and allowed us to race (and smash to pieces) the world’s most glorious cars. In Horizon 3, the series is at its very best, and we potentially have the most enjoyable racer on the planet.

Playground Games creative director Ralph Fulton informs me that the word ‘fun’ is plastered in big capital letters across the walls of the studio’s offices, and it shows. The third entry wastes no time getting you behind the wheel of a supercar and racing. Set in the beautiful and varied landscapes of Australia, it immediately places me in the Lamborghini Centenario, the car that adorns the game’s cover. As always, the first drive is a race to the festival, and this one shows just how varied a canvas Australia is.

Within minutes I’ve driven across the Outback’s open roads, desert plains and through dense rainforest, each rendered in gorgeous detail. This is comfortably the best-looking racing game I’ve ever seen, leaving its rivals in the dust. The lighting glimmers through the trees, bouncing off the Centenario’s body with a real shine, shadows realistically passing over the car and sparks flying as I smash into the steel barriers on the side of the road. There are certainly no training wheels or beginners’ events here; Playground loves to throw racers in at the deep end.

After doing potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage to the Lambo, I switch into a monstrous 4x4 and head off-road onto the sun-kissed beaches. Being able to skip the roads altogether means my amateurish driving is given a pass, and I soon arrive at the festival.

Playground has pitted players in the role of the festival boss, but this isn’t as dull as it sounds. Rather than worrying about portaloos and blue M&M’s for bands, it instead gives greater choice for drivers. I’m now able to dictate which radio stations are available from the off – the choices are fairly limited; there’s no outrageous techno or even a station dedicated to ’90s pop – and with Horizon Blueprint, I can also customise race events.

Previous Forza games catered the type of races you could join to the cars available to you, either in your garage or what you could afford to buy. Now you can customise these events – from the weather, time of day, number of laps and even your opponent cars. It’s something which can help get a little extra mileage out of a car that’s beginning to feel old.

I must also choose an avatar and name which my assistant – Keira – will refer to me as. I’m pretty sure somebody at Playground was left unattended while creating the options. There are five variants of “bro” (Brah, Bro, Bromeo, Brother and Abroham Lincoln, in case you were wondering), one Bantasaurus Rex and even a Simpsons/Swedish Chef reference in Bort. I go with Bort, because I love the Swedish Chef, and Keira is Irish, and hearing “Bort” in an Irish accent is adorable.

It’s then straight into the first Horizon event, which is the amazing race against a car carried by a helicopter you may have seen from the E3 stage demo. It’s as fun and insane to play as it is to watch. A few times throughout the race your opponent will come crashing down mere metres in front of your car, and in first-person view it looks brilliant. The race feels heavily scripted, which takes some of the fun and thrill out of the chase, knowing that I’m going to overtake the car on the very last corner, much like I’ve done with most of the Horizon event races.

After the race I’m back in the Centenario and the Horizon map has exploded with events and things to do. Playground has let go of my hand and I’m free to approach the game as I please. Heading to the first event I must choose my actual first car – unfortunately you don’t get to keep the Lambo. After jumping into a BMW M3 and winning the first race, the metagame unfolds.

There are now three forms of currency earned from races: XP, which will allow you to level up and earn spins where you can get bonuses and potentially free cars; Credits, which will allow you to buy new cars; and Fans, which will allow you to expand your festival and eventually open up into new areas of the map. As always you can simply ignore the progression system and keep driving to your heart’s content. There’s no real grind and you won’t find yourself “stuck” at any point.

What Horizon 3 has over its predecessors is the variety of races. While Horizon 2 could change the scenery, the majority of races were set on the road. Being set in Australia means I can be enjoying a road race fighting around tight corners in a supercar in one race before flying over hills in the pouring rain in an ATV the next. It’s a great way to keep things interesting and avoid fatigue, which can be a problem for the more casual racers.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Once the game opens up this is pretty much the Forza Horizon you know and love, with a new lick of paint and in a brand-new setting. While functionally it remains similar to its predecessor, the new location, new cars, new events and sheer variety of racing are enough to keep everything fun, enjoyable and fresh. It helps that it’s an absolute pleasure to drive and looks stunning.

Forza Horizon 3 represents the joy of driving these outrageously fast cars. It treats these machines as what they are: expensive playthings. Horizon 3 is like an enormous game of Micro Machines. It’s simply the most fun you can have in a racing game if you aren’t too worried about the apex.

