Latest News - Page 1689

HyperX has announced a new line of mechanical keyboards that feature its new Aqua switch that has a click rate of 80 million.

Two brand new variants of HyperX's Alloy Origins and Alloy Origins Core mechanical keyboards have been announced. According to HyperX, both of these new keyboards feature RGB LEDs for "for brighter illumination with radiant lighting effects" and sport five different levels of brightness. Both of the keyboards also come with HyperX Aqua switches that have a click rate of 80 million, a reduced travel distance of 3.8mm, an actuation point of 1.8mm, and an operating force of 45g.

HyperX allows users to customize their keyboards through HyperX's NGenuity software. In this software, users can configure a range of different features, such as macros, lighting effects, and more. On top of that, both of the new keyboards come with what is called Custom Game Mode, which allows users to "enable and disable macro keys", and store them in the save library. HyperX Alloy Origins with Aqua switches are currently available now, and to find out more about them head on over to the HyperX website here.

Windows users aren't the biggest fans of the Live Tiles that make the Windows 10 Start Menu appear cluttered, but that could all be coming to an end soon.

Twitter user, Aggiornamenti Lumia, posted the above Tweet showcasing what appears to be a revamped Start Menu from Windows 10. What we can immediately notice is that the Start Menu lacks Microsoft's Live Tiles that debuted alongside the Windows Phone 7 before they were eventually added to Windows 8. Many reports have come out about what Microsoft plans on doing with the Live Tiles, and some reports are suggesting that the company is planning on swapping them out with simple static icons.

WinCentral does accurately note that Aggiornamenti Lumia doesn't include what Build number this Windows is running on, so we can't precisely tell when (if) Microsoft is going kill off the Live Tiles. Microsoft has officially said that Windows 10's icons will be getting a colorful makeover, which will add a fresh splash of paint to a range of different apps. Perhaps Microsoft will sneak in the removal of the Live Tiles as they slowly roll out their app makeover update. More on that can be found here.

FromSoftware is keeping their mouths shut about Elden Ring and how development is going, but sources close to the project are not.

According to ResetEra member, Omni, who has been revealing purported details about the title, Elden Ring will feature dynamic wildlife, and also dynamic weather effects. We already know that Elden Ring is the biggest project that FromSoftware has ever taken on, and that Game of Thrones writer, George R.R Martin is working alongside legendary game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. Both Martin and Miyazaki are creating a unique game world that has heavy emphasis on RPG elements, which ties directly back into what Omni is supposedly revealing.

Omni also touched on other potential FromSoftware projects and mentioned Bloodborne 2. According to Omni, FromSoftware isn't currently working on a sequel to the notoriously difficult game and instead is putting most of its eggs into the Elden Ring basket. Originally, fans thought that Bloodborne 2 could have a sequel dedicated to the PlayStation 5, but at the moment, a sequel isn't actively in development. This doesn't mean there won't ever be a sequel, it just means there isn't one coming at the moment.

Google has just canceled its Google I/O 2020 developer event, where we most likely been introduced to the Pixel 5 smartphones and Android 11 in detail -- all over coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The news was delivered by a Google spokesperson, who told The Verge: "Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre".

Google I/O is the company's biggest event of the year, with it putting a spotlight on new Android operating systems -- at Google I/O 2020 we would've had Android 11 detailed. We're usually introduced to new Android-powered devices including new Pixel 5 smartphones, and other Google-made hardware -- as well as changes to services and apps like Google Maps, Google Assistant, and more.

It looks like China is in the spotlight once again with 5G communications, with the US military now weighing in underlining that Huawei and China are a big global threat.

The recently formed US Space Force requires 5G technology to move forward, with the US military saying "Space-based communications will play a key role in connecting 5G devices". Air Force acquisition officer Will Roper adds: "We need to up our game in 5G. As more autonomy moves to the edge of the internet of things, it's going to have to be supported by more bandwidth. It would be a shame if something that is going to control most of the data moving from machine to machine commercializes first overseas".

