TT Show Episode 13 - JerryRigEverything, RTX 4090 sold as AI GPU, OLED burn-in study, and more!
The TT Show is back, and Episode 13 covers a big week of news and fun happenings in the tech, gaming, and science space. This week, Jak and Kosta dive into the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything's lawsuit against a billion-dollar company, how the final batch of GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs in China are being repurposed for AI, and how a new rigorous study into OLED panels is ultimately good news even if the results show that all OLED displays eventually show signs of burn-in.
Oh, and then there's the curious case of Ubisoft's 'technical error' where players saw in-game full-screen pop-up ads while playing Assassin's Creed! The duo also looks at the state of cloud gaming and services like GeForce NOW, which NVIDIA is increasingly pushing to gain a foothold. And with the shift to the cloud and all things digital, there's also a lengthy tangent all about the importance of physical media in an age where content can disappear.
On the fun side, you definitely want to listen or watch the full episode as the final story involves a Meta Quest 3 and "magical pooping." And, as always, a little bit of GrandTheft auto 6 talk. The latest episode of TweakTown's official podcast can be viewed above or listened to on your favorite podcast service around the globe.
Sycom GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master launched: Noctua fans, chunky quad-slot design
Sycom has just launched its new GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master graphics card, the latest member of their Silent Master family of cards... rocking dual Noctua fans and a huge design.
Sycom has already launched its RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti Silent Master graphics cards, with each card featuring an individual cooling design, but they're all using Noctua fans. This means we get a chunky heatsink and dual Noctua fans that make for a huge quad-slot design, but that thermal system is worth it if you want virtually silent operation from the card.
Noctua's own black chromax fans are in play here, with the iconic brown and beige fan design that sits on top of a huge heatsink on the Sycom RTX 4070 Ti Silent Master. Sycom is using the Noctua NF-A12x25 PVM fans with a custom metal frame that was developed by Nagao Seisakusho, with the black frame actually handmade, exclusively designed and manufactured.
Vietnamese traders/scalpers tease 100s of GeForce RTX 4090 cards to sell to China
NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card is one of the hottest products in China right now, if you can get your hands on it, that is, you'll be paying double that price... which is seeing scalpers across the planet capitalize on expensive RTX 4090s being sold in China.
I was tagged once again by leaker I_Leak_VN on X, who pointed me to some pictures they had received from just one of the Vietnamese traders/scalpers that are hoarding GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards to sell to China. You can see in the photos above and below that the reseller has scores of ASUS, GIGABYTE, and ZOTAC custom GeForce RTX 4090 cards.. where there have to be over 100 in these photos alone.
Vietnam is also on the list of banned countries that the Biden administration and US government have been stepping down on, so it's not just China. Scalpers and resellers are always going to take advantage, especially when the price of an RTX 4090 is pushing past $4000 USD in China... it's safe to say things are out of control.
Halo season 2 could win back faithful fans, trailer shows authentic franchise themes
Following strong controversy over season 1, Paramount could redeem its Halo TV series with its upcoming second season.
Halo is returning to Paramount with a second season that debuts on February 8, 2024, the streamer has announced. The first two episodes of Halo S2 will be available on that date, with new episodes releasing every week after the premiere. Paramount has dropped a new 90 second trailer for Halo season 2 that appears to tap into the core themes of the franchise, capturing some impressive shots along the way.
The trailer really underscores the desperation and dimming hope that the human race had to face in Halo's sci-fi universe. The galaxy is on fire, ignited by a bloodthirsty alien zealots who seek to burn whole worlds in a misguided religious crusade. The footage shows planets being glassed by Covenant supercruisers, marines being brutally slashed in the shadows by a lethal elite assassin, and Master Chief going toe-to-toe with a sword-bearing elite in a sequence that can only be described as epic.
Fallout TV show: Cyclops overseer, Dogmeat and Brotherhood of Steel star in first trailer
Amazon has released the first teaser trailer for the Fallout TV show, revealing a strong attention to detail and authentic representation of the post-apocalyptic franchise.
Following the bad reception to Netflix's Resident Evil and Paramount's Halo TV series, fans are optimistic about Prime Video's new Fallout adaptation. The streamer just released an entertaining 2-minute teaser for the Fallout show that touches upon the gritty humor-meets-horror style and themes that the game IP is known for.
The trailer has some welcome surprises, including a look at the Brotherhood of Steel in action, faithful companion Dogmeat alongside a positively ghoulish Walter Goggins, a hilarious cyclops overseer mutant sequence, and a highlight of some of the fiendishly brutal monstrosities that roam irradiated Los Angeles like the fearsome yao guai and what appears to be a horribly mutated axolotl that has fingers inside of its hideous mouth.
Valve's Gabe Newell ordered to make court appearance in Steam antitrust case
Valve boss Gabe Newell has been ordered by a federal judge to physically appear in U.S. district courts in Seattle and answer questions under oath.
