NVIDIA Reflex is a must-have in games, reducing system latency so your actions occur quicker, giving you a competitive edge in multiplayer matches, and making single-player titles more responsive and enjoyable. NVIDIA Reflex is now used by over 50 million players each month, is available in 9 of the top 10 competitive shooters, including Counter-Strike 2, and is activated by 90% of GeForce gamers in over 80 supported titles. NVIDIA Reflex is synonymous with responsive gaming, and can be found in the latest and greatest games. Counter-Strike 2 and Overwatch 2 Season 7: Rise of Darkness are reducing system latency with Reflex today, and Warhammer: Vermintide 2 adds support in the coming days.

Overwatch 2 Season 7 Available Now
NVIDIA Reflex enables GeForce gamers to play with minimal system latency in Overwatch 2's highly competitive multiplayer matches. Overwatch 2 Season 7: Rise of Darkness is now live. Defeat powerful bosses and level up your hero in the new Trials of Sanctuary game mode. Travel to a tropical paradise with the new Samoa map. Try out Sombra's new ability kit and look out for Roadhog's rework later in the season. Explore seasonal cosmetics in the shop or earn them with the Battle Pass. Using NVIDIA Reflex on a GeForce RTX 40 Series GPU, your actions have improved responsiveness, occurring virtually without delay, and performance is so high that you'll see the action at its best with maximum clarity.

Overwatch 2: Invasion is here, and packed with a new hero, a new seasonal Battle Pass, and a new core PvP game mode. We're also bringing new Invasion Story Missions, a limited-time Co-op Event, and new ways to practice and celebrate your achievements with your favorite heroes. Let's check out everything that you can expect in the new update!

Illari is the newest Support Hero to join the ranks in Overwatch 2. What sets Illari apart from other Support heroes is that she has a very damage-focused kit, so that you can heal your team while dominating the opposition. Her Solar Rifle fires a beam of sunlight that can do powerful burst damage at long-range, or use it to heal allies around you. She also can support her team with a deployable Healing Pylon granting bursts of health to allies around it. Her Outburst ability will knock enemies back and propel herself out of danger. When you need to turn up the heat, use Captive Sun and fire a massive ball of solar energy. Opponents hit by this ultimate ability will be Sun Struck, making them vulnerable to lethal explosions if they take too much damage. Unlock Illari immediately when you get the Premium Battle Pass, or wait to unlock her on tier 45 for free. You can also unlock Illari—and all the heroes in Overwatch—with the new Overwatch 2 Complete Hero Collection, now available in the In-Game Shop.

After four years of gathering online-adventuring through Azeroth, teaming up in Overwatch, traversing the fields of Sanctuary, or warming yourself by the fire in the Tavern - it's finally time to gather in person once more. We are happy to announce that BlizzCon will be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center on November 3-4!

Our players are at the heart of what makes BlizzCon great-a place where games are the common ground for connection and friendship. Whether you're coming to hang out with friends you only ever get to see online, celebrating epic moments in the games we love, exploring what's on offer in the convention center halls, or eager to learn what's next for our universes, BlizzCon is being created for you. It's the community that has always made this event so special, and we can't wait to see you all again.

According to a recent news article released by Chinese news group Sina Technology, NetEase has filed a lawsuit against its former publishing partner Blizzard Entertainment, to the tune of (around) $43.5 Million. The Chinese Internet technology company is seeking compensation, in the form of a very large refund, following Blizzard's total exit from the nation's online gaming sector - its server infrastructure in China was shut down in January of this year. The closing of Blizzard-related services represented a very abrupt end to a 14-year long relationship between the two online gaming specialists - press coverage at the time presented a tense situation involving many major disagreements - the partnership was broken because of unfavorable terms on Blizzard's part.

