Latest News - Page 1626

Halo 2 Anniversary is coming to PC next week on May 12, 2020, dev 343 Industries today confirmed.

The Master Chief Collection's PC port is expanding at a surprisingly quick pace. Just a few weeks after initial beta testing, Halo 2 is coming to PC next week via Steam, the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass, complete with optimizations across the board. This version is a port of the 2014 Halo 2 Anniversary remaster included with MCC on Xbox, and includes PC bells and whistles like native 4K support, 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio support, high-res textures, and uncapped frame rates for higher-end PCs.

Expect battle rifle and grenade carnage, dying a whole lot in the tough campaign (modern shooters really do spoil us), and lots of nostalgia. The multiplayer includes 7 classic maps revamped with modern graphics and assets

Activision won't delay any games for 2020, and plans to ship four titles in the year: Call of Duty 2020, World of Warcraft Shadowlands, and two mystery games based on Activision IP.

The coronavirus hasn't disrupted Activision's games slate for this year. In a recent earnings call, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed four games are on the way, and only two of them are major releases: the Shadowlands expansion, and the other major one is of course Call of Duty 2020.

The pipeline also includes two unannounced games from Activision's trove of IPs. What could they be? Rumor has it a new Tony Hawk remaster is on the way, and the other one could be the rumored Crash Bandicoot game.

One of the biggest smartphone launches in recent memory wasn't a very expensive and high-end device; it was the budget-priced iPhone SE. That smartphone launched at $399 and was widely hailed for packing the fastest processor around into a mid-range device. Samsung has competition for the new iPhone SE in the form of the Galaxy A51, which has now been widely launched in the US.

The Samsung Galaxy A51 is priced at the same $399 that the iPhone SE demands with one major caveat for those who value performance. The Galaxy A51 uses a Samsung Exynos 9611, which is inferior to the Apple A13 Bionic processor that's found inside the new iPhone SE. Samsung shouldn't feel too bad considering that the $400 iPhone SE processor is faster than every single Android phone on the market, even the S20 Ultra.

Where the Galaxy A51 shines compared to the new iPhone SE is in screen size. The A51 has a 6.5-inch screen with 2400x1080 resolution compared to the iPhone SE with its 4.7-inch display and 1334x750 resolution. Samsung's offering also has an in-screen optical fingerprint reader. The A51 has a camera array that may be more appealing to some users with a 48-megapixel primary camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 5-megapixel depth camera.

Activision will massively accelerate Call of Duty's new free-to-play Warzone mode with new content and updates in the coming months.

Warzone is an absolute monster. The mode has already hit 60 million players since launching in March 2020, and Activision wants to keep that momentum going. In a recent earnings call, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick confirms the company will "continue to invest in Warzone significantly." Not only is Warzone generating incredible engagement and monetization revenues, but it's also spiking full game sales of Modern Warfare too.

Gamers are using Warzone as a F2P entry point to the ecosystem and buying Modern Warfare to further the experience. In other words, everything's going according to Activision's plan. Warzone was specifically designed to do this with cross-platform and cross-SKU play.

Google announced earlier this year that once spring came around, it would require all Nest account users who weren't enrolled in two-factor authentication or had not migrated to a Google account to take an extra step to verify their identity via email. Nest is trying to take steps to make its network more secure and safer for users. Any nefarious user who gained access to a Nest account could have access to video feeds directly from within the owner's home from cameras and other security products.

Google has announced on the official Nest Help page that beginning this month, Nest will be adding a new account security feature. With the new feature in effect, when a new login is initiated, users will receive an email from accounts@nest.com that contains a six-digit verification code. That six-digit verification code must be entered to log into an account successfully.

Google says that the code verifies that it is the account owner attempting to access the account, and there will be no logins without that code. Adding the new feature helps to keep users' accounts safe from hackers, even if the hackers have the username and password. Nest says there are additional security steps that users can take advantage of to make their accounts safer.

Unreal Engine 4, one of the most popular games engines in the industry, now natively supports PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X console hardware with platform-specific optimizations designed to tap each system's respective feature sets.

