Learn about how TweakTown tests and reviews hardware. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.
Stay Updated
Follow TweakTown for breaking tech news, reviews, and daily updates.
Ubisoft beats Fiscal Q1'21 earnings forecast by $67 million
On the heels of major AAA game delays and heated misconduct controversies, Ubisoft is bouncing back by generating consistent strong revenues in Q1'21.
Ubisoft recently announced its Fiscal Year Q1'21 results for the period ending June 30, 2020, and the results are pretty stellar. The company exceeded its internal sales forecast by nearly $67 million.
The publisher comes swinging out of the gate where it counts most: Digital earnings. Digital Net Bookings generated €355.4 million ($317.32 million), up 21.5% YoY and comprising a massive 86.7% of Ubisoft's total sales revenues for the quarter.
Continue reading: Ubisoft beats Fiscal Q1'21 earnings forecast by $67 million (full post)
Ooblets tips and tricks: Where to find clothlets, froobtose, and more
Glumberland's new game Ooblets is one of the best releases of 2020 and will cure your coronavirus woes. But it also comes with some grinding, curiosity, and strategy. Here are a few basic tips and tricks to get you up and running.
If you love Animal Crossing, Pokemon, and Harvest Moon, then you really need to try Ooblets. It's available in early access right now on the Epic Games Store for $19.99 and I can honestly say it's worth the investment.
But Ooblets requires some basic understanding in routine-based sims, so we've put together a handy quick-start guide so you can jump in without too much trouble.
Continue reading: Ooblets tips and tricks: Where to find clothlets, froobtose, and more (full post)
Here's what you need to know about the $1200 stimulus coming in August
COVID-19 has struck the world almost like an asteroid, with Americans being in a position where they don't even know the extent of the damage yet -- which is where stimulus checks have been helping millions of Americans around the US.
But now the Trump administration are stamping their seal of approval on a new round of $1200 stimulus checks, explained White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow on a recent interview with CNN.
Kudlow explained: "The check is there, the reemployment bonus is there, the retention bonus is there. There will be breaks, tax credits for small businesses and restaurants. It's a very well-rounded package. It's a very well-targeted package".
Continue reading: Here's what you need to know about the $1200 stimulus coming in August (full post)
You can get PC parts inside of Minecraft and play DOOM on a in-game PC
PC gamers from around the world want to see DOOM playable on as many devices as possible, and now that quest has made its way to getting DOOM running inside of games.
Thanks to Reddit user uDrunkMate, DOOM is now completely playable via a virtual PC inside of Mojang's creative title Minecraft. uDrunkMate has created a mod that allows players to order PC parts from a satellite orbiting around Minecraft; players can then build a computer and boot Windows 95 and other operating systems.
The mod takes advantage of another mod called VirtualBox, which is a free and open-source virtual machine software that is designed to run operating systems such as Windows 95. As you may have probably already imagined, there are some limitations when trying to play DOOM inside of Minecraft, and some of those limitations are frame-rate issues, as well as the fact that you have to play on a screen within a screen.
Continue reading: You can get PC parts inside of Minecraft and play DOOM on a in-game PC (full post)
This image of Saturn taken by NASA may be the best one you've seen yet
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is still one of the leading instruments humans have for capturing the beauty of space.
Recently, NASA worked used some of Hubble's magic to their advantage and captured a stunning image of one of the planets in our solar system. Above you can see the image that was captured, and if you couldn't pick which planet we are looking at from the image, I'm happy to tell you that it's Saturn.
From the image we can see Saturn's iconic rings, which NASA describes "Hubble's sharp view resolves the finely etched concentric ring structure. Ranging from tiny grains to giant boulders." Images such as these allow planetary sciences to observe the ever-changing atmosphere on the gas giant. Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement, "It's amazing that even over a few years, we're seeing seasonal changes on Saturn."
