A large new update for Microsoft Flight Simulator is here, with the new World Update III providing digital makeovers for the UK and Ireland.

Asobo Studio had already updated Flight Simulator with US and Japan regions receiving improvements, but now there's new high-res 3D photogrammetry to London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford. Not only that, but 5 airports have been recreated by hand which include Barra, Liverpool, Land's End, Manchester-Barton and Out Skerries.

The developer has made some "visual and logistical improvements" to 85 more airports in Flight Simulator, with Asobo Studio also enhancing regional architecture including manors, castles, churches and Victorian homes and even drive-thrus. Asobo has also updated Buckingham Palace, Premier League stadiums, Blarney Castle and the Forth bridges.

Bitcoin has been gaining more and more traction with the likes of Tesla Motors buying $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, Mastercard supporting cryptocurrency payments on its network this year, Apple possibly supporting cryptocurrency and so much more, driving the price of Bitcoin to a historic high of $50,000.

With the price of Bitcoin surging up and over $50,000 -- at the time of writing it was a shave under $49,700 we're looking at a market cap of $918 billion. $918,000,000,000 -- just $82 million shy of that record-breaking $1 trillion market cap which is incredible.

Major companies are turning to cryptocurrency in growing numbers, especially when the likes of Elon Musk backs Bitcoin so strongly and through his company with Tesla buying $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and will soon accept the cryptocurrency as payment for its Tesla electric vehicles.

Intel is fresh with its new CEO Pat Gelsinger stepping into the role, sending out a note to Intel's vast 110,000+ employees telling them he's thirsty for the company to be the leader in every single category.

Gelsinger explains that Intel must "stay ahead of customer needs and become more agile in a very competitive market and prove the differentiated value of our products, our roadmap and our manufacturing capability". He adds that Intel needs to executive flawlessly to their commitments and push the envelope when it comes to innovation using their "unmatched IP, engineering talent and research into new next-generation computing architectures".

He also notes that there are 4 key superpowers with the world turning everything digital, with the new Intel CEO noting the cloud, mobility fueled by 5G, artificial intelligence and the intelligent edge. Gelsinger said: "Intel is the only semiconductor company that has the depth and breadth of intelligent silicon, platform, software, architecture, design, manufacturing and scale that our customers need to capitalize on these opportunities and fuel their next-generation innovations".

The very latest rumor on Apple's first foldable iPhone is that it will release sometime in 2023, with an OLED display ranging between 7.3-inch to 7.6-inch and would support the Apple Pencil, too.

The news is coming from Chinese investment research firm EqualOcean which predicted the foldable iPhone will launch in 2023. The report reads: "Omdia, a global communications and digital media research organization, predicts that Apple may launch a 7.3-7.6-inch foldable OLED smartphone in 2023 and add an activity pen to its foldable iPhone".

We heard back in October 2020 that the foldable iPhone could even have self-healing display technology, which was teased in a new patent at the time. The foldable display would be protected against small scratches from being placed in and out of your pocket or bag, or onto the table for example.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has teamed with Microsoft on getting a PC onto the International Space Station connected to Azure. HPE has now sent their new Spaceborne Computer-2 system up and onto the ISS.

The new Spaceborne Computer-2 system will be connected to the cloud and into Microsoft Azure, through NASA and HPE ground stations. What this new Spaceborne Computer-2 system allows astronauts on the International Space Station to do is work on data processing up on the ISS, versus having to send it back down to Earth.

The news release for the Azure connection says: "Astronauts and space explorers deserve access to the best cloud computing technologies and advanced processing at the ultimate edge. Sometimes analysis needs to be done immediately at the edge where every passing moment counts, and other times the analysis is so massively complex that it can only be performed with the power of the hyperscale cloud".

Researchers have made a discovery about what kind of conditions life can still live in as experts drilled deep into the Antarctic ice shelf.

The discovery of this new life has challenged the assumption that life cannot live in the conditions below the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey drilled through 2,860 feet of ice, and used a Go Pro to make the discovery, which also wasn't intentional. Huw Griffiths, one of the researchers who made the discovery, said in a Twitter video, "The area underneath these ice shelves is probably one of the least-known habitats on Earth."

Griffiths also said to The Guardian, "Never in a million years would we have thought about looking for this kind of life, because we didn't think it would be there." The researchers discovered the stalked animals can be found in the image below outlined in red. For comparison, the sponges have been highlighted in white, and as you can see, the animals in red have long stalks, and the sponges don't.

I'm sure you've heard of the raging winter storms across many states in the US, with Texas hit very hard with a historic winter cold front -- which has seen millions of Americans without power, cell phone and internet services.

