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CD Projekt RED is linking Witcher 3 with Netflix TV series

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 10, 2021 1:27 PM CDT

CD Projekt RED plans to tie The Witcher 3 next-gen edition with the Netflix TV series.

CD Projekt RED is linking Witcher 3 with Netflix TV series

During WitcherCon, CD Projekt confirmed the new next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will have items and content from the Netflix series. The devs specifically mentioned armor, although none was shown, we should expect the kind of studded black leather that Henry Cavill wore in the show (fun fact, Cavill frequently broke his armor because he was getting too ripped and the leatherworkers couldn't always keep up with his gains).

The content will be 100% free DLC so don't expect any huge new expansions or questlines. Mostly it should be cosmetics and other small changes that nod to the Netflix television show. The next-gen version will be free for all existing PS4 and Xbox One owners with substantial upgrades like faster loading times, higher frame rates, and boosted resolution.

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Continue reading: CD Projekt RED is linking Witcher 3 with Netflix TV series (full post)

Death Stranding director's cut will support ultrawide monitors on PS5

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 10, 2021 12:15 PM CDT

Death Stranding's new director's cut will apparently be the first PlayStation 5 game to support ultrawide 32:9 monitors.

Death Stranding director's cut will support ultrawide monitors on PS5

Death Stranding director's cut is coming to PS5 on September 24 with two modes: a performance mode with upscaled 4K at 60FPS, or native 4K. Both of these feature ultrawide and HDR support. The other P5 optimizations include ultra-fast loading and haptic feedback via the DualSense controller.

The price is a stark contrast to Ghost of Tsushima's $69.99 director's cut. Instead, Sony and Kojima Productions is charging a more reasonable price and upgrade cost. PS4 owners can upgrade to the PS5 version for $10. Standard edition is $49.99, and the digital deluxe edition is $59.99.

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Continue reading: Death Stranding director's cut will support ultrawide monitors on PS5 (full post)

Pentagon report says there's 'increased potential' for nuclear war

Jak Connor | Business, Financial & Legal | Jul 9, 2021 4:31 AM CDT

A newly disclosed Pentagon report on nuclear operations states that there is "increased potential" for a nuclear conflict between the US and Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.

Pentagon report says there's 'increased potential' for nuclear war

The report mentions that both Russia and China have constantly been stockpiling nuclear weapons and expanding their already vast weapons for the last ten years. As for North Korea, the Pentagon report states that the nation is testing out long-range missiles that are capable of reaching the United States.

The Pentagon report is from 2020 and was disclosed on Tuesday. It says that the United States has attempted to negotiate with these countries about reducing the number of nuclear weapons being developed. However, the report states that "no potential adversary has reduced either the role of nuclear weapons in its national security strategy or the number of nuclear weapons it fields. Rather, they have moved decidedly in the opposite direction."

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Continue reading: Pentagon report says there's 'increased potential' for nuclear war (full post)

Tesla to debut 'mind-blowing' full self-driving beta this week

Jak Connor | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Jul 9, 2021 4:04 AM CDT

For a few months now, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been teasing a coming beta for select Tesla owners. This beta ushers in a "feature complete" version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package.

Tesla to debut 'mind-blowing' full self-driving beta this week

Currently, Tesla vehicles aren't considered to be fully autonomous vehicles as they require the driver to be responsible for the car and be prepared to take control at any time. However, that may soon come to an end as Tesla is testing the Full Self-Driving Beta v9 that uses Tesla's own camera-based computer vision system instead of the typical radar sensors.

Musk has been hyping the FSD Beta v9 as "mind-blowing", but unfortunately, Tesla has experienced difficulties with hitting the announced release dates., Musk said that the release would be no later than June, and then he said that it's just "two weeks" away after missing the June release date. Musk then later admitted that the self-driving problem was a lot more difficult to solve than he first anticipated, hence the delays in its release.

