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Witcher Season 2 to begin filming sooner than expected
Back in March, a leaked email revealed that the production of the second season of The Witcher was delayed due to the coronavirus.
Now, according to a report from Deadline, production of the second season of The Witcher could begin "in the coming weeks". Deadline says that the production studio Arborfield Studios is planning on reopening, as it closed its doors for work after Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju tested positive for coronavirus.
Bob Terry of Arborfield Studios has said to Deadline that there are currently meetings being organized to come up with safety procedures for the reopening. The filming of The Witcher Season 1 was located in Budapest, but season 2 has been relocated to the UK. Unfortunately, there has not been a date put in place for when the filming of The Witcher season will actually start, but we do have a vague release date of 2021.
Continue reading: Witcher Season 2 to begin filming sooner than expected (full post)
GOG giving away rare GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 graphics card
NVIDIA crafted one of the most amazing custom graphics cards ever with its GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition, something that later hit eBay for $5000.
Well, now the fine folks at GOG.com are giving one away and it's never been easier to win one. All you have to do is visit their forum, and then describe Cyberpunk 2077 in exactly 8 words. You can't write 7, you can't write 9 -- it has to be 8 simple words. You also can't write "Cyberpunk 2077", either.
GOG.com explains: "At GOG.COM we're all eagerly anticipating the release of Cyberpunk 2077, so let's all have some fun on the forums! And it wouldn't be fun enough without a really cool prize to grab, right? Between revisiting our favorite Deus Ex: Human Revolution and other essential cyberpunk games, you can now win the unique GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition graphics card to upgrade your machine before the game is released!"
Continue reading: GOG giving away rare GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 graphics card (full post)
Tesla stock price breaches $1000 for the first time in history
Tesla Motors share prices have enjoyed a new record high, breaching the $1000 barrier and sitting at $1025 at the time of writing providing the company with a huge $190 billion market cap.
The company is ramping up production of its Semi commercial truck, with a recent tweet from Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk teasing that "volume production" was indeed happening. This helped boost Tesla stock prices past $1000, on top of a new call from Wedbush Securities that has boosted its target price to $1000 and said the EV giant could have "more room to run".
Tesla is hosting its Battery Day soon, where it is expected to unveil a "game-changing" battery technology announcement that could drive Tesla stock past $1500 -- and far past its main competitor in Toyota for the title of the world's most valuable car company.
Continue reading: Tesla stock price breaches $1000 for the first time in history (full post)
Grado reveals its new Hemp Headphones, costs $420 (of course)
Grado has just unveiled its new headphones, with the Brooklyn-based audio company revealing its new Hemp Headphone -- yeah, you're not high -- you read that right.
The new Grado Hemp Headphones are a very, very uniquely styled pair of headphones that have its body made of maple wood and "highly compressed hemp" according to Grado. The company explains: "In our never-ending pursuit to experiment with all types of woods and materials, we had the opportunity to build with hemp".
Grado continues: "We weren't sure how these hemphones would turn out, but to everyone's surprise it quickly became a favorite passed around Grado. To be blunt, this is one of the best sounding Limited Editions we've built".
Continue reading: Grado reveals its new Hemp Headphones, costs $420 (of course) (full post)
Dirt 5 can run at 120FPS on the next-gen Xbox Series X console
It should come as no surprise that we're going to see many more games hitting 120FPS on the next-gen consoles, but now we know Dirt 5 will offer 120FPS on the Xbox Series X console.
Dirt 5 developer Codemasters was intereviewed recently with Xbox Wire, with Codemasters' technical director David Springate talking about the beefcake hardware inside of Xbox Series X helped them craft Dirt 5. Springate said the team were surprised at "how quick" they were able to hit 120FPS.
Springate said: "More importantly, I was shocked at how quickly we could hit 120 fps! We hadn't done any optimization for it at this stage but the game was frequently hitting 120 fps".
Continue reading: Dirt 5 can run at 120FPS on the next-gen Xbox Series X console (full post)
Crypto 'whale' sends $133, incurs $2.6 million transaction fee
Imagine this: you're wanting to transfer 0.55 ETH ($133 or so) and clicking "send" and then realizing the transaction fee was actually 10,666 ETH ($2.6 million). I'd have fainted right there and then, probably died on the spot.
