New AMD Threadripper benchmark leak shows 3960X naming, welcome X79?

Shannon Robb | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Oct 17, 2019 2:40 PM CDT

Since the Ryzen 3000 launch, everyone has been extremely excited to see how the 7nm ZEN 2 performance scales on HEDT. Well, it looks like the new chips are starting to break the surface.

New AMD Threadripper benchmark leak shows 3960X naming, welcome X79?

In a leak we picked up from the team over at Videocardz, we see that the Ashes of the Singularity database has a new result for a 24-core Threadripper titled 3960X. But, wait a minute. Some of you may be asking, wasn't there already a 3960X CPU? And to answer that question, yes, it was an X79/LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E variant from several years ago. It does seem weird that AMD would paint themselves into a corner with naming their new HEDT CPU in such a way, but this is a leak/rumor, for now, so we will treat it as such.

Either way, I think this only feeds the fire of excitement to see what the new Threadripper chips will offer. It will also be exciting to see what level of disruption it will add to the current and upcoming Intel X299 based parts. If it is anything like the existing mainstream platform, it will be significant, now onto another interesting leak that came up today.

Continue reading: New AMD Threadripper benchmark leak shows 3960X naming, welcome X79? (full post)

Switch Game Boy? New handheld basically makes it happen

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 17, 2019 1:07 PM CDT

What if the Nintendo Switch played old-school Game Boy games? Then you'd have something like the new Analogue Pocket handheld.

Switch Game Boy? New handheld basically makes it happen

Retro company Analogue recently announced the Analogue Pocket, a new handheld that plays classic carts from Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear, and even Atari Lynx. The handheld sports a small 3.5-inch LCD panel with a mighty 1600x1440p resolution, expandable memory via MicroSD, a headphone jack, and USB Type-C for quick recharges. It's not an emulation machine and won't play ROMs, but instead focuses on FPGA and allows developers tons of control over the device's architecture.

The Analogue Pocket can be docked for play on an HDTV, making it a transforming handheld-console hybrid like the Nintendo Switch. Wireless controllers like 8Bitdo's awesome lineup can be connected to the dock via Bluetooth or gamers can hook peripherals right into the dock's USB ports.

Continue reading: Switch Game Boy? New handheld basically makes it happen (full post)

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC 4K 60FPS trailer obliterates console visuals

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 17, 2019 12:00 PM CDT

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an absolute technical marvel on PC, completely blowing consoles out of the water (and rightly so).

Red Dead Redemption 2 PC 4K 60FPS trailer obliterates console visuals

Rockstar's dramatic Western is probably the best-looking console game to date. So it's only natural for it to be immaculate on PC, but it somehow looks better than my expectations. Today Rockstar dropped a trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 running at 4K 60FPS, showing what visual masterpieces should look like.

Everything from the reflections, the atmospheric lighting, draw distances, silky-smooth frames, god-rays...you name a graphical or environmental effect and it looks amazing in the footage. Rockstar promises to harness the power and flexibility of PC with tons of platform-specific optimizations like:

Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption 2 PC 4K 60FPS trailer obliterates console visuals (full post)

Fallout 76's NPC Wastelanders update delayed to 2020

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 17, 2019 10:51 AM CDT

Fallout 76's ambitious new Wastelanders update has been delayed to Q1 2020, Bethesda today announced.

Fallout 76's NPC Wastelanders update delayed to 2020

Fallout 76 is still trucking along thanks to big new free expansions and updates, but the biggest one to date has been pushed back. Dubbed Wastelanders, the update will add human NPCs to the world and transform it into an actual Fallout game. Wastelanders brings a bunch of new characters that offer quests, fight alongside you, and even break up into factions that you can ally with or clash against.

"We've been working on our biggest update yet. It's called Wastelanders, and it'll fundamentally change the game. This is a long term story we're telling. Year One was about the Vault doors opening and all of you settling the wasteland."

Continue reading: Fallout 76's NPC Wastelanders update delayed to 2020 (full post)

Rocket Lab has successful 9th rocket launch with next-gen satellite

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Oct 17, 2019 8:13 AM CDT

Rocket Labs can now add another successful rocket launch to its already eight launches the company has under its belt.

Rocket Lab has successful 9th rocket launch with next-gen satellite

The rocket launched from the LC-1 launch site in New Zealand and as the 'As The Crow Flies' mission took to the at precisely 9:22 PM ET (6:22 PM PT) well deserved celebrations were underway for the company. Rocket Labs now has nine successful Electron launches in total and eight for commercial customers. This launch in particular carried Astro Digitals next-generation geocommunications satellite called 'Palisade'.

According to Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck who spoke to TechCrunch, "Electron is a launch on demand service - we're ready when the launch customer is". From this comment it seems that Beck is attempting to showcase how versatile the launch services are for his company and how well Rocket Labs can adapt to the needs of the consumer wanting to get something up into space.

Continue reading: Rocket Lab has successful 9th rocket launch with next-gen satellite (full post)

PUBG's Season 5 will let players throw items, guns & meds to teammates

Jak Connor | Gaming | Oct 17, 2019 7:10 AM CDT

Season 5 for PUBG has been detailed by developer PUBG Corp, and from the released details players can expect some new awesome teammate mechanics.

