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BigBox VR's highly anticipated virtual reality battle royale game, Population: One, is available today on all platforms except PlayStation VR. This could be one of the biggest VR games of the year.

Population: One is a first-person battle royale game exclusively for virtual reality. The game features all the standard battle royale features, such as a bevy of weapons to scavenge, material resources that you need to collect, an open world to explore, and a map that grows smaller and smaller as time goes on. It even supports building structures like you can in Fortnite.

Population: One stands out from other battle royale games, aside from being a virtual reality game, because the combat primarily takes place in elevated positions. Population: One features BigBox VR's Vertical Combat System (VCS), which gives players the ability to reach the highest point of any structure on the map. If you can see it, you can get to it by climbing, flying, or building your way to it.

The Xbox Series X is a well-designed console with a robust cooling solution. Even with special hardware and software, the next-gen system will still get hot when playing demanding games.

According to latest thermal tests from Digital Foundry, the Xbox Series X can reach up to 62C temps when playing Gears 5 in specific sequences. It all depends on how much power is drawn. Thanks to Gears 5's dynamic resolution scaling, the GPU is pushed pretty hard to enable higher-end performance like native 4K with ray-traced visuals with graphics settings that go beyond PC Ultra settings. The more demanding the game is, the more power is drawn, and the more heat is produced.

In order to see how hot the Series X can get, Digital Foundry found a spot in Gears 5 that drew 205W of console power and measured temps with a FLIR camera app during the sequence. Knowing what we know about the Series X's pull-based airflow, the results aren't too surprising. The console pulls air from the bottom to exhaust from the top via a huge 130mm fan.

Gears 5 has been enhanced so much on Xbox Series X that it outperforms PC performance settings.

Gears 5 is among the major first-party games that will push the Series X to its limits. The game is capable of hitting 4K that goes beyond PC ultra settings, complete with ray-traced global illumination effects, higher-end shadows, and native 4K textures. Other optimizations include ultra-fast load times thanks to the PCIe 4.0 SSD, and massively reduced latency in campaign and mulitplayer via the new Dynamic Latency Input mode.

According to tests run by Digital Foundry, Gears 5 utilizes roughly 200W of the Xbox Series X's 315W PSU, accounting for about 63% of max power threshold. This ample power boost is used to push the GPU and other components to higher limits. The result is a PC-level experience from a $500 console.

Acer revealed a new laptop that is sure to pique the interest of sports car fans. The new Porsche Design Acer Book RS features cutting-edge components, including Intel's Evo platform with 11th gen Core processors. And as the name suggests, Porsche, the famous sports car brand, had a hand at designing it.

The new Porsche Design Acer Book RS features an all-metal chassis, a unibody hinge, with a carbon fibre cover. It also includes a 14-inch FHD IPS touchscreen made of antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass. The display supports 100% sRGB color and produces 340 nits of brightness.

The Porsche Design Acer Book RS will not crush any gaming records. The system is set up well for productivity, though, with the latest Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics. Acer Book RS computers come equipped with up to a 1TB of PCIe SSD.

Silicon Motion has just unveiled a new set of SSD controllers built on the PCIe 4.0 NVMe 1.4 SSD standard.

The new Silicon Motion SM2264 built for performance, the SM2267 for mainstream, and SM2267XT for value DRAM-less client SSDs. The new controllers, according to Silicon Motion, were built from the ground up with new hardware features, optimized to squeeze everything it can from the PCIe 4.0 interface.

Silicon Motion's flagship SM2264 SSD controller packs a quad-core ARM R8 processor on the 12nm node, with 4 x PCIe 4.0 lanes with 16Gb/s of bandwidth. It packs 8 NAND channels, with up to 1600MT/s per channel. We're to expect up to 7.4GB/sec (7400MB/sec) reads and up to 6.8GB/sec (6800MB/sec).

Watch Dogs: Legion is close to release, with Ubisoft unveiling a new 'Classroom 101' trailer with real actors, and I have to say it's actually great. Check it out:

Ubisoft has built an incredible world with Watch Dogs: Legion, where you can play anyone in London and all of it cooperatively with a friend. The new trailer shows off some "never-before-seen gameplay innovation that allows you to recruit and play as anyone you see".

The developer explains the Team Up with Friends co-op side of Watch Dogs: Legion as: "Join forces with up to three friends in online multiplayer as you freely explore London together or take on special co-op missions, and unique game modes. Enjoy free regular updates adding new online content, rewards and themed events".

The latest rumors suggest that the previously rumored higher VRAM versions of the GeForce RTX 3080 and GeForce RTX 3070 have been nixxed.

NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 comes with 10GB of VRAM, while a 20GB version was teased it is supposedly cancelled and not coming out in December. So too has the 16GB version of the GeForce RTX 3070, as well as the RTX 3070 Ti, too. The normal RTX 3070 with 8GB will be released on October 29.

AMD is coming out swinging with Big Navi and most of the of Radeon RX 6000 series cards supposedly rocking 16GB of GDDR6 -- beating out the 8GB and 10GB on NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080, respectively.

Adobe developed technology that enables persistent virtual objects in multi-user AR experiences. The technology tracks the location of other devices to display virtual objects on multiple devices at once accurately.

Adobe introduced AR Together, an experimental app for smartphones that enables multi-user AR experiences with accurate object tracking. One of the hurdles that prevent developers from creating seamless multi-user AR experiences is sharing the position of virtual objects between multiple devices.

Existing multi-user tracking solutions often involve comparing each device's positional data to predict where they are in relation to each other. Adobe uses the sensors in modern smartphone and sensor fusion to identify other AR-capable devices and keep track of their real-time position. The result is more accurate virtual object tracking, creating more believable shared experiences.

We've heard about what to expect from AMD for its next-gen Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card, which you can read all about here -- but then there's the Radeon RX 6800 XT.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 6800 XT is based on the Navi 21 XT GPU, which is slightly cut down GPU from the flagship Navi 21 XTX inside of the Radeon RX 6900 XT. We have 72 Compute Units (compared to 80) and 4608 Stream Processors (compared to 5120).

The same 16GB of GDDR6 memory is here with a 256-bit memory bus, while GPU clocks should find themselves reaching 2015MHz game clock and under 2250MHz for boost clocks. Keep in mind these clocks are for the reference model of the graphics card, while custom cards will be faster -- by 100-200MHz or more.

Facebook's Quest 2 gives you multiple ways to interact with digital content, including motion controllers and hand tracking. It's also working with Logitech to bring keyboards into the virtual office. But what if you didn't need a keyboard to type in VR? Facebook's latest experiment does just that.

Facebook Reality Labs researchers have been developing new text input methods that work better in VR. Pointing your controller at a virtual keyboard gets the job done, but it's hardly intuitive and definitely a step backwards for productivity. In September, Facebook revealed that it's working with Logitech to build trackable keyboards for Quest 2, but you may not have to buy hardware to get a good typing experience in VR.

Facebook's researchers recently demonstrated a virtual keyboard solution that allows you to type on any flat surface. Facebook developed a motion model derived from speech recognition technology to analyze hand motion to predict your keystrokes. Facebook said that typists who tried the experiment averaged 73 words per minute, which was consistent when their typical keyboard typing speed.

Facebook expected Quest 2 to be a popular device, but according to a Facebook Reality Labs executive, sales are still outpacing the company's expectations. Quest 2 might just be the device to bring VR mainstream.

Facebook launched the Oculus Quest 2 one week ago, and the new device is already having a considerable effect on the growth of the VR industry. We previously wrote about the success that VR developers have seen following the headset's launch. Many of them saw 2x to 10x their usual sales numbers immediately after Quest 2's release. As you might expect, Facebook is equally excited about the interest in its new headset.

Chris Pruett, Facebook Reality Lab's Director of Content Ecosystem, this week spoke with Protocol.com and expressed his excitement about the launch.

The Xbox Series X's new Quick Resume feature is a great new convenient feature for instant play, but you don't want to rely too heavily on it.

Quick Resume is a game changer. It's basically save states that are automatically recorded to console NVMe storage. When you play a game, the console saves your current progress in a state that's independent of an actual in-game save. Quick Resume states are preserved even when the console is rebooted and turned off. This way you can instantly jump back into the game right where you left off. It's an evolution of the Suspend and Resume feature.

There's just one glaring problem with Quick Resume: The Series X doesn't warn you when you're about to overwrite a slot. The Series X/S consoles can suspend up to 6 games in Quick Resume slots. If you play more than six games, these slots may get overwritten with any new games you might be playing. This tidbit comes from a recent Business Insider console preview.

Darkest Dungeon II will launch in early access exclusively on the Epic Games Store in 2021, developer Red Hook Studios today announced.

Red Hook Is hard at work on Darkest Dungeon II and starting in 2021, the team will use fan feedback to help shape the game over time. There's no word on a finalized release date but we do know the sequel will be in full 3D with the signature gritty visual style intact. The latest teaser trailer actually shows off the kind of Unity-made 3D models and effects we can expect from the final game.