Well, that's exactly what an unknown wallet holder did a few days ago -- sent 0.33 ETH with a transaction fee of 10,666 ETH -- a sign literally from the Devil himself. The fee went to Chinese mining group Spark Pool, which is a little on the expensive side as a transaction fee normally costs around $0.50 -- this time, it was $2.6 million.
No one knows who the ETH wallet holder is, but the balance in that wallet used to be $11 million -- and this is after sending the $2.6 million blown on transaction fees.
Continue reading: Crypto 'whale' sends $133, incurs $2.6 million transaction fee (full post)
Mayan doomsday calendar was wrong, world now ends on June 21, 2020
I still remember where I was, and what I was doing on December 21, 2012 -- the day the world was meant to end. It was the last day of my 10 years of managing a computer store in my home state, and shifting into working full-time for TweakTown. But man, I was off by 8 years... the end of the world is on June 21, 2020.
Yeah -- sorry folks, the world is ending on June 21, 2020 -- around 10 days from now.
Why? How? Well, that's because the Gregorian calendar being introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII made important changes that was used by the Julian calendar. The biggest thing here is that it removed 11 days from our year, to better reflect the time it takes the pale blue dot we call Earth to orbit around the Sun.
Continue reading: Mayan doomsday calendar was wrong, world now ends on June 21, 2020 (full post)
NVIDIA rumored to use HUGE cooling block on GeForce RTX 3080
These leaks of NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce RTX 3000 series graphics cards are probably the biggest leaks of a card before its release ever -- and the leaks just don't stop.
We've heard about the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card cooler rumored to cost NVIDIA up to $150 on its own, rumors of the purported GeForce RTX 3090 being 60-90% faster than the RTX 2080 Ti, and then the juicy rumor of the RTX 3090 packing a huge 24GB of GDDR6X memory that would annihilate the RTX 2080 Ti.
Well, now it's all about the cooler underneath the new GeForce RTX 3080 -- and what should be the Founders Edition cooler for the other RTX 3000 series cards. The new close look at the Ampere RTX series graphics cards shows us the gigantic cooling block that NVIDIA is using, with four very thick heat pipes.
Continue reading: NVIDIA rumored to use HUGE cooling block on GeForce RTX 3080 (full post)
The Matrix 4 script is 'beautiful' and has 'incredible depth'
The Matrix 4 is currently in production, with a current release date of May 21, 2021 -- which coincidentally is the same day John Wick 4 opens, with Keanu Reeves the star of both movies.
Well, during an interview with Empire for their Heroes Issue, The Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss said: "I never thought that it would happen. It was never on my radar at all. When it was brought to me in the way that it was brought to me, with incredible depth and all of the integrity and artistry that you could imagine, I was like, 'This is a gift.' It was just very exciting".
As for Keanu, he added: "Lana Wachowski wrote a beautiful script and a wonderful story that resonated with me. That's the only reason to do it. To work with her again is just amazing. It's been really special, and the story has, I think, some meaningful things to say, and that we can take some nourishment from".
Continue reading: The Matrix 4 script is 'beautiful' and has 'incredible depth' (full post)
Infinity Ward to shrink Warzone, Modern Warfare's huge file sizes
Warzone is literally the biggest thing Activision has ever done. Luckily Infinity Ward is making good on its promise to start shrinking both Modern Warfare's and Warzone's massive install sizes.
Call of Duty is taking a serious toll on hard drive space. Warzone and Modern Warfare have a combined install space that's fast approaching 200GB, or almost 1/4th of a PS4's 1TB HDD. The culprit is both games' seasonal models, which see huge content patches and updates launched every few weeks.
A while back, Infinity Ward said it'd use new compression tech to help shrink the game's storage footprint. Now the developers are starting to implement their compression tech and reduce file sizes going forward. Starting with season 4's drop tonight at 11PM PST, all future content drops will be compressed and adjusted to drop the overall install size.
Continue reading: Infinity Ward to shrink Warzone, Modern Warfare's huge file sizes (full post)
No Man's Sky adds gaming's most important new feature
No Man's Sky adds cross-play before some of the industry's most popular service games, showing the strong dedication Hello Games has for its fanbase.
