[NewsPoster]

Welcome to the Game Replay, the thrice-weekly look at the wider world of gaming by the staff of MacNN. In today's edition, Sony offers developers a seventh core to use in the PlayStation 4, Elite Dangerous: Horizons released in beta to pre-ordering users, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain players attempt mass in-game nuclear disarmament, and Riot reveals what it has planned for an upcoming League of Legends winter event.

Sony quietly provides more processing power to PlayStation 4 developers with extra seventh core use

Future games produced for the PlayStation 4 may have more power to work with, as Sony provides access to one more core for game-related purposes. Spotted on the Beyond3D developer forum, Sony has apparently quietly updated its software development kit to allow developers access to the seventh core of the eight-core processor used in the console.

GameSpot reports an audio tool updated in mid-November included a note about the extra seventh core access. While it could be an incorrect note, the fact that it is included in the FMOD change log suggests this to be part of an official change to the PS4 system software, instead of a rumor.

The PlayStation 4 uses an eight-core AMD Jaguar processor clocked at 1.6GHz, but it usually keeps two of the cores reserved for system operations, leaving the other six usable for running the game itself. Moving to seven cores could certainly help with running games more smoothly, though it would require developers to revisit earlier titles if they wish to take advantage of the extra power. There is also the possibility that this core could still be shared with the system software, meaning it would only be available part-time and may be more of a temporary boost when the resource isn't occupied with background tasks.

The unlocking of the seventh core follows after a similar move by Microsoft in January, also providing developers partial access to an extra core.

Elite Dangerous: Horizons ships in beta to users pre-ordering expansion

The latest expansion for Elite Dangerous has been released in beta, providing users pre-ordering the expansion from Frontier with early access to the new content. Now live, the Horizons expansion to the space flight game introduces a number of new experiences to the game, with the key addition being the ability to visit the surface of planets and pilot the ship in sub-orbital flight for the first time.

The planetary landing and exploring will also be accompanied by other features coming as part of the full release, expected to take place before the end of the year according to Rock Paper Shotgun. The expansion introduces a character creator, allowing users to put a face to their avatar, multi-crew ships, and an "all-new game-changing loot and crafting system."

A note from the developer also advises it is working to improve the virtual reality experience of the game, including support for the HTC Vive and Steam VR. The company is apparently continuing to work with Oculus in order to support its headset.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain players attempt in-game total nuclear disarmament

Players of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain are apparently teaming up to disarm all nuclear weapons, at least in the game. In the time since Konami announced there was a hidden cinematic playable only if certain conditions were met, players have responded by disarming their nukes in large quantities.

According to Eurogamer, Konami advised players could only see the cinematic if they have completed mission 31 and must not have any nuclear weapons in stock or being developed. After the regional server for the player's gaming platform reaches zero nuclear weapons owned by players, the cutscene will automatically trigger when players complete a main mission or return to base, with the scene retriggering if nukes are eradicated again after the number increases.

At the start of November, players across all platforms had thousands of the in-game weapons, but shortly after the announcement was made, the numbers dropped dramatically. As of November 27, only 349 and 215 weapons remain on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 respectively, with the Xbox One and Xbox 360 down to 81 and 75 respectively. Gamers on Steam have also reduced their nuke counts, lowered from over 36,000 to approximately 15,000.

A previously released spoiler video reveals the cinematic lasts for over seven minutes, and covers the history of nuclear weapon development and usage. A shorter cutscene lasting less than a minute is played when at least one player restarts nuke development.

League of Legends will hold Snowdown winter event next week, runs until early January

Riot Games has revealed what players can expect to see from Snowdown, a winter event in League of Legends. Starting from December 10, players will be able to buy new "Snow Day" as well as some legacy versions for their characters for a limited period of time, along with the reintroduction of a game mode and other enhancements.

Aside from the player's champions, the minions in the Windows and Mac-based MOBA will be dressed in similar cold-weather attire as they make their way down the lanes, reports IGN. New player icons, a penguin skier ward, and a snow-covered level will also be present in the game until the event ends in early January.

The returning game mode, "The Legend of the Poro King", will provide players with two minions flanking their champion, which can be used to summon the titular character. The Poro King will provide the summoning side with various assists, including healing and regenerating mana of team members, while also causing damage to enemy players and towers until he is killed. To match the new game mode, a set of "Poro Wards" are also being offered for purchase.