Facebook testing new video features

Sean Ridgeley | Internet & Websites | Oct 13, 2015 12:35 PM CDT

Facebook is currently working on four new video related functions, each of which is highly practical.

First up is suggested videos, which would help you find other videos to watch after you start watching a video from your Feed. This feature is available now on most iPhones around the world, and to some web users. Android users will see it within a few months.

Next is multitasking while watching videos. Facebook is now testing the ability to watch a video in a floating screen while you continue to use the site, which sounds much like what we see with Chromecast and YouTube.

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Transition between zones 'is seamless' in The Division

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 13, 2015 4:31 AM CDT

In the latest piece on The Division, Community Developer on the game Hamish Bode talked with lazygamer at rAge. Bode had some interesting things to talk about, saying that The Division won't just be an online game but an awesome solo experience, too.

Transition between zones 'is seamless' in The Division

Bode said that The Division will also have gamers being able to multitask in order to get through the game on their own, where gamers can use different ways to get through their objectives. Bode said: "For example: I could specialize in a more long-range approach and you could be more up close [if playing together]. You'd have to be a little more multitasking if you were alone, or just try what works. That's what's interesting about the beta - people are going to find all sorts of ways that work for them".

Better yet, Bode said that The Division is mostly a seamless experience between 'zones'. These zones, including the awesome-sounding Dark Zone, are completely seamless to load into. Bode said: "It is seamless. For example, the Dark Zone. You don't load into it, you just jump the wall and you're in. And sometimes [players] are going to do this accidentally. And it's not always just walls - there are different types of entries and exits [to different zones]. And some only act as entries. So if [players] aren't sure, maybe don't jump".

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NVIDIA rumored to use GDDR5X on next-gen Pascal-based GPUs

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Oct 13, 2015 2:56 AM CDT

We heard rumors not too long ago that NVIDIA was internally testing its new Pascal architecture, but this news is even more exciting. Rumor has it NVIDIA has been testing not only the high-end GP100 card, but the GP104.

Some of you might know the nomenclature NVIDIA uses for its GPUs, with the current GM204 GPU powering the GTX 980 and GTX 970 while the GM200 powers the GTX Titan X and GTX 980 Ti. The GP100 GPU will be the monster GPU that will power a new super-enthusiast and professional-orientated card, such as a new Titan X and Tesla/Quadro range, while the GP104 will most likely find its way into a new consumer GeForce product. We don't want to say the GTX 1080, as we really think NVIDIA will change gears with a next-gen product and shift around the product naming.

The latest rumor is that there will be a successor to GDDR5 called GDDR5X, and it will debut with NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce product. GDDR5X will reportedly keep the same 256-bit memory interface we have on the current GTX 980 while ramping up the memory bandwidth to 448GB/sec - higher than the best AMD cards, save the Fiji-based HBM-powered cards. HBM2 is still obviously on the cards, and will include a 4096-bit memory bus at 1GHz with memory bandwidth hovering at 1TB/sec.

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Halo 5 requires 60GB of HDD space on Xbox One

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 13, 2015 2:30 AM CDT

Now that Halo 5: Guardians has gone gold, some keen-eyed gamers have spotted it in the wild. The packaging has revealed that gamers are going to need "up to 60GB" of HDD space to play Halo 5 on their Xbox One.

It looks like these images and details arrived from retail copies, most likely leaked from retailers somewhere in the world. The new images show us that Halo 5 is rated 'T-for-Teen', and that it has a one-player limit for local play. Halo 5: Guardians is different to previous games in the series, as it doesn't have local split-screen support. Halo 5: Guardians does include online cooperative play for up to four players, and includes a new 24-player Warzone game mode.

Halo 5 launches exclusive to the Xbox One on October 27.

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Check out this awesome 'Back to the Future' vinyl box set

Anthony Garreffa | Audio, Sound & Speakers | Oct 12, 2015 10:29 PM CDT

Memorabilia masters Mondo have put together quite the early Christmas present, slapping the entire score from the 'Back to the Future' trilogy onto an awesome-looking vinyl set.

You can grab each movie individually as a two-record set for $35 each, or the entire vinyl kit for $105. The individual album versions include artwork by Matt Taylor, who was responsible for the screen-print Back to the Future posters for Mondo while the box set artwork and design was done by DKNG Studios.

If you buy the kit, you'll get it in an awesome radioactive box, the same box that Doc had in the first movie. The album art itself looks incredible, with any 'Back to the Future' fan set to jump at the chance to secure themselves this beautiful kit.

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DICE adds three new modes, $50 season pass to Star Wars Battlefront

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 12, 2015 6:31 PM CDT

The Star Wars Battlefront open beta is nearly wrapped up, with DICE announcing that the first-person shooter will receive four post-release expansion packs, which is all part of the $50 season pass. Considering DICE said there would be no microtransactions, this is quite the fork in the road.

