Intel increases 14nm production in its fight with AMD Ryzen

Anthony Garreffa | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Sep 24, 2018 10:49 PM CDT

Intel must be in full panic mode with all-systems-go right now, first their 10nm node production is in shambles - expected in 2015, delayed through to late-2019, their CEO recently left in a tornado of drama, and AMD has been kicking their ass up and down the street with Ryzen, Threadripper, and EPYC.

Intel increases 14nm production in its fight with AMD Ryzen

This doesn't mean that Intel's current flock of 14nm++ CPUs are not in high demand, because they are - so much so that Intel is having to ramp up 14nm production just to keep up. Furthermore, Intel is having to do this because the new 9000-series led by the flagship Core i9-9900K are right around the corner, so Intel is ramping production of its 14nm CPUs at their new facility in Vietnam.

Intel is expected to unveil their new Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and Core i5-9600K (as well as others) next month. The company has said: "In order to ensure a continuous supply of the Intel Processors listed in the "Products Affected" Table below, Intel will be adding an additional manufacturing site for Test/Finished Goods. The new site is located in Vietnam. The new manufacturing site has been certified equivalent (form, fit, function, and reliability) for the affected products and technologies of this change".

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AMD rumored to be preparing Polaris 30 on 12nm tech: RX 680?

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Sep 24, 2018 9:04 PM CDT

AMD refreshed the Polaris 10 GPU a couple of months ago when we exclusively revealed the Radeon RX 500X series was going out to OEMs with the Polaris 20 GPU inside, but now there's rumors that AMD will refresh the refresh with the purported Polaris 30.

AMD rumored to be preparing Polaris 30 on 12nm tech: RX 680?

The rumors have started on Chiphell and we haven't confirmed them with any AMD sources, but Polaris 30 will reportedly be made on the 12nm process compared to the 14nm node that AMD used on the Polaris 10/20 and Vega 10 GPUs. The rumors are hot, stating that AMD could launch the 'new' Polaris 30-based graphics cards as soon as next month, ahead of the new Vega 20 GPUs made on 7nm.

We are being told to expect a 15% performance improvement over the RX 500 series, which should be enough to get the purported Radeon RX 680 (that's what I'll call it for now) to be getting close to GeForce GTX 1070 Ti and GTX 1080 performance. Hell, it'll start competing with the Radeon RX Vega 56 and 64 at that point, which won't be good for AMD unless Vega is discontinued - which it should be at this stage.

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Two amazing Castlevania classics coming to PS4

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 7:32 PM CDT

After months of strange decisions, Konami might actually be coming around after all...

Two amazing Castlevania classics coming to PS4

Konami may be bringing two of the best non-Nintendo Castlevania games ever made to the PS4. I'm talking about the PS1 classic Symphony of the Night and Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, the latter of which was only originally available on the PC Engine CD. The ESRB has rated both games, strongly hinting at an upcoming release on the PlayStation Network or perhaps as a boxed bundle.

Both games are actually somewhat hard to get outside of their original platforms. Symphony of the Night exists on PS1, Xbox 360, and the PS Portable version of Dracula X Chronicles. Thankfully Konami has ported Rondo of Blood to the Wii U as a Virtual Console game--I still haven't beaten Dracula!--and there's the Sega Saturn and aforementioned Dracula X Chronicles.

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Witcher TV show's screenplay is finished

Derek Strickland | Celebrities & Entertainment | Sep 24, 2018 6:39 PM CDT

The screenplay for Geralt's first adventure on the small screen has been penned and finalized, show writer Lauren S. Hissrich today confirmed.

Witcher TV show's screenplay is finished

Netflix's new live-action Witcher TV series, which stars Superman's Henry Cavill as The Butcher of Blaviken, is coming together nicely for its 2019 release. The screenplay and script for the 8-episode season has been wrapped up (the finale was finished today) by writer Lauren S. Hissrich, who took a leave from Twitter to double-down on the work.

The series will stay true to Andrzej Sapkowski's original vision in The Witcher books, and I'm curious what he thinks of the script. Sapkowski will help with the show itself, but his official capacity may be advisory and help guide the show's darkly medieval focus.

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Red Dead Redemption 2's horses are dynamic and realistic

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 5:49 PM CDT

Rockstar's big new Western game puts strong emphasis on player-driven choice and a world that reacts to said choices, and horses will be a big slice of that experience.

Red Dead Redemption 2's horses are dynamic and realistic

Constantly fleeing from lawmen into the wild frontiers of the old West and leaving a bloody trail, the Dutch Van Der Linde gang know the value of a steed. It's a beast of burden, a quick way to catch or escape, a companion, and even a commodity all-in-one. Your horse--and how you treat it--will be a big part of Red Dead Redemption 2's hyper-realistic immersion.

