Latest News - Page 1558

Update: I've been informed that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is NOT discontinued, and it's still being made -- meanwhile the Radeon RX 5700 is on "special order".

AMD is reportedly no longer manufacturing its RDNA-powered Radeon RX 5700 series graphics cards, as they have entered End of Life (EOL) status.

The report is coming from Cowcotland, which says that AMD is no longer making reference or custom boards for RX 5700 series graphics cards. This means that whatever is left on retailer shelves and distribution warehouses across the world is it, AMD is clearing the path for Big Navi in November.

Two leaders of Team Xecuter, a group responsible for hacking the Nintendo Switch's OS and selling exploits that allow pirated software, have been arrested and face 11 felony charges related to their manipulation and illegal sale and free availability of pirated software.

The world of piracy has been dealt another major blow by Nintendo. First Nintendo went after emulation websites, then it went after UberChips, a website that sold hardware related to exploiting Nintendo products. Now the company, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security are pressing against Team Xecuter, a group of hackers who have repeatedly exploited the Switch to allow pirated software on the device. Team Xecuter was first responsible for hacking the Switch in 2017 thanks to a hardware vulnerability on the 20nm Tegra X1, and then also hacked the newly revised 16nm Tegra Switch model. Their operations began as early as 2013, the indictment claims.

According to a new press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, two of Team Xecuters leaders are now in custody. Max Louarn of France and Gary Bowser of the Dominican Republic have been arrested, the release states. Bowser has been extradited to the United States to face the charges, and appeared in federal court in New Jersey. Louarn has yet to be extradited but the U.S. is seeking it.

Microsoft is getting closer to releasing the highly anticipated VR update for MS Flight Simulator. The VR update isn't ready for primetime yet, but Microsoft is putting out a call for beta testers to complete the bug testing phase.

Microsoft is accepting applications for access to the Flight Simulator VR closed beta. The company is looking for core fans who already own the game and already own a VR headset. Beta access will roll out in two phases, with the first group comprising Windows MR headset owners. Beta access for other headsets will roll out in phase two.

You will need to meet specific criteria to be considered for the beta. First and foremost, you must already own MS Flight Simulator and a VR headset. You must also be registered as a Flight Simulator Insider. Microsoft will also require you to submit your DxDiag log along with a signed copy of an NDA agreement that prevents you from disclosing your experience with the early access game.

Konami is on a roll right now: Not only did they re-release Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, and Metal Gear Solid 2 on PC, they're also doing the same for Silent Hill.

The cerebral horror classic Silent Hill 4: The Room was just released on GOG.com for just $10, offering a nice bit of weirdness to prep you for Halloween. The game is DRM-free on GOG but doesn't have any kind of upgrades or remastered effects--it's just the basic PS2 classic ported onto PC.

GOG also warns users that XInput controllers (Xbox 360 wired, DualShock 3) are partially supported bit DirectInput (legacy controllers) can be used to play the game: "XInput controllers are partially supported (right stick may not be possible to bind). Most common DirectInput controllers are supported."

Bloodborne is currently free for PS Plus subscribers on the PlayStation Store, so grab it while it lasts.

Sony is apparently giving away Bloodborne to all PS Plus owners as a stealth freebie bonus for October's free games offering. This marks the second time Bloodborne has been free on PS Plus, and is a great game to pick up before the PlayStation 5 drops. Since it's a first-party game we expect Bloodborne will be fully backward compatible on the next-gen PS5, possibly with new updated features/FPS boosts.

Also remember Bloodborne will be free as part of the new PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5 owners. All PS Plus subscribers who grab a PS5 will get access to a pool of 18 must-play PS4 games including Bloodborne, God of War, Uncharted 4, and many others.

Frictional Games' new mind-warping psychological horror sequel links fear and insanity to

Today the macabre devs behind the new Amnesia Rebirth revealed some interesting new details about the sequel. Rebirth also features The Dark Descent's insanity system, but this time it's interwoven into the "emotionally harrowing journey." Rebirth's main character, Tasi, is infected with a strange and bizarre disease that marks her skin; as you play and encounter terrors of the Algerian desert, the corruption will spread across her body almost like a physical manifestation of fear and insanity.

We are heading into the weekend with some rather exciting news on Big Navi, with AMD's next-gen RDNA 2 graphics architecture and new Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards right around the corner... we have a big new tease on Navi 21.

The news is coming from Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) who says that the new Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card -- powered by the Navi 21 GPU, will "challenge" NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 3080. MLID notes that Navi 21 and the RX 6900 XT is "unlikely to win at everything".

