Everyone has a Facebook Messenger 'Dark Mode' toggle option

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 16, 2019 3:00 AM CDT

Facebook has now decided to embrace the want to for a 'dark mode' on Facebook Messenger by rolling out a toggle option to both Android and iOS users.

Everyone has a Facebook Messenger 'Dark Mode' toggle option

Back in early March, we learned of a hidden feature within Facebook's Messenger that allowed users to change the theme of their Messenger app to a 'dark mode'. Users found out that if they messaged themselves or someone else a moon it unlocked the option of adopting a 'dark mode'. Now while that may have seen a very cool little hidden feature, Facebook has now decided to implement the feature into the settings of the Messenger app across iOS and Android.

Users now have the option of selecting their profile picture on Messenger to access your settings, then you will find a toggle option for dark mode on Messenger. Choosing to toggle on dark mode will change the theme of Messenger to a darker theme that will be much easier on the eyes, especially in low lit lighting. The dark mode should also be much easier on the devices battery considering that not as many pixels will require power due to them being off (only on AMOLED displays).

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New LEGO: Star Wars game is in development for Episodes 8/9

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 16, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

It has been revealed that there is a new LEGO: Star Wars in development and it is to be believed that this new game will feature content from the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and its prequels.

New LEGO: Star Wars game is in development for Episodes 8/9

In a recent interview with Matt Wood, who is one of the sound editors and voice actors for a number of Star Wars characters touched on the development of a new LEGO: Star Wars game. Wood discussed the intenseness 2019 has for Star Wars content and begun listing off the different forms of media we will be seeing across the span on the year.

Wood says; "2019 is crazy insane! - There is so many things we are doing right now, we've got Resistance going, Clone Wars going, Mandalorian happening, of course Episode 9 happening, there is a LEGO Star Wars game we are working on." Since the newer movies are yet to join the collection of the LEGO Star Wars games (Star Wars: The Last Jedi & Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), it can be assumed that this new one in development will fix that issue and add some fresh content to the LEGO series.

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Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition on its way, ESRB rated

Jak Connor | Gaming | Apr 16, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

We now have a new tid-bid worth of news regarding Microsoft's Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. The title has received its official rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition on its way, ESRB rated

Visiting the ESRB website, we find a listing for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition that has a summary, rating and platform that it is going to release on. The last time we heard about any news surrounding Age of Empires was the 'exciting announcement' planned for the Inside Xbox livestream. Fans expected Microsoft to discuss when the Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition would be released or even tease some news regarding Age of Empires IV that is currently in the works. Sadly, the Age of Empires segment was pulled from the livestream, more on that here.

Now this isn't an official announcement from Microsoft, but this does confirm that at least Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition does exist, is in development and on its way. We still don't know when Microsoft plan to release the game, but the first Age of Empires: Definitive Edition released back at the beginning of 2018, so I'd expect that we will see the Definitive Edition for the second game sometime before the end of 2019. Since the Age of Empires announcement was pulled from Inside Xbox, Microsoft could be rescheduling the announcement for this years E3, which is planned for June 11th.

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NHK engineers began 8K research all the way back in 1995

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Apr 15, 2019 11:35 PM CDT

The ramp up to 8K is going to really go to the next level in 2020 with Japan hosting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Japanese broadcaster 8K being on the forefront of the future of resolutions.

NHK engineers began 8K research all the way back in 1995

NHK engineers began their journey with 8K all the way back in 1995, with the news being revealed by Senior Producer at NHK, Mika Kanaya. Kanaya talked about the journey up to, and then launching what was the world's first 8K channel. In the video she talks about some of the issues the NHK engineers had to overcome to deliver 8K and how they broke through those challenges, and why 8K is here to stay.

NHK has been blasting out 8K broadcasts since December 2018, and with the 2020 Tokyo Olympis right around the corner they will have all eyes on the company across the world with 8K broadcasts of one of the most-watched events in decades. The current 8K broadcasts are limited, with NHK only broadcasting a couple of shows in 8K, and they're shown multiple times at a single period of the day.

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Huawei enters the ACPC market with Snapdragon-powered PC

Huawei has just announced its new Matebook E 2019, a new 2-in-1 laptop that joins Qualcomm's growing Always Connected PC family of devices.

Huawei enters the ACPC market with Snapdragon-powered PC

Inside, the new Matebook E 2019 packs Qualcomm's own Snapdragon 850 SoC, options for 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and a 128GB or 256GB SSD. You'll get a 12-inch 2560x1440 display that has a kickstand that turns it into a Surface-style device, with an attachable keyboard that will turn it into a laptop for those on-the-go. The big seller here is the up to 20 hours of battery life, something the ACPC is a game changer for, with Huawei using a 36.3 WHr battery.

The big difference with the ACPC (Always Connected PC) part of this is that the Snapdragon 850 chip packs a Snapdragon X20 Category 18 LTE modem that has up to 1.2Gbps down, and up to 150Mbps up. Because it's using a Snapdragon 850 SoC you won't be running normal x86-based software, but a helluva lot of software works on the ARM-based laptop. Firefox has a Snapdragon on Windows specific beta that is much better on the ARM-based processor than the likes of Chrome and Opera, for now.