These expansions haven't been detailed, nor do we have a release window, but EA teases that they will be "filled with new content". EA is giving season pass holders a couple of reasons to plonk down $50, where Star Wars Battlefront gamers can enjoy a two-week early access to the expansion packs, and an exclusive "Shoot First" emote.

The season pass to Star Wars Battlefront is nothing new for EA, with the company really driving the post-release content home with their Battlefield franchise. This means if you buy Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition, and the $50 season pass, you'll be paying a total of $119.98.

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Star Citizen gets free two week trial, here's how to get in

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 12, 2015 1:15 PM CDT

Roberts Space Industries has opened a free trial of Star Citizen's Arena Commander module, letting would-be space pilots test their mettle with intergalactic dogfighting and simulations for a full two weeks.

Now the devs originally opened up the free trial for those who watched CitizenCon 2015, but we have you covered even if you weren't able to check out the livestream. Simply enlist and sign-up here, and then enter CITCONFLIGHT2K15 in this field here.

Test pilots will have access to a slew of ships to choose from, and will get a good feel of the game's free-roaming and ship-to-ship combat. The Star Citizen trial will last up until October 25, so if you sign up now you'll get almost two weeks of free play.

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London police finally halt round-the-clock watch on Julian Assange

Derek Strickland | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 12, 2015 10:47 AM CDT

After spending 9 million GBP on three years' worth of constant guard, the London Metro Police have finally stepped away from their 24/7 surveillance over the Ecuadoarian embassy that houses Julian Assange.

London police finally halt round-the-clock watch on Julian Assange

For the past three years now the London Metropolitan Police Service has stood like sentinals outside of the Ecuadorian embassy in round-the-clock guard posts. The world watched on as the controversial figurehead Julian Assange faced his opressors through the safe harbor of the embassy. The polic guard have strict orders to arrest the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on sight if he should step outside of the safe harbor of the embassy, but for the past three years, Assange has stayed safely ensconced in the building like a hostage.

This endeavor has cost nearly 10 million GBP across three years time, and now the police force has finally called it quits. "Whilst the MPS remains committed to executing the arrest warrant and presenting Julian Assange before the court, it is only right that the policing operation to achieve this is continually reviewed against the diplomatic and legal efforts to resolve the situation," reads an official announcement from the London Metro Police. "As a result of this continual review the MPS has today Monday, 12 October withdrawn the physical presence of officers from outside the Embassy."

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Master Chief goes rogue in the Halo 5: Guardians launch trailer

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 12, 2015 8:25 AM CDT

343 Industries has just released the official launch trailer for Halo 5: Guardians, giving a tease at the events that made Master Chief go rogue and trigger an intergalactic manhunt.

Master Chief goes rogue in the Halo 5: Guardians launch trailer

The footage is a delicious mix of in-game action and cinematic flair, giving viewers a satisfying look at the new Spartan abilities like the devastating ground slam, as well as setting the somber tone of the campaign. The montage has it all--first-person chaos in a battlefield of Covenant baddies, vehicular insanity with explosive Scorpion tanks, new weapons being teased, and a glimpse at the high-tech Promethean overlords that look as deadly as they do stylish.

Sadly we don't get to see Blue Team in action very often in the trailer. It's most Locke's new Fireteam Osiris ripping and shredding through snowy precipices, skillfully gunning down baddies like a hot knife slides through butter. As an avid fan of the Halo books I'm more interested in sticking with the classic Spartan II's, but the trailer does allude to the exact cause of Master Chief's disappearance, hinting at a mysterious mission with the rest of Blue Team.

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Dell buys IT firm EMC for $67 billion in largest tech deal in history

Derek Strickland | Business, Financial & Legal | Oct 12, 2015 7:55 AM CDT

Dell has just completed the single most substantial acquisition in the history of technology, paying a whopping $67 billion for EMC Corporation, one of the biggest names in data management.

Bringing EMC into the fold is extremely advantageous for Dell, who plans to bolster its data computing sector with EMC's valuable expertise in services like cloud management, enterprise-grade backup, recovery and archiving, and data virtualization. EMC powers a huge portion of the world's business data management, with companies across the globe utilizing its wide array of services to encrypt, analyze and interpret massive data streams across a wide variety of platforms.

"The combination of Dell and EMC creates an enterprise solutions powerhouse bringing our customers industry leading innovation across their entire technology environment. Our new company will be exceptionally well-positioned for growth in the most strategic areas of next generation IT including digital transformation, software-defined data center, converged infrastructure, hybrid cloud, mobile and security," said Michael Dell. "Our investments in R&D and innovation along with our privately-controlled structure will give us unmatched scale, strength and flexibility, deepening our relationships with customers of all sizes. I am incredibly excited to partner with the EMC, VMware, Pivotal, VCE, RSA and Virtustream teams and am personally committed to the success of our new company, our customers and partners."

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