Epic just released Unreal Engine v 4.25, a new update that opens the doorways to high-end enhancements on next-gen consoles. The update also includes real-time raytracing support which is well-timed for next-gen consoles. Epic says this is just the beginning of their support for PS5 and Xbox Series X system hardware and we should expect more updates over time.

"For game developers, this is the first release with initial support for Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X as first-class platforms, and throughout the year we will be updating the 4.25-Plus branch with optimizations, fixes, and certification requirements to support developers launching on the next generation of consoles. Features include platform-specific functionality, such as new audio advancements, initial support for online subsystems, and early support for TRC and XR certification requirements," Epic said in the post.

Microsoft has published a blog post that talks about some details of the Windows 10 operating system. One of the more interesting factoids Microsoft is offering up is that customers are using Windows PCs to stay productive, connected, and learned during the coronavirus pandemic around the world significantly more than before the pandemic. The software giant says that over 4 trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 devices each month.

Four trillion minutes is a 75% increase year-over-year. Microsoft also talked about what it's doing to help Windows 10 users in the future. One of the most significant changes to Windows 10 will be the May 2020 update that will land as a free upgrade this month. Microsoft's May 2020 update will make things easier and faster for customers. It will bring more streamlined Bluetooth pairing, among other things. The update will also bring improved tablet experience for two-in-one laptop users when the keyboard is detached.

Microsoft says that this holiday and in the holiday season of 2021, it intends to accelerate innovation in Windows 10 to ensure that Windows devices are the best way to work, learn, and play. The software giant is shifting priorities for Windows, saying that the world is a different place than it was last October when it announced its vision for dual-screen Windows devices. Originally Windows 10X was meant for dual-screen devices, which have now been delayed.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone was once the top of the line device from the company. It's now several generations old. As happens in the smartphone world as devices age, they eventually lose support from the manufacturer for OS and security updates. Samsung's Galaxy S8 has been around for about three years now, and Samsung announced this week that it would be ending monthly updates for the smartphone.

That doesn't mean that the Galaxy S8 is being abandoned altogether, rather than monthly updates as it's been getting will now change to quarterly updates. The last major software update for the S8 and S8+ was the bump to Android Pie. Despite not getting another major OS update, monthly security fixes had been offered for the phone.

The security updates will now only be offered quarterly for the S8 and several newer Android devices from Samsung, some of which are newer than the Galaxy S8. Only Samsung's flagship devices typically receive monthly updates. Some newer Galaxy devices, including the A71 5G, A41, A31, A11, M11, and the Tab S6 Lite, never received monthly updates and were always on the quarterly schedule.

Google's SVP of devices and services, Rick Osterloh, recently sent out a tweet that seemed innocuous enough. The tweet was celebrating a badge he had earned on the Fitbit that was for walking 7,900 miles. The tweet was made on May 4th, and what he tweeted isn't what has Pixel fans excited.

What was exciting is that the tweet was accompanied by a screenshot taken from the smartphone he's using, which appears to be the unannounced Google Pixel 4a. The screenshot doesn't brag that it's from the Pixel 4a. What gives it away is that the status icons at the top are significantly shifted to the right.

The shifting of the icons to the right would be to accommodate the hole-punch display that's been leaked a few times. Scuttlebutt suggests that the screenshot is from a Pixel 4a device that's been customized by Pixel Themes. Other interesting tidbits that can be gleaned from the screenshot include that the original resolution of the image, according to Twitter, is 2048x945, which is admittedly an odd resolution for a smartphone.

Microsoft today announced the new Xbox 20/20 initiative, which will deliver new Xbox reveals and info every single month throughout 2020.

Microsoft is going all-out with their transparency plans. They've pretty much outlined the entirety of Xbox Series X's hardware (3.8GHz Zen 2 CPU, 12TFLOP 1.28GHz Navi 2X GPU, PCIe 4.0 SSD, etc) and software (DirectStorage, Velocity Architecture, Smart Delivery, etc).

All that remains now is games and info on optimization upgrades, and that info is coming in May. But that isn't enough. Starting on May 7 with the big new next-gen gameplay reveal, Microsoft will host Xbox events every month through the remainder of 2020. Microsoft says that "every month will bring something different," so expect info on services to be sandwiched between big announcements. That means events for the next eight months.

