Latest News - Page 1568

Crysis Remastered is coming to the PC and consoles very soon, with developer Crytek releasing a new video teasing some of the software-based ray tracing on current-gen consoles. Check it out:

The current-gen Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles will be enjoying some software-based ray tracing thanks to Crysis Remastered, with the trailer above showing it off in real-time for the first time ever. All before the next-gen consoles have launched.

Crytek captured all of the footage of Crysis Remastered running on the faster PlayStation 4 Pro -- but the Xbox One X console will also do the same thing. PC gamer? You can expect even more graphical bells and whistles.

NVIDIA has just delayed the review embargo for its upcoming Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition -- from September 14, to September 16 -- you can read more on that here.

But inside of that news was something a little smaller, but equally as important: NVIDIA will be launching its GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card on October 15. NVIDIA announced the GeForce RTX 3070 would launch "in October" when it revealed the GeForce RTX 30 series cards, but now hve an exact date: October 16.

AMD has its Big Navi / RDNA 2 / Radeon RX 6000 series reveal event on October 28, but NVIDIA will get in first with its new GeForce RTX 3070 on October 16.

NVIDIA has delayed the review NDA of its upcoming GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition by 48 hours, from September 14 to September 16.

The news gives reviewers (like myself) another two days of testing, with NVIDIA explaining that they've had issues with shipping samples of the GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics cards around the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not only that, but NVIDIA also announced that they will be making their GeForce RTX 3070 (which will deliver GeForce RTX 2080 Ti levels of performance) starting on October 15 -- which will spoil AMD's big party with the Big Navi / RDNA 2 / Radeon RX 6000 series reveal event.

As retaliation for its anti-trust case, Apple is prepared to keep Epic titles off of iOS for an entire year.

Apple could penalize Epic Games and keep Fortnite off of iOS and Mac devices for a full year, court documents reveal. On August 28, 2020, Apple revoked Epic's developer license and doesn't plan to reinstate it for a full year. That means Fortnite will not be allows on iOS devices until 2021, which cuts off Apple from lucrative millions and denies Epic access to 116 million registered users on the iOS platform.

The info was gleaned from Epic's preliminary injunction filed on September 4, which aimed to convince courts to overturn Apple's decision and forcibly reinstate Epic's developer account. It's noted in Exhibit H in the court documents, which reads:

Nintendo is telling third-party developers to target 4K resolution, sources tell Bloomberg, hinting the new Switch model revision could output to 4K resolution. How will this be handled? We have a few ideas.

Reports indicate Nintendo is making a new upgraded Switch console that targets higher resolution. We originally interpreted that the new Switch would have an upgraded handheld display, but it looks as if the upgraded model will target 4K resolution output for UHDTVs.

There's several ways Nintendo could do this, but let's take a look at the cheapest and most cost-effective solution: Upgrading the Switch dock's built-in video output converter and using NVIDIA's AI upscaling tech.

Unity Software will soon open public trading on NASDAQ under the ticker U, and has revealed share prices for its new IPO.

Unity's new initial public offering will set share prices at roughly $34 to $42 per share. The company filed an S-1 form with the SEC in late August outlining its IPO plans, but pricing was only just revealed from a new September 9 filing.

Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse are underwriting the IPO, and the S-1 form indicates Unity will have a capitalization of $1.2 billion and 238,366,733 shares of common stock outstanding after the shares are offered.

It appears Nintendo is once again manipulating supply of its games. This time it's a target business decision to sell more digital copies on its eShop network, where it keeps 100% of revenues.

Nintendo, like every other games-maker, wants to sell most of their games digitally. There's no manufacturing costs or shipping costs with digital, and Nintendo keeps 100% of all game sales earnings from first-party titles sold on the storefront. It's a win-win.

This digital-first plan is a big reason why Super Mario 3D All-Stars is only being sold for six months. After six months, the game will be discontinued digitally and physically. Now in an effort to push more digital sales, Nintendo is apparently restricting stock of retail copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Some retailers in the UK are even cancelling all pre-orders and confirm Nintendo is shipping "woefully short" supply of the game.

505 Games accidentally upgrades Control Deluxe Edition owners to the new Ultimate Edition, prompting outrage by fans.

505 Games has locked Control's next-gen PS5, Xbox Series X upgrades behind a separate Ultimate Edition SKU. Instead of simply updating existing PS4, Xbox One owners with free next-gen upgrades like CDPR, Ubisoft, and EA are doing, 505 games is forcing anyone who bought Control or the Deluxe Edition to re-buy the $39.99 Ultimate Edition to play the game with next-gen enhancements.