NetEase posits that it had to compensate its customer base through refunds from its own reserves, after the sudden shutdown of Blizzard's hugely popular MMO - World of Warcraft, and other online multiplayer game series including Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo and Starcraft. A significant chunk of the $43.5 million settlement is said to cover the company's cost in refunding part of its customer base - somewhere in the range of 1.12 million players - for discontinued games and services. NetEase is also reported to be seeking damages for broken license agreements, unsold merchandise inventory and the loss of access to future Blizzard intellectual properties.

Update Apr 25th: According to an article from PC Gamer, published today, NetEase is not taking Blizzard to court. It turns out that a serial litigator, Yang Jun, has included NetEase as an appellant in his filed legal documents - under another company name, The9, an apparently defunct former licensing partner. PC Gamer has been informed that Yang Jun has sued NetEase in the past, and that his latest batch of legal documents have been amended to reflect that he is the lone party in demanding a financial settlement from Blizzard.

Overwatch 2 Season 4 launches April 11! Blossom onto the battlefield with our newest Support Hero Lifeweaver, progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event! Explore Talantis, the first-ever map made in collaboration with the community. Enjoy major quality-of-life updates with a revamped Competitive experience.

Watch the trailer to see what to expect with this upcoming season, which brings the new Support Hero Lifeweaver, a new Battle Pass, the community-made map called Talantis, and more. Progress through the Battle Pass to earn rewards including Mythic Galactic Emperor Sigma, and fight for your faction when The Watchers and The Infinite Empire clash in the Starwatch event.

Blizzard has released a new trailer showing its latest playable hero, Lifeweaver. It will launch alongside Season 4 on April 11th. Overwatch 2's latest support Hero is Lifeweaver, an intelligent and curious adventurer who plans to use his biolight technology to make the world a better place.

Lifeweaver will shift the dynamic of every fight by providing cover, leveraging his mobility, and impacting positioning in ways we've never seen before. Get acquainted with Lifeweaver's ability kit in his Gameplay Trailer and get ready for his debut in Season 4 on April 11.

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking to block technology giant Microsoft Corp. from acquiring leading video game developer Activision Blizzard, Inc. and its blockbuster gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, alleging that the $69 billion deal, Microsoft's largest ever and the largest ever in the video gaming industry, would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles and its rapidly growing subscription content and cloud-gaming business.

In a complaint issued today, the FTC pointed to Microsoft's record of acquiring and using valuable gaming content to suppress competition from rival consoles, including its acquisition of ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda Softworks (a well-known game developer). Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda's titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles.

Rather than another leak of performance numbers for NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 4090 and 4080 cards, the company has shared some performance numbers of their upcoming cards in Overwatch 2. According to NVIDIA, Blizzard had to increase the framerate cap in Overwatch 2 to 600 FPS, as the new cards from NVIDIA were simply too fast for the previous 400 FPS framerate cap. NVIDIA also claims that with Reflex enabled, system latency will be reduced by up to 60 percent.

As for the performance numbers, the RTX 4090 managed to 507 FPS at 1440p in Overwatch 2, using an Intel Core i9-12900K CPU, at the Ultra graphics quality setting. The RTX 4080 16 GB manages 368 FPS, with the RTX 4080 12 GB coming in at 296 FPS. The comparison to the previous generation cards is seemingly a bit unfair, as the highest-end comparison we get is an unspecified RTX 3080 that managed to push 249 FPS. This is followed by an RTX 3070 at 195 FPS and an RTX 3060 at 122 FPS. NVIDIA recommends an RTX 4080 16 GB if you want to play Overwatch 2 at 1440p 360 FPS+ and an RTX 3080 Ti at 1080p 360 FPS+.

Encoding video is one of the significant tasks that modern hardware performs. Today, we have some data of AMD and NVIDIA solutions for the problem that shows how good GPU hardware encoders are. Thanks to Chips and Cheese tech media, we have information about AMD's Video Core Next (VCN) encoder found in RDNA2 GPUs and NVIDIA's NVENC (short for NVIDIA Encoder). The site managed to benchmark AMD's Radeon RX 6900 XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPUs. The AMD card features VCN 3.0, while the NVIDIA Turing card features a 6th generation NVENC design. Team red is represented by the latest work, while there exists a 7th generation of NVENC. C&C tested this because it means all that the reviewer possesses.

