Dark Souls III has a beautifully dramatic opening cinematic

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 12:55 PM CST

The opening cinematic for Dark Souls III is quite stunning, and you can view it right below. The cinematic style is on par with some very good movies even.

The three-minute intro very succinctly introduces us to the storyline that we'll be following in the very dark and despondent land of Lothric. It's actually quite well constructed and the narrative seems to fulfill the expectations we have for the series. In the trailer you'll see Yhorm the Giant, Farron's Undead Legions, Aldrich Saint of the Deep and even the reclusive Lord of the Profaned Capitol.

Merely watching the trailer brings back memories of the challenges from the first two. Dark Souls III will arrive on April 12th on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC through Steam.

Continue reading: Dark Souls III has a beautifully dramatic opening cinematic (full post)

Google might be planning on launching new VR headset later this year

Google could be on the verge of launching another VR headset sometime later this year. The Financial Times is reporting that Google's Cardboard venture was so incredibly successful that they may be looking to compete in the more expensive tiers of VR, going toe to toe with the likes of Gear VR.

The new device will have integrated sensors that improve the accuracy and speed of position tracking. Much like Gear VR it'll have actual lenses integrated to improve the viewing experience. Crucially, this device, according to the Financial Times, should be compatible with a wider variety of devices, and not limited to Samsung's Galaxy series.

Google recognizes the importance of virtual reality and the potential it holds. Just last month Clay Bavor, the new head of Google Cardboard told Time magazine just that, saying in an interview that "VR is too important and too powerful a medium to be accessible to only a few."

Continue reading: Google might be planning on launching new VR headset later this year (full post)

MSI launches GT72S G Tobii gaming laptop with eye-tracking, GTX 980M

Derek Strickland | Laptops | Feb 8, 2016 11:25 AM CST

MSI has just launched its sleek, eye-tracking portable powerhouse GT72S G Tobii laptop, ushering in a new age of innovation to the world of performance mobile gaming.

MSI launches GT72S G Tobii gaming laptop with eye-tracking, GTX 980M

Not content with just packing in insane high-performance gaming hardware into a portable laptop, MSI went a step further by including Tobii eye-tracking for a new dimension of interactivity. The laptop's Tobii eye-tracking technology has a wealth of practical applications for gaming, letting users switch targets, select objects, and even pause the game with the blink of an eye. The onboard tracking tech is currently supported by games like Arma III, Assassin's Creed; Syndicate, Elite Dangerous, and more.

"The GT72S G Tobii adds another dimension to gaming and provides a level of interaction and immersion never experienced before," says Andy Tung, MSI company president. "Our eyes will no longer be passive players, they will now direct, command and transport us into the future of PC gaming."

Continue reading: MSI launches GT72S G Tobii gaming laptop with eye-tracking, GTX 980M (full post)

MIT chip promises to bring neural-networks to your mobile phone

Jeff Williams | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Feb 8, 2016 11:01 AM CST

Deep neural-networks require a tremendous amount of power to actually be as effective as the human brain. Sure your Tesla Model S might ave a small DNN powered by NVIDIA inside, but it isn't nearly complex enough to to provide a full true-to-life aritifical intelligence experience. New breakthroughs from MIT might be able to provide full-on human-brain inspired AI experience on your phone.

Researchers at MIT presented a new chip mobile chip that's designed specifically for neural networks and it happens to be 10 times more efficient than any mobile GPU currently in production. They're calling it the "Eyeriss" and the researchers are hoping that it can potentially change small-device computing. Just imagine having Siri or Cortana being that much more useful because they've got the processing power local to them.

And beyond that this innovation could help to further develop the idea of the Internet of Things, where powerful AI programs can communicate with other devices and coordinate tasks to get things done nearly invisible to the user. The possiblities are endless with the way that individual small-machines needn't be connected to the Internet itself for the compute power itself, but instead merely for communication.

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PSA: Going to see Deadpool on Friday? Stay for the post-credits scene

Jeff Williams | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 8, 2016 10:02 AM CST

It seems that it's almost tradition for Marvel movies to include a post-credits reveal or sneak-peak into the next installment that they're working on. And Deadpool is definitely no exception in this regard. The co-creator of Deadpool, Rob Liefeld, wants everyone to know to stay until after the credits to enjoy something special.

To add a little excitement, the co-writer of the movie, Rhett Reese confirmed that this new after-credits bonanza was something that's been added just before it hits theaters, so not even the reviewers have seen what this is. Could this be a tie-in preview to a new Deadpool movie? Perhaps a jumping off point for the character Cable as well.