Why is this happening? For business reasons, mostly, but 505 Games' official comment says they nixed the free upgrade because "leaving any one group out feels unfair." This caused uproar in the community. No one wants to re-buy the game for $40 (don't buy the Deluxe Edition or base game, buy the Ultimate Edition).

Sony announces a new PlayStation 5 stream for Wednesday, September 16 at 1PM PST/3PM EST, where it is expected to announce PS5 pricing and launch date availability.

Microsoft pulled a bold move by announcing Xbox Series S/X pricing on the PlayStation brand's 25th anniversary. Now Sony plans to fire back with the PS5's price. This move will shape the entire 9th console generation.

The higher-end enthusiast console is expected to retail for $499, but Sony could pull a fast one and launch it cheaper, possibly at $449. Sources say the RAM and flash memory alone costs $250, and even a $499 MSRP might be sold at a loss. Even if the PS5 is sold for $499, the same price as the Xbox Series X, analysts predict the PS5 will outsell the Xbox Series S/X duo in 2020 and beyond.

New cross-console size comparisons show just how small the Xbox Series S actually is.

The cheaper $299 Xbox Series S is the smallest console Microsoft has ever made, and it shows. The Series S is 60% smaller than the Series X, and is actually smaller than the One S and One X systems too. Unlike the Series X with its footlocker-shaped chassis, the Series S has a more traditional rectangular shape that's much more shelf-friendly.

The Series S' size reduction and shape design is made possible by a reduction in hardware specifications. The digital-only Series S has 1/3rd the GPU power as the Series X, and a 61% reduction in RDNA-based GPU computed units. RAM has also been dramatically scaled back from 16GB GDDR6 to 10GB GDDR6 and a reduction in bandwidth speeds.

Tactical Haptics recently revealed its Multi-Pose magnet sockets for Oculus Touch controllers, which allow you to change the form factor of your controllers on-the-fly. The magnetic attachments can form several controller configurations.

Tactical Haptics first showed off its modular Multi-Pose magnet socket system at Augmented World Expo in 2019. The technology was bundled in with the company's Reactive Grip Motion Controller, which simulate haptic feedback with shear forces. The company has since separated the two ideas into two separate products. They created a new controller called the SaberGrip, which we already wrote about. They made a consumer-friendly version of the Multi-Pose magnet system that works with Oculus Touch controllers.

The Multi-Pose magnet socket is a sleeve that fits over the Touch controllers to add magnetic attachment points that couple your controllers together in various poses. Each sleeve includes five magnet points positioned at different angles. The design allows for machine gun, shotgun, and rifle configurations and handlebar and gamepad setup.

Tactical Haptics recently revealed the SaberGrip controller, which amplifies VR simulations' immersion with realistic force feedback. The controllers utilize sheer forces to simulate any handle sensation.

Tactical Haptics' SaberGrip is a cylindrical controller that looks somewhat like the hilt of a sword. The device comes in two models: a single-handed option and a two-handed option. Each controller includes a trigger and a single button for interacting with menus or triggering a weapon or tool. Additionally, each controller features two plates on the handgrip that trigger the shear force sensation.

The SaberGrip controllers utilize shear forces to simulate the sensation of interacting with a handle-based tool or weapon. The controllers feature moveable plates on each side on the handle, which move in opposing directions to simulate the flex and vibration you would feel in your hand while manipulating objects. The shear force plates can replicate a sword's weight in your hand while you swing it through the air, or the kickback you would get when you fire a nail into a board from a nail gun.

Viper Gaming by Patriot is taking its memory kits to new speeds. The Viper 4 Blackout Performance Memory lineup offers overclocked modules that run at 4133MHz to 4400MHz

Viper Gaming by Patriot launched a new lineup of high-speed memory kits this week. The Viper 4 Blackout Performance Memory kits are high-performance modules designed to complement the latest high-end computer systems. They offer full compatibility with 10th gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 3000 series chipsets.

Viper Gaming by Patriot built these new memory kits with stability and reliability in mind. The company said it "rigorously tests" its memory chips to ensure they are fit to operate at 4133MHz to 4400MHz. The Viper 4 Blackout memory modules also feature a 10-layer PCB to ensure good signal quality. These memory kits also include a military-grade aluminum heat spreader to keep things from overheating.

As apart of the Artemis program that will be sending the first woman and the next man to Moon's surface, NASA has announced it's looking for private companies to acquire some lunar dirt.

