Latest News - Page 1674

If you thought you were bored being forced to stay-at-home over COVID-19 coronavirus lockdowns, then you might want to pull out your DVDs of Stargate SG-1.

Air Force General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, who is the head of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, announced during a recent Facebook Live town hall with others under his command, that they've moved part of the U.S. Army's Northern Command in charge of homeland security in the US into the Cheyenne Mountain bunker in Colorado to be isolated from coronavirus.

O'Shaughnessy explained: "To ensure that we can defend the homeland despite this pandemic, our command and control watch teams here in the headquarters split into multiple shifts and portions of our watch team began working from Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, creating a third team at an alternate location as well".

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, is the leading authority in the United States for COVID-19 coronavirus and he has some scary new estimates.

During CNN's State of the Union Sunday, Dr. Fauci said that they estimate between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths in the US alone from COVID-19. Fauci said that there will be millions of cases, and he has helped out during other crises of viral diseases, leading the federal response of SARS, MERS, Ebola, and now COVID-19.

The warnings of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths over COVID-19 are based on estimates on models, with the most-extreme, worst-case scenario would see COVID-19 killing millions of Americans. Fauci commented on millions of Americans dying over COVID-19, saying that it is "not impossible, but very, very unlikely".

We all know the panic that COVID-19 coronavirus is having on the world, and with more time spent at home -- pet owners would be cuddling their bundles of love all day long, right? Remember you can be more protected from COVID-19 coronavirus with this Catface N95 mask.

Well, over in Belgium a cat owner has infected their beloved pet with coronavirus according to Belgium health authorities. Dr Emmanuel Andre, a government spokesperson on COVID-19 coronavirus said that this was "an isolated case" that happens after "close contact between animals and infected humans".

He added that coronavirus can be transmitted between humans and animals, but "there is no reason to think that animals can be vectors of the epidemic in our society".

Beijing authorities have said that as of March 19, there have been over 21 million cell phone accounts cancelled -- while over the last 3 months they've have 840,000 landlines closed in China. Where did all these people go? What happened?

There are some eerie reports that deaths of COVID-19 in China might have "contributed to the high number of account closings", according to The Epoch Times. But, if you didn't already know -- the Chinese government require all Chinese citizens to use their smartpone to generate a health code.

US-based China affairs commentator, Tang Jingyuan, told The Epoch Times: "The digitization level is very high in China. People can't survive without a cellphone. Dealing with the government for pensions and social security, buying train tickets, shopping... no matter what people want to do, they are required to use cellphones".

Halo 5's REQ microtransactions have made millions since the game's 2015 release, and Microsoft has used them to raise money for various causes. Now they're doing the same with the rampant coronavirus outbreak.

Halo's pay-to-win lootbox microtransactions are being used for a good cause. 343 Industries recently announced a special Halo 5 Relief and Recovery REQ Pack where all proceeds are donated to Global Giving's campaign to aid those affected by the COVID-19 disruption, whether it be loss of jobs, housing, or food. The REQ pack costs $10, roughly half the price of the 7x gold pack offer.

If you have most of the permanent unlocks, the REQ pack mostly consists of XP boosts and the like. Other gamers will get a bunch of ultra rare goodies.

Coronavirus' global economic disruption could interrupt Sony's PlayStation plans for 2020 (and beyond), including delaying first-party games as well as its next-gen PlayStation 5 console.

The PlayStation 5 is still officially due out Holiday 2020, but it's still possible the console could be delayed for a number of reasons. Sony's latest update to shareholders doesn't exactly inspire confidence of a PS5 launch in 2020.

In the press release, Sony says that its four Chinese manufacturing plants have been up and running since February 10, but supply chain issues still remain. It also warns that Sony engineers haven't been able to make overseas travel to overseas plants to instruct the manufacturing processes. The company has also shut down two of its Malaysian plants until April 14, further constricting and disrupting supply. There's no explicit mention of the PS5 here, but it's definitely implied. A Sony spokesperson told Bloomberg that the PS5 shouldn't be delayed.

Doom Eternal has lots of hidden secrets in its console command treasure chest. There's third-person mode, the hidden pistol (yes, Doom Eternal has a pistol!), and the classics like godmode and noclip. We show you how to access everything and what commands are useful.

Doom Eternal's console isn't active by default. The developers hindered access for a good reason: It makes the game pretty unstable. But we can force it to work using Sunbeam's Cheat Engine 7.0 program and Doom Eternal's custom cheat table. Yes, we'll be cheating to make this happen, so there's some risks involved. We don't know the full ramifications of the cheats so keep that in mind.

Our tutorial video explains everything, but we've also included the download links for everything you need below, including a full list of all the known CVARS and console commands. You can use CTRL+F to find specific parameters like "weapons", "camera", or "AI" in the following lists and copy and paste it right into the console itself.

Even though Mario and Sonic games have been pulled, there's still tons of amazing creations on Media Molecule's Dreams. Like this immersive forestcape demo, for example.