With just a couple of weeks left until launch, I’m counting down the days.

World of Final Fantasy

Due October 25 for PS4 and PS Vita

Square Enix’s latest Final Fantasy spin-off is a game so brightly coloured and adorable that it almost hurts to look at it. After the dark and drab recent entries in the series, Square has wisely decided to tear open the curtains and flood the world of Final Fantasy with some much needed colour and charm.

Set in a land where everyone is inexplicably two-foot tall and looks like a cute Comic-Con plushie, World of Final Fantasy follows the story of amnesia-suffering protagonists Laynn and Reynne as they explore the magical realm of Grymoire and try to regain their lost memories.

Setting its sights on JRPG fans and younger gamers, this new spin-off opts for a traditional turn-based battle system, cutesy charm and a more-than-healthy dose of fan service. Yet this isn’t the throwback to the classic battle system you might be expecting – as well as something old, there’s definitely something borrowed here too. It takes an unsubtle bit of inspiration from monster battlers like Pokémon and Ni No Kuni, with you fighting and ‘imprisming’ over 200 well-known tiny monsters from throughout the franchise's history.

Believe it or not, the tiny characters are more than just a cute aesthetic choice. As well as being able to capture and collect these pint-sized creatures, our twin protagonists also have the ability to switch between their normal ‘giant’ form and this mini form at the press of a button. This may sound like a great opportunity to use your giant form to terrorise towns like a spikey-haired Godzilla, but Square has instead ordained that players should use this unique ability to solve a wide variety of puzzles and to add an extra tactical layer to battles, called "stacking".

Throughout my fleeting time with the game, I spoke to tiny dancing Cactuars, experimented with the battle system, solved a few puzzles and even fought some very familiar elemental bosses. Revolutionary it definitely wasn’t, but the game had an undeniable sense of charm and a gorgeous visual style that made it a unique and grin-inducing proposition. Intrigued to find out more about how this strange project came about, I sat down with the game’s director, Hiroki Chiba.

“We saw that Final Fantasy was about to reach its 30th anniversary and we wanted to create something that could reach the younger generation,” explains Chiba. “Many gamers have grown up with Final Fantasy and we see a lot of mature audiences playing the game. Now we can introduce their children to what we love about the series.”

With Final Fantasy games becoming bleaker and more complex with each new title, it’s not hard to see why Chiba and his team opted to make a more kid-friendly entry, but he was also keen to appeal to the series’ older fans too. “Looking at the visuals, you might get the impression that this is a very light, casual sort of game, but we made sure that it's very Final Fantasy-like in terms of the volume of the story as well as the gameplay experience.”

A lot of this adult appeal comes down to the grinding nature that comes with the monster-collecting element of the game. As you ‘imprism’ the monsters, you find yourself able to stack different monsters on top of each other, creating different tactical teams for different battles. And with over 200 of the critters to catch, that means there’s a lot of grinding on offer for Dad, too. “You won't have any trouble getting through the first part, but at the same time there's a lot of replayability. That grinding element means that if you wanted to go back and battle and capture more monsters, you can always do that.”

Yet while this was originally meant to be a nice palate cleanser after the release of FFXV, the mainline entry's delay means that antsy fans are eager to get their hands on World of Final Fantasy. “Honestly there wasn't really a lot of pressure from fan expectation on this title, for me anyway. I've been with Square since FFVI and since then I've worked on Chrono Trigger and several numbered titles like FFVII, FFVIII, FFX and several spin-offs. With any Final Fantasy title there are obviously high expectations, and I have my own expectations as a big fan of the franchise myself, but I've been working and creating games for over 20 years. That pressure, it's part of the creative process.”

It’s hard not to feel the man’s passion for the project, and why wouldn’t he be passionate? It’s not often that developers get the chance to go back and cherry-pick their favourite bits from older games. Featuring summonable heroes and GF’s from old titles, World of Final Fantasy somehow straddles the line between being a greatest hits celebration of Final Fantasy and the perfect introduction to the world for interested newcomers.

“It was such a great honour to be able to work on this title. We kept in mind that concept of bringing in the new players as well as making something which satisfies long-time fans, and aimed to deliver a game that everybody can enjoy. A lot of the rest of the team – artists, designers – have a long history of making FF titles, but we also had young staff members who joined our development team who have such a love for Final Fantasy. Everything came together because of this love for the series, whether the team had worked on the series or grown up playing it.”

