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Eve Spectrum was the first-ever crowd-developed monitor, and if it came out of the oven properly and on time -- it would've been the very first HDMI 2.1 monitor and made history. We're now much closer to that point.

The team has delayed its monitors a few times now, but then the team reached out to me just now with some great updates. A new community update, detailing that the team members in China have been working on getting the Spectrum monitor ready for its hopefully-very-soon launch.

In a community update on its website, Eve Community Manager 'Helios' explained: "While I'm waiting for new prototypes to show up for further testing, the team members in China have already been hands-on to make sure Spectrum does what it is supposed to do. That involves a lot of testing with a lot of different devices, some of which may even lend themselves for some entertainment during down time. Hope you all like another peek behind the scenes!"

With all of the hype surrounding the new Battlefield, the question on most gamers' lips is 'when are we going to see it' and it appears that time is not too far away at all.

Battlefield leaker Tom Henderson tweeted out some talk about the Reddit "leak" of Battlefield, where he was replying to someone who asked if there will be any teasers for the game that will drop before the trailer... or if it was just going to be the trailer out of nowhere. Henderson said "we should get teasers" and that they're "probably a week or two away".

Henderson also talked about which sides you'll be able to play in EA's big new FPS. Henderson tweeted: "For example, if you were on the US team, you could choose a US, Australian, British, French, Japanese, or German soldier" to which Henderson said "this is not correct".

Infinity Ward is developing advanced AI frameworks for its next Call of Duty game, strongly indicating 2022's CoD will have next-gen AI.

Call of Duty 2022 may push the bar for in-game enemy AI and propel the franchise to new immersive heights on next-gen console and PC hardware. Infinity Ward is currently hiring a Senior AI Engineer to help build "best-in-class AI technology" that brings "new AI characters and behaviors to life."

"This is an opportunity to work on cutting edge AI in the world's premiere FPS franchise," the listing reads. "We're looking for someone who comes to the table with new ideas, but has the pragmatism required to ship a video game."

Did you buy Xbox LIVE Gold to play online F2P games like Warzone, Fortnite, and Destiny 2? Microsoft might give you a refund.

As part of today's big announcement that online multiplayer in F2P games no longer require premium Xbox LIVE Gold, Microsoft also confirmed a one-time refund option for gamers who no longer want the service.

To get a credit refund you have to apply here, but there's some stipulations. You have to have bought Xbox LIVE Gold on or before April 21, 2021, and the credit is based on remaining subscription time. The refund will be bigger if you have more time left, and smaller if you have less time left.

Microsoft makes good on its promise and today removed the Xbox LIVE Gold paid subscription requirement for online in free-to-play games.

Today free-to-play games on Xbox consoles are actually free. There's no red tape, no subscription fees attached to play online with friends--just fire up your Xbox, jump into Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Fortnite, or Warzone, and play. No gatekeeping or restrictions.

Read Also: Xbox LIVE name changed to distinguish the premium subscription from online network

A new page for PlayStation Plus Video Pass was accidentally posted on Sony's Polish website (now deleted), confirming the company's next move.

As Microsoft Game Pass continues to add value, Sony is pressured to also bolster its gaming services. Instead of challenging Xbox on its own turf, however, Sony is using something that Microsoft doesn't have: Movies.

Sony plans to add its existing library of Sony Pictures films into PlayStation Plus with its new PlayStation Plus Video Pass. Exact details are unclear, but it appears the Video Pass is another premium layer to PS Plus users. The website notes a one-year trial period for PS Plus Video Pass and warns gamers about renewal charges, hinting it'll be its own separate added subscription to PS Plus.

BioWare's legendary Knights of the Old Republic RPG is getting a remake at Aspyr Media.

According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, KOTOR is coming back in a big way. The game is being remade by the port masters at Aspyr Media who have worked on a multitude of re-releases, remasters, and ports of popular video games. Aspyr has been steadily going through the older Star Wars games backlog and has developed remasters of classics like Episode I - Racer, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Jedi Outcast, and Republic Commando for modern platforms.

Apsyr also developed the MacOS, Android and iOS ports of Knights of the Old Republic, and the macOS port of KOTOR II. The team had a hand in other Star Wars games including The Force Unleashed and 2004's Battlefront.

Microsoft's new DirectStorage tech will unlock maximum SSD I/O throughput for dramatically faster data management, empowering developers to do impressive things.