The US military officials seemed to be concerned with Huawei and China's overall presence in communications could undermine military operations -- especially with the rise in 5G technology. If the US military relies on 5G connectivity more and more, they can't have a foreign power and possible enemy in China building its infrastructure using Chinese-made tech from the likes of Huawei.

Xiaomi has just unveiled the latest and greatest smartphone in its Black Shark family of smartphones, with the introduction of the new Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 gaming smartphones.

Inside, they are a powerhouse of mobile greatness -- packing Qualcomm's latest and greatest flagship Snapdragon 865 processor and up to 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 memory.

What the new Black Shark 3 Pro does differently to all other smartphones is that Xiaomi has included two physical pop-up shoulder buttons that are called "Master Buttons". In gaming situations, you can use the 2 x 21mm-wide buttons that raise up from the Black Shark 3 Pro by 1.5mm from the body of the smartphone itself.

Twitter is "strongly encouraging" that employees work from home if it is possible in their particular job, in order to "lower the probability of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus for us - and the world around us".

The company is also putting in restrictions on particular employees based in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea which are all required to work from home under local government restriction laws. Twitter said it is shifting away from having physical meetings to remoting into a meeting instead, in the virtual world safe from coronavirus.

With so many Twitter employees pushed into working from home, the company is using this time to deep clean and sanitize all spaces in their buildings. Twitter explains: "For those employees who prefer or need to come into the offices, they will remain open for business. Our Real Estate & Workplace team is increasing deep cleaning and sanitizing in all spaces, as well as more visual reminders for personal hygiene best practices and pre-packaged, pre-composed, and pre-plated food options".

Do you remember the days of wireless mice having a delay? Well, those days are definitely behind us, and a great example of how far wireless mice have come is the Razer Basilisk Ultimate.

The Razer Basilisk Ultimate comes with a plethora amount of features, and while most of those are customization options via Razer's software, there's still a tonne of hardware features that gamers should know about. According to the Razer website, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate comes with what is called "hyperspeed wireless" technology, and Razer claims that this technology is 25% faster than any other wireless technology available.

Not only does it have top-shelf wireless technology, but it also sports extremely low latency, 11 programmable buttons that can be customized to whatever the user desires. This mouse wouldn't be designed by Razer if it didn't come with a bunch of customizable Razer Chroma lighting zones. So, as you would probably expect, the Basilisk Ultimate comes with what could be considered as too many lighting zones (there's never too many lighting zones).

The world of physics was turned on its head once quantum mechanics was discovered, and since that point, in time, the topic has been a big topic of debate in the scientific world.

One of the leading physicists who are pursuing an understanding of quantum mechanics is theoretical physicist Sean Carroll. In Carroll's new book, 'Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds And The Emergence Of Spacetime' he pushes forth the Many World's Theory, or parallel universe understanding quantum mechanics. Now, this is where things get tricky to understand, and rather than attempting to recite such a complex topic, I'd advise you to watch the above video.

Carroll is taking his theory to Australian audiences in "Our Preposterous Universe" tour, and has also recently spoken to News.com.au about his theory. According to News.com.au, Carroll's base theory on observing an electron in the quantum state is that the electron is actually in all of its possible positions at once, but just different parallel universes. Here's what is stated by the publication, "Out of the known mechanics of quantum states must emerge multiple, parallel worlds."

Super Smash Bros. competitive players haven't always been happy about Nintendo's support for the competitive eSports scene, as there's barely been any. But it turns out they might not need Nintendo, as the biggest Super Smash Bros. tournament has just been announced.

The Smash Bros. community has taken matters into their own hands, and now has an unofficial Smash World Tour scheduled for 2020. The tour has been organized and designed by the people behind VGBootCamp and Super Smash Con and will feature a new tournament circuit that will connect players from around the world. The prize pool is the biggest prize pool yet, coming in at an astounding $250,000+ with expectations for it to grow even larger.