Continue reading: This image of Saturn taken by NASA may be the best one you've seen yet (full post)
Intel teases it will deliver more details on Xe graphics in 20 days
NVIDIA has its new Ampere GPU architecture powering the new benchmark crushing Ampere A100 accelerator, and soon to be Ampere-based GeForce RTX 3000 series -- AMD has its RDNA 2 architecture right around the corner and APUs inside of next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X... while Intel has, well lots of pluses -- and no GPU.
Intel is expected to finally have something to share on its Xe graphics according to a quickly-deleted tweet. Intel posted the tweet to its official Intel Graphics Twitter account, where it said: "You've waited. You've wondered. We'll deliver. In 20 days, expect more details on Xe graphics".
Keep in mind that Intel has a few events it will be (virtually) attending, with David Blythe, Senior Fellow and Director of Graphics Architecture at Intel delivering a speech at Hot Chips on August 17 all about the Xe GPU architecture.
Continue reading: Intel teases it will deliver more details on Xe graphics in 20 days (full post)
NYT retracts 'off-world vehicles' recovered bit from its UFO article
An article I wrote a couple of days ago got some major attention, with the legendary Joe Rogan himself sharing the article to his social media pages, throwing it in front of the eyes of millions of people -- the subject of UFOs and more specifically "off-world vehicles not made on this Earth".
In the original article I sourced the new article published by The New York Times titled 'No Longer in Shadows, Pentagon's U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public' where NYT writers Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean explained that former Democratic senator Harry Reid "pushed for funding the earlier U.F.O. program when he was the majority leader".
But the sentence right after that has been completely edited since my original article, where I'll now provide you with a before an after:
Continue reading: NYT retracts 'off-world vehicles' recovered bit from its UFO article (full post)
Halo Infinite's sh*tty graphics make Craig the Brute an internet hero
Halo Infinite was revealed a couple of days ago, where it was shown off on a gaming PC with specs similar to an Xbox Series X -- but the graphics just looked sh*tty.
I wrote an article titled 'Halo Infinite boss talks criticism of sh*tty graphics on Xbox Series X' and my personal Twitter went nuts, and I even got hate email. Strange, still -- the graphics were shit and I'll stand by that until I die. Ray tracing and a couple of more months under the development knife might help, maybe... but for a first showing of a next-gen Halo on the next-gen Xbox?
Not good enough, Microsoft.
Continue reading: Halo Infinite's sh*tty graphics make Craig the Brute an internet hero (full post)
You'll probably want this Core i9-10850K chip over the Core i9-10900K
We knew that Intel was preparing a new Core i9-10850K from previous rumors, but it seems like the company is about to announce the latest member of its Comet Lake family of CPUs.
Intel is expected to unleash the new Core i9-10850K with the same 10 cores and 20 threads that the flagship Core i9-10900K (our review here) has, while clock speeds for the CPU according to the latest reports have it at 3.6GHz base and 5.2GHz boost (3.7GHz and 5.3GHz respectively on the Core i9-10900K).
We have Korean tech outlet Quasar Zone reporting that Intel will drop the new Core i9-10850K on 27th July (Monday) at 23:50 AM Korean Standard Time. This means we should be waiting for the announcement at around 8AM PST -- tomorrow morning, folks!
Continue reading: You'll probably want this Core i9-10850K chip over the Core i9-10900K (full post)
Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S21 Ultra could pack Exynos 1000 chip on 5nm
Samsung is gearing up for its Unpacked 2020 event on August 5 where it will be unveiling the new Galaxy Fold, which is reportedly being re-branded to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 -- as well as the new family of Galaxy Note 20 smartphones, which you can read all about here.
But what about the next-gen Galaxy S21 smartphone?
Well, it seems Samsung could be powering the flagship version of its Galaxy S21 family, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, with its own Exynos 1000 processor. Samsung's in-house Exynos 1000 processor is reportedly being made on the 5nm node, and would be exclusive to the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Continue reading: Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S21 Ultra could pack Exynos 1000 chip on 5nm (full post)
NVIDIA A100 Ampere benchmarked, is now the 'fastest GPU ever recorded'
NVIDIA announced its Ampere GPU architecture with the introduction of the Ampere A100 accelerator earlier this year, the company's first 7nm GPU -- and also its first PCIe 4.0 card too. But what good is a next generation GPU if it hasn't been benchmarked yet?