The mystery is intriguing and we're almost certain that staying for the teaser should be worth it, especially for fans of all things Marvel.

Continue reading: PSA: Going to see Deadpool on Friday? Stay for the post-credits scene (full post)

Red Dead Redemption backwards compatibility done in error, removed

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 9:02 AM CST

It seems that the excitement was a bit preemptive. Microsoft has removed the ability to download and play Red Dead Redemption from the Xbox store, saying that they were made available by some sort of error.

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb did take to Reddit to explain that RDR is currently in a testing phase, though that along with a few other games, they were accidentally made public. "Due to an error, some of the games currently in test were accidentally made available. We have since removed access to those games, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We will have more information on upcoming releases soon."

The good news is that we'll eventually be seeing it be available, though it's not quite clear when. The original story is still posted below for your convenience.

Continue reading: Red Dead Redemption backwards compatibility done in error, removed (full post)

New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 8:34 AM CST

As an avid Fallout 4 PC player, my appetite for mods is quite voracious; I'm always eager to try on the newest arsenal of weapons and armor, and revel in new content. So naturally when I saw ex-Vault Dwellers can now dress up as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3, I instantly smashed the download link.

New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 crossover Fallout 4 mod adds two different outfits from Geralt's sleek witcher wardrobe: the infamous battle dress seen in the game's promos, and his casual garb. Ren, the mod's creator, actually uses CD Projekt RED's own authentic models and textures from The Witcher 3.

Sadly, Geralt's infamous monster-slaying twin-blades aren't included in the mod, but we do get to use his crossbow. Before you get too excited, the crossbow doesn't shoot bolts, and instead acts like a pipe pistol when fired.

Continue reading: New Fallout 4 mod lets you play as Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher 3 (full post)

Titanfall 2 getting a grounded, dirty and human single-player campaign

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 7:31 AM CST

The lead writer for Titanfall 2, Jesse Stern, revealed quite a few telling and potentially positive details about the upcoming game in an interview he recently had with Forbes.

One of the positives, Stern explained, is the inclusion of a single-player campaign, an often criticized element that was missing in the first game. Furthermore, Stern wants it to be a more realistic story, something that builds upon the already good mythos that was little used in the first. He says it'll be "grounded, dirty, human and real."

Stern explained what's influencing their narrative direction. "What inspires us is the junction of technological advancement with the inevitability of conflict and war and what the next war might look like. In Titanfall 2 there will be a lot of [scenes] where science meets magic, but keeping it grounded and dirty and human and real."

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The Division on PC is held back, as it would be 'unfair' to consoles

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 8, 2016 4:09 AM CST

Back in 2013, we wrote a story about The Division developer Massive Entertainment saying that their Snowdrop Engine-powered game would stand out on the PC, and "won't be a port". Yeah, well, how times have changed.

Now we have a story with an unnamed developer saying that the cross-platform development on the game did have an effect on the PC version of The Division. The developer said that the Snowdrop Engine has "a lot of potential", to which he was asked if they were ever restricted with how far they could push the game because of the differing platforms between consoles and the PC.

The unnamed Ubisoft developer said: "It is definitely a [factor]. But one good thing about The Division is that we've always considered PC as a separate platform. I've worked on projects before where the PC version's a port from a console, so it carries those limitations over, but we've always been in the mind that we'll have a dedicated PC build, so it hasn't really held it back too much".

Continue reading: The Division on PC is held back, as it would be 'unfair' to consoles (full post)

Take to the campaign trail with The Political Machine 2016

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 6, 2016 7:03 AM CST

The Political Machine 2016, from Stardock, gives you the chance to play as nearly a dozen different candidates, including such favorites as Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and of course quite a few others. If that doesn't quite float your boat, then you can also choose to create your own custom candidate, with all your own custom avatar and background information.

"The game deals with topics like the Keystone XL Pipeline, human trafficking, and other issues that are current and relevant to this year's election," said producer Patrick Shaw. "We've added a poll tracking feature so that you can see how your own political races are matching up to what's going on in the United States right now."

You'll also get the opportunity to be interviewed on various talk shows to raise their ratings in the polls. Torrid affairs, natural disasters, email scandals, and other random events will keep you guessing, and you better be ready to deal with all those unexpected problems. So do you think you're ready to try to become the President of the US? What a fantastic time to release a game that lets you explore the depths of the political system.

Continue reading: Take to the campaign trail with The Political Machine 2016 (full post)