T-Mobile president of technology Neville Ray tweeted: "We're experiencing network issues following severe weather in several areas of the country and especially across Texas. Our teams are working hard to restore service. Stay tuned, stay safe and thank you for your patience".

Jason Furtado, a professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma explained the storm: "We're living through a really historic event going on right now". The storm has plunged millions of Americans into darkness in more ways than one, with state officials saying that the demand for power mixed with the freezing conditions has knocked down power stations as Texas' systems are overloaded.

I'm a huge fan of these die shots and X-ray shots of any tech for that matter, but now we have some awesome pictures of the PlayStation 5 die. Check it out:

Twitter user @FritzchensFritz shared the images of the extremely close-up shot of the PS5 die, which shows that the PlayStation 5 doesn't have Infinity Cache like the RDNA 2-powered Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards do. There's no 128MB of purpose-built cache helping out the GDDR6 memory here, as you can see the caches are separated.

Why is that? Because Sony is using a semi-custom chip designed between Sony and AMD for the PS5, so it works differently to the off-the-shelf-if-you-can-find-it Radeon RX 6800 series cards with their 128MB of super-fast Infinity Cache. Remember that what we're looking at isn't just the GPU of the PS5, but the CPU + GPU (APU = Accelerated Processing Unity which is both the CPU and GPU combined).

Metro Exodus fans will be delighted to hear that there is a new version of the game in the oven, with the freshly announced Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition.

Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition will see the 4A Engine "radically overhauled" to introduce full ray tracing into the game for both next-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX and AMD Radeon RX series graphics cards as well as the next-gen Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S consoles.

The developed explains: "When Metro Exodus released two years ago, it was one of the first games to feature Ray Tracing (on high-end PC only) thanks to NVIDIA's new RTX series of graphics cards, although we still utilized many more traditional rendering techniques for console and older PC graphics cards. But with Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles offering Ray Tracing support, we took the decision to radically overhaul our proprietary 4A Engine and realise our ambitions for a fully Ray Traced experience on next gen consoles and high-end PC".

You know things are changing when internet cafes are moving from having traditional customers, you know -- gamers, and kicking them out and closing the doors so you can use those precious GPUs for cryptocurrency mining.

Not every internet cafe is doing it, but one particular Vietnamese internet cafe has done it and announced through Facebook they did it because "profits are higher". The Vietnamese internet cafe owner explains: "Switching business season, Profits are higher than net business, whoever wants to do, contact me for free".

It's an even better deal with this particular internet cafe, as it is owned by a computer store so they're able to get their hands-on high-end mining-frenzy graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. Right now Bitcoin mining on GPUs is making you some ridiculous profits, especially if the power you are using is cheap -- and even better if it's free.

Zack Snyder himself introduces the first official trailer to Zack Snyder's Justice League, opening the trailer up with "Hey everyone, I'm excited to show you the first official trailer for Zack's Snyder's Justice League". Check it out:

The trailer opens up with the events at the end of Batman v Superman, where Superman dies in the battle with Doomsday. His scream is so loud that it traverses the galaxy and acts as a bell, that in the words of Lex Luthor at the end of Batman v Superman "cannot be unrung".

I don't want to spoil the official Zack Snyder's Justice League trailer so you should watch it for yourself, but if you want some SPOILER details from me, you'll get those below.

Axiom Verge 2 is only timed exclusive to Epic Games Store, and Thomas Happ reveals why he signed the exclusivity deal with Epic.

Steam gamers will have to wait some time before playing Axiom Verge 2. The sequel is timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store and won't be available on Steam at launch. We don't know how long the roguelike will be held off of Steam, but the typical deals are around 6 months to 1 year.

In a recent blog post, Axiom Verge 2 developer Thomas Happ explained why he chose to team up with Epic Games, and explains that Valve is very supportive of the decision.

ZeniMax Online currently has 52 job openings available across its Maryland, Texas, and San Diego branches, and is clearly ramping up for big new projects.

The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online has been working on new projects for a while now, but the recent $7.5 billion acquisition from Microsoft will help accelerate these new games. The developer recently shared a post reminding everyone it's hiring a ton of people for these new projects. At the time of writing, the company has 52 job openings available that range from senior level designers to server engineers; 6 of them are for ESO, and the remaining 46 are for the "next AAA project."

We've actually known about the new project since 2018, and it should be a new MMORPG built with a fresh engine overhaul. The listings assert it'll be a AAA experience. There's also strong evidence it's set in a new IP, and speculation insists it could be a Starfield MMORPG.

YouTuber ZHC bought the world's largest PS5--a towering behemoth that's 10 feet tool and weighs a staggering 500 pounds.