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Continue reading: Tesla to debut 'mind-blowing' full self-driving beta this week (full post)

World's tallest active geyser in Yellowstone falls dramatically silent

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Jul 9, 2021 3:33 AM CDT

For the past two years, the world's tallest active geyser located in Yellowstone National Park has been spewing out hot steam, but now it's stopped.

World's tallest active geyser in Yellowstone falls dramatically silent

For the past month, researchers have been noticing that the geyser named Steamboat has been erupting less and less, eventually becoming silent before the end of the month. A website that tracks the eruptions of the geyser states that the last eruption occurred on May 31st when the geyser spewed out hot steam and water for 10 minutes.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist in Charge, Michael Poland told Jackson Hole Radio News, "This is the sort of thing that is expected, Steamboat goes through periods of elevated activity and then returns to periods of less activity, so we knew the current show would eventually end." At the moment, Poland says that researchers aren't sure what is the primary cause for the geyser to fall silent, but current theories are pointing towards the lack of available water.

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US Air Force begins first tests for new hypersonic missile warhead

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Jul 9, 2021 3:07 AM CDT

The US Air Force is testing a new type of hypersonic missile, and according to reports, the missile can achieve speeds of Mach 7 and beyond.

US Air Force begins first tests for new hypersonic missile warhead

The missile is named AGM-183A, and due to its speed capabilities, it can also be used as a kinetic weapon that collides with targets for devastating damage. The missile is developed with two key components, a rocket boost, and a boost-glide vehicle. As you have probably already guessed by now, the rocket booster carries the glide vehicle to the pre-planned altitude. Once the altitude has been reached, the booster will disconnect from the vehicle so its trajectory can be controlled as it speeds down towards its target.

To make sure the missile is capable of hitting multiple targets, engineers have equipped the AGM-183A missile with an explosive blast fragmentation warhead. According to David Spiker, a member of the 780th Test Squadron at the Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, "Some of the firsts were the new and unorthodox design and construction of the test arena, the test procedures and equipment, the warhead's fragmentation data collecting and the post-test data processing to ensure the warhead's effects have been accurately characterized".

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Russia shows video of tank with 'shields' destroying incoming missile

Jak Connor | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Jul 9, 2021 2:35 AM CDT

Russia has been known for how effective its tanks are, and now a newly released video demonstrates that its tanks can defend themselves from incoming missiles.

Russia shows video of tank with 'shields' destroying incoming missile

The video shows how a tank can protect itself from incoming anit-tank fire by using what has been called the Active Protection System (APS). The video comes from state-controlled Russian media outlet One Russia and demonstrates a Russian infantryman firing an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade at a Russian T-72B3 tank. The tank utilizes its Arena-M APS to defend itself from the incoming missile.

So, how does this work? The APS that this tank in the video is equipped with is named Arena-M hard-kill APS, which like other hard-kill active protection systems, uses radars to monitor any incoming missiles or rockets. If the system detects an incoming missile and confirms that the trajectory of the missile lines up with the tank, the APS system will spring deploy its interceptors to destroy the missile before it can make contact with the tank. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

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Continue reading: Russia shows video of tank with 'shields' destroying incoming missile (full post)

Games earnings calendar: When the biggest companies reveal numbers

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 5:35 PM CDT

Earnings season is almost here, and whether you're an investor or curious gamer, here's a calendar to help you schedule things out.

Games earnings calendar: When the biggest companies reveal numbers

Gaming's biggest companies are set to announce their respective quarterly earnings throughout July and August, and the results should be exciting. Microsoft in particular will post the highest Xbox earnings of all time on July 20, and total Xbox revenues are already at a historic high of $8.124 billion.

The most interesting part of this earnings season is seeing how companies are doing after the massive 2020 surges from stay-at-home measures. Games-makers like Nintendo, EA, Sony, Ubisoft and Take-Two will report their Q1 revenues that help set the pacing for the entire year.