First Impressions

If you have a low tolerance for high-pitched voices and have no idea what the words "Kawaii" or "Chibi" mean, World of Final Fantasy may not be for you. For anyone looking to get younger family members into the series or for a more traditional FF experience, however, World of Final Fantasy could be just the thing to wile away those autumn blues.

PlayStation VR

PLAYSTATION VR PREVIEW

PlayStation VR release date: October 13, 2016

PlayStation VR price: £349 / $399

When it comes to PlayStation VR, folk fall into one of two camps. There are those who are super-excited by the prospect of “affordable” virtual reality that’s playable on a console, while others look down their nose at its inferior specs when compared to the PC-based alternatives. I’m very much in the former, and having played PSVR on numerous occasions, not only do I feel that my enthusiasm is justified, but I’ve actually found myself more drawn towards console-driven VR than Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. I believe Sony is onto a winner here and has the potential to become the dominant market force.

I’ve already discussed my excitement for PlayStation VR, especially when compared to the Rift and Vive, in another article, so let’s instead focus here on Sony’s headset itself.

I say it’s “affordable” because when compared to its VR rivals, it is indeed the cheapest; in real terms, however, it’s still an expensive piece of kit. The headset itself costs as much as a console at £350 – and if, like most people, you traded in your Move controllers and PlayStation Camera as soon as you realised Sports Champions was a bit pants, you’ll have to shell out another £100-plus for the full experience.

PLAYSTATION VR – DESIGN AND COMFORT

As a piece of tech, the PlayStation VR is a beauty. Looking like it’s come straight out of the Tron movie, the headset looks space-age and futuristic. With blue lighting decorating the edging, and a nice matte black/white finish, it’s a headset in which you’ll still feel goofy waving your hands about, but maybe slightly less so compared to wearing the Rift and Vive.

However, the PSVR lacks a built-in pair of headphones, meaning you’ll have to plug in your own, unless you’re willing to have your VR experiences in total silence.

The one big difference between the PSVR and its PC rivals is how it fits onto your head. While the Vive and Rift attach around your head using Velcro straps, Sony’s headset sits atop your head, with soft padding seeing it rest on your forehead and level on the back of your head.

Pressing a button at the back of the headset enables you to increase the circumference, with the headset automatically scaling to your head size. Rather than clicking into place the headset will form around your bonce, and it’s an incredibly comfortable fit. It never feels too tight or loose, and looking around whichever virtual world I’m in, I’ve never once felt like the headset is slipping off – even when I’m in an utterly sweaty state from whichever real-world hotbox I’m in at the time.

A second button beneath the actual display allows you to adjust the view of the screen; you tilt the front until the picture becomes clear. The one downside of this fit is that, with some games, in order to avoid blurry images or double-vision, I’ve had to place the monitor at a distance where I can see the outside world, which can be distracting and break the immersion.

To counter this, there are two rubber flaps that sit on either side of your nose, which can help cut out some of the light. But again, if the fit isn’t snug then it can be all too easy to look down and become distracted by your feet.

Once you start playing a game, however, any minor distractions will fall by the wayside, and you’ll be completely sucked into the great experiences on offer.

PLAYSTATION VR – DISPLAY

Much like the Rift and Vive, before a game actually begins you’ll notice the “screen door” effect that comes with VR gaming, although it’s more pronounced in PSVR due to the inferior screen quality. When you’re not focusing on any particular action or item in a game, you’ll be paying particular attention to the general blurriness of text. Or, when looking at a character’s face, you’ll be alerted to the soft haze that covers their face, failing to focus on particular details thanks to this pronounced issue. It isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does bring to light the differences in display quality between console and PC virtual reality.

However, once you’re actually in a game, such issues fade away, and gameplay becomes king. I’ve played Batman Arkham VR, PlayStation VR Worlds, Robinson: The Journey, Farpoint, DriveClub VR, Rez Infinite and Resident Evil 7 in PlayStation VR and each has run like a dream. Many doubted the PS4’s ability to produce quality virtual-reality experiences, but not only does it deliver, I’ve actually found the experiences far more comfortable than on the Rift.

PLAYSTATION VR – GAMES AND SOFTWARE

Refresh rates have proved incredibly smooth, meaning motion sickness has hardly been an issue. The only time it was a problem was in Resident Evil 7, where the right analogue stick controlled head movement along with actually turning your head. On the whole, however, the comfort of playing these games has meant that I’ve never once felt the need to stop playing.