Today Microsoft revealed more info on its new DirectStorage tech, which is part of its convergent DirectX 12 Ultimate platform. DirectStorage will use its own unique GPU-based compression/decompression algorithm to significantly optimize data pipeline flow, and Microsoft is working closely with chip-makers on this tech. The company is tweaking Windows to make the OS seamlessly optimize the API, too.

DirectStorage's main function is to use GPU power and its higher VRAM memory bandwidth to decompress data at a rate that matches the I/O speeds of an SSD. The idea is to remove CPU-bound constraints and improve data flow by eliminating decompression from the CPU. The result is virtually loading-free video game experiences thanks to a more efficient pipeline of data management and processing.

On April 10, a 12-year-old boy from Colorado sadly passed away after being on life-support for 19 days due to participating in a TikTok challenge.

The 12-year-old boy, Joshua Haileyesus, was found unconscious on March 22 after choking himself for a TikTok challenge called the "Blackout Challenge". Joshua's family created a GoFundMe page to help cover the hospital bills and funeral expenses, and according to the page, "We would like to update everyone that this evening, after fighting the good fight on life support for 19 days, Joshua has gone off to be with the Lord."

TikTok has since commented on the 12-year-olds passing, saying to Associated Press, "At TikTok, we have no higher priority than protecting the safety of our community, and content that promotes or glorifies dangerous behavior is strictly prohibited and promptly removed to prevent it from becoming a trend on our platform." For those that don't know, the "blackout challenge" has been around for some time, but due to the discoverability on TikTok the challenge recently has gained popularity. People are challenged to choke themselves until they pass out.

A new HTC Vive headset has won an award for its innovative design, but the company said it does not have plans to bring it to production.

HTC is gearing up for Vivecon 2021, where it will presumably announce a new VR headset. Rumour has it the product is meant for the enterprise market. If the design of this award-winning headset concept is any indication, we would bet on a consumer-level product from HTC this year.

The IF World Design Guide released its list of 2021 winners, and HTC won the award for best Product Design with a concept VR headset called the Vive Air. The award page describes the Vive Air as a VR headset inspired by the footwear industry. The Vive Air features breathable, quick-drying fabrics that help keep the headset cool and dry while during high-intensity activities such as using fitness apps.

Microsoft just made it easier for developers to get DX12 features and technologies into their games, for gamers to enjoy, much easier than ever before with the introduction of DirectX 12 Agility.

DirectX 12 Agility will allow new DX12 features to skip around Windows Update, and right to gamers -- normally there would be a required Windows Update that PC gamers would need to get new DirectX features. Microsoft points out that Variable Rate Shading (VRS) was a recent feature that couldn't be deployed quickly because of the way updates are pushed to PC gamers through Windows 10.

But now, DirectX 12 updates have been disconnected from Windows Updates with the new DirectX 12 Agility toolkit for developers. Game developers can control which features they use at an SDK level and then push them out to many more PC gamers at once, versus a select few that might have the very latest version of Windows installed -- as that very latest version would be required to use those new DX12 features.

Apple has finally announced its new 2021 iPad Pro which packs a next-gen mini-LED display, 5G connectivity, and up to 2TB of storage.

The new 2021 iPad Pro is available in two sizes with the 11-inch and 12.9-inch while being new 2021 iPad Pro models in the same family, are very different underneath. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro packs the new mini-LED display, while the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro does NOT have a mini-LED display -- that's a very big difference. If you want the best, you'll need the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro and you'll pay a premium for it.

The 11-inch Liquid Retina display is an LED-backlit display with IPS technology, a native resolution of 2388 x 1668 with 264 PPI. The bigger and meaner 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is the star of the show here, with a mini-LED-backlit display with a native resolution of 2732 x 2048 with 264 PPI.

Apple has announced its new 24-inch iMac powered by its impressive custom M1 chip, with the new iMac being so thin the company had to tweak the design and move the 3.5mm headphone jack from the back of the PC to the side of it. Check it out:

YouTuber MKBHD tweeted that Apple's new iMac was so thin -- at just 11.5m thick -- that the company had to move the 3.5mm headphone (which is typically 14nm deep) to the back of the iMac. It's so thin, Apple literally couldn't put the 3.5mm headphone jack on the back, now that's impressive.

The 3.5mm headphone jack being placed on the side of the iMac seems like a good decision, just from a useful perspective. It's far easier to look to the side or feel with your fingers on the side of the iMac and find the 3.5mm headphone jack, versus looking behind it or moving the entire iMac to get to the back of it.