PUBG's Season 5 will let players throw items, guns & meds to teammates

From above trailer we are shown a bunch of new mechanics that PUBG Corp will be introducing into the live game when Season 5 is released. Players will be able to lay down spike traps to pop the tires of vehicles, throw certain requested items to teammates at a press of a button, and throwing some melee weapons at enemies for that little bit of extra awesome glory.

PUBG Corp will also be adding vending machines in Season 5 where players will be dispense painkillers and energy drinks. These vending machines will be available in Miramar and Camp Jackal. If the above trailer isn't enough to get your hyped for the new season head on over to the official PUBG website where you will find the rest of the details there. A link can be found here.

Continue reading: PUBG's Season 5 will let players throw items, guns & meds to teammates (full post)

Uber will get its very own TV series about the companies rise to fame

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Oct 17, 2019 6:08 AM CDT

Naturally when a tech giant emerges to massive success books, movies and/or TV shows follow closely behind. Thats exactly whats going to happen for Uber as a TV show is currently in the works.

Uber will get its very own TV series about the companies rise to fame

Uber will soon take its place next to other tech giants that have had movies made about them but with a new TV show produced by Showtime. At the moment the TV show doesn't have a title but we do know that it will be based on the bestselling book "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber".

Showtime President of Entertainment, Jana Winograde talked about the show and said, "The story of Uber is rich in plot twists, one-of-a-kind personalities and important implications for corporate America. It is a case study of ingenuity and insanity, and there are no writers better suited than Brian and David to explore this business and the people who drive it, literally and metaphorically."

Continue reading: Uber will get its very own TV series about the companies rise to fame (full post)

Lord of the Rings TV show casts Maxim Baldry for 'significant' role

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Oct 17, 2019 4:04 AM CDT

Amazon's highly-anticipated Lord of the Rings TV show has reportedly snagged another actor to join the cast, welcome Maxim Baldry for what has been called a "significant role" in the series.

Lord of the Rings TV show casts Maxim Baldry for 'significant' role

According to Collider, Baldry has been picked up for what they call a "significant role" in the series and as per usual details about that role have not been released. Amazon are keeping the writing of the series under extremely tight wraps, and an example of how tightly kept the secrecy is - Amazon Studios head, Jennifer Salke said the writers are "down in Santa Monica. You have to go through such clearance, and they have all their windows taped closed. And there's a security guard that sits outside, and you have to have a fingerprint to get in there, because their whole board is up on a thing of the whole season."

Baldry is known for his roles in Mr. Bean's Holiday, and the HBO series Years and Years. Judging from the report, Baldry will be playing quite a major role in the coming show, what that role might be probably won't be known until Amazon have compiled their full cast. Will Hugo Weaving return to his role of Elrond? Who will play the king of numenor? Who will play Sauron throughout his downfall and how far back in the Second Age of Middle-Earth will we see? All of these questions will puzzle fans until Amazon are good and ready.

Continue reading: Lord of the Rings TV show casts Maxim Baldry for 'significant' role (full post)

Virgin's commercial spaceflight tickets will rise above $250,000 each

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Oct 17, 2019 3:08 AM CDT

So you want to go to space? Well, you will have to save every penny you have got because commercial spaceflight company Virgin Galactic are raising their ticket prices.

Virgin's commercial spaceflight tickets will rise above $250,000 each

Back in 2004, more than 600 space tourists purchased tickets to go to space via Virgin's SpaceShipTwo for $200,000 each. In 2013, the company raised the ticket pricing to $250,000 and now according to Virgin Galactic CEO Georgo Whitesides, space tourists should expect another raise in ticket price before commercial launches expect to begin in 2020.

Due to the many delays of the tourist spaceflight, such as in 2014 Virgin's SpaceShipTwo Unity trial ending in a tragedy that killed one pilot and critically injured another. Virgin has had to continuously delay commercial spaceflights so much that purchasing tourists have been asking the company for refunds on their tickets. Whitesides says that "I think it's going to be a few years" before ticket prices reduce to the expected $60,000 each, but before that happens prices will actually increase due to the company believing they accidentally undervalued initial pricing.

Continue reading: Virgin's commercial spaceflight tickets will rise above $250,000 each (full post)

Product variety causes consumers to discount influencer recommendation

Jak Connor | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 17, 2019 2:02 AM CDT

A new study has been released showing that an increase in product variety can cause consumers to automatically discount an influencers positive recommendation of a certain product, despite its recommended quality.

Product variety causes consumers to discount influencer recommendation

This new research has been published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, and picks apart how recommendations for product quality affect the consumer. According to research, nearly 50% of consumers rely on digital influencers for product recommendations, and furthermore 40% of those consumers make purchases based on their recommendations.

Liao, a professor in the business school at The Chinese University of Hong Kong said "When many types of a product are available, consumers may expect an expert to find a better fit, and this consideration would then reduce consumer expectations of the product quality. As a result, the consumer valuation may decrease, which could lead to a lower profit."

Continue reading: Product variety causes consumers to discount influencer recommendation (full post)