Rumor: Sony unlocks PS4's seventh core to boost performance

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 28, 2015 1:30 AM CST

Developers traditionally have limited access to console CPU cores, but as time goes by, console-makers like Sony and Microsoft find ways in opening up their respective systems to aid games development. Reports indicate that Sony has just made development a little bit easier by unlocking access to the PS4's seventh core.

Rumor: Sony unlocks PS4's seventh core to boost performance

The news was first spotted on NeoGAF, where one user spotted something quite interesting in an update changelog for a PS4 Software Development Kit. Check out the snippet below:

Code:Firelight Technologies FMOD Studio API

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Sony is working on a Remote Play app for Windows and OS X

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Nov 27, 2015 8:32 PM CST

If you're not familiar with the Remote Play function on the PS4, it allows you to stream your PS4 games to your PS Vita and Sony's smartphones - a nifty feature.

Sony has confirmed through Twitter that it will be bringing its Remote Play feature to Windows and PC, with the news being confirmed by Sony's President of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida. Yoshida posted to his Twitter page: "Some people asked if we plan to provide Remote Play function to PC, and yes, we are indeed working on an official application for PC/Mac".

This move was likely prompted by the recent news of an unofficial Remote Play app for PC, which was developed by a software modder who charges for the feature. It'll be interesting to see how Sony will set up Remote Play on PC, and whether or not it'll shut down the unofficial version.

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Acer Predator gaming notebooks feature i7-6700HQ, 980M, 4K, G-SYNC

Sean Ridgeley | Laptops | Nov 27, 2015 5:34 PM CST

Acer is launching its Predator 15 and Predator 17 gaming notebooks today.

Acer Predator gaming notebooks feature i7-6700HQ, 980M, 4K, G-SYNC

All models include an Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6GHz CPU, a GeForce GTX 980M, and support for 4K and G-Sync. The key difference between the 15 and 17 is the display: a 15.6'' for the former, and a 17.3'' IPS for the latter. Then there are variations between each on RAM and storage.

Predator 15

Continue reading: Acer Predator gaming notebooks feature i7-6700HQ, 980M, 4K, G-SYNC (full post)

AMD says price drop on their GPUs isn't their doing

Sean Ridgeley | Video Cards & GPUs | Nov 27, 2015 4:59 PM CST

It's been widely reported the past 24 hours about that the R9 Fury X, R9 Fury, R9 Nano, R9 390X, R9 390, R9 380 (2GB and 4GB) video cards received official price drops, but this is not the case.

When asked about it, AMD told us there are "no official price moves on our part" and that it "might be related to the holidays." So there you have it. This means former prices should be restored following the holidays, so if you're on the fence, it's probably better to pull the trigger now.

Continue reading: AMD says price drop on their GPUs isn't their doing (full post)

Make us an awesome TweakTown wallpaper, win a Corsair Hydro H110i GT

Cameron Wilmot | Contests & Giveaways | Nov 27, 2015 3:36 PM CST

It's been almost countless years since we last did this, so let's give it another try! We have a fantastic brand new and unopened Corsair Hydro Series H110i GT water cooler to giveaway to the winner of this contest.

Make us an awesome TweakTown wallpaper, win a Corsair Hydro H110i GT

How do you win? Make us an awesome TweakTown wallpaper. We require the wallpaper to be provided in all popular screen resolutions: 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1360x768, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1536x864, 1600x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 2560x1080, 2560x1440, and 2560x1600. You can submit more than one wallpaper. All entries should be emailed to contests@tweaktown.com.

You are required to use the TweakTown logo (download high resolution version here from Google Drive). We are looking for something modern and stylish, but also unique with your own flare and creativity. The contest runs from now through until December 12, 2015, no entries after this date. The winner will be announced on our Facebook page with the winning wallpaper uploaded for all to see. Anyone in the world can enter, and we will cover the shipping to any country.

