Nintendo Switch hardware specs revealed

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 13, 2017 7:38 AM CST

Nintendo has officially revealed specs and features of its new handheld-console Switch hybrid, delivering some pretty nifty surprises. While most of the specs lined up with what we expected, the Switch's JoyCon controllers are incredibly advanced and hearken back to the Wiimote days of yore. Nintendo clearly outlines each of the Switch's components, pieces, and features--so let's dig in, shall we?

Nintendo Switch hardware specs revealed

Before we jump in, I just want to get this out of the way: Nintendo hasn't said anything about the Switch's internal hardware, so don't expect them to answer the million dollar Tegra question any time soon. In the official Nintendo Switch fact sheet (see below), Nintendo delivers this vague statement: "The Switch uses a custom Tegra processor powered by NVIDIA."

There's no mention of how the Switch handheld's GPU clock might drop to 368MHz while on-the-go, but Nintendo did say that the Switch has varying levels of battery life depending on which game is being played, so that strongly hints at varying/scaled performance across the dual form factors.

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Facebook will eventually read your mind

Anthony Garreffa | Internet & Websites | Jan 13, 2017 3:10 AM CST

Facebook is already creepy, where even just yesterday one of my personal messages sent through Messenger had been flagged as 'malicious content', even though I said 'all of your videos are great' to a YouTuber - but hey, their latest idea on reading your mind should be secure.

During a Q&A session, Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg said: "One day, I believe we'll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You'll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you'd like".

But Business Insider has discovered a few job listings for Facebook's super-secretive 'Building 8' group, which is teased as a project that uses "neuroimaging" and "electrophysiological data" in order to create the "communications platform of the future".

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Chinese giant spending $70 billion on 3 new wafer plants

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Jan 13, 2017 1:21 AM CST

It looks like there is going to be a massive injection of wafer plants in China's near future, with Tsinghua Unigroup to reportedly build IC manufacturing sites in three locations in China: Wuhan, Chengdu and Nanjing.

Tsinghua Unigroup's total investment will hit $70 billion, according to Zhao Weiguo, chairman for the state-backed technology conglomerate, reports DigiTimes. The site continues: "Tsinghua Unigroup is assisting subsidiary Yangtze River Storage Technology to establish a new memory plant in Wuhan (Hebei province). Construction of the plant, which will cover an area of about 13 hectares, kicked off recently".

Yangtze River Storage Tech's new plant has an investment of $24 billion or so, and will be dedicated to making 3D NAND flash products, where it is hoped to hit volume production in 2018. Tsinghua Unigroup is currently breaking ground on two new plants, "one located in Chengu (Sichuan province) and the other in Nanjing (Jiangsu province) - in 2017, Zhao disclosed. Total investment in the two sites is estimated at US$46 billion", said Zhao.

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Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Switch launch game

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 12, 2017 11:10 PM CST

Nintendo has confirmed that Zelda: Breath of the Wild will launch alongside the Switch console.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Switch launch game

The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3, 2017 for $299, and it'll include a rather interesting software library--but the main first-party game that everyone's been waiting for will release right along with it. Link's latest open-world adventure in Hyrule has been delayed many times over, but now it's finally coming out, and it looks incredible.

Keep an eye out for our full analysis of the Nintendo Switch hardware and content lineup tomorrow. I plan to have a fully reaction video where I dissect just how monumental the Nintendo Switch is, and how it's a massive game changer for the industry--and least of all Nintendo.

Continue reading: Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Switch launch game (full post)

New Mario: Odyssey won't be Nintendo Switch launch game

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jan 12, 2017 10:50 PM CST

Nintendo just announced its latest Mario game exclusively for its new Nintendo Switch handheld-console hybrid, but the iconic plumber won't be at the forefront of the company's huge new console release.

New Mario: Odyssey won't be Nintendo Switch launch game

Mario: Odyssey is the Nintendo Switch's newest open-world 3D platformer, but contrary to our original estimates, it won't release alongside the Switch on March 3. Nintendo has said Mario: Odyssey will release Holiday 2017.

