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DRAGON BALL Z: Kakarot Gamescom 2019 'Cell Saga' gameplay demo reveal

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 8:09 AM CDT

The first gameplay look at Bandai Namco's upcoming Dragon Ball Z title, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has been showcased and captured at Gamescom 2019.

DRAGON BALL Z: Kakarot Gamescom 2019 'Cell Saga' gameplay demo reveal

Above we have the captured gameplay footage from Bandai Namco's Gamescom 2019 presentation showcasing some gameplay from the games 'Cell Saga'. We have 12 minutes of footage to enjoy and we can see Gohan going toe-to-toe with none other than Cell himself.

If you have been caught outside the loop, Bandai Namco will be soon releasing Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot which tells a story of the famous Goku and most of his epic battles. The game will allow players to experience challenging quests from the anime and TV show while also pitting players against some of Goku's most notorious villains. At the moment there isn't a release date scheduled for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, all we have to go on is that the title will be released sometime during 2020.

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Portland Public Schools almost got BEC scammed a HUGE $2.9 million

Jak Connor | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Aug 23, 2019 7:06 AM CDT

Scamming is becoming more and more prevalent in this day and age, and the new form of scamming that is hitting the internet in waves is 'business email compromise' or BEC for short.

Portland Public Schools almost got BEC scammed a HUGE $2.9 million

What is a BEC scam? Well, its actually quite simple when you think about it. A BEC scam is when a criminal impersonates a third-party convinces someone at a business to wire them business funds. Usually the criminal will locate someone within the business that has access to the companies funds, once that person is located the criminal might compromise the email account holder or the companies supplier and request funds to be paid to them. Some cases of BEC scams have been based entirely on social engineering through spoofed email accounts.

In the case of Portland Public Schools, the scammer got two employee's at the schools to send him money as the scammer was posing as one of the institution's construction contractors. The employees unknowingly sent the scammer a staggering $2.9 million dollars, luckily Portland Schools moved extremely quickly and contacted the banks to freeze the transaction. The transaction was successfully frozen, and Portland Public School contacted the FBI for further investigation into the matter.

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Continue reading: Portland Public Schools almost got BEC scammed a HUGE $2.9 million (full post)

Shoebox-sized probe snaps insightful images near-Earth asteroid Ryugu

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 6:15 AM CDT

A small shoebox-sized space probe has given astronomers some valuable information regarding an asteroid called 'Ryugu' that is floating close to Earth.

Shoebox-sized probe snaps insightful images near-Earth asteroid Ryugu

The shoeboxed-sized probe is called The German-French Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) and it arrived in space aboard Japan's Hayabusa2 spaceship. The spaceship carried the probe to its touchdown location on the 900-meter wide asteroid 'Ryugu' on October 3rd, 2018. The probe took tempature readings of the asteroid and other measurements of its composition, it also took some quite detailed images of the space rock.

Ralf Jaumann of the German Aerospace Center and the lead author of a paper discussed the relayed information, and said "The interesting thing there is it really shows that Ryugu is the product of some kind of violent process". It is suspected that Ryugu is a "child" of two parent bodies that once collided and broke apart, but then reformed due to their gravitational pull. In the entirety of this article I have included the other images that were snapped.

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Continue reading: Shoebox-sized probe snaps insightful images near-Earth asteroid Ryugu (full post)

Some exoplanets could be better suited to harbor life than Earth

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Aug 23, 2019 5:03 AM CDT

Astronomers are constantly searching for life elsewhere in the universe and everyday we move closer to answering that big question - are we alone out here?

Some exoplanets could be better suited to harbor life than Earth

Scientists have presented new work at the Keynote Lecture at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Congress in Barcelona, claiming that they have located several exoplanets that have the required conditions to harbor life. So does an exoplanet need to harbor life? Firstly, scientists and astronomers are looking for planets that come under the 'habitable zone', which means the planet must have a potential for liquid water oceans and possibly breathable oxygen.

Dr. Stephanie Olson (University of Chicago) presented this new information and says that "NASA's search for life in the Universe is focused on so-called 'habitable zone' planets, which are worlds that have the potential for liquid water oceans. But not all oceans are equally hospitable-and some oceans will be better places to live than others due to their global circulation patterns."

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Spider-Man on PS4 boycotts begin over Spider-Man leaving MCU

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 4:07 AM CDT

Fans of Spider-Man have decided to boycott PlayStation after the recent Spider-Man news surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Spider-Man on PS4 boycotts begin over Spider-Man leaving MCU

Shocked puts it quite simply. Spider-Man fans from around the globe felt that shock when it was announced that Spider-Man would be leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe due to Sony not being able to come to terms with Disney on a new deal. This obviously caused major controversy with fans as Spider-Man is one the most loved Avengers, and not being able to see him in another Avengers movie is certainly heartbreaking to some.

In response to this news, fans have taken to Twitter to express their concerns. Some fans have even taken it as far as boycotting PlayStation by selling their entire console and switching over to Xbox. While I don't know how much this will directly hurt the revenue or player-base of Sony's PlayStation, it does show that fans are really not happy with the decision Sony has made regarding Spider-Man being included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake gets 30 minutes of dazzling gameplay

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 3:09 AM CDT

Nintendo UK has blessed Zelda fans with a brand new 30 minute long gameplay video of their upcoming Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake.

Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake gets 30 minutes of dazzling gameplay

The gameplay video has been released onto the Nintendo UK YouTube Channel, and gives us a great look at what Nintendo has done to remaster the classic title. I must say before I go any further, I do advise anyone who wants to saver the improvements to not watch this video, but for those who just can't help themselves enjoy!

The gameplay video release came out of Gamescom 2019, and showcases some, but not all the improvements Nintendo has made. We get a great display of aspects such as graphics, physics, combat, enemies, dungeons, bosses, game mechanics and much more. Currently, Nintendo has scheduled the release of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the 20th of September, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

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GameStop Nintendo Direct leak suggests 12 new untitled Switch games

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 2:10 AM CDT

A new image leak has surfaced online claiming that if Nintendo hold a Direct during the month of September we could hear about 12 new untitled Switch games.

GameStop Nintendo Direct leak suggests 12 new untitled Switch games

The leak, which can be seen above