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Continue reading: Games earnings calendar: When the biggest companies reveal numbers (full post)

Next-gen terrain demo shows power of Unreal Engine 5

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 4:27 PM CDT

Animator Joe Garth put together an impressive Unreal Engine 5 gameplay demo that shows the power and flexibility of next-gen terrains, giving players an idea of what they might expect from new UE5 titles.

Next-gen terrain demo shows power of Unreal Engine 5

Game dev is at an interesting crossroads. Developers are starting to experiment more with Epic's new Unreal Engine 5 toolset both internally with native UE5 integration and as public demo showcases. The results are exciting--not only do the demos look amazing, they have interesting physics systems to boot. Devs are unanimously praising UE5's new Nanite virtualized geometry feature and are flexing the new optimized engine in unique ways.

One example is Joe Garth's recent demo, which shows an interactive field with real-time destruction physics. "Using the Brushify environment tool, everything you're about to see is running on a single 1080 Ti on a normal, consumer-level desktop PC," Garth said.

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Continue reading: Next-gen terrain demo shows power of Unreal Engine 5 (full post)

PS5 exclusive Deathloop could come to Xbox and Game Pass in 2022

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 3:44 PM CDT

A new Deathloop trailer confirms the game is timed exclusive to the PlayStation 5 for one year.

PS5 exclusive Deathloop could come to Xbox and Game Pass in 2022

Arkane's stylish new roguelike shooter Deathloop won't stay on PlayStation 5 indefinitely, and could make its way to Game Pass in September 2022. The shooter has been praised for its unique Kubrick-esque art direction and gritty Grindhouse style, and marries Dishonored's supernatural abilities with frenetic FPS combat.

Deathloop's core is all about learning through trial and error. It has a Groundhog Day-style loop where players relive the same day over and over again upon death. Experimentation is encouraged, and luckily gamers aren't on a timer. You'll also be able to keep your weapons and unlocked abilities with each run. It's a novel concept and I'm curious to see how well it does on PS5 insofar as sales.

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Continue reading: PS5 exclusive Deathloop could come to Xbox and Game Pass in 2022 (full post)

Battlefield 2042's DICE wants to use the cloud to do insane things

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 2:34 PM CDT

The next Battlefield game after Battlefield 2042 could leverage high-end supercomputers to massively accelerate game physics, visual fidelity, and other core features.

Battlefield 2042's DICE wants to use the cloud to do insane things

What does the future look like for DICE"s first-person shooters? Cloud tech could significantly change the Battlefield franchise--at least that's what DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson thinks.

"Cloud computing really has changed a bunch of other industries and gaming has kind of barely touched on it. So if you think of a game like Battlefield, we have things like AI in the game now, destruction, actually procedural level creation, and the next-gen consoles are super powerful, but if we move much of that logic out to the cloud servers we could do some really high-scale computing we haven't really been able to do in the past. Destruction, visual fidelity," Gabrielson said in a recent EA stream.

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Battlefield 2042 files spotted on PlayStation Network, open beta soon?

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 1:28 PM CDT

EA has uploaded a 31GB file for Battlefield 2042 to the PlayStation Network that clearly indicates some sort of test is coming soon.

Battlefield 2042 files spotted on PlayStation Network, open beta soon?

A new listing on game update tracker Prospective Patches shows a 31GB Battlefield 2042 package is now on the PlayStation Network. The listing's media section has direct links to Battlefield 2042 images hosted on PlayStation servers, and the files were uploaded by EA Swiss Sarl, which is EA's worldwide payment processing branch that specifically handles VAT.

Gamers speculate this could be Battlefield 2042's upcoming open beta test, and that EA and DICE could make an announcement at EA Play on July 22. This seems pretty accurate.

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Continue reading: Battlefield 2042 files spotted on PlayStation Network, open beta soon? (full post)

DICE confirms Battlefield 2042's new mode will have classic maps

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 12:45 PM CDT

DICE confirms Battlefield 2042's mysterious third mode will have classic maps from other Battlefield games.