The new Mario game features a distinct open-world style and allows gamers to fly in an interesting new airship to visit a bunch of different worlds and regions--many of which are real-world cities, possibly like Los Angeles and New York. This pretty much confirming some of the leaks we've heard. Mario also has a nifty hat that's somewhat like Link's hat in the Minish Cap, and comes alive, allowing Mario to even jump on it to scale huge gaps.

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GDC 2017 survey: PC game development beats all platforms

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jan 12, 2017 9:52 PM CST

GDC 2017 is right around the corner, where AMD should unleash its next-gen Ryzen CPUs - and hopefully show off its Vega graphics cards, but how are the game developers splitting their time on platforms?

According to a GDC 2017 survey, 53% of game developers are making games for PC/Mac - and if we compare it against the two strongest other platforms, we have Xbox One/Xbox Scorpio with 22%, and the PS4/PS4 Pro with 27%. Mobile games are important as well, with 38% of developers working on games for mobile devices, while VR development is strong with 24%.

Interestingly, Nintendo Switch game development isn't so strong right now, with just 3% of developers working on Switch games.

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Fitbit acquires Vector Watch startup

Ben Gourlay | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Jan 12, 2017 9:39 PM CST

It seems that Fitbit is on a buying streak, having previously announced the takeover of Pebble, the company has today announced the acquisition of smartwatch startup Vector Watch, which will further bolster Fitbit's future smartwatch credentials.

Vector Founder and CTO Andrei Pitis told Techcrunch that "the company was acquired for its software platform and design team" and would incorporate their "unique technology and knowhow with Fitbit's experience and global community". However, the purchase won't necessarily mean that its new owners will movie to develop the same high-end luxury watch that Vector is known for.

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Razer's stolen Valerie laptops in China for $22,000

Anthony Garreffa | Laptops | Jan 12, 2017 8:33 PM CST

CES 2017 - Razer's super awesome Project Valerie laptops were stolen during CES 2017 last week, and now they're popped up online - and in mainland China, where you can buy them for a cool $21,733.

The triple-screen prototype gaming laptop was stolen during the show, with Razer founder and cool guy Min-Liang Tan getting angry that someone had stolen what his staff around the world had worked for months on. They were stolen, and are now on sale on Taobao for 150000 Yuan, which converts to around $21,700. It's expensive, and I'm sure if you were to buy it, it would be a scam - but Razer should now be able to track the people who stolen the Project Valerie laptops.

Continue reading: Razer's stolen Valerie laptops in China for $22,000 (full post)

Valve insider says company should give up on Half-Life 3

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jan 12, 2017 7:03 PM CST

Valve created two of the best games of all time with Half-Life, and its sequel, Half-Life 2 - and while we enjoyed Half-Life 2: Episode One and Two, we haven't seen anything new in the Half-Life universe since Episode Two's release in 2007 - nearly 10 years ago.

GameInformer has just sat down with a Valve Insider, saying that Valve had never planned on releasing Half-Life 3, and that there were multiple prototypes created for Half-Life 2: Episode Three. The Valve Insider said: "There is no such thing as Half-Life 3. Valve has never announced a Half-Life 3".

The insider continued crushing my dreams, adding: "The closest they've come is after Half-Life 2, they said there would be three episodes. We only got two of those. That is arguably an unfulfilled promise. Anything else that we might think about as a full game or sequel has never been promised. I only mention that because it's sometimes frustrating when people sort of assume or have wishful thinking about the future".

Continue reading: Valve insider says company should give up on Half-Life 3 (full post)

Tune into the Nintendo Switch presentation right here

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jan 12, 2017 6:10 PM CST

Nintendo will be unveiling their Switch console in just a few hours time, with the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 kicking off at 11PM EST.

The company hasn't said how long the presentation will be, but it will be broadcast live from Tokyo Big Sight, the largest convention center in Japan. It will be broadcast in English, so you won't need to worry about translation or subtitles.

This will be the first time we'll receive specifications on the Nintendo Switch console, as the last time we heard about Switch was during the 3-minute reveal video in October last year. I'll be hosting a FB Live stream of the Nintendo Switch reveal, so be sure to tune into our FB page in a few hours time.

Continue reading: Tune into the Nintendo Switch presentation right here (full post)