No frame-rate dips have been apparent in any game that I’ve played, which is incredibly encouraging. Of course, with these being vertical slices of the full experience, we need to wait until we get to play the finished product for a definitive verdict. Nevertheless, the initial signs are great, and with PS4 Neo on the horizon, things could get even better – and perhaps produce better-looking VR experiences too.

The majority of games work with the DualShock controller, and work very well. However, the true standouts are the titles that take advantage of the Move wands. Being able, with no latency, to throw batarangs as the Caped Crusader – or fire an Uzi out of the front of a van while a cockney gangster screams obscenities – is a thing of beauty. One surprise of the bunch is the PlayStation VR Aim controller, a bespoke device that works primarily with Farpoint right now, but could be a game changer for first-person shooters. Having a peripheral with which you can actually aim down sights, even having to close one eye to improve your shot, is excellent.

PLAYSTATION VR – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

While PlayStation VR may not be considered the “premier” virtual-reality experience on the market, I personally consider it to be by far the most comfortable and most enjoyable. Every demo I’ve tried has been a joy to play, offering zero latency, smooth frame rates and very enjoyable experiences.

With a stronger line-up of software, a cheaper price point and incredible potential, Sony’s venture into virtual reality has me super-excited for what October and beyond will bring.

AMD Radeon RX 480 review

PROS

• Excellent 1080p performance
• Decent 1440p performance
• Cheapest VR-ready GPU

CONS

• Slightly noisy under load
• Not that much faster than a GTX 970

KEY FEATURES

• GCN 4 “Polaris” architecture
• 8GB GDDR5 memory
• 2,304 stream processors
• 1,120MHz base clock speed
• 4GB models available for £180
• Manufacturer: AMD
• Review Price: £215.00

WHAT IS THE AMD RADEON RX 480?

AMD surprised everybody with the launch of the Radeon RX 480. This mid-range card was the first to upset the conventional wisdom that you needed to spend a huge amout to get a capable 1440p GPU.

However, since our original review, the market has changed somewhat. We've seen the arrival of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and the AMD Radeon RX 470, which closely match the RX 480 in terms of performance and price.

What hasn't changed is its performance: this is a stonking Full HD and 1440p card for around £215.

Below is our original review:

AMD RADEON RX 480 – SPECS AND TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED

AMD has moved from its GCN (Graphics Core Next) 3 architecture to GCN 4, codenamed Polaris. It’s a fairly big shift in terms of the chip’s physical design. Gone is the 28-nanometer process used in the previous generation, to be replaced by a 14nm process. This allows for a greater number of transistors on any given piece of silicon, but without resulting in an increase in power consumption and heat.

The 14nm process is more dense than the 16nm process of Nvidia’s Pascal architecture, used in the GTX 1070 and 1080, but since AMD hasn’t yet launched a GPU to rival either of these cards, direct comparisons on the effectiveness of this denser arrangement remains to be seen.

Still, it means AMD has been able to pack a huge amount of power into a GPU that will suit many smaller budgets.

It’s important to temper your expectations, though. This is firmly a mid-range graphics card, so any fancy new technologies are unlikely to be found here. Instead, specs-wise, the RX 480 is merely solid; not extraordinary. There are 36 compute units and 2,304 stream processors running at a base clock speed of 1,120MHz and a boost speed of 1,266MHz.

All this without a huge power draw; the RX 480 is rated at just 150W.

It’s capable of up to 5.8TFLOPs (trillion floating-point operations per second), which puts it very much ahead of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, its closest rival at this price. However, TFLOPs figures don’t reveal the whole story and, as you’ll see from the benchmarks, a greater number of TFLOPs doesn’t equal superior performance.

The RX 480 is supported by GDDR5 memory, with some cards including 4GB and others getting 8GB. 4GB models cost £185, while 8GB units will be £215. The differences don’t end here: 4GB units will have memory capable of 7Gbps (gigabits per second) speeds, while 8GB will have up to 8Gbps.

Third-party manufacturers might choose a different GDDR5 specification in order to save money, but AMD guarantees that no card will ship with a throughput that’s less than 7Gbps. It’s perhaps a little confusing, but isn’t a cause of worry; pricing and specs sheets will make it fairly clear what you’re buying.

Buy Now: AMD Radeon RX 480 at Amazon.co.uk (£229.99) | Amazon.com ($349.99)

We were supplied with an 8GB, 8Gbps card, and as a result can’t comment on the performance of the lower-specification models with any firm numbers.

