Marvel Rivals, the popular third-person hero shooter game, has some upcoming improvements on the way. Players have been clammering for some changes to improve the gameplay experience, and NetEase Games is finally listening. The company is calling the new edition an experimental feature that will be accessible first to PC players. After feedback from the community, the feature could be expanded and improved upon further.
Since Marval Rivals was first released in December 2024, it has grown to over 40 million players. The game is a third-person hero shooter game created in collaboration with Marvel Games. The 6×6 online multiplayer game has a variety of modes to play and maps to choose from. It is free to play, although it makes its money through the season battle pass that provides expanded content, characters, and skins. Unlike many “free-to-play” games in the genre, Marvel Rivals can truly be played at no cost.
Given Marvel Rivals’ popularity and rapid growth, fans have been voicing their opinions on ways to improve the quality of life to make the game more enjoyable and run smoother. Before the launch on April 11, NetEase had already teased most of the expanded content for Season 2. Among the added content is a new map, Krakoa, new costumes for Emma Frost, the ability to gift skins to other players, a brand-new battle pass, and a rank reset. What fans had not known until recently, however, was the settings and quality of life changes coming with the Season 2 patch.
Marvel Rivals has been plagued by quality performance issues since its release. Gamers have reported their game crashing, lagging, and overall performance. NetEase has announced an attempt to fix this with a new “experimental feature” called Switch Shader Compilation mode. This feature is only accessible on PC versions of the game. In short, the mode means that players will only compile shaders upon first load after an update. Meanwhile, console players can enjoy changes to sensitivity, making moving and aiming smoother and more customizable. Minor glitches will also be patched.
However, the adjustments to Marvel Rivals don’t come without a few concerns. NetEase has admitted that PC Gamers may experience the following issues upon trying the new feature, as reported by comicbook.com:
Given that NetEase has admitted to the experimental nature of the new feature, players should expect some growing pains as the developer works out the kinks. It should also be expected that there could still be performance issues, given how much memory and power are required to run the game in full. Nevertheless, it is certainly a step in the right direction for improved performance and gaming experience.
The full list of additions and changes to Marvel Rivals coming with Season 2 is extensive. As the game continues to grow, NetEase has plans to offer more new content as frequently as possible. Hopefully, with that content, the company will also continue to listen to fans and work out improvements based on their feedback. Quality of life features may seem minor, but they are critically important for many players’ enjoyment of the game. Season 2 appears to be a step in the right direction for the popular multiplayer game.
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The New York Yankees have recently been slumping, but they may be getting a boost soon. Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge took batting practice Sunday at the team's minor league complex in Tampa Bay, via Erik Boland of Newsday. The 33-year-old slugger is now expected to return to New York's lineup in Tuesday's road game against the Texas Rangers. The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day injured list on July 27 because of a flexor strain in his right elbow. He suffered the injury during a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on July 22 when throwing a ball from the outfield. New York manager Aaron Boone indicated the injury isn't a long-term concern, but they'll start Judge at designated hitter as a precaution. "No acute injury to the UCL. Overall, that's the good news," the manager said July 27, via MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "With those first few days coming off the IL, it's probably DH mode. Then he'll start throwing ... and hopefully, get back to the outfield shortly thereafter." Still, that's better than no Judge, especially for a team that's losing ground in the American League East race. Entering Sunday, New York (60-51) was third in the division behind the Boston Red Sox (62-51) and the Blue Jays (65-47). The Yankees had also dropped six of their past 10 games, including a shocking 13-12 home loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday. Judge was producing stellar numbers before the injury. In 377 at-bats in 103 games, the two-time AL MVP slashed .342/.449/.711 with 37 home runs. Judge returning at full power would help the Yankees rediscover their groove in the second half of the season.