Today Hello Games announced No Man's Sky is getting cross-play on all platforms starting tomorrow. That means PS4, Xbox One, and PC gamers can all play, build, and roam the infinite celestial wonderverse together. This represents the biggest development since the game's ambitious Beyond update.
No Man's Sky is an oddity. It's a live service game that has absolutely no in-game monetization whatsoever. All of its content packs are 100% free, there's no paid expansions or microtransactions, and Hello Games only ever charges for the base game.
Continue reading: No Man's Sky adds gaming's most important new feature (full post)
Hellblade Senua's Saga will use Epic's next-gen Unreal Engine 5 tech
Microsoft's Jason Ronald confirms Hellblade II will use Epic's new Unreal Engine 5 technology for high-end performance.
Although Epic first showcased the Unreal Engine 5 running on Sony's PlayStation 5, the engine will of course support the Xbox Series X and PC as well. Now we have confirmation of the initial first-party Xbox game to use UE5.
"The team will be building the game on Unreal 5 and leveraging the power of Xbox Series X to bring the Hellblade franchise to levels never before seen. The footage shown was captured in-engine and reflects the power of Xbox Series X available to developers to deliver new universes, experiences and games in ways you have never imagined," Xbox Director of Program Management Jason Ronald said in a recent blog post.
Continue reading: Hellblade Senua's Saga will use Epic's next-gen Unreal Engine 5 tech (full post)
Kingston ships new KC2500 2TB NVMe PCIe SSD
Kingston has announced that it is now shipping a new version of its KC2500 2TB NVMe PCIe SSD that packs 2TB of storage in the small form factor SSD. The drive is aimed at desktop, workstation, and high-performance computing systems where performance is critical. Kingston uses a GEN 3.0 x 4 controller and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND.
Read/write speeds are up to 3500/2900 MB/s, and Kingston promises that the drive is durable. The new 2TB capacity slots into the range for the KC2500 NVMe PCIe SSD range that begins at 250GB. Kingston also supports end-to-end data protection using XTS-AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption.
The SSD also allows the use of independent software vendors with TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions. That includes offerings from Symantec, McAfee, WinMagic, and others. The KC2500 also has integrated Microsoft eDrive support, which is a security storage specification for use with BitLocker. Kingston ships all capacities of the SSD with cloning software.
Continue reading: Kingston ships new KC2500 2TB NVMe PCIe SSD (full post)
PlayStation 5 may support multiple suspend/resume points per game
A recently published Sony patent reinforces our previous coverage that the PlayStation 5 will support save states as well as in-game hints.
The patent was just published, but it isn't really new, and was actually filed in 2017. The topics aren't all that new either. Other patents have pretty much outed the PlayStation 5's own unique answer to Quick Resume via a novel save state feature.
The basic gist of the patent is a new UI system that relays key data to users. On the surface, the UI looks very similar to the PS4. But this patent includes lots of info, metrics, and UI features the PS4 doesn't have. For example, the patent shows panes to quick-launch a game at a specific point in time.
Continue reading: PlayStation 5 may support multiple suspend/resume points per game (full post)
GameStop posts $177 million loss, reduces deferred tax assets by 80%
GameStop's Q1'20 earnings show a substantial $177 million comprehensive net loss due to COVID-19 closures, high expenses, and reduction in tax assets.
Retailer GameStop isn't doing well right now. The company was already on a shaky foundation, and the weeks-long COVID-19 closures put a serious dent in net income, and under-performance has diminished one of the company's most valuable assets: Deferred taxes.
GameStop's net sales for the Q1'20 period were $1.021 billion, down 34% year-over-year. But this is just revenue. After expenses, the company reported a total operating loss of $108 million, compared to a positive $17.5 million in Q1'19. The simple reason for this is GameStop spent more than it made.
Continue reading: GameStop posts $177 million loss, reduces deferred tax assets by 80% (full post)
XPG Primer gaming mouse has a 12000 DPI sensor
Gamers have a new mouse to check out from XPG called the XPG Primer. It has a durable double-shot surface with PBT, giving a smooth and grippy surface. Users can weight balance the mouse at 98g plus or minus 5%. It also offers textured side grips for comfort during long gaming sessions.
Primer also has an ultra-light braided cable and selectable RGB lighting effects. The sensor inside is a 12000 DPI PMW3360 optical unit. XPG fits it with Omron mechanical switches with durability for more than 20 million clicks.