The RX 480 also features asynchronous computing, meaning developers can assign tasks to the GPU with differing levels of priority, but have them all undertaken at the same time. This results in less stutter in games running in the latest DirectX 12 framework.

AMD RADEON RX 480 – DESIGN AND PORTS

There isn’t anything particularly notable about the RX 480’s design, but it’s a cut above the cheapest graphics cards around. There’s matte-black plastic around the sides and a dotted plastic finish along the bottom of the cooler. There’s no fancy backplate, but I wouldn’t expect that from a card at this price.

The cooling system consists of a single fan, which spins up to a decent whirr when under load. You’ll probably want a fairly well-insulated case to keep noise at bay, but it’s far from the loudest I’ve heard.

The RX 480 gets its juice from a single six-pin PCI Express power connector. There are three DisplayPorts and an HDMI port at the rear. The DisplayPorts are of the 1.4 specification, meaning that they’re ready for HDR gaming when titles and monitors begin to support the standard.

Xbox One S review

PROS

• Smaller than Xbox One
• 4K game upscaling
• It's a cheap UHD Blu-ray player
• HDR compatible
• Improved, grippy controller

CONS

• Not native 4K in games
• No Dolby Atmos support

KEY FEATURES

• UHD Blu-ray
• 4K games upscaling
• HDR 10 support
• HDR gaming compatibility
• HDMI 2.0
• 2TB storage
• Manufacturer: Microsoft
• Review Price: £350.00

WHAT IS THE XBOX ONE S?

Microsoft has made a new Xbox, only it's not entirely new. The Xbox One S is a 0.5 upgrade to the existing Xbox One, rather than its successor. But don't be fooled into thinking it's the same console, because this one has a few new tricks up its sleeves.

While the Xbox One S is deep down the same console Microsoft released in 2013, there have been significant changes. It’s far slicker and prettier, fixing many of the original console's aesthetic issues. It also adds 4K and high dynamic range (HDR), which means your games and videos can make the most of the latest TVs.

It doesn’t offer the big graphical bump of the newly announced PS4 Pro. Nor does it benefit from the major horsepower boost of the next-generation Xbox, codenamed Project Scorpio. But what it does have may make it the best-selling console of 2016: it's the most affordable UHD Blu-ray player on the market.

The Xbox One S is the only console to play 4K Blu-rays. This could make the Xbox One S a surprise hit with movie fans on a budget, who are looking for an inexpensive way to enjoy 4K content. It could help rocket 4K Blu-ray sales too, in the same way the Sony PS3 did with standard Blu-rays. What’s more, it’s actually a decent UHD Blu-ray player.

XBOX ONE S – DESIGN AND CONTROLLER

The Xbox One has had a total makeover, and it's a huge improvement. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed what the "S" stands for, but we're taking a guess at "slim". The case is 40% smaller, which makes the Xbox One S only a little bigger than a PlayStation 4, and smaller than the dinkiest of mini-ITX PCs.

This is particularly impressive given that the power supply is now integrated. No longer will you need to find extra space to squeeze in a massive power brick on the side.

It’s also possible that S is for "sexy". Suddenly an Xbox is the most attractive thing in my AV rack, and that’s not something I ever expected to write. The chunky air conditioner-style grilles have been replaced with a subtle pinhole design. The original's glossy black plastic, which was a dust magnet and suffered scratches way too easily, has also been ditched.

The Xbox One S is matte all over, and has a Stormtrooper chic thanks to its white with black accents. I like it, but some may find a bright white box too conspicuous. I’m sure it won’t be long before other colours appear; there's already a limited edition blood red Gears of War 4-themed version on the way.

There are plenty of less obvious tweaks too, but they're welcome nonetheless. The power switch is now a physical button, which is a lot less susceptible to accidental activation than the Xbox One’s touch-sensitive offering. There is a USB port and a controller-pairing button at the front, where before they were hidden away at the side.

Can the new Xbox One please stand up? Yes it can. The old Xbox One could only be placed flat, but the One S can be flipped over onto its side. You’ll need a plastic base to hold it up for ventilation purposes. This comes bundled with the 2TB edition, but otherwise it’s sold for an extra £20.

The controller has been tweaked, too. It feels half way between the basic Xbox One pad and the super-expensive Xbox One Elite Controller. It retains the ergonomic shape of the previous model, but the rear now benefits from a more grippy texture. Apparently, exchangeable colour covers are an option too.