Indie developer Wolfire Games has sued Valve (2:21-cv-00563-JCC Wolfire Games LLC et al v. Valve Corporation) for allegedly breaking antitrust law, and Gabe Newell has been ordered to show up in court to deliver deposition in the case.
Newell's legal counsel had previously asked to deliver remote deposition in the case and not have the Valve president show up in court, citing Newell's health concerns regarding possible COVID-19 exposure as the main reason. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour has now weighed in on the decision, ordering (Docket #170) Newell to appear in court because Newell did not provide sufficient evidence that he was of particular risk of serious illness over the general public.
Report: Diablo 4 survey lists $100 expansion price tier
Activision Blizzard King's latest innovation may adapt game release pricing to expansions.
According to new reports from Bellular News, Blizzard has sent out surveys to consumers regarding Diablo 4's expansion pricing schemes. Blizzard appears to be exploring Diablo 4 expansion bundles that include the base DLC alongside digital bonuses like premium currency, mounts, and skins.
The survey, which doesn't confirm or disconfirm what will actually happen, lists four price points for Diablo 4's expansion bundles that offer pieces of all points of monetization and features, whether it be early access and skins or battle passes and digital currency.
Continue reading: Report: Diablo 4 survey lists $100 expansion price tier (full post)
GTA 6 trailer post is the most popular gaming Tweet of all time
Rockstar Games catches the interest of millions of consumers with its mega-popular GTA 6 announcement.
Yesterday, Rockstar Games announced that the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer would drop on Tuesday, December 5 at 9AM EST. In just a day's time, that simple announcement has become the most-liked gaming Tweet of all time, breaking a previous record that was also set by Rockstar.
The GTA 6 trailer announcement has racked up 1.7 million likes on Twitter, and has been viewed by 135 million people. This proves something that most gamers already know: When Rockstar talks about GTA, everyone listens, especially when its GTA 6. Considering the franchise has sold over 410 million copies with GTA V alone shipping 190 million of that total, these numbers are something we should probably expect.
Continue reading: GTA 6 trailer post is the most popular gaming Tweet of all time (full post)
Tesla release Cybertruck bullet proof test video, showcasing a unique level of toughness
Tesla has finally begun to deliver Cybertrucks after the highly anticipated electric vehicle was first unveiled back in 2019.
Tesla conducted its Cybertruck Delivery Event yesterday, and company CEO Elon Musk took to the stage to give the public more details on the design of the Cybertruck and what went into making it become a reality. Musk touched on how Tesla had to create a brand new alloy to accommodate the Cybertruck's ambitious design, and what the company finally landed on was a 1.8mm-thick stainless super alloy that is corrosion-resistant and bullet proof.
During the delivery event, a video was shown to the crowd of Tesla firing a variety of weapons at the side panel of a Cybertruck. The new electric vehicle from Tesla went up against a 9mm Glock, M4 shotgun, and a .45 caliber Tommy Gun. The Cybertruck's exterior was able to stop all of the bullets, with only a single pellet breaking through the steel and cracking the window. However, this pellet didn't go through the other side of the door, unlike "any other truck," which Tesla shows off later in the video.
Intel's next-gen Clearwater Forest Xeon CPU has only E-Cores, but up to 288 cores
Intel's next-gen Xeon, codenamed Clearwater Forest, will feature up to 288 cores with an updated CPU architecture, but those 288 cores will exclusively be E-Cores, not the higher-performance P-Cores that Intel has on its CPUs.
This is according to new leaks on the scene, which tease that Intel's 2nd Gen Xeon CPU family will be based on the E-Core CPU architecture, while the first E-Core-only CPUs are codenamed Sierra Forest, which Intel will release in the 2H of 2024. If Intel stays on track, that means we should expect to see Clearwater Forest CPUs sometime in 2025... but this could slip into 2026 easily.
Intel's new Clearwater Forest architecture will feature an updated version of the Skymont E-Core architecture, which it'll be the 5th Gen E-Core architecture, with Gracemont being the first. Intel's next-gen Gracemont architecture will be launching on the new Meteor Lake CPUs, which will be making their debut on December 14 at Intel's upcoming "AI Everywhere" event.
Xbox exec: 'With AI, anyone can be a game developer'
Xbox gaming CFO Tim Stuart shares how AI could make game development more efficient, but it could also lead to job eliminations in the $185 billion entertainment sector.
A bit ago, Microsoft announced that it was integrating generative AI into its Xbox gaming toolset in an effort to make games more efficient. At a time when the games industry has seen mass layoffs with thousands of people losing work, the news was seen as controversial, with Microsoft claiming that the AI could generate quests, stories and dialog.
Now Xbox gaming CFO Tim Stuart discusses how AI could handle processes like localization, scripting, and dialog sequences via tools that could lead to more game development roles being eliminated through this automation process. Stuart also touches upon how everyday people can become 'citizen creators' through AI, effectively allowing anyone to become a game developer.
Continue reading: Xbox exec: 'With AI, anyone can be a game developer' (full post)