We are experiencing the worst GPU shortage in history, HDD and SSD prices are expected to rise because of storage-related crypto mining, next-gen consoles are still impossible to find -- and now RAM prices are expected to jump by 18-23% in Q2 2021.

TrendForce is predicting that DRAM prices will increase 18-23% quarter-over-quarter in Q2 2021, with global chip shortages hurting DRAM supply, and now TrendForce is attributing further RAM price increases to a 7.9% boost in laptop manufacturing which is affecting DRAM demand.

TrendForce explains: "On the other hand, prices are likewise rising across various DRAM product categories in 2Q21, including DDR3/4 specialty DRAM, mobile DRAM, graphics DRAM, and in particular server DRAM, which is highly related to PC DRAM and is therefore also undergoing a higher price hike than previously expected".

Activision is celebrating weed on its special day -- 4/20 -- with the release of its new Stoner's Delight DLC bundle for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.

The new Tracer Pack: Stoner's Delight DLC includes a Kushwacked operator skin, as well as some new weapon blueprints with Homegrown and Big Smoke. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone also have a new Rolling Leaf charm, and a Kush Keeper watch. Nice work there, Activision.

There's also a Blown Away emblem, In The Weeds calling card and Mother Nature sticker -- with the Stoner's Delight pack having floral green-purple Tracer Fire which is such a nice touch for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone's new Stoner's Delight bundle.

Newegg has just announced that it now accepts Dogecoin as a payment method, joining cryptocurrency Bitcoin as a payment method with Newegg -- but now, it welcomes DOGE.

It's the perfect day for it to happen as today is 4/20 -- aka Dogeday, aka Elon Musk Day, aka National Weed Day. The DOGE community has celebrated April 20 for a while now, with many hundreds of thousands if not millions of DOGE holders wanting to see the cryptocurrency smashing into, and through the $1 barrier.

Newegg now accepting DOGE is a big deal, with Andrew Choi, Sr. Brand Manager of Newegg explaining: "The excitement and momentum around cryptocurrency are undeniable, and the recent surge in Dogecoin value underscores the need to make it easier for customers to make purchases with this popular cryptocurrency".

Call of Duty Warzone has hit 100 million players a little over a year after launch, Activision today announced.

Warzone is a juggernaut for Activision, and is the most important thing the company has ever done. The free-to-play behemoth has amassed a staggering 100 million players in 406 days, and has had a transformative effect on Activision's core business. Warzone is so powerful that it helped drive Call of Duty earnings to a record $3 billion in 2020.

For reference, it took Fortnite 10 months to hit 125 million players, and EA's BR titan Apex Legends just hit 100 million players in 2 years' time.

EA just announced its Q4 FY2021 earnings results will go live on May 11, 2021, and its likely the Battlefield 6 reveal trailer will go live ahead of time.

EA should reveal the next Battlefield game in the coming weeks. The publisher recently promised the rumored futuristic Battlefield would be revealed during Spring 2021, and the company has a trend of showcasing new Battlefield titles ahead of its Q4 earnings reports in order to wow gamers and investors. EA likes to comment on these big new games and tease new features to gamers while making new promises to stakeholders.

Read Also: Battlefield 6 last-gen reports clarified by leaker

Discord no longer has plans to sell the company to Microsoft or anyone else as it instead focuses on an initial public offering.

Weeks ago, reports indicated Microsoft made an offer to buy out social giant Discord. The acquisition may have cost up to $10 billion, and would've solidified the Xbox ecosystem with a unified cross-platform social network with Discord's unique chat infrastructure. Now those plans have changed.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, Discord is now doubling-down on its original IPO plans.

Beloved Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is leaving the studio, the company today announced.

Jeff Kaplan is departing Blizzard after nearly 20 years with the company. This major departure comes two years after Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime left in 2019 to form Dreamhaven, a new game development publishing label with a number of ex-Blizzard developers. There have been rumblings of core Blizzard creatives clashing with directives from Activision-Blizzard, namely the new four-part plan that emphasizes mobile ports, monetization, engagement models, and new games.

Kaplan gave the following statement on his departure: "It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience. I want to express my deep appreciation to everyone at Blizzard who supported our games, our game teams and our players. But I want to say a special thanks to the wonderful game developers that shared in the journey of creation with me."