The metric used for video encoding was Netflix's Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion (VMAF) metric composed by the media giant. In addition to hardware acceleration, the site also tested software acceleration done by libx264, a software library used for encoding video streams into the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression format. The libx264 software acceleration was running on AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. Benchmark runs included streaming, recording, and transcoding in Overwatch and Elder Scrolls Online.Below, you can find benchmarks of streaming, recording, transcoding, and transcoding speed.

NVIDIA at Bilibili World 2021 showcased some custom RTX 3080 graphics cards - customizations which it commissioned to known modders. In total, three custom graphics cards were shown in a variety of colors, even though all of them shared the same base shroud design. The modders then played with illustrations and color coordination, which resulted in one orange RTX 3080 (featuring the Chengdu Hunters Overwatch clan insignia) and two turquoise/petrol graphics cards with differentiated accents (black and turquoise for the card inspired on Chinese role-playing game The Legend of Sword and Fairy, and white and petrol for the card celebrating the 9th anniversary of the Luo Tianyi anime series).

These graphics cards likely won't be put to sale in any way by NVIDIA; however, they could eventually decide to give them away as a prize for any sort of online competition, much like they did with the gorgeous, Cyberpunk 2077 interpretation of the RTX 2080 Ti some time ago - which the winner eventually sold at auction for $5,200 (at a time where graphics card pricing was actually saner). One could argue that NVIDIA should have just sent these towards the retail channel, but at least we got to see three RTX 3080's at the same time.

Blizzard, a popular game developer, has today implemented NVIDIA's latest technology for latency reduction into its first-person shooter—Overwatch. Called NVIDIA Reflex, the technology aims to reduce system latency by combining the NVIDIA GPUs with G-SYNC monitors, and specially certified peripherals, all of which can be found on the company website. NVIDIA Reflex dynamically reduces system latency by combining both GPU and game optimizations, which game developers implement, and the gamer is left with a much more responsive system that can edge out a competitive advantage. Today, we get to see just how much the new technology helps in the latest Overwatch update that brings NVIDIA's Reflex with it.

Blizzard has tested three NVIDIA GPUs: GeForce RTX 3080, RTX 2060 SUPER, and GTX 1660 SUPER. All three GPUs cover three different segments, so they are a good sign of what you can expect from your system. Starting from the GeForce GTX 1660 Super, the system latency, which was measured in milliseconds, was cut by over 50%. The middle-end RTX 2060 SUPER GPU experienced a similar gain, while the RTX 3080 was seen with the smallest gain, however, it did achieve the lowest latency out of all GPUs tested. You can check out the results for yourself below.

NVIDIA rolled out the GeForce software 445.98 Hotfix drivers. The Hotfix was released to expeditiously correct glaring bugs with the GeForce software. The 445.98 Hotfix improves Overwatch stability, resolves F1 2019 crashes, fixes driver installation on the Colorful GeForce GTX 1650, improves HDR in some games, and includes various other bug fixes. The drivers are otherwise identical to GeForce 445.87 software released earlier this week. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 445.98 Hotfix

NVIDIA recently launched its GeForce Now game streaming service, where you could stream any game from your digital library on some capable hardware. However, it seems that the service is not receiving good acceptance from some game makers, specifically Activision Blizzard. In a surprising turn of events, Activision Blizzard has pulled out its entire game library from the GeForce Now game streaming service. Being a provider of many popular titles like Call of Duty series, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, etc. this makes a big blow to the GeForce Now service.

Underlying reasons for this move are unknown. Activision Blizzard has been a part of the GeForce Now Beta program, with its games being readily available. What made them pull out now, when the streaming service began operating just a few days ago, is the possibility that Activision Blizzard seeks more profits. Some speculations indicate that they are switching the streaming platforms or making their own. The sheer size of players utilizing Activision Blizzard games is astonishing, and if they decide to make their service, it could turn out to be very profitable.