We know the PS5 is big, but this 10-foot tall console is definitely a meme come to life...and it actually works. The titanic gaming skyscraper comes with an absolutely massive DualSense controller that also works to play games.

ZHC bought the console to paint the massive wall-sized panels in a contest, and spent 100 hours customizing the system with huge mural paintings.

How should you place the Xbox Series X for maximum airflow? It doesn't actually matter which way you set it as long as you're not blocking the vents.

Despite being advertised as towering skyscrapers and monoliths, both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X can lay on their sides to fit better in living room setups. The PS5 in particular is absolutely massive. The two consoles have different cooling solutions that dictate how you should place the systems.

Using Schlieren imaging, Gamers Nexus recently traced the airflow patterns for both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The findings show negligible differences between the Series X's two orientations. It's all based around the Series X's negative pressure cooling system that pulls air from the bottom and exhausts it from the top.

Elon Musk has been quite vocal about his support for cryptocurrencies, and in particular, a now very popular cryptocurrency, DOGE coin.

In the past, Musk has said that when humans eventually begin to terraform Mars, the economy that will be created there will be based on cryptocurrencies. The Tesla and Space CEO said that the "Mars economy will run on crypto" and agreed with a suggestion for a Red Planet coin called "Marscoin".

Recently, Musk has been showing major support for a coin that originally started as an internet meme - Dogecoin. It was only at the beginning of this month that Musk sent Dogecoin to the moon, sending the prices skyrocketing from $0.05 to just under $0.058. Speculation has already begun about Dogecoin being a pivotal coin in the Mars economy.

Microsoft's Jason Ronald teases new upgrades coming to next-gen Xbox Series X/S consoles in 2021, including big enhancements to existing and upcoming games.

In a recent Major Nelson podcast, Xbox's Jason Ronald briefly outlined some of the updates coming to the next-gen Xbox duo in 2021. First, Ronald says that quick resume is a big priority. Microsoft wants to bring the groundbreaking new feature to as many games as possible. Microsoft may even give gamers full control over the Quick Resume save state slots at some point.

Other updates include Game DVR improvements, upgrades to the mobile app to add things like achievements, and better sharing integration. That last part is pretty important considering the Series X/S can't easily transfer captured screenshots and video right to a USB stick.

Striker VR, a company that makes VR peripherals for VR arcades, revealed that it would be bringing its arcade technology to the consumer market with an updated device build for home use.

Striker VR's VR gun peripheral is an interactive accessory that offers increased immersion in shooter games thanks to its haptic recoil mechanism. The haptic system can simulate a variety of weapons, from standard rifles to futuristic energy weapons. The consumer version features a unique shape that looks like it could be suitable for more than just shooting games.

The concept images the Road to VR received from Striker depict a trapezoid-shaped object with a trigger grip in the center. A grip for your second hand can be found on the front, along with a trackpad on either side of the barrel. There also appears to be an extra button above the trigger grip.

Disney announced that its streaming service Disney+ now has over 94.9 million subscribers, with another 39.4 million Hulu subscribers and another 12.1 million ESPN+ subscribers.

The company had 86 million subscribers on its Disney+ stream service in December 2020, something the company announced during its investor day. But between December 2020 and now we've seen the very last episodes of the second season of The Mandalorian and the debut of Pixar's Soul.

Disney had goals of reaching 90 million subscribers in the fourth year of Disney+ being out, which would land it in 2023 -- but it has reached those goals rather quick indeed. Disney had to push its goals out and far away, with the company expecting Disney+ subscribers to reach 230 million to 260 million by the end of fiscal year 2024 according to Disney CFO Christine McCarthy.

Warzone is the most transformative thing Activision has ever done. The free-to-play mode connects premium Call of Duty games with a cross-progression, cross-play, and a cross-SKU framework complete with in-game microtransactions. This model will carry over to all Activision-Blizzard franchises, especially big IPs like Diablo, Warcraft, and Overwatch.

Blizzard games are about to change and expand even more. Activision has doubled-down on its new four-part plan: new games, engagement models, monetization/live services, mobile ports. This plan will be adapted into all Activision-Blizzard franchises. This means every big franchise from Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft, and Overwatch will all get mobile games and new engagement hooks. Right now, no hook is sharper than Warzone--the F2P sensation has helped double CoD revenues and hit $3.9 billion in annual IP revenues.

In its recent Q4'20 earnings call, Activision confirmed that Warzone's cross-game ecosystem will be adapted into other mainline IPs. Expect to see Diablo, Warcraft, and especially Overwatch get its own Warzone-esque model. The specifics will probably vary on each game--Diablo Immortal could tie into Diablo IV with exclusive items, for example--but the underlying core will be the same: Establish multiple access points that all meld together and have their own ways of making money.