This is where Jules Urbach, the CEO of OTOY -- a cloud graphics company famous for its Octane Render software, has benchmarked NVIDIA's new A100 accelerator. The new Ampere-based NVIDIA A100 accelerator was benchmarked on OctaneBench -- a benchmark designed to test the performance in OctaneRender.
OTOY benchmarked the GA100-based card which consists of 6912 CUDA cores, and 40GB of super-fast HBM2 memory.
Continue reading: NVIDIA A100 Ampere benchmarked, is now the 'fastest GPU ever recorded' (full post)
Xbox Series S could be an all-white console to contrast Xbox Series X
Microsoft's rumored cheaper next-gen Xbox Series S console may come with a snazzy white paintjob similar to the Xbox One S.
Apparently someone got a hold of a new white Xbox controller that matches the peripheral that ships with the Series X this November. If genuine, the controller could hint at a few things. First off, there's obviously a white next-gen Xbox controller that'll be sold separately. Two, Microsoft may sell an all-white Xbox Series X, but this is less likely because of branding. And three, the white controller will be shipped with the Xbox Series S, the rumored all-digital next-gen Xbox that could be $150 or more cheaper than the Xbox Series X.
The latter makes a lot of sense. If the Xbox Series S (codenamed Lockhart) does exist and ship in 2020 or 2021, then Microsoft will want to clearly delineate between the two systems with color schemes. Microsoft did this with the Xbox One S (white) and Xbox One X (black) at launch, then changed up the color schemes a bit after release.
Continue reading: Xbox Series S could be an all-white console to contrast Xbox Series X (full post)
Ray tracing can fix Halo: Infinite's bad graphics and shadows
Thanks to a recent graphics controversy, Halo: Infinite is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The game isn't the next-gen spectacle we all expected, nor does it seem like a system-selling game. But a closer look at 343i's new engine and lighting systems reveals the reason the game looks decided last-gen.
Why does Halo: Infinite's gameplay look so bland? Why does it look like a last-gen game? It all has to do with the game's new dynamic lighting system. Halo: Infinite is a huge open-world game now, and it has a fluctuating lighting system that blankets the entire world. There's no tightly-designed linear levels, meaning the lighting system isn't fine-tuned, but more spread across a bigger area.
A new deep dive from Digital Foundry uncovers some of Infinite's issues, challenges, and advantages with its new dynamic lighting system.
Continue reading: Ray tracing can fix Halo: Infinite's bad graphics and shadows (full post)
Xbox promises Halo: Infinite will be a next-gen spectacle at launch
Halo: Infinite's graphics have caused lots of controversy and didn't really show off the Xbox Series X's raw power. But that will change from now until release, Microsoft promises.
Halo: Infinite was supposed to be the Xbox Series X's killer game, the system-selling launch title that mimicked Combat Evolved's legacy decades ago. Instead the latest gameplay demo has fans divided (but need I remind you Microsoft doesn't care if you don't buy an Xbox Series X?). The graphics aren't the wow-ing spectacle we expected from an explosive next-gen hit. 343i and Microsoft have since gone into damage control mode in an effort to ameliorate the negative buzz.
"We're in the middle of a global pandemic. It's July, we're far from [Halo Infinite's release in] holiday, you're seeing a work-in-progress game," Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg said in an interview with Inside Gaming.
Continue reading: Xbox promises Halo: Infinite will be a next-gen spectacle at launch (full post)
McDonalds on coronavirus: 'no mask, no hamburgers' starting August 1
McDonalds has just announced that all of its restaurants across the United States will require all of its customers to wear a face mask before entering one of their restaurants.
The new changes come into effect starting August 1, where the company also announced it would still be still halting in-store dining from re-opening for another 30 days. McDonald's USA said in a press statement that "From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've based decisions on our top priority: protecting the health and well-being of our and our franchisees' employees and customers".