Blizzard's upcoming hero-shooter "Overwatch 2" will support a PvE game mode in addition to the usual PvP, according to an ESPN ESports report citing a source at BlizzCon. The game will reportedly feature at least one new hero, several new hero talents, and at least one 4-player PvE story mission set in Rio de Janeiro. There's a new game mode called "Push," debuting with a new map based on Toronto. The PvE mission and the Push game mode will be available to play to attendees at the 2019 BlizzCon expo, which opens this Friday (November 1), in Anaheim CA. Blizzard is also expected to announce "Diablo 4" at the show.

The world could always use more heroes-and starting October 15, Nintendo Switch players will be able to join more than 40 million players from around the globe in the fight for the future with the arrival of Overwatch Legendary Edition.

Overwatch Legendary Edition puts the definitive version of Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed team shooter in Nintendo Switch owners' hands, complete with the latest content and gameplay updates. Players will select from a roster of 31 vibrant heroes as they face off in a variety of casual and competitive multiplayer modes and battle over map objectives in 28 different locations around the earth (and on the moon).

HP is on the verge of introducing their new gaming grade, Omen-branded gaming monitors. The main design option for these was pure refresh rate speed, with both monitors sacrificing on resolution - a 1080p density is all there is) for blazing fast, 240 Hz refresh rates. The panel type is, of course, the most capable of high refresh rates: TN. The Omen X 25 manages this feat with help of NVIDIA's G-Sync proprietary module, while the X 25f only features support for adaptive sync (this means it's likely G-Sync compatible, at the least, as well as being well paired with AMD's FreeSync).

HP have partnered with Blizzard, meaning these Omen monitors will be the official monitors of the Overwatch League. There's ambient lighting on the base of the panel, which features HP's "micro-edge display" with 1 mm bezels on three sides and a 100 mm, adjustable height stand. The HP Omen X 25 covers ports through 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4, and 2x USB 3.0 ports, while the X 25f offers 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0, and 2x USB 3.0 ports. The Omen X25 will be making an appearance in Europe in June for 630€ ($550), and will be released in the US by September of this year. The Omen X 25f will be available in early June in the US and late June in Europe, for $450 (€460).

I'll abstain from commenting and just let you guys sort this news piece out: internet service provider Cox has introduced a new fast lane option to their internet service. Dubbed the "Elite Gamer" add-on, the optional $15 service will work to ensure gamers get the best possible experience in their favorite multiplayer games. According to Cox, this "hidden" fastlane for internet traffic will be routed through a gaming-centric routing network, which will allow for up to "34 percent less lag, 55 percent fewer ping spikes, and 45 percent less jitter" than its existing internet service.

Apex Legends, Fortnite and Overwatch are the current games being touted as having specific routing pathways, and this will work with absolutely no input from the user. Data packets from these applications will be automatically sorted and rerouted through Cox' servers, which also means that this service does exactly - and limitedly - what it aims to. There will be no other improvements to the overall "interneting" experience: it's a cool $15 for what amounts to (prospectively) higher K/D ratios. It remains to be seen what impact this actually has in the competitive scene, and whether or not the listed games' lag compensation techniques serve to even the playing field somewhat. Let me throw a small wrench into the equation here: more services like this will eventually appear, which may or may not be specifically geared towards gaming. Nothing prevents ISP's from creating application or content-specific data caps, for which you'll then have to purchase data bundles or subscription services (this happens in Portugal already, but it's mostly limited to mobile bandwidth). A bright, split-lane future awaits all of us.

NZXT and Blizzard Entertainment have joined forces to deliver a PC chassis made for gamers who are passionate about building and showing off their own rigs-and also throwing in some flavor from their favorite games. The new, special edition H500 Overwatch Edition mid-tower showcases NZXT's signature design with a sleek look that any hero would be proud to have in their arsenal. Featuring an all-steel construction in black, a cable management system for streamlined building, and a luminous Overwatch logo on the front panel, this special H500 chassis is perfect for the Overwatch player looking to outfit their rig for battle.