Samsung has long called its mobile devices by the Galaxy name in the smartphone and tablet realms. The company also has notebooks that fall into the Galaxy line, and one of its latest, the Galaxy Book Flex, is now available the United States. The machine is a two-in-one PC that has a screen able to fold back for use in tablet mode with the included S Pen.

Samsung uses the Windows 10 operating system inside the machine, and it comes in either 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch screen sizes. Both screen sizes use the same QLED touchscreen that supports high color accuracy. The display uses Quantum Dot technology allowing the screen to be viewable in direct sunlight.

One interesting feature of the Galaxy Book Flex for smartphone users whose devices support wireless charging is that a smartphone can be placed on the trackpad to get power directly from the laptop. The battery inside the Flex is good for up to 19 hours of runtime for the 15.6-inch version and up to 20 hours for the 13.3-inch version. Samsung coats the Flex in royal blue aluminum finish that's attractive and has a premium look.

HP has announced a new Chromebook that's aimed directly at enterprise users. The machine is called the HP Elite c1030 Chromebook Enterprise and has a 13.5-inch 3:2 aspect ratio display. HP brags that the screen has a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio, which is the highest ever on Chromebook.

A low screen-to-body ratio means that the display has very thin bezels. Under the hood, HP uses the latest 10th generation Intel processors promising high performance and utilizing an active-cooling system. The active cooling system will keep the machine running optimally during multitasking and video conferences.

The internal battery is good for up to 12 hours of use per charge, and the machine has a hinge that allows the display to be folded back like a tent. The portable is the world's first Chromebook that has an integrated privacy screen using HP Sure View Reflect technology that keeps people from being able to read your screen over your shoulder at the present button. A fingerprint reader and integrated webcam privacy switch are also integrated.

We're about to get lots of new Cyberpunk 2077 info: First in Microsoft's big Xbox Series X third-party showcase on May 7 (CP2077 has a marketing deal with Xbox), then more on June 11.

Today CD Projekt RED announced more Cyberpunk 2077 news is coming on June 11 in a new segment/show called Night City Wire, which is basically analogous to the Xbox Wire. We don't know what exactly CDPR is planning, but we should expect new gameplay footage from the finalized game. It's also likely this reveal is included in the new Summer Game Fest livestream show.

Basically the timeline should go something like this: on May 7, CDPR should talk about how Cyberpunk 2077 will use Xbox Series X hardware to push insane performance, then on June 11, we'll see more gameplay and info to set up the game's incoming September 2020 launch.

Apex Legends fan? Well, you better prepare yourself as the new character Loba is about to get a full reveal in just a matter of hours.

It was recently confirmed that the next Apex Legends character is going to be the little girl we saw in the Revenant reveal trailer. That little girl who watched her father and mother get murdered by Revenant is Loba, and she has now grown up and is tracking down Revenant for revenge.

So far, all we know about Loba is that her story heavily revolves around being a thief, so I think it's fairly safe to assume that her abilities will be related to the loot on the ground somehow. Above is a link to the Apex Legends YouTube Channel, where they will be showcasing the full Season 5 reveal, which will contain a bunch of new content that isn't just Loba. I'd expect cosmetic additions, possibly new changes to the map, gun tweaks, and more.

If you have played and enjoyed the Dark Souls games and decided to pick up Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, then you were most likely not disappointed by FromSoftware's newest title.

Overall, it's a fantastic game it was so good that it won Game of The Year at the last Game Awards. While almost everything about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is amazing, there is one lacking factor, and that's an online PvP experience. The Dark Souls games had invasions online that allowed players to invade people's worlds and force an epic duel to the death mid-campaign. Luckily, a new mod has been created that brings online gameplay to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

This new mod adds support for up to 6 players, one player is the host of the party, and the other gives players are phantoms. There is also a PvP mode that pits players against each other, a co-op mode that allows two players to venture through the story together, a matchmaking system, and, most importantly, invasions. If you are a Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice fan, then it seems this mod is simply a must-have for you. It should be noted that this mod is still in its very early development stages, so expect bugs, crashes, and possibility some instability problems. Download link can be found here.