I’m not particularly bothered about pimping up my controller, but I’m a fan of the added traction. I played Star Wars: Battlefront plenty during testing, and I found the controller upped my game. The finish made it a little easier to maintain a stable grip while fighting rebel scum, and my accuracy improved. I died less in manic moments, where a quick combat roll can make all the difference.

The thumb sticks are made of a new material, supposedly more capable of withstanding punishment. Only time (and abuse) will tell how tough it is, but I didn’t feel any difference in use.

As for power, the pad works on AA batteries. They last a good while, so I don’t mind them. Some people prefer the Sony PS4 controller’s built-in battery approach. It may be more environmentally friendly, but the battery has proved to be poor and I'm forever having to plug it in. I wish Microsoft would ship controllers with its "Play and Charge" kits – it would be a good compromise.

Thankfully, Microsoft has finally added Bluetooth functionality to the controller. This won’t be a big deal to Xbox users, but will be a godsend for PC gamers looking for a decent gaming pad. Now PC gamers can use Xbox controllers without shelling out for an Xbox USB Wireless Controller Adapter.

Steam Controller review

PROS

• Touchpads add a new dimension
• Able to play strategy games
• Soild buttons and analogue stick

CONS

• Not as precise as a mouse and keyboard
• Tiring during long gaming stints
• Small buttons
• Lack of community-made control schemes

KEY FEATURES

• Dual trackpads
• Tactile sensor
• Wired or wireless
• Gyroscope and accelerometer
• Up to 80 hours of battery life using two AA batteries
• Haptic feedback
• Manufacturer: Valve
• Review Price: £39.99

STEAM CONTROLLER LONG-TERM REVIEW: SIX MONTHS OF USE SHOW FUNKY PERIPHERAL'S MAJOR SHORTCOMINGS

Steam Controller long-term review by Alastair Stevenson

The Steam Controller brimmed with potential when it first came out. The atypical touchpad setup and customisation options made the Xbox and PlayStation’s gaming pads look like archaic children’s toys last year.

The touchpads’ tweakable sensitivity also promised to offer mouse and keyboard precision on a gamepad – something console gamers moving to PC have longed for, for quite some time.

But what really set it apart was its loadout system. The Steam Controller lets you customise what each button and axis does on a game-by-game basis. You can then share any control scheme you make with the Steam community. This should have made it easy to find decent control schemes for most games, even if the developer didn’t bespoke create a Steam Controller setup.

However, many months on, this hasn’t happened. The Steam Controller continues to feel like a beta product.

Outside of a few notable exceptions, such as XCOM 2, the loadout system hasn’t taken off. I’ve found myself regularly having to build my own scheme from the ground up, just to get the most out of the Steam Controller’s improved button layout.

The control generally defaults to the Xbox pad’s layout if a custom Steam configuration hasn’t been set. This means that in most games, a lot of the Steam Controller’s buttons haven’t been assigned an action.

I’m also not sold on the touchpads. They work great on some titles, particularly turn based strategy games, like Pillars of Eternity, but they’re not up to scratch fast paced genres, like shooters.

Playing Left 4 Dead 2, Killing Floor 2 and Warhammer: End Times Vermintide, I’ve never been able to get the right sensitivity level on the pads. They are reactive, but their sensitivity flips between sluggish to super fast in the blink of an eye.

There’s no happy medium, which makes rapid aiming at a horde of incoming zombies a tricky experience, even after six months honing my Steam Controller skills.

The combination of factors make the Steam Controller feel incomplete and make it hard for me to recommend. Finessed gamers looking for ultimate accuracy would still do better with a keyboard-and-mouse setup.

Gamepad fans looking for a more refined, customisable option would also be better placed investing in Microsoft’s stellar Xbox One Elite Controller.

WHAT IS THE STEAM CONTROLLER?

Steam’s owner, Valve, has taken its time entering the hardware scene. It’s been two years since SteamOS was announced, and almost as long since we got a first glimpse of the Steam Controller. And we’ve yet to see any living-room boxes on shelves.

That’s set to change next month with a raft of Steam Machines hitting the market, but in the meantime Steam has released two peripherals: the Steam Controller and the Steam Link. The latter lets you play games on your TV via your gaming rig, but it’s the controller – with its haptic pads – I’ll be looking at in more detail here.