Nintendo isn't involved within this tournament circuit, but the Smash World Tour organizers do say that they "hope to team up with them in the future. One of our goals with the tour is to offer a unified way for Nintendo to directly support the competitive scene". This is incredible news for the Smash Bros. competitive scene and has no doubt lit a new fire under some competitive players to get out there and train hard to compete against the best.

NASA has opened its doors to accept applications from the public to become astronauts. The requirements or qualifications are as high as you might expect.

NASA will be accepting applications until the 31st of March at 11:59 PM Eastern. While you might not think that's enough time, that's what you shouldn't be worrying about, the qualifications are the mind boggler. For you to apply to become an astronaut, you must be a US citizen with either a master's degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), a medical doctorate, or a record of completing a test pilot school program with a bachelors degree in STEM.

That's not all, though. Applicants will also need real-world experience of at "least two years of related, progressively responsible professional experience", or "1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft". On top of that, astronaut candidates will be required to pass NASA's long-duration spaceflight physical. There will also be an online assessment that will last for about two hours. If you are interested in reading more about becoming an astronaut, head on over to the official NASA website to learn more.

Gaming chairs could soon be the thing of the past, or at least that might be the case if you decided to pick up a gaming bed.

Kotaku has stumbled across an incredible invention by Japan's Bauhutte, a company that focuses on creating gaming furniture (yes, gaming furniture is a thing). This very well could be every gamer's dream, as shown in the pictures, the gaming bed comes with every need that a gamer wants.

There's side table access for snacks/drinks, an arm attachment for a phone or tablet, monitor and keyboard stands, a side drink shelf to replenish that energy, and of course, the comfy bed. The only thing I think it lacks is a toilet, while this might be disappointing, it could be the better hygienic choice not to have one installed where you sleep. What else would you add to this gaming bed?

Back in 2017, Apple admitted that it slowed down older generation iPhones on purpose, now the company is set to pay out a massive $500 million.

According to a new report by Reuters, Apple is set to pay out $500 million to settle a massive lawsuit regarding how the company decided to intentionally slow down the performance of older generation iPhones. The lawsuit covers US iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE models that were running iOS 10.2.1 or later. The suit also covers iPhone 7 and 7 Plus if those phones were running iOS 11.2 or later before December 12st, 2017.

Consumers can take part in the lawsuit and even get some money back from doing so. It's estimated that consumers could get $25 per phone, and in total, it's estimated that Apple will have to pay back $310 million to consumers. Reuters also mentioned that lawyers are seeking $93 million in legal fees with an additional $1.5 million in expenses. Lawyers also said that settlement for consumers is "fair, reasonable, and adequate" and that payment of $25 per phone is "considerable by any degree".

Activision Blizzard has teamed up with esports group Torque Esports on a new "Collegiate Clash" tournament, that will inspire the next generaiton of gamers.

The new Collegiate Clash will see college esports teams battling each other, with 8 teams competing against each other every week, for 8 weeks -- culminating in a total of 64 colleges taking part. The grand prize? $40,000 worth of prize money that instead of going into the winning gamers' pockets, will instead be given to the winning schools in the form of scholarship funds.

These funds, will be to help "further esports at each of the winning schools" with Torque Esports Corp's esports tournament and broadcasting operations group, UMG Media Ltd. signing a new contract with Activision Blizzard for the new Overwatch Collegiate Series. Torque and UMG's mission is to "support and grow the esports space and help create a clear path to professional competition for these players currently on collegiate teams".

Just as I finished up writing news that NVIDIA kinda pulled the plug on its GPU Technology Conference (GTC 2020), I saw some news that E3 2020 is reportedly still going ahead -- laughing in the face of coronavirus, at least for now.

Patrick Klepek from VICE reached out to the E3 organizers, ESA, who told him that there are no changes have happened with E3 2020 just now and that the team is "moving ahead full speed with E3 2020 planning". Remember, GDC 2020 was officially postponed just days ago until sometime in the summer. GDC 2020 was scheduled to take place between March 16-20 in San Francisco.