A store worker in Kentucky, USA has uploaded a video to TikTok showing a customer that walks in to pay for her gas with a face mask on -- but she's got a custom one where she cut a hole in it. Yeah, I'm not kidding around.

In the video called "Karen Mask", the woman walks up to the counter to pay for her gas, saying "Hi, there, can I get 10 on pump one please?" to which store worker Joe Samaan takes her payment and then replies: "Where did you get that mask from?".

The woman replies, saying: "Well since we have to wear them and it makes it hard to breathe, this makes it a lot easier to breathe". Samaan wants to make sure he's actually seeing what he's seeing, getting her to reiterate her changes to the mask by asking: "Cutting it?"

You should know that you aren't alone if episode six of Rick and Morty broke your brain, because it also broke the brains of the writers behind the show. How comforting.

In a new video uploaded to the Adult Swim YouTube Channel, co-creator Dan Harmon, and writer Jeff Loveness sat down to share their thoughts on episode six and its mind-blowing approach. Disclaimer: this article will contain spoilers, so if you haven't yet watched the new episode, I'd advise on not continuing to read this post. Writer Jeff Loveness, says that this episode "broke me", and that the whole idea got away from the writers by the end of the episode.

The writers explain that Rick is a representation of limitless potential, and that even though he can do anything that can be a trap, and he can be kept doing it forever. Loveness reveals that it was his personal fear that inspired the shirtless old men ripping their t-shirts off and being cut underneath, and Harmon threw his disgust of the "cumgutter" to complete the idea. The writers also talk about how they started to have "fun" with meta-structural stuff, which is more than apparent throughout the episode. Personally, this is one of my favorite Rick and Morty episodes yet; if you haven't seen it and are a Rick and Morty fan, you need to get onto it ASAP.

Australia has had its COVID-19 contact tracing app COVIDSafe deployed to Australians, but the government received a huge pushback from Aussies that didn't want the app being forced on them as mandatory.

Well, India hasn't been so pleasant -- with the Indian home ministry making it mandatory for all workers to download and use their new COVID-19 contact tracing app 'Aarogya Setu'. To makes matters worse, the Indian home ministry have warned that there will be "punishment" if there's negligence.

Over 80 million people across India have downloaded the COVID-19 contact tracing app so far, but the government has hopes to hit 350 million smartphone users throughout the country -- on top of basic phone users with an interactive voice system. Yeah, India is taking things to the next level with COVID-19 contact tracing.

It was barely two weeks ago that I wrote a story on the latest screenshots from Microsoft Flight Simulator looking breathtaking, but these latest screenshots just continue to play games with my heart. Check them out:

These new screenshots from Flight Simulator have been taken from the Alpha build, and members of the community who are lucky enough to be included in that with Microsoft. The screenshots all have watermarks from the users who took them, with some of them looking jaw droppingly good.

You will need a pretty serious PC to play Flight Simulator when it drops, with Microsoft requiring at least 150GB of storage space and a GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card as the "ideal spec". Yeah, the basic game needs 150GB -- with a 5Mbps internet connection at a minimum, and 50Mbps for the "ideal spec" range.

I'm far more comfortable with a Hollywood star being inserted into a game franchise with deepfake technology than I thought, with this new deepfake of Nathan Fillion being inserted into Uncharted 4 as Nathan Drake thanks to deepfake tech. Check it out:

Firefly star Nathan Fillion was born for the role of Nathan Drake in Uncharted, with plenty of fans of Fillion, Firefly, and Uncharted wanting him for the role in the movie. There's an Uncharted movie that is coming, with Spider-Man and Avengers star Tom Holland -- who is no stranger to being deepfaked into something, where he was deepfaked into Back to the Future with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. recently.

Some will remember back in July 2018 that Nathan Fillion starred as Nathan Drake in "UNCHARTED -- Live Action Fan Film" directed by Allan Ungar. It was a short fan film that went for just under 15 minutes and racked up over 7.5 million views in that time. It showed that Fillion was born for the role, but now he has been "officially" deepfaked into Uncharted 4 with some great results.