Darkest Dungeon II will be an Epic exclusive--or at least the early access portion will be--in a deal that benefits Red Hook with extra funding. The team plans to share more info in the coming months, but for now be sure to wishlist the game on the Epic Store.

The Xbox Series X can significantly reduce input latency in optimized games running at 120FPS, including Gears 5.

Gears 5 will be one of the major spectacles that pushes the Xbox Series X to its limits. The game is already able to hit native 4K resolution with perf equivalent to an RTX 2080 GPU at High settings, but now The Coalition shared some more impressive tweaks. The Series X can already reduce input latency thanks to its new Dynamic Input Latency feature, which helps match up button press timings with on-screen effects, but developers can also scale their games to better use this feature.

Armed with the Xbox Series X's power, Gears 5's input latency will be reduced by up to 57% in versus mode and 36% in campaign. The biggest reduction is at 120FPS, which makes sense given the higher refresh rates over HDMI 2.1. The result is a gameplay experience that reacts quickly and naturally to your inputs, button presses, and movements, especially in competitive game modes where it's needed most.

Irreverent indie publisher Devolver Digital has acquired Croteam, the Croation dev team behind Serious Sam and The Talos Principle.

After years of dating, Devolver Digital has finally put a ring on Croteam. The publisher has bought out the Serious Sam dev for an undisclosed sum, finally giving the studio much-needed permanence in an unpredictable market. Devolver confirms that Talos Principle 2, new Serious Sam games, and fresh new IP are all currently in development at Croteam.

2K Games was caught trying to over-monetize its fan base with forced in-game ads in NBA 2K21. Fans pushed back, and now the publisher is fixing the issue.

NBA 2K21, a $70 next-gen game, recently introduced post-launch advertisements to monetize its fans. The unskippable in-game ads were stealthily added one month after launch and popped up in pre-game loading scenes. 2K Games has responded after lots of pushback from fans, claiming that the ad placement was an error that will be fixed soon.

"As many are aware, in recent years ads have been integrated into 2KTV segments. Yesterday's 2KTV ad placement impacted our players' experience in a way we didn't intend, as these ads are not meant to run as part of the pre-game introduction. This will be fixed in future episodes. Thanks for your continued feedback," 2K Games said.

Halo: Infinite won't release with the Xbox Series X, but you can still get some Halo action in with a free copy of Halo 5: Guardians.

As part of the recent Monster Energy x Halo promo, gamers can get a free digital copy of Halo 5 simply by signing up for a Monster account. Just go to this link, sign up, and verify your account over email. You'll get a code to redeem a free copy of Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store.

Now here's the kicker: The terms say a game disc is required to play the game...so it appears it's not a "free" copy after all.

Atari revealed new concepts for its ambitious hotel and resort business, which is set to launch in 2022 across eight major cities.

Get ready 80s gaming fans--Atari has teamed up with GSD Group and architectural experts at Gensler to create a new kind of hotel. The idea is to make a kind of Atari interactive museum-resort that blends comfortable amenities with tons of interactive and gaming experiences. The gaming attractions range from esports venues, and fully-fledged arcades with Atari classics, to new-age gaming and even virtual reality demos.

Expect to see things like Pong, Asteroids, Centipede, Pac-Man, and other iconic games in a playable arcade, complete with 80s pop culture decorations on the walls. You will also see the new Atari VCS console in playable form, with old-school games and new-school exclusives alike.

The world is going through some major changes right now because of COVID-19, but PayPal allowing cryptocurrencies across their merchants in 2021 is some major news.

Reuters reports that PayPal Holdings Inc will allow its customers to use cryptocurrencies in order to buy, sell, and hold bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies using your PayPal wallet. PayPal President and Chief Executive Dan Schulman said in an interview: "We are working with central banks and thinking of all forms of digital currencies and how PayPal can play a role".

Schulman said that PayPal hopes to see its new cryptocurrency service to kick start the use of cryptocurrencies around the world, and prepare its network for new digital currencies that may be developed by central banks and corporations.

AMD's new Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card has received some detailed specs, which gives us more of a pinpoint shot at what to expect with Big Navi in the coming week or so.

The flagship Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card will feature 80 Compute Units (CUs) with 5120 Stream Processors, it will be an AMD exclusive -- think of it like the Radeon VII, an AMD exclusive with no custom cards. There will be limited cards made, so it'll be a hot item for 2020 and even into 2021.

AMD's new Radeon RX 6900 XT is said to feature 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit memory bus, with a game clock of 2040MHz and boost clock of 2330MHz.