The scroll wheel is tactile for comfort. Resolution is adjustable starting at 400 dpi and doubling until it reaches the max 12000 dpi. There are six presets for DPI. The maximum acceleration is 50G, and the report rate is 250/500/1000 Hz. Supported lighting effects include color wave, breathing, static, and off.
Continue reading: XPG Primer gaming mouse has a 12000 DPI sensor (full post)
GameStop owes $417 million in debt, wants to extend payback to 2023
Despite a substantial $177 million earnings loss in Q1'20 and an 80% reduction in its deferred tax assets, GameStop isn't down for the count yet. It might owe hundreds of millions, but the company is still alive and kicking for the time being.
Beleaguered retailer GameStop currently owes $417.2 million in total debts. Luckily its cash on hand outweighs its debts. GameStop has $570 million in cash right now, but even a portion of that--$135 million--was financed from credit. So GameStop is still at risk but it's not immediately going under.
To held buy it some time, GameStop issued a new debt note exchange offer. The company will pay exchange a 1:1 promise to all noteholders to pay them the exact value of their notes when the notes are due. But the catch is the notes won't mature until 2023, meaning GameStop won't have to pay everything back until that period.
Continue reading: GameStop owes $417 million in debt, wants to extend payback to 2023 (full post)
New iMac featuring iPad Pro-style tipped for WWDC 2020
Apple has always been very big on the design of its products, and as such, it's made some beautiful gear over the years. One of its more attractive products is the new line of iPad Pro tablets that are almost all screen on the front. A new rumor is going around that says when WWDC 2020 kicks off later this month, one of the new products that will be unveiled is a new iMac that has style reminiscent of the current iPad Pro.
A past rumor has suggested that Apple will officially unveil new ARM-powered Macs at WWDC 2020. The rumor of the redesigned iMac comes from leaker Sonny Dickson. The rumor says that the new iMac will have Pro Display-like bezels, a T2 chip, AMD NAVI GPU, and will ditch the Fusion Drive.
Eliminating the Fusion Drive means that there will be no more hybrid storage inside the iMac. Instead, the new iMac is expected to use flash storage exclusively. iMac fans should be thrilled at this rumor as the machine hasn't been updated in over a year. Other rumors have suggested that an updated iMac was coming.
Continue reading: New iMac featuring iPad Pro-style tipped for WWDC 2020 (full post)
$599 PlayStation 5 price leak spotted on Amazon UK
Amazon UK might've leaked the PS5's higher $599 price tag for a 2TB SKU.
Apparently the PlayStation 5 will have two different models when it releases in 2020: One with an 825GB SSD, and another with a 2TB drive (or roughly 1.65GB, double the capacity of the base PCIe 4.0 SSD). The info comes from a shaky Amazon UK listing that's actually not live yet and only exists in a brief screenshot. Ordinarily this wouldn't mean much, but we've heard rumors of Sony launching both a PS5 Pro and PS5 base console in 2020, alongside rumors of a 2TB model.
It also helps Amazon UK is leaking out placeholder listings for upcoming PlayStation 5 games, including new games from Konami, Take-Two, and Koch Media (Deep Silver).
Continue reading: $599 PlayStation 5 price leak spotted on Amazon UK (full post)
PUBG Mobile makes $226 million in May 2020, 53% of it comes from China
PUBG Mobile is making some serious money while everyone is under COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, correctly socially distancing by winning chicken dinners from a distance on their smartphones.
Well, according to SensorTower's new data PUBG Mobile was the #1 game in overall revenue for May 2020, with its new Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue for May 2020 list having PUBG Mobile at the top by developer Tencent. The developer also has Honor of Kings in at #2 as well while Roblox comes in third.
SensorTower says that PUBG Mobile made $226 million in revenues from user spending in May 2020 alone, which is a gigantic 41% year-over-year increase from May 2019. Chinese gamers are pulling out their credit cards in droves, with 53% of the $226 million coming from gamers in China -- now compare this to just 10.2% from the United States, and 5.5% to Saudi Arabia.
Continue reading: PUBG Mobile makes $226 million in May 2020, 53% of it comes from China (full post)






