Tom also notes that Navi 21 will not "outright win at 4K" against the RTX 3080, but it will have more VRAM (16GB versus 10GB) and have lower power consumption than the RTX 3080. AMD will reportedly be going with GDDR6 on their new cards, and not the higher-end GDDR6X memory.

Sony is pumping some energy into the hype machine for Gran Turismo 7 on its next-gen PlayStation 5, teasing they're aiming for 4K 60FPS gameplay.

On the now updated Gran Turismo 7 PlayStation Store page, the company has added in some details about the "stunning visuals" the game will have. Sony teases: "Marvel at rendering quality through ray tracing, with support for 4K, HDR, and a targeted 60 FPS frame rate" for Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation 5.

There will also be fast loading in Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5 thanks to the ultra-fast NVMe-based SSD, where you can go to race events quickly, and then "gather in lobbies and receive friend invites extremely quickly with an ultra-high speed SSD. Select from a huge variety of cars with no load times".

CD PROJEKT RED decided that now is the time to deploy the latest Cyberpunk 2077 commercial, starring the ever-so-awesome Keanu Reeves. The new commercial is titled "Seize the Day", check it out:

The new commercial for Cyberpunk 2077 comes days after the developer went into "crunch" mode to finish the game, and barely 24 hours after CDPR said it would give 10% of revenues to employees as extra crunch bonus pay. Keanu Reeves is front and center in the new Seize the Day trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, while Bill & Ted Face the Music is in theaters (and kicking ass on VOD).

Cyberpunk 2077's new Seize the Day commercial debuted during the NBA Finals last night, and should bring some huge attention to the game leaving into its release on November 19.

Apple will eventually enter the foldable smartphone market, which is currently kinda dominated by Samsung wtih a couple of different foldable smartphones in the Galaxy Z Flip and new Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphones.

According to a new patent filed by Apple to the USPTO, a future foldable iPhone could "heal" itself from regular scratches. Not huge dents, but think more of the everyday use of your phone and being put inside and outside of your pocket or placed face-down onto a table, etc.

The patent is titled "Electronic Devices With Flexible Display Cover Layers" and explains: "The flexible portion of the display cover layer may be interposed between first and second rigid portions of the display cover layer. The display cover layer may also include a layer with self-healing properties. The layer of self-healing material may be formed across the entire display cover layer or may be formed only in the flexible region of the display cover layer. The display cover layer may include a layer of elastomer in the flexible region of the display cover layer for increased flexibility".

Foxconn is reportedly developing AR smart glasses with micro-LED displays that offer a pixel density of 2000ppi. Such image clarity would be a major step forward for AR display technology, but don't get too excited yet. These won't hit the market for a few years yet.

According to Digitimes, Foxconn still has a lot of work to do. The company expects to wrap up the development of the micro-LED smart glasses in 2022. Foxconn will trial the hardware in several industries before putting the headset into full production.

The long development time is reportedly due to the optical technology needed for these smart glasses. Foxconn has access to Micro LED technology today, and building a VR headset with these displays would be trivial for a company like Foxconn. According to Digitimes' source, it "will take three years at least" to prepare the optical hardware for manufacturing.

Canon Japan is accepting applications for early access to an upcoming mixed reality device called the MREAL S1. This new device is a compact passthrough camera that allows you to see mixed reality content.

Canon has not released many details about the new MREAL headset, but the images tell us a little bit about the device. The MREAL S1 features two sets of stereoscopic cameras on the front. One pair for the passthrough image, the other pair is for depth tracking.

Canon said the MREAL S1 would be available in two form factors. You can attach it to a head strap for a full head-mounted display experience, or you can use it as a handheld viewer, which is more convenient for short demonstrations.

A research team comprised of members from Virginia Tech, University of Florida, and HaptX recently received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation's National Robotics Initiative to fund the development of a full-body haptic feedback suit for use in VR and robotics applications.

The project, dubbed ForceBot, will use HaptX's microfluid touch feedback system, which HaptX developed for its HaptX Gloves product. The microfluid touch technology enables HaptX to create highly detailed haptic simulations that simulate the shape, weight, and texture of virtual objects. ForceBot will use that technology to simulate both active and passive constraints on the wearer.

"ForceBot will advance knowledge at the convergence of virtual reality, robotic control, sensory feedback, ergonomics, and human factor fields," said Dr. Alexander Leonessa, Principal Investigator, Virginia Tech. "We're excited to create a system that increases immersion for VR users in applications requiring intensive body motions like sports and industrial skills training, gaming, emergency response, and many others."