When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De'Aaron Fox midway through last season, their guard rotation appeared to be wide open. Stephon Castle was the only other long-term ball-handling prospect on the roster and, despite a strong year, was still a rookie. However, the NBA Draft has seen the addition of Dylan Harper, another young guard with All-Star potential, and the ability to one day lead the Spurs franchise next to Victor Wembanyama. Harper's addition and Castle's emergence as the 2025 Rookie of the Year raised questions about Fox's fit and long-term future in Texas. The problem was that Fox was eligible for an extension this summer. On Monday the Spurs inked Fox to a four-year $229M deal, with no player option for the final year. The new contract, which will see Fox earn approximately $57.25M per year, will kick in next summer. Suddenly, San Antonio has a young guard rotation of Harper, Castle and Fox, all of whom struggle to score on the perimeter, and have shown issues when letting shots fly off the dribble. "The Spurs already had two point guards who struggled from distance in Stephon Castle, whom they spent the No. 4 overall pick on in 2024, and De'Aaron Fox, whom they acquired in a deal with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the February trade deadline," Bryan Toporek wrote for Forbes on Saturday. "Castle shot 28.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game as a rookie, while Fox is a career 33.0% three-point shooter who has shot 32.5% or worse from downtown in five of his seven NBA seasons." Fox's new salary will ensure teams will think twice about trading for him. He is, after all, a high-level talent, but not one capable of spearheading a roster. In truth, San Antonio may have repeated the Chicago Bulls' error from when they paid Zach LaVine $215M over five years back in 2022. We saw how difficult it was for Chicago to move on from LaVine. Fox is a tertiary star on a contending roster. And now, he's being paid like one of the top talents in the NBA. The Spurs would have been wiser to cut their losses with Fox and build around Castle and Harper as their guard rotation. Still, the decision has been made, and Fox is now cemented as the lead guard for the next half a decade (once you include the upcoming season), giving Castle and Harper room to grow as two guards who can complement Fox's play style and add some grit or explosiveness to the rotation. San Antonio is a franchise that rarely puts a foot wrong. However, the decision to pay Fox may come back to haunt it as a costly misstep. In the modern NBA, you can't have three non-shooting guards in the same rotation. Yet, somehow, head coach Mitch Johnson must figure out how to make it work. Not the greatest task for a young coach heading into his first full season with the franchise.
The Minnesota Vikings are set to have their annual night practice on Monday night, and just like last year, they have some news coming right before it's set to begin. This time, it's not quarterback J.J. McCarthy missing practice with an undiagnosed knee injury that ended his season. The Vikings signed tight end Nick Vannett and waived offensive tackle Marcellus Johnson Vannett has been around the block during the course of his nine year career. After being a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, the player who was once nicknamed "Baby Gronk," Vannett has played for eight teams. He was most productive in 2018 with the Seahawks, catching 29 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. In 2024 with the Tennessee Titans, Vannett caught 17 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. He's been the number two or three tight end for the majority of his career. Even so, Vannett has started 53 of his 111 career games. This is the second time that the Vikings have added depth at the tight end position this offseason. Right before mandatory minicamp, they added Giovanni Ricci with sixth-round pick Gavin Bartholomew nursing a back injury. He is still on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which is a cause for concern as we move forward in the preseason. Vannett is another veteran to add in a room with multiple rookies who could learn a thing or two. Also, he can eat up some snaps during the course of the preseason to keep both T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver off the field. What does this mean for the Vikings and the tight end position? From the onset of the addition, Vannett is a threat to make the roster, as he's a versatile depth piece who can play a multitude of different roles on the offense. It could also spell disaster for Bartholomew, as his back injury could be worse than we realize, especially with Vannett being the second tight end that has been added in as many weeks.
Texas, the No. 1 team in the preseason coaches poll, has a big concern for its offensive line with a few weeks to go before it opens the season at Ohio State on Aug. 30. Per On Texas Football, right tackle Andre Cojoe suffered a season-ending injury. Per On3, the injury is believed to be a torn ACL. The third-year offensive tackle has played in four career games and was competing with Brandon Baker for the starting job on the right side. "Texas O-lineman Andre Cojoe suffered what’s feared to be a torn ACL, Inside Texas has learned," wrote Eric Nahlin of On3. "Cojoe was in competition with Brandon Baker for Texas’ right tackle role during preseason camp. Baker is set to win the starting job with Cojoe out for the season. The second-year offensive lineman played in eight games for the Longhorns in 2024, including against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal. The loss of Cojoe is a big blow to the Longhorns' depth on the offensive line that is tasked with protecting quarterback Arch Manning. On3 projects true freshman Nick Brooks to become the swing tackle behind Baker and starting left tackle Trevor Goosby, a tall order for an 18-year-old in the SEC. Texas comes into the season with high expectations in Manning's first season as a full-time starter. How comfortable Manning is behind his offensive line will play a key role in how efficient the offense is. Texas ranked 118th in sacks given up in 2024 with 37. Those hits took a toll on Quinn Ewers, who played through injuries while leading the Longhorns to the CFP.