DICE confirms Battlefield 2042's new mode will have classic maps

In EA's recent Future of FPS live stream, Ripple Effect general manager Christian Glass confirms details about Battlefield 2042's new mode: "One of the components of this experience that we're creating, is that we're adding some of the fan favorite maps back into Battlefield 2042," he said.

Battlefield 2042 will have three modes when it ships in October:

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Continue reading: DICE confirms Battlefield 2042's new mode will have classic maps (full post)

Ultra-modded raytraced Skyrim teases Elder Scrolls 6 next-gen visuals

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 8, 2021 11:58 AM CDT

With the right mods, Skyrim can look like a modern next-gen game. It also helps if you have a beastly PC.

Ultra-modded raytraced Skyrim teases Elder Scrolls 6 next-gen visuals

Modder Hodilton has cranked Skyrim Special Edition up to the max with a ton of mods to flex NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3090 at 4K, and the results are absolutely incredible. Using a RT mod alongside Reshade, Skyrim gets reborn into an insanely detailed RPG that could easily be re-released on today's platforms, and might give us an idea of what The Elder Scrolls 6 could look like on Bethesda's next-gen Creation Engine 2.

It's worth noting this isn't actual native RT support. Hodilton uses Marty McFly's raytracing mod (created by Pascal Gilcher) which only uses screen-space raytracing/ambient occlusion, not the actual second-gen RT cores found in the RTX 3090.

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Microsoft issues grave warning for Windows users, update 'immediately'

Jak Connor | Software & Apps | Jul 8, 2021 5:32 AM CDT

Microsoft has come out of the gates hot by urging all Windows users to update their operating systems "immediately".

Microsoft issues grave warning for Windows users, update 'immediately'

The grave warning from Microsoft has come after a serious security flaw was identified in Windows. The flaw is known as PrintNightmare targets the Windows Print Spooler service, and researchers from the cyber-security company named Sangfor published a how-to guide for hackers to exploit it. Microsoft has said that hackers that exploit this flaw in Windows may be able to install programs on the PC, view/delete the PC's data, and even create new user accounts.

To fix this security flaw, Microsoft has asked all Windows users to perform an update immediately. If you are a Windows 7 user, and you thought this security flaw was just for Windows 10 users - you thought wrong. Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 and has yet still issued an update patching this security flaw. The fact that Microsoft has rolled out an update for an operating system that they officially aren't supporting anymore really highlights the severity of the PrintNightmare security flaw.

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Continue reading: Microsoft issues grave warning for Windows users, update 'immediately' (full post)

Bitcoin mining is causing a New York lake to feel like a 'hot tub'

Jak Connor | Cryptocurrency & Mining | Jul 8, 2021 5:03 AM CDT

Locals that live around a lake in New York City are claiming that the temperature of the lake has increased because of a nearby Bitcoin mining farm.

Bitcoin mining is causing a New York lake to feel like a 'hot tub'

NBC News has reported that people who live around the Bitcoin mining facility on the shores of Seneca Lake, in upstate New York, are saying that the lake's temperature has increased to the point where it feels like a "hot tub". Residents of the area have held protests outside of the Greenidge Generation Bitcoin mining plant, with protesters claiming that the mining plant is polluting the air and warming the nearby lake.

Greenidge Generation Bitcoin mining plant has told NBC that it's operating within the confinements of state and federal environmental permits and that "The environmental impact of the plant has never been better than it is right now," said Greenidge CEO Jeff Kirt. The Bitcoin mining facility uses the water from the lake to cool down its miners, and the company behind the mining has said that the temperature of the water its discharging is half of what the environmental permit it's operating under allows.

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Man buys 'priceless' mummified human skull at yard sale for $100

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Jul 8, 2021 4:34 AM CDT

A man has purchased a mummified human skull from a yard sale for just over $100, and now he's getting offers for $2,500.