It’s an interesting product, no doubt. It attempts to bridge the gap between PC and console gaming, aiming to be the gamepad that's a jack-of-all-trades. But it risks being seen a master of none and a tepid living room replacement for the mouse and keyboard.

STEAM CONTROLLER: SETUP

The box comes with a Steam Controller, two AA batteries, a Bluetooth USB connector for wireless pairing, and an extender that lets you move the connector closer to your PC.

Thankfully setting up is a doddle. Pop off the back and slot the two batteries in – one goes in either grip. They snap in place and have a little lever to pop them out when they need replacing. You can also use the microUSB cable that’s part of the extender to connect the gamepad to your PC if it runs out of juice. Although you can't use the USB cable to charge the controller.

Once your batteries are in, plug in the USB Bluetooth receiver, turn on the Steam Controller and voila, you can start using it right away. Set-up really is very simple.

STEAM CONTROLLER: DESIGN

When it comes to design, there’s nothing subtle or sleek about the Steam Controller. In fact it’s a bit of a brute.

While not wildly wider or taller than the Xbox One or DualShock 4 controllers, it is a lot fatter. And the handgrips are the main culprits. Curving into your palm rather than away from it, these chubby stumps take a little getting used to. They're awkward and feel as if they will tire your hands more quickly than alternative pads.

The size of the grips also means it’s a bit more of a stretch to reach the one and only left analogue stick. Your hands will need to adjust a little before the Steam Controller feels anywhere near as natural as Sony or Microsoft’s efforts.

What you will be immediately familiar with are the four face buttons marked identically to those on the Xbox controller. That’s where the similarities end, however.

This is how the Steam Controller (top) compares to the PS4 and Xbox One controllers

The buttons are a lot smaller than those on an Xbox One controller. I assume this has been done to accommodate the large touchpads, but it means I found myself pressing the B button thinking it was the A button more than once. It’s just that little bit harder to get accustomed to.

As analogue sticks go the one on the Steam Controller is solid. There’s enough stiffness to make your movements precise, but not so much that you'll get achy thumbs. The rough-rubber top provides plenty of grip too.

The headline features of the Steam Controller though are its two touch pad surfaces. One sits where you'd expect a traditional D-Pad to be, while another replaces the secondary analogue stick you'd find on console controllers.

Although the touchpads both have buttons hidden beneath them and haptic engines that give you an inkling about where your thumb is resting, they're not identical. The one on the left has a lightly etched + on it to make it look more like a D-pad. When it comes to gaming, the right hand pad will act more as your mouse cursor too.

As for the bumpers and analogue triggers, these are exactly where you’d expect them to be – in perfect reach of your index and middle fingers. You don’t get the amount of travel in the analogue triggers as you get in other game pads, but there is a useful ‘click’ that lets you know you’ve maxxed out.

Something you won’t be used to are two additional paddles tucked away beneath the controller, just where your little and ring fingers rest. It’s great to have a couple of extra buttons that are easy to use, but I did find myself accidentally pressing them when exuberance got the better of me.

STEAM BIG PICTURE MODE

Steam’s Big Picture Mode is a layer that takes over Windows and makes your PC all about gaming. It’s a bit like the interface you find on a Smart TV. It has its own browser and YouTube app but its core is about getting you into a game with a minimum of fuss.

I’m not a great fan of it on a desktop PC, but using it on your TV makes sense. All the icons are big and bold and it's a lot easier to navigate with a controller than the desktop Steam interface.

And this is where the dual touch pads really come into their own. The soft keyboard, for example, is split in two, with one side being controlled by the left pad and the other with the right. Hover over keys and pull the triggers and you can type at a reasonable pace. It’s a bit like typing on a keyboard using just your two index fingers.

Will you want to write an essay? Definitely not, but it sure beats scrolling through the alphabet using an analogue stick.

Big Picture mode is also where you get to set up the controller for each game – you can’t do it in game like you may be used to with other gamepads. It might be a little strange at first, but it's a great way to get an overview of all your custom set-ups.

STEAM CONTROLLER: GAMING TESTS

As the Steam Controller is quite the unique beast, I thought it would be best to put the gamepad through its paces by trialling it with a number of games across various genres.

I started out with Portal 2 and Rocket League as these are two games that come bundled with the Steam Controller if you pre-order. Plus, they've been specifically optimised for Valve's gamepad, so it made sense to take these for a spin first.

Rocket League

Rocket League is the game equivalent of Top Gear episode where you play football with cars. You drive around, smack a ball and try and get it into the opponent’s goal, all the while defending your own. It’s a lot of fun, especially when you play against evenly matched opponents.