The announcement was made on the NASA website, and says that the space agency will pay private companies to "collect a small amount of Moon 'dirt' or rocks from the lunar surface". According to the NASA website, private companies will be required to put in a proposal with the space agency, as well as provide imagery of the collection and collected materials, and location data.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, "We are putting our policies into practice to fuel a new era of exploration and discovery that will benefit all of humanity". The goal of collecting lunar surface samples is to expand our knowledge of the Moon's surface, which will then benefit all of humanity as the knowledge will be relevant in the future years to come with the Artemis program. If you are interested in reading the blog post for yourself, check out this link here.

If you are like me, you really like high detail images of the beauties of space, and what object to capture in glorious high-detail than our Sun?

Above, we have an image of a sunspot, which is created by pockets of magnetic activity on the Sun's surface. These magnetic fields then trap stellar plasma and create a cool region located in the center. These spots can result in a coronal mass ejection (CME), or solar flares.

Researchers used the GREGOR telescope located at the Teide Observatory in the Canary Islands to capture this stunning image of a sunspot. While the spot itself may seem small, it should be noted that they can be thousands of kilometers wide, essentially meaning that the spot we are looking at could potentially swallow the entire Earth. If you want more information on this topic, check out this link here.

Palmer Luckey has well and truly moved back into reality after almost single-handedly creating the VR market as we know it as the founder of Oculus, which was sold to Facebook for $2 billion. Now he heads up Anduril Industries, which just unveiled their first AI-powered Ghost 4 drone.

Anduril's new Ghost 4 drone are (very importantly) made in the USA. The new AI-powered drones are the first generation that can perform reconnaissance missions, according to Luckey, where the drones will fly out and search areas of land for objects of interest. This would include weapons, people, hardware (spy equipment), and more.

The new AI-powered drones are the first generation that can perform reconnaissance missions, according to Luckey, where the drones will fly out and search areas of land for objects of interest. This would include weapons, people, hardware (spy equipment), and more.

Have you ever wanted to build your own VR headset? Well, you can now with Relativty's open-source plans. And it will only cost you $200 and a bit of your time.

The Relativty open-source VR headset is the brainchild of Max Coutte and Gabriel Combe; two friends who wanted to develop VR games but didn't have the money a VR headset. Coutte and Combe said they started development on the headset when a few years ago when they were 15. Now the pair are releasing their plans for anyone interested in building one for themselves.

"It still feels a little surreal for us that we did exactly what we wanted since middle school: to build our own VR headset, play with it, experiment with it, and surround ourselves with other VR enthusiasts," wrote Coutte in his announcement post on Producthunt.com.

On September 9, a benchmark score was submitted to Geekbench which may point to an unannounced standalone Vive headset. The posted score, first reported by TechGenyz, suggested a new Vive Focus with better internals is on the way.

The Geekbench 5 results in question list a headset called HTC Vive Focus (XR2), which basically reveals the device's specifications. The result page pegs the process as an 8-core ARM Qualcomm running at 1.8GHz. It also indicates 5.5GB of memory, which is likely 6GB with 500MB reserved for the system.

This information seems to indicate that HTC could be preparing to launch another standalone Vive Focus headset with modern internals. The Vive Focus and Focus Plus headsets never made their way to consumers, but they had some traction in the commercial VR market in the location-based entertainment and enterprise markets. Vive could use a Quest competitor in its lineup, especially with a new Quest seemingly right around the corner. An XR2 powered Focus headset could do the trick.

Ubisoft wants to teach you the definition of insanity all over again, but this time the experience will be much more immersive. Ubisoft partnered with Zero Latency to bring the Far Cry franchise to VR arcades.

"Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?" It's not doing the same thing over and over again; it's doing it over again, but this time in VR. Ubisoft today revealed Far Cry VR: Dive into Insanity, an 8-player VR arcade experience that will take you back to Far Cry 3's Rock Island, home of Vaas Montenegro.

Ubisoft announced the game with a 1-minute trailer that doesn't tell us a much, but it does paint a picture of what you should expect from the experience. The trailer opens up with good old Vaas asking his signature question, so we presume you'll come face to face with him at some point.

If you want to try out something new in Flight Simulator, then you can fly right past Godzilla -- yes, that's right -- Godzilla, as the infamous monster is hanging around near San Francisco. Check it out:

You will need to get a mod from Nexus Mods for Flight Simulator, which will give you the gloriously (and freaking huge) Godzilla. The Godzilla in the mod for Flight Simulator is based off the 2014 Legendary Pictures version of Godzilla, and he is bigger than every building in the city and makes the Golden Gate Bridge look like a toy.

The modder behind the new Godzilla mod for Flight Simulator said that if this mod gains traction, that he would look into adding King Kong to the Empire State Building in New York City.