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Raspberry Pi Zero sells out in a day

Sean Ridgeley | Computer Systems | Nov 27, 2015 3:26 PM CST

The Raspberry Pi Foundation predicted demand for its new $5 Raspberry Pi Zero computer would "outstrip supply for the next little while", and they were right. Tens of thousands of units were made in preparation for the launch yesterday, and they've already sold out, as have issues of The MagPi (which included one for free).

Liz Upton, Raspberry Pi's head of communications said, "We were amazed at the rush on stores that happened as soon as we announced the release."

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Windows Defender works against Dell adware certificate

Chris Smith | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Nov 27, 2015 2:38 PM CST

While Dell recently admitted that a dangerous vulnerability was pre-installed on their systems, they refused to believe that it was created by them but still pledged to remove it.

In a great move my Microsoft, its Windows Defender security system has now begun locating and removing the certificate itself, as long as you've updated your Windows OS. Discovered by ZDNet in a routine action just this morning, Windows Defender identified a threat named "Win32/CompromisedCert.D" and removed it from the system.

Dell has reportedly started issuing updates to its maintenance utility to also rid this issue for all concerned, but it doesn't hurt to update Windows Defender to be safe.

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Security experts say Australia is a very easy hacker target

Chris Smith | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Nov 27, 2015 12:36 PM CST

"Malicious hackers already know us to be weaker than the rest of the world," the director of Hacklabs, Chris Gatford, told News.com.au in an interview. He believes that without much effort, Australia's water and electricity supply lines could become a complete shambles with a single hacker attack.

Gatford went on to draw the comparison between Australia's national infrastructure and your mothers Microsoft Surface, stating: "It would only take a skilled individual to breach these computer systems, because more often than not they are not patched as frequently as corporate or home systems which have automated updates." While he did comment mainly on security concerns within Australia, Gatford also made mention of other technical mishaps around the world, touching on "historical examples of traffic lights being overtaken, denial-of-service attacks at airports and organisations in Wall Street coming under attack to see its 100 per cent possible."

The whole situation isn't quite as dire as it may initially seem though, the Hacklabs director did reassure us that these necessary utilities would recover quickly from attack, rather than send Australia into a Fallout 4-like existence.

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Microsoft's Nokia 230 is here and it's $55

Chris Smith | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Nov 27, 2015 10:34 AM CST

Released as an ode to keypad phones of old, Microsoft has has announced its new Nokia 230 and 230 Dual Sim mobile phones. Destined for release in December for India, Asia and the Middle East, this phone will cost $55, excluding local taxes.

Microsoft's Nokia 230 is here and it's $55

With the operating system being 'Nokia Series 30+' and the phone brandishing a 2.8-inch QVGA screen running at 240x320 pixels, one of the biggest selling points in this budget mobile is its 2MP selfie camera, matched with a 2MP main camera. Other features include Bluetooth 3.0, up to 32GB of Micro SD expansion, a 1200 mAh battery and a weight of under 100g in total.

Obviously this is no powerhouse phone meant to match the iPhone 6s, but it's certainly a contender in the budget market. Measuring in at only 124.6mm x 53.5mm x 10.9mm this phone would also make for a great emergency backup.

Continue reading: Microsoft's Nokia 230 is here and it's $55 (full post)

Black Friday, $500 off Eurocom laptop with Desktop i7 CPU and GTX 980

Chris Smith | Laptops | Nov 27, 2015 8:32 AM CST

Eurocom are known for producing laptops with crazy specifications and price tags to match, but if you get in quick you might be able to score yourself one for below the market price.

Black Friday, $500 off Eurocom laptop with Desktop i7 CPU and GTX 980

As part of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Eurocom are offering up its Sky X9 'Desktop Laptop' with a $500 discount. The headline of a recently issued press release shows exactly why a computing enthusiast might drool over this model, with it offering a dekstop Intel Skylake CPU, a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 desktop GPU and a smooth 64GB of DDR4 memory.

The Skylake desktop CPU on offer is none other than the Core i7 6700K and it comes paired with two 1Gb LAN ports, a 4K UHD display, USB 3.1, HDMI 2.0 and support for over 5TB of storage, including facilities for RAID, M.2 SSDs, HDDs and normal SSDs alike.

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