And the Steam Controller works well here. Accelerating and braking using the triggers is responsive and the touchpad provides a quicker way of moving the camera around than the analogue stick on an Xbox 360 controller.

The one drawback is accidentally hitting the paddles on the base. This changes the camera mode and can make all the difference during a fast-paced game. On one occasion I missed an open goal simply by becoming disorientated during the switch. Of course you can disable these if you want to.

Steam Controller Usability: 8/10

Portal 2

This oldie-but-goldie is a hoot and the Steam Controller is both better and worse than a traditional controller for playing it.

Conversely it’s the touchpad that’s the problem and the base triggers that are a bonus here.

The touchpad is a little too sensitive, which makes firing the portal gun accurately a challenge, especially when you’re flying through the air. You can manage this by tweaking the sensitivity, but it's a bit of a guessing game and can take a while to find your personal sweet spot when it comes to accuracy.

Those base buttons are brilliant, though. The one under the left side of the controller lets you jump and the one on the right picks things up. It means you really don’t need to use the undersized face buttons and your thumbs stay exactly where they need to be at all times.

Steam Controller Usability: 9/10

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

This is the first hardcore test for the Steam Controller. CS:GO, Steam warned me, wasn’t optimized for the Controller so I chose to install a fan-made key-binding.

The first I chose was a complete mess – the right paddle was used for shooting and the right pad was set to an uselessly low sensitivity. Thankfully it’s easy to remap keys or select someone else’s settings and once I found a setting I liked, things got a lot better.

But for Counter Strike, one of the most competitive online games for PC, the question is whether the Steam Controller can be a direct replacement for mouse and keyboard? The simple answer is no.

I eased myself in with some local battles against dumb bots. After a few rounds I’d warmed up and was regularly pummelling the AI. With a high sensitivity I was able to swing around and check my sixes at speed. By pressing down on the right trackpad I forced the sensitivity lower, making long-distance shots easier.

This is the closest you’ll ever get to emulating mouse and keyboard gameplay on a controller, but it still wasn’t as precise. Tiny movements with my thumbs meant I kept just missing that all important headshot and when I played against the living it was like I was playing Counter Strike for the first time in my life.

I died. A lot.

With time I can see myself getting a lot better, but never as lethal as I am with a mouse. On the other hand this game is unplayable with an Xbox gamepad so the Steam Controller deserves some marks for that.

Steam Controller Useability: 5/10

Witcher 3

I was looking forward to using the Steam Controller with my favourite game so far this year, but I was disappointed.

My Witcher 3 download is bound to Galaxy of Gamers (GOG.com) – an up-and-coming Steam competitor owned by Witcher 3 dev CD Projekt Red – and it would not recognise the controller.

Witcher 3 works brilliantly with the Xbox 360 pad, and you can use the Steam Controller if you have bought it through Steam, unfortunately if you haven’t you have to wait for compatibility to be enabled.

Steam Controller Useability: N/A

Mad Max

I turned my hand to another third-person action RPG with Mad Max. Just like the Xbox 360 pad, the Steam Controller excels here. The left stick is perfect for throwing vehicles around corners and the right touchpad is better than a stick at aiming projectile weapons accurately.

My hands didn’t tire even after a good four hour gaming stint, either.

Steam Controller Useability: 10/10

SHOULD I BUY THE STEAM CONTROLLER?

If you intend to stream to a TV then the Steam Controller offers significant benefits over traditional gamepads.

The touchpads really do add an input method that’s almost, but not quite, as good as a mouse. There’s plenty of buttons too, meaning you can almost go without a keyboard.

If you intend to use the Steam Controller on your desktop PC I’d urge caution. An Xbox controller is more comfortable, important buttons are larger and the Steam Controller’s touchpads offer few benefits to third-person action games other than slightly improved aiming.

For hardcore first person shooters and strategy games you’ll look longingly to your mouse and keyboard.

The Steam Controller takes some getting used to, as well. Years of using dual analog sticks makes the touchpads a little counter-intuitive.

However, the longer you spend with it, and the more games that come with optimised settings, the better the experience will become. This is a learning process you might want to start on now, I just wish it was easier on the thumbs.

VERDICT

Undoubtedly a feature-packed and robust gamepad, the Steam Controller just doesn’t excel in any one arena and is a bit too big and awkward to be comfortable in my hands.