ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition Review

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition Review

The ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC delivers better than GeForce RTX 3080 performance at 1440p, with the bonus of DLSS 3 support and excellent efficiency.

Some Diablo 4 players are convinced there's a secret Cow Level and are trying to find it

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | Jun 30, 2023 3:02 AM CDT

The official word from Blizzard and Diablo franchise general manager Rod Fergusson is that there's no secret Cow Level in Diablo IV. But then again, he would say that, wouldn't he? Ever since players got their hands-on the latest installment in the long-running action RPG, a dedicated part of the community has been actively going through every inch of the game to try and find the secret level.

The secret Cow Level in Diablo II: Resurrected, image credit: IGN.

The secret Cow Level in Diablo II: Resurrected, image credit: IGN.

So far, it hasn't been found. Still, the general idea is that if both Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 had secret Cow Levels (where you fight a horde of armed cows that moo and drop gold and loot), then odds are there is one in Diablo 4, too, primarily when the game draws most of its inspiration from these two entries. There's an entire Wikipedia page on the history of the secret Cow Level, too, if you need to brush up on your bovine lore.

You can also join in on the hunt over at the D4 - Not Finding A Cow Level Discord, though based on Diablo 4's recent sizable patch, the search looks to have hit a roadblock because many were convinced that the Cow Level is tied to the town of Ked Bardu in the Dry Steppes.

Continue reading: Some Diablo 4 players are convinced there's a secret Cow Level and are trying to find it (full post)

Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO

Kosta Andreadis | Gaming | Jun 30, 2023 2:32 AM CDT

Iranian animation studio Kosar3D is pivoting to video games, specifically a militaristic first-person shooter that news outlet RT (Russia Today) calls "Iran's Call of Duty." A bold statement, and the teaser video for Revenge, which is what the game is called, showcases some decent animation and visual fidelity.

Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO

The setting of Revenge deals with an alliance between Iran and Russia against NATO and, by that same token, the US. Kosard3D notes that the game is self-funded and not tied to the Iranian government or military, with the announcement stating that, "In this game, an international UAV force led by Iran has been formed that is responsible for the containment of the US army in World War III."

The RT report adds that Revenge is not about all-out war but "pre-emptive strikes launched on the enemy's soil to thwart the enemy's attacks." With Call of Duty's Modern Warfare entries focusing on the US government and military in conflict with Russia and the Middle East, the narratives often dip their toes into what you'd call pro-US military propaganda - so the comparison makes sense.

Continue reading: Revenge is Iran's take on Call of Duty so of course it's about fighting the US and NATO (full post)

Razer unveils its new Razer Cobra mouse line and the Pro features 11 individual RGB zones

Kosta Andreadis | Peripherals | Jun 30, 2023 12:56 AM CDT

Razer has announced a brand-new gaming mouse line to join the likes of its Viper, DeathAdder, Basilisk, and other products, called Razer Cobra. With two models available, a budget-conscious wired Razer Cobra and the premium wireless Razer Cobra Pro, both feature a right-hand symmetrical design and ultra-lightweight builds with hardware designed for gamers.

The new Razer Cobra Pro delivers quite the light show, image credit: Razer.

The new Razer Cobra Pro delivers quite the light show, image credit: Razer.

Specs-wise, you're looking at Razer's high-end Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor on the Pro, an 8500 DPI Optical Sensor on the non-Pro, and Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3 rated at 90 million clicks for both. The 77-gram Razer Cobra Pro supports Razer HyperSpeed Wireless and also features 11 individually addressable Chroma RGB zones on the underside for a "kaleidoscopic gaming experience." As per the images supplied, we're inclined to agree.

The wired Razer Cobra price point sits at USD 39.99, while the Razer Cobra Pro price point of USD 129.99 is more affordable than the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro (USD 149.99) and Razer Basilisk V3 Pro (USD 159.99).

Continue reading: Razer unveils its new Razer Cobra mouse line and the Pro features 11 individual RGB zones (full post)

Micron announces that its GDDR7 memory for GPUs is on track for the first half of 2024

Kosta Andreadis | RAM | Jun 30, 2023 12:28 AM CDT

During its Q3 2023 Earnings Call, Micron announced that its next generation of memory for GPUs - GDDR7 - is on track for a first-half of 2024 release. "We plan to introduce our next-generation G7 product on our industry-leading 1ß node in the first half of [the] calendar year 2024," Micron writes, though as a financial report, it doesn't delve into specs.

Micron announces that its GDDR7 memory for GPUs is on track for the first half of 2024 01

Based on other sources, it's believed that GDDR7 is in the verification stage of development, so the timeline makes sense. We know what to expect compared to the current GDDR6 and GDDR6X memory on high-end AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. AMD's Radeon RX 7900 Series makes use of 20 Gbps GDDR6, while NVIDIA's high-end GeForce RTX 40 Series cards, like the GeForce RTX 4090, make use of 22.4 Gbps GDDR6X.

And with that, the expectation is that GDDR7 speed will hit 36 Gbps, so on a high-end 384-bit memory bus, you're looking at 1.7TB/s of bandwidth. On a more low-end 128-bit, the 36 Gbps can still deliver an impressive 576 GB/s of bandwidth.

Continue reading: Micron announces that its GDDR7 memory for GPUs is on track for the first half of 2024 (full post)

Sony's PSVR2 headset works on PC but it requires additional hardware

Since Sony announced its PlayStation 5 VR successor, the wider VR community has wondered if the VR headset is PC compatible, officially or unofficially. And it's not hard to see why; it features some truly impressive specs alongside an affordable price point. For USD 549, you get a 4K OLED display with a per-eye resolution of 2000 x 2040 pixels with up to 120 Hz support. Not to mention a wide field-of-view (FOV) of 110 degrees.

Connecting a PSVR 2 headset to PC would be pretty sweet, image credit: Sony.

Connecting a PSVR 2 headset to PC would be pretty sweet, image credit: Sony.

These are tasty VR headset specs no matter how you slice it, and on top of this, you've got full motion controls and inside-out tracking for room-space VR - features not present in the original PSVR hardware.

There's good news and not-so-good news when it comes to connecting a PSVR 2 headset to your PC and firing up Half-Life: Alyx on Steam - yes, the headset works. But it requires the use of special hardware that hasn't even been invented yet.

Continue reading: Sony's PSVR2 headset works on PC but it requires additional hardware (full post)

Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 29, 2023 6:29 PM CDT

Microsoft has tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to bring its billion-dollar franchises over to Game Pass.

Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass 22

Yesterday, we learned that Activision doesn't have a zero tolerance policy on video game subscriptions. Actvision CEO Bobby Kotick testified under oath that publisher could be convinced to bring its games to services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium...provided a high enough "commercial incentive" were offered.

In his testimony, Kotick essentially said that companies like Microsoft and Sony would have to pay an exorbitant fee in order to secure Activision games on these services, especially given the often-cited "cannibalistic effects" of Game Pass (users can choose to subscribe for $10 a month instead of buying a game for $70, potentially leaving lots of money on the table).

Continue reading: Microsoft tried, and failed, to persuade Activision to put games on Game Pass (full post)

Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 29, 2023 3:50 PM CDT

Minecraft is much, much more popular on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation than it is on Xbox...and rightly so given the sales differences between these platforms.

Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox 1

Microsoft has already confirmed that Minecraft is Xbox's largest game in terms of revenues, and that it delivers significant profits. What's interesting is how much revenue the game actually makes, and where it actually makes those earnings. While we don't know exact dollar values to Minecraft's mega-hit success, we do know that the game earns a lot more money on practically every platform other than Xbox.

In his testimony in the FTC v Microsoft federal case, Xbox gaming Chief Financial Officer Tim Stuart sheds light on Minecraft's success. In Fiscal Year 2021, Minecraft made 4x more revenue on the Nintendo Switch than it does Xbox. The game also made 2x as much revenue on PlayStation than it did on Xbox.

Continue reading: Minecraft makes 4x more revenue on Switch than Xbox (full post)

ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 29, 2023 3:15 PM CDT

The ZeniMax acquisition, aka Project Atom, used a specific sliding-scale model to assess the possible risks and downsides of making ZeniMax titles exclusive to the Xbox platform.

ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity 2

Exclusivity is a hot topic in the games industry. On one hand, Sony has used exclusivity as a means to pay developers to skip Xbox, which makes Sony, in the words of Phil Spencer, a "hostile and aggressive competitor". On the other hand, exclusives are advantageous to developers and also offer a way for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo stand apart. Because they're such powerful tools for platforms and developers, exclusives are a big part of the industry and aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

In regards to ZeniMax and Bethesda game exclusivity, today's testimony in the FTC v Microsoft case highlights what that decision-making process was like inside of Xbox. Testimony revealed that all future ZeniMax games, including sequels and new IPs, appear to be exclusive to Xbox. But how did Microsoft come to that decision?

Continue reading: ZeniMax buyout used a sliding scale Neutrino Model to determine effects of platform exclusivity (full post)

Intel might be making Meteor Lake desktop CPUs after all

Darren Allan | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Jun 29, 2023 1:55 PM CDT

There's been another development in the ongoing controversy over whether Intel will have Meteor Lake desktop CPUs coming out.

Meteor Lake desktop rumors have been something of a rollercoaster to say the least (Image Credit: Intel)

Meteor Lake desktop rumors have been something of a rollercoaster to say the least (Image Credit: Intel)

In recent times, the rumor mill has indicated a pretty firm 'no' on this issue, and that Meteor Lake will be for laptops only, with Raptor Lake Refresh covering the bases for the desktop side of Intel's next-gen processors.

However, Phoronix.com (via Tom's Hardware) has spotted that Intel's engineers are still putting Meteor Lake-S (desktop) code in the Linux kernel.

Continue reading: Intel might be making Meteor Lake desktop CPUs after all (full post)

All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 29, 2023 12:35 PM CDT

New testimony in the FTC v Microsoft case reveals that all future ZeniMax games may be made exclusive to the Xbox platform.

All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive 2

Today is the last day in the FTC v Microsoft evidentiary hearing case, and we're already hearing some bombshell reveals. According to emails presented in the hearing between Xbox's GLT (Gaming Leadership Team), it appears that all future ZeniMax titles will be made exclusive to Xbox. This would include all new and future titles from operational units like Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online, and apply to games like Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls VI, new Doom games, the upcoming Indiana Jones game, and much more.

During Stuart's witness examination by the FTC, Commission lawyer James Weingarten dissected key parts of the ZeniMax acquisition (codenamed Atom). Weingarten chronicled a series of email chains that included Jamie Lawver, who oversaw the $7.5 billion ZeniMax integration into Xbox's first-party studios division, Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios.

Continue reading: All future ZeniMax and Bethesda games may be Xbox exclusive (full post)

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