Everything you do (or don't do) while caring for your horse can change the game. Keeping your outlaw-to-horse relationship healthy is quite important, and typically translates to hunting to sell pelts, buying goods from stores, and taking the time to actually care for your stallion. Feed your trusty mount and it'll respond in kind by offering speed boosts; groom it and it'll raise its disposition towards you and get extra perks and bonuses. This sentiment isn't just for horses, though, and extends to the entirety of the game: take care of your camp by feeding them often and spirits remain high, don't wreak havoc in a town and the law won't come after you, etc.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 has players surviving off the land

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 4:53 PM CDT

As a visceral tale of murder, robbery and savagery, Red Dead Redemption 2's survival mechanics will have players hunting game and fishing to survive in a realistic way.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has players surviving off the land

Red Dead Redemption 2 centers around a gang of outlaws who are being chased across the 1899 old West frontier. Not only do they have to cheat and steal, they have to hunt and kill to survive out in the inhospitable wilderness. A man's gotta eat, after all, and the game's protagonist Arthur Morgan actually needs to eat everyday. No matter where you are--in the arid scrublands or the frosty hinterlands--you'll need to regularly hunt and skin animals for their meat, pelts, and parts, all of which are used for a specific purpose in the game.

Rockstar isn't afraid of a little blood, though, and gathering meat will be a huge part of the game. Hunting is quite realistically dynamic and layered in RDR2. Hunting with a gun can actually lower the quality of the meat and reduce how much you get, for example, but a bow offers a cleaner kill. Animals can also smell Arthur, so masking your scent is important. Everything attained from a hunt can be used in some way to fuel your progress, whether it's selling pelts to a trapper or general store, keeping your gang well-fed, or using parts as resources for crafting.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Pro bundle announced

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 4:09 PM CDT

Rockstar and Sony have teamed up to offer a PS4 Pro bundle that comes with a physical copy of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red Dead Redemption 2 PS4 Pro bundle announced

The new bundle isn't a special edition so don't expect any Western-style gold bar finish or inlaid shooting irons on the console, but what's surprising is its cost: it actually retails for the PS4 Pro's base MSRP of $399. So you effectively get RDR2 for "free". Another surprise is that it comes with physical media, especially since Take-Two has been pushing digital so much. It's definitely a nice touch and I hope the 1899 Western shooter comes with an expansive map.

Sadly the base PS4 model won't have any such bundle. But this makes a lot of sense considering Red Dead Redemption 2 was built from the ground up to harness every bit of the PS4 Pro's enhanced power and deliver dynamically-scaled 4K HDR gaming. Rockstar has confirmed it won't run at 60FPS on consoles, though, instead targeting 30FPS (which is par for the course for open world games). Sure RDR2 will play on an older PS4 model, but it'll play and look best on a PS4 Pro (and an Xbox One X).

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Jump Force Collectors Edition costs $260, pre-order bonuses

Jak Connor | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Jump Force, the upcoming anime fighter from Bandai Namco has had its collectors edition and pre-order bonuses revealed. Will you be paying $260 for a 30cm tall diorama?

Jump Force Collectors Edition costs $260, pre-order bonuses

From the released images we can see that Bandai will be bringing players that pre-order Jump Force three exclusive in-game costumes. The three costumes will be from the three biggest anime franchises, One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto. Players will also get a Frieza Hover Pod which can be used to cruise around in the lobby.

For players that want to step it up a notch there is the collectors edition. Users that get the collectors edition will have to throw down a total of $260, they will receive a 30cm tall diorama of Goku, Luffy and Naruto. Players will also get a physical copy of the game, a steel book case and three art boards that feature Goku, Luffy and Naruto. Jump Force is planned for release on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC sometime in February 2019. If you are interested in picking up either the Collectors Edition or just a standard pre-order, visit the Amazon listing here.

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Square Enix showcase 10 minutes of LEFT ALIVE gameplay

Jak Connor | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 5:00 AM CDT

During the Tokyo Game Show 2018, Square Enix has showcased a gameplay video of their upcoming third-person mech fighting title Left Alive. A 10 minute video has been release.

Square Enix showcase 10 minutes of LEFT ALIVE gameplay

At the Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix showcased to participates Left Alive, the above video has been taken fromn the livestream so unfortunately it is quite low quality. Regardless of the quality we can see some very cool mechanics mixed with some cutescenes, the video goes for about 10 minutes and the mech combat begins at exactly 3:20.

Toshifumi Nabeshima from Armored Core, Yoji Shinkawa from Metal Gear Solid and Takayuki Yanase from Ghost in the Shell are developing Left Alive. At the moment the title has its planned release window for February 2019. For further information regarding the title, visit the official website here.

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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Gameplay, Corrupted Monk Boss

Jak Connor | Gaming | Sep 24, 2018 4:00 AM CDT

A brand new gameplay video released in a new episode of the PlayStation Underground has revealed a boss in FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, introducing the Corrupted Monk and her extremely fluid animations.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Gameplay, Corrupted Monk Boss

Before we get to the Currupted Monk Boss battle, the gameplay video begins with us diving into some common enemy killing, we are subjected to a great deal of carnage as we learn that players will have to utilize attachments to the protagonists prosthetic arm. An example of this would be players changing to the axe to deal with enemies that have a shield, as they are weak to the axe modification.

Once we are introduced to the Corrupted Monk and immediately we can see that this boss has extremely fluid and graceful animations. I completely agree with the commentators of the video, FromSoftware has done a fantastic job with this bosses animations, it is almost as if the monk is dancing with the player. Future players may want to take note that this boss has a second phase that makes her intangible and un-focusable. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be arriving on PS4 on the 22nd of March, 2019. If you are interested in more information regarding Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, visit the official PlayStaion listing here.

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