In a statement to Klepek, the E3 organizers said: "Everyone is watching the situation very closely. We will continue to be vigilant, as our first priority is the health, wellness, and safety of all of our exhibitors and attendees. Given what we know at this time, we are moving ahead full speed with E3 2020 planning. Exhibit and registration sales are on track for an exciting show in June".

Samsung's new Galaxy S20 Ultra has had some testing that I don't think I've ever seen before: a private investigator has used the Galaxy S20 Ultra's flagship 100X Space Zoom camera technology, and really put it to the test.

Michael McKeever, a private investigator, has used Samsung's new Glaaxy S20 Ultra and its 100X Space Zoom feature against the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, Sony HDR-CX190, and a Nikon P100. McKeever has been a private investigator for 30 years, where his go-to for 125x zoom shots was the Nikon P100, but the new Galaxy S20 Ultra is providing some great pictures with 10-30x.

Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S20 Ultra easily beats Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max in this private investigator testing, as Apple only has 2x optical zoom with its latest flagship smartphone. If you want some great zoom goodness on a new smartphone, Samsung has your back and McKeever provides the goods with this different level of testing.

NVIDIA has officially changed its plans for its upcoming GPU Technology Conference (GTC) with the company morphing the GPU-focused event into an online-only affair.

I woke up this morning to emails from NVIDIA informing me of the changes, and then just an hour or two ago another email seeing my hotel, etc canceled. NVIDIA's upcoming GTC 2020 event is due to take place between March 22-26, where the company will still have its CEO and founder Jensen Huang take the stage for a live-streamed GTC 2020 keynote.

NVIDIA published a press release handling the issues surrounding the changes to GTC 2020, where the company explained: "NVIDIA has decided to shift GTC 2020 on March 22-26 to an online event due to growing concern over the coronavirus. This decision to move the event online instead of at the San Jose Convention Center reflects our top priority: the health and safety of our employees, our partners and our customers".

Fallout 76 will continue expanding in 2020 with user-requested features like legendary perks, a huge enemy level scaling system, and CAMP enhancements.

Bethesda is making a big commitment to salvaging, changing, and evolving Fallout 76. The big new Wastelanders update, which adds in human NPCs, dialog, and instanced areas, is a massive step forward for the game. But it's just the first step in a long series of content drops planned for the online-only Fallout.

In a recent PAX East stream, Fallout 76 devs outlined what's next for the survival sim after Wastelanders. As it turns out there's still quite a bit on the way, including an expansive new universal leveling system that automatically scales enemies to your level regardless of where you are, as well as an enhanced perk system that adds new avenues for creative builds.

Fallout 76's new ambitious Wastelanders expansion will transform the game into a singleplayer-multiplayer hybrid.

Wastelanders is the biggest Fallout 76 update to date, and it has one singular goal: To make Fallout 76 feel more like an actual Fallout game. Based on what I've seen so far, Wastelanders might actually do the job quite well. The transformation hinges on two major features including the new instanced dungeons and human NPCs with new dialog systems.

Fallout 76 isn't a reactive game. The game's loss of agency is one of the main reasons why I gave it such a low review score. Wastelanders wants to change that by creating special zones that are tailored specifically to your choices and character.

Riot Games' new hero shooter Valorant is putting speed and accuracy over everything else, and the devs promise servers with 128Hz tick rates for ultra low-latency chaos.

Today Riot Games officially announced Valorant, it's new free-to-play 5v5 hero shooter due out in Summer 2020 that has lofty ambitions of ruling the competitive FPS market. Valorant is kind of a mix between Overwatch, with its 10 hero characters with unique abilities, and also channels Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's precise gunplay.

A big part of Riot's focus with Valorant is attracting enthusiast FPS players with higher-end netcode and tweaked servers to drastically reduce latency. Riot's shooter will run on dedicated servers with 128Hz tick rates to optimize frenetic battles and push lag-free gaming, complete with response times lower than 35ms. Right now Counter-Strike: GO has 64Hz tick rate servers.