Now that we're all stuck indoors thanks to COVID-19, now's the perfect time to escape with video games--especially games like the PS4 exclusive Dreams. The game is basically a giant mods warehouse where everyone creates their own games and content and shares them online. Some content, like this peaceful hike through what looks to be a Northwestern forest, is absolutely mindblowing for the platform. There's realistic lighting effects, fog, flowing water, the works.

The demo isn't on par with something like an Unreal Engine tech demo, but it's still massively impressive for something created with Dreams. The game is mostly known for its recreations of other popular franchises like Fallout, Final Fantasy, Sonic, and of course Mario, but those projects have been scrubbed due to copyright issues. Now Dreams hosts truly original content from users who push the platform to its limits and redefine its possibilities.

NieR Replicant, the Japanese exclusive PS3 classic released in 2010, is coming to the West as a new remaster on all platforms.

The roots of Square Enix's sprawling action-RPG epic are coming back in a big way. NieR Replicant, the prequel to the mega-hit NieR Automata, is getting remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, complete with enhanced graphics, new remastered re-recorded audio and score and new characters. In 2010, Square Enix released two NieR games: Gestalt in the West, and the Japan-only Replicant. Now for the first time ever fans will be able to play Replicant with full translations and enhanced graphics. No info on a release date was shared, however.

In other news, Square Enix has sold 4.5 million copies of NieR Automata worldwide, making it a tremendous success that keeps on giving well after release. The sci-fantasy series has attracted millions of fans worldwide with its dark, otherworldly charms and fans are eagerly anticipating Replicant's remastered re-release.

It looks like millions of Americans are being spied on (even more so than they already are), with sources of The Wall Street Journal saying that the CDC is using federal, state, and local governments access to users' location data from mobile ads to help track COVID-19 coronavirus spread.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the anonymized data helps CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) officials understand where people are gathering in large numbers, whether they're honoring the stay-at-home lockdowns, and how retail is suffering because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

How is the CDC doing this? They are reportedly gettring their data through a COVID-19 Mobility Data Network, something that was created by experts at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, and other schools. While it sounds good in this way, the idea that mobile ad data is being used to track is a huge invasion of privacy. Will these new spy powers be taken away once COVID-19 is no longer a threat?

COVID-19 coronavirus has billions of people sitting inside of the 4 walls of their house, so you would have to be out of your house and living under a rock to not think that social networking use, video streaming and especially livestreaming use would increase.

Facebook has just provided some great upgrades to its Live service, where soon even people without Facebook accounts will be able to watch Facebook Live streams from smartphones. You could do this on desktop, but not on mobile -- until now, with Android users the first out of the gate with the new Live upgrades, while iOS is support "in the coming weeks".

The social networking giant is also adding in new options for livestreamers to get access to people without a smartphone, or access to stable mobile connectivity. The new option is called Public Switch Telephone Network", something that sees Facebook let people listen to a livestream through a toll free number -- think conference call.

Lyft is in a really big spot of trouble right now over COVID-19 coronavirus, with millions of riders no longer using the service, business isn't doing so well. It's gotten to the point that Lyft is now referring drivers to jobs at Amazon.

The ridesharing giant emailed its drivers of the new referral program with Amazon, where it is encouraging Lyft drivers to apply for jobs at Amazon warehouses. These drivers are recommended to take jobs with Amazon's own grocery and package deliveries platforms. Why is Lyft doing this?

Well, Uber has its own food delivery platform in Uber Eats -- where Lyft, does not. This has seen Lyft team with Amazon over the new job referral program, even after Lyft announced that it would begin expanding its delivery network to help out in the delivering of coronavirus test kits, medical supplies, and meals to the elderly and vulnerable ppopulations.

Half-Life: Alyx is a completely VR-exclusive game in its original form, with Valve making it to be what I think after finishing it last night, a system seller for virtual reality. But, what about mouse and keyboard gamers?

The game is already playable with a traditional mouse and keyboard, with modders cracking Half-Life: Alyx and getting working without VR controllers. There are some issues right now and things aren't perfect, as the mod in question uses the models for weapons from Half-Life 2, and jumping doesn't work right now.

If you want to play Half-Life: Alyx without a mouse and keyboard then check out the mod right here. I would personally suggest not doing this, and playing it in VR if you have a VR headset -- or a friend with one, and can loan it. It is absolutely, hands down worth it -- every gamer, and especially Half-Life fans need to play Half-Life: Alyx the way it was made to be played: in VR.

Half-Life: Alyx is easily my best game of 2020 and one of the most enthralling, immersive, amazing, truly game-changing experiences I've ever had. So it comes as no surprise to see it dominating Metacritic.

According to the aggregated scores of critical reviews of games on the PC for 2020, Valve has a home run with Half-Life: Alyx and an average score of 93 from 39 critic reviews. Compared to the kick ass DOOM Eternal with 'only' a score of 90, from 45 critic reviews -- we can see Half-Life: Alyx is a masterpiece.