Joe Erlinger, President, McDonald's USA and Mark Salebra, National Franchise Leadership Alliance Chair continued, adding:
Continue reading: McDonalds on coronavirus: 'no mask, no hamburgers' starting August 1 (full post)
Dr. Fauci says this one thing is the most important to battle COVID-19
What is the number one thing you can do to keep yourself, your loved ones, and your family safe from contracting COVID-19? Wear a face mask, says Dr. Anthony Fauci.
During a recent virtual event hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce, the top most White House health advisor Dr. Fauci said: "We feel cautiously optimistic that we are on the road - as bleak as it may sound right now - that we're on the road of getting this under control".
Dr. Fauci added: "We will ultimately get back to normal ... Sometimes you get so exasperated and run down by (the news), that you think is never going to end. It will end. It will end through public health measures and science, I can tell you, will come to our rescue".
Continue reading: Dr. Fauci says this one thing is the most important to battle COVID-19 (full post)
German sniffer dogs are getting better at sniffing to detect COVID-19
The future of detecting COVID-19 coronavirus in the wild might just be a... sniffer dog.
New research is being conducted by scientists over at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, who have been training sniffer dogs to detect COVID-19 on human samples.
Their recent tests have been quite accurate, where the scientists taught 8 separate sniffer dogs from the German Bundeswehr for just a few weeks to be able to tell the difference between the saliva and mucus of people that had coronavirus, and didn't have coronavirus.
Continue reading: German sniffer dogs are getting better at sniffing to detect COVID-19 (full post)
Dr. Fauci busted not wearing mask, social distancing at baseball game
Dr. Anthony Fauci was recently at the Washington Nationals game on Thursday night, where he threw the first pitch of the game. It was a casual moment in the middle of a pandemic, but it was Dr. Fauci's next act that would make headlines.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the advisor to President Trump's own COVID-19 coronavirus task force has been telling every other American to wear a mask... except, he doesn't. After he threw the first pitch, Dr. Fauci went into the stands to sit with his friends.
He was spotted, very clearly I might add, without his mask on -- sitting directly next to two people. So he's not practicing what he preaches -- not wearing a mask (big no no) and not socially distancing (another big no no). But hey, he's Dr. Fauci and he had a perfect excuse.
Continue reading: Dr. Fauci busted not wearing mask, social distancing at baseball game (full post)
President Trump gets real, regrets some of his tweets and retweets
We all do it: send a message, email, or tweet and instantly regret it. Especially Twitter, where you can't edit your tweets once they hit Dorsey's servers.
President Trump has said he "often" regrets some of his tweets and retweets, where in a recent interview at the White House with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, he compared using Twitter today to the old days where you'd write a letter.
President Trump explained: "It used to be in the old days before this, you'd write a letter and you'd say, 'this letter is really bad,' you put it on your desk and you go back tomorrow and you say, 'oh, I'm glad I didn't send it'".
Continue reading: President Trump gets real, regrets some of his tweets and retweets (full post)
Qanon also blocked by TikTok, joins Facebook, Twitter, Reddit bans
Qanon poses no harm to anyone, doesn't advocate violence (unlike many other groups on social media that don't get banned) but that hasn't stopped Big Tech from banning as much as Q as they can. Facebook was first, then Twitter just recently.
Now we have TikTok blocking multiple Qanon-related hashtags, but the Chinese video sharing giant won't be removing videos using the hashtag. TikTok will however be banning the terms "Qanon", "Fall Cabal" and "QAnonTruth" but then The Verge reporter Kim Lyons gets this very pivotal bit wrong. She adds that they're banning "Out of Shadows" which is a "related phase" used by "QAnon believers".
I'll call her out now -- no it's not: Out of Shadows is not some "related phrase". Go and search "Out of Shadows" and see what it is, and how it has been all but removed from the internet, it's near impossible to find on YouTube yet has millions of views and should've been trending on YouTube but it wasn't for obvious reasons (once you've watched it, you'll understand).
Continue reading: Qanon also blocked by TikTok, joins Facebook, Twitter, Reddit bans (full post)






