"As a company of passionate gamers, we admire the enthusiasm and dedication shown by the Overwatch community, and we know Blizzard aims to deliver legendary products and experiences to its players," says Johnny Hou, founder and CEO of NZXT. "That's why we teamed up with Blizzard on this epic H500 PC chassis. Whether you are a Mercy, D.Va, or Genji main, the H500 Overwatch is made for any hero who wants to answer the call."

We visited Blizzard's floor space at Gamescom 2018, and what a space it was. Easily one of the more expansive areas, Blizzard outdid themselves with their multiple staging areas for the multitude of their developed - or in permanent development - games. Naturally, the crown jewel of Blizzard's space was World of Warcraft, but Overwatch stood just beside it, as if a wayward child trying to look over its ancestors' shoulder.

Activision Blizzard, Inc. today announced second-quarter 2018 results.

"This was another strong quarter for Activision Blizzard. Our portfolio of global franchises enabled us to deliver record first half revenues and earnings per share," said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. "This past weekend we held the Overwatch League TM Grand Finals. We had a very successful first season as we enhanced our leadership position in esports. And, today we announced two additional Overwatch League franchise sales at record prices, adding Atlanta, Georgia and Guangzhou, China to our league. We plan to announce additional franchises over the next few months."

The holiday season is almost here-get ready to spread some epic cheer! From now through November 27, 2017, we're offering some big savings around Black Friday on the following digital purchases for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Destiny 2-plus some Blizzard Gear Store goodies. Snag a little something for yourself, or send a gift to a friend.

Overwatch
Whether you're a soldier, scientist, adventurer, or oddity, you can jump into the fight for the future with savings of 50% on the digital versions of Overwatch and Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition for Windows PC.

• Overwatch includes 26 heroes, 21 different maps, and endless fun for just $19.99 (reg. $39.99).
• Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition includes all the excitement of Overwatch along with 10 Loot Boxes, five special hero skins, plus in-game goodies for Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, Diablo III, and StarCraft II for $29.99 (reg. $59.99).

According to Belgium's VTM Nieuws, the Chancellor Commission from that country has opened an investigation into both Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront II loot crates, so as to rule whether or not these constitute gambling. Loot boxes being compared to gambling isn't a new debate, but up until now, a clear ruling that characterizes loot crates as such still hasn't made its way onto the courts or commissions that have been looking into these issues. That loot crates and other microtransactions are resounding successes in ever increasing monetization of game experiences is no secret: Digital River has released a report that stated microtransactions and the whole "Games as a Service" model has tripled the industry's value.

EA has been receiving a lot of flak for the way they implemented their loot boxing mechanics in Star Wars Battlefront II, which has led to repeated cycles of posturing, bullying, and ultimately some small steps backward for the company, regarding its initial stance on Battlefront II's specific implementation. Already has the company decreased costs for unlocking characters in-game, though some are reporting that for players to unlock everything the $60 game supposedly offers, they'd have to play it for at least 4,528 hours - or pony-up $2,100 to unlock all the base content.

Tech leaders HP Inc. and Intel today joined forces with Blizzard Entertainment in major Overwatch League sponsorship deals that represent an extended investment in the groundbreaking professional league. As part of the multiyear agreements, Intel will sponsor future Overwatch competitive events in addition to the Overwatch League. Players taking part in these events will be equipped with cutting-edge gaming hardware from both HP and Intel. HP, and more specifically, its OMEN by HP gaming PCs and displays will be used exclusively for Overwatch League games, with PCs powered by Intel Core i7 processors.

"We're thrilled to be joining forces with HP and Intel to ensure that the teams competing professionally in Overwatch are equipped with top-end technology," said Pete Vlastelica, president & CEO of Blizzard Entertainment's Major League Gaming division. "Multiyear collaborations such as this illustrate the momentum behind the Overwatch League as well as a long-term commitment by us and our partners in what we see as the future of esports."