It looks like NVIDIA is about to unleash Ampere into gaming laptops, with a new GPU spotted: codenamed GN20-E5-A1 (which refers to GA104 which will power GeForce RTX 3070 and GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards in the very near future).

NVIDIA will be using GDDR6 memory on its GN20-E5-A1 chip, with the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile packing SK Hynix mobiles labeled H56C8H24AIR. We should expect to see 8GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit memory bus on the GA104-powered GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile GPU and the upcoming gaming laptops powered by the new chip.

The full GA104 GPU packs 6144 CUDA cores while the desktop GeForce RTX 3070 will pack 5888 CUDA cores -- we should expect some more cutting down in CUDA cores. We should expect NVIDIA to debut its new GeForce RTX 30 Mobile series GPUs sometime around CES 2021 in January.

This month's free PlayStation Plus games includes a must-play horror game that's perfect for Halloween.

Sony's new free PS Plus games for October offer a great way to celebrate All Hallows Eve. The two free PS4 games include Need for Speed: Payback, which obviously isn't a spooky game, but Dontnod's Vampyr, on the other hand, is among the best in its class.

I reviewed Vampyr back in 2018 and found it to be an absolutely captivating experience. It has an unnerving dark 18th Century London atmosphere set amidst the end-times threat of the Spanish Flu; London is sick and dying and strange creatures roam in the fog. You play as Dr. Reid, a vampire doctor who's beset by a rather unique dichotomous role: You can choose to heal or feed on your patients. This duality coupled with the deep, personality-driven NPC system and detective-style sleuthing frames one of the most interesting (and striking) horror games ever made.

Next week, Apex Legends is getting one of the most important and transformative features: Cross-play between all platforms.

Today Respawn confirmed cross-play is coming to Apex Legends on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (via the Origin client) on October 6. The new cross-play functionality will launch in beta as part of the new Aftermarket Collection Event, which includes new cosmetics, freebies, and the new limited time Flashpoint mode.

Respawn has separated console players from PC players by default to help combat the massive advantages of mouse-and-keyboard vs controller play, but console gamers can change the setting at any time to play against PC users. Gamers can also turn off cross-play entirely, but Respawn warns this could lead to long queue times. All players will be marked with special icons that denote their platform.

aNintendo teams up with the world's most-sold video game of all time in an epic crossover event for the ages.

Minecraft's Steve and Alex are the next fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, game director Masahiro Sakurai today confirmed. Enderman and zombie mobs will also be playable via hero skins, and multiple Minecraft-themed voxel stages will be added into the game.

"Yes, that's right. Minecraft, the best-selling game in the world, is coming to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game. Even I didn't think this day would come," Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai said in a recent stream.

Shadow Warrior developer Flying Wild Hog are working on an ambitious (and likely outrageous) new game, and it's their biggest yet.

Hot on the heels of Shadow Warrior 3, Flying Wild Hog is already planning their next game. The studio recently confirmed their new unannounced project will be their "most ambitious to date." To help fund the game and secure distribution, the studio is teaming up with Focus Home Interactive to make the dream a reality.

A recent press release announcement confirms the project will be action-based and that it'll surprise gamers:

CD Projekt's digital storefront doesn't just want to be a universal platform that launches your games; it wants to become a universal storefront for buying games too.

Today GOG announced an ambitious new update to its storefront that will allow users to buy games from competing platforms. The new GOG Galaxy store will host titles from other storefronts, including PC-based store exclusives like The Outer Worlds. Participation seems to be up to the store owners but Epic Games is open to the idea and we could see more timed-exclusive indies and AAA games cross over.

It'll be some time before the feature is ready for the masses, though. CD Projekt is currently holding closed internal beta tests for the new update and there's no ETA on widespread availability. There's also not a whole lot of info on the sales/revenue logistics of the new model but we're betting some interesting rev split deals have been put into place.

If you are a huge Rust fan and are in need of a new gaming chair, then Secretlab has just manifested the perfect early Christmas present for yourself.

Secretlab has teamed with Facepunch Studios on the new Secretlab Rust Edition gaming chair, with a first-of-it-skin in-game chair skin for Rust. This is a big deal for Rust as the new Secretlab chair skin is the first-ever branded cosmetic introduced into the game.

The new Secretlab Rust Edition gaming chair is upholstered in the company's iconic black PRIME 2.0 PU leather, with "dappled rust-red accents" on the side wings and seat base -- which Secretlab says "effectively evoking the game's desolate wasteland".