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Battlefield: Bad Company 3 coming to next-gen consoles

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 15, 2019 9:31 PM CDT

If there was a Battlefield game that I would buy sight unseen it would be Battlefield: Bad Company 3, which is back in the headlines thanks to new rumors of it being built for next-gen consoles.

Battlefield: Bad Company 3 coming to next-gen consoles

The new information is coming from a post on Pastebin from late last year which is coming into the spotlight properly, with an anonymous poster working a a third-party EU-based game developer that says the PS5 will have 24GB GDDR6, launch in 2020 for $499 and of course will be powered by next-gen Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU technology from AMD.

Well, interestingly the poster said that one of the games that will launch on the next-gen Xbox and PS5 consoles is Battlefield: Bad Company 3. The problem is that DICE hasn't treated its fans well over the years with the mess of Battlefield 1, the controversy surrounding Battlefield V (and the fact that not many people play it in comparison to other EA held franchise like Apex Legends with over 50 million players), and who can forget Star Wars Battlefront II's controversy, where it cost up to $2100 to unlock everything in the game.

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Sony paid 'huge money' for GTA 6 and 1-month PS5 exclusivity

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 15, 2019 8:28 PM CDT

I still remember the TweakTown servers crashing multiple times requiring us to upgrade the hardware inside of them when I broke the first big Grand Theft Auto 6 news all the way back in February 2015.

Sony paid 'huge money' for GTA 6 and 1-month PS5 exclusivity

Well when I stumbled upon the Pastebin post about the next-gen PlayStation 5 and its rumored 24GB GDDR6, Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU both based on 7nm from AMD, there was a little news about Grand Theft Auto 6 in there as well. The anonymous posted said that GTA 6 would be launching in holiday 2020 (which starts in November) and that Sony paid "huge money" in order to secure a 1-month PS5 exclusive.

If Sony has indeed paid huge money for a 1-month exclusive of GTA 6 on its next-gen PlayStation 5, that in itself would be absolutely massive from a marketing perspective. Microsoft will surely have its own timed exclusives on its next-gen Xbox console, but if Sony has secured something as big as the next Grand Theft Auto game... well, that would be insane.

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The latest PS5 rumors: 24GB GDDR6, costs $499, drops in 2020

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 15, 2019 7:31 PM CDT

Sony will be ramping up towards the release of its next-gen PlayStation 5 console later this year, where I'm sure Microsoft will steal the show at E3 2019 with its reveal of its next-gen Xbox console, but Sony fans could be in for a real treat according to the latest rumors.

The latest PS5 rumors: 24GB GDDR6, costs $499, drops in 2020

I've previously reported that Sony will have full backwards compatibility with its PS5 allowing for PS1/PS2/PS3/PS4 games to all be played on its next-gen console. I also reported exclusively that Sony was working with RTG engineers at AMD on the next-gen Navi GPU architecture, and we also know that the new PS5 will feature a Zen 2-based CPU with up to 8C/16T of processing power on tap.

Well, according to the latest rumors we have something to be excited for when it comes to specs. The new rumors are from a post on Pastebin from December 2018 that is now getting some attention with a "small third-party developer" from the EU that says for the last 8 months they have been helping a "well known company in a AAA game development" studio that is making a launch title for the PS5 in 2020.

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Great Square Enix RPG Octopath Traveler coming to PC in June

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 15, 2019 7:09 PM CDT

Switch exclusive no more: nearly a year after its release, Octopath Traveler is crossing over to PC.

Great Square Enix RPG Octopath Traveler coming to PC in June

Square Enix has confirmed one of its most popular RPGs, Octopath Traveler, is coming to PC this June. Octopath Traveler is one of the best RPGs in recent memory and stands as a shining example of old-school Square Enix mastery. The turn-based RPG was a classic right out of the gate, sporting amazing SNES-like "HD-2D" visuals infused with an innovative combat system. Armed with a distinct experience that feels both old and new, the game went on to ship over 1 million units worldwide at launch.

Right now Square Enix could use more wins and Octopath Traveler could help a lot. Outside of Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XIV, its games aren't doing all that great. It reported lower-than-expected earnings last quarter, and drastically shrank its dev teams from 11 into 4 cohesive units.

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Respawn dropped new project in favor of Jedi: Fallen Order

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 15, 2019 5:15 PM CDT

As many developers do, Respawn gave up development of a project so they could work on a big licensed IP. It just so happens in Respawn's case the opportunity was for one of the biggest and turbulent franchises in history.

Respawn dropped new project in favor of Jedi: Fallen Order

The history of Star Wars games is paved with cancelled projects, shattered dreams, and untold stories. There's hope left in the universe, though, and Respawn could restore balance to the franchise with its ambitious Jedi: Fallen Order game. To craft the expansive exploration-fueled Jedi power fantasy, Respawn had to focus the entirety of its new action-adventure branch on the project. That meant forestalling development of a game that was already in the works.

Jedi: Fallen Order's development stretches as far back as 2014 when Stig Asmussen joined Respawn. EA approached Respawn that same year about doing a Star Wars game, and Asmussen's team, which is undoubtedly the studio's non-FPS segment, put everything else on hold for Jedi: Fallen Order. Asmussen revealed more details in a recent interview with Press Start:

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