The year is only just beginning as we're not even at the end of Q1 2020 and still have some gignatic releases like Cyberpunk 2077 from CD PROJEKT RED later this year -- and who can forget Microsoft with its next-gen Xbox Series X and Sony with its PlayStation 5 consoles. We shoujld expect a bunch of new games announced and released throughout the year, but can any of them topple what Valve crafted with Half-Life: Alyx? I really don't think so.

I've now just finished Half-Life: Alyx and while I need it all to sink in before I write it over the next few days, an interesting development has happened in the form of an ARG.

What is an ARG you ask? An ARG is an Alternate Reality Game, where some gamers have begun to pick up clues of an ARG hidden within Half-Life: Alyx. The ARG itself begins at the start of Half-Life: Alyx where you will be faced with a radio, if you tune the dial clockwise you will access a radio station playing fuzzy music.

But, if you pull the antenna out and slowly turn the dial with your other hand, you will access a "numbers station". Over on the /r/GameDetectives subreddit, gaming sleuths have begun digging through Half-Life: Alyx and seeing what the hell this ARG is all about -- which is something I want to see completely ripped apart and detailed now.

If you want to protect yourself from COVID-19 coronavirus in a little bit of style, here's a handy guide on how to make your own "Catface" N95 mask, and it even has whiskers.

Grassy Knoll Industries have put the work into making some instructions and a guide on how to make a Catface N95 mask, with the company considering its new cat-styled mask as "Quarantine Couture". But it's not just a boring old guide, it is filled with some laughs and is worth a look on that alone. Meow.

Just to give you an idea of what Grassy Knoll Industries has in its guide to the Catface N95 mask: "Welcome to the Future. This design is easy to make with materials found around the house. Are you in quarantine for two or more weeks? Are you slowly losing your mind from boredom? Are you worried about having to appear in public in a dreary white mask? This design is free to use, share, mash up or make in a factory in China. We don't care what you do with it. We do care that you have fun and attempt to amuse your fellow citizens".

Singapore is taking things up a serious notch when it comes to social distancing over COVID-19 coronavirus, with a press release from Singapore's Ministry of Health.

In the press release, it warned the people of Singapore to maintain a distance of at least 1 meter (3.2 feet) from other people during "non-transient" public interactions. If you don't, you'll face a 10,000 Singapore dollars (or $6985) fine -- or even 6 months in jail. Yeah, they're not kidding around in Singapore.

Singapore isn't the only country getting serious over social distancing either, with a 35-year-old man in France reportedly sent to prison after he violated lockdown. He was found guilty of "endangering the lives of others". A 4-month suspended prison sentence was handed down to a 19-year-old man, as he broke lockdown laws 10 times in a matter of days.

Seriously, some of the creations in Minecraft are astounding -- but we have a new record. YouTuber 'PippenFTS' says he has made a gigantic 1:1 scale version of the Earth in Minecraft, a world-first. Check it out:

PippenFTS says he used two mods to make his 1:1 scale of Earth in Minecraft, as there are height limits that have to be worked around -- with a 255m height limit, mods are required to pass it. He used Terra 1-to-1 and Cubic Chunks, with the latter changing "the shape of Minecraft chunks to 16x16x16 cube, giving you infinite build depth in both vertical directions".

He added: "With the Cubic Chunks mod breaking Minecraft's vertical limitations, we can now experience the Earth in Minecraft, just as it is, with no downscaling of any kind".

New York could be completely quarantined over the current COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, with President Trump tweeting that is thinking about quarantine the entire city. The news of a full quarantine of New York comes just 3 weeks after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo established a containment zone over COVID-19 coronavirus.

In a tweet, President Trump said: "I am giving consideration to a QUARANTINE of developing 'hot spots', New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. A decision will be made, one way or another, shortly". With over 115,000 coronavirus cases in the United States alone, it stands as the highest amount in a country in the world.

The tri-state area of New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut have seen 65,000 cases of COVID-19, alongside 1056 deaths so far. New York City is accounting for most of the increasing numbers of cases and deaths of COVID-19 coronavirus. It's not just President Trump that is concerned, but New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who has said that President Trump's proposal is a "civil war-kind of discussion".

Microsoft might have just found one of the most interesting, and one of the most frightening ways of mining cryptocurrency -- with your body. This isn't the first time I've written about mining cryptocurrency with your body, either.

The company published a patent yesterday called "Cryptocurrency system using body activity data", which while it sounds strange, it sees Microsoft using "human body activity" to mine cryptocurrency. Microsoft explains it as "a brain wave or body heat emitted from the user when the user performs the task provided by an information or service provider, such as viewing an advertisement or using certain internet services, can be used in the mining process".

This could lead to a world where you could be paid for watching ads online or on TV, in cryptocurrency. Microsoft's interest new patent would see the crypto mining activity replacing the "massive computation work" that is required by normal cryptocurrency systems. The data that is taken from the body activity, would be regarded as Proof of Work "therefore, a user can solve the computationally difficult problem unconsciously". Oh, that doesn't sound creepy at all.