Man buys 'priceless' mummified human skull at yard sale for $100

High Point man Trevor Hines was at a yard sale around three months ago when he came across a very peculiar item. It appeared to be a mummified human skull, and according to Hines, the family was already spooked out by the skull and was looking to get rid of it. Hines purchased the skull and two other items for just over $100 and has already received offers for $2,500.

However, Hines says that the skull is "priceless", and that "I want to get him back home because I think that's the right thing to do - send him back to the motherland," which he believes is Egypt. Hines sent the skull to Duke University, where researchers performed CT scans on the head. The researchers told him that the skull was a real male at one time and that inside the teeth are tiny metal pins. "He deserves to go home. So he can have an eternal resting place and be at peace," said Hines.

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Continue reading: Man buys 'priceless' mummified human skull at yard sale for $100 (full post)

In 2023 we may see space miners blow up the surface of the Moon

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Jul 8, 2021 4:07 AM CDT

Multiple companies are looking into the future to see how they are going to be able to harvest water on the Moon and if it's even possible.

In 2023 we may see space miners blow up the surface of the Moon

Lunar Outpost, Honeybee Robotics, and Masten Space Systems are currently developing a new system for mining water on the surface of the Moon. The device is designed to heat up water ice through the use of rockets. Having a consistent supply of water will be paramount for the human species to ever create a sustainable settlement on the lunar surface.

Not only will having a steady supply of water on the Moon keep astronauts hydrated, it will also allow for rocket fuel to be created as the water ice can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. More simply put, humans being able to harvest the moons polar regions, which are believed to have an abundance of water ice, to turn it into rocket fuel, will be a massive milestone towards building a spaceport that can easily refuel incoming/outgoing spaceships.

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Continue reading: In 2023 we may see space miners blow up the surface of the Moon (full post)

A new type of supernova confirms old theory and 1,000-year-old mystery

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Jul 8, 2021 3:34 AM CDT

Astronomers have found evidence that proves a 40-year-old supernova theory correct and a mysterious sky event that occurred in 1054 AD.

A new type of supernova confirms old theory and 1,000-year-old mystery

A new study has been published in Nature Astronomy and outlines researchers finding evidence of a new type of supernova. When stars die, they go supernova, and for some time, astronomers believed that there were only two types of supernova. Type Ia, is when a white dwarf star explodes in an uncontrolled fusion reaction. Type II supernova - when a star 10 times the mass of the Sun exhausts its fuel resulting in its core collapsing into either a black hole or a neutron star.

Now, astronomers have located a new type of supernova called electron capture (type III) supernova. This type of supernova happens when the a star eight to ten times the Sun's mass burns up all of its fuel, resulting in gravity causing immense pressure on the core's electrons that are then forced into their atomic nuclei. The end result is a core that collapsed in on itself.

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Continue reading: A new type of supernova confirms old theory and 1,000-year-old mystery (full post)

Elon Musk: cryptocurrency rising in value is what you 'desire most'

Jak Connor | Cryptocurrency & Mining | Jul 8, 2021 3:07 AM CDT

Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been posted a string of cryptocurrency-related memes on his personal Twitter account, and they don't seem to be having the same effect as what they used to.

Elon Musk: cryptocurrency rising in value is what you 'desire most'

Musk took to his Twitter account to post a Harry Potter meme that shows Harry sitting in front of the mirror in Philosphers Stone. Harry asks Dumbledoor what the mirror does, Dumbledoor replies by saying "it shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire in our hearts." The image below that is of candle chart showing massive increases of value.

A few months ago tweets such as this would cause massive market shifts that would drive up the price of popular cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin. However, that doesn't seem to be happening anymore, or at least to the same degree of what it was in the past. Perhaps the days of Musk's tweets rocking the cryptocurrency boat have come to an end? For more recent news on cryptocurrency, check out this link here.

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Continue reading: Elon Musk: cryptocurrency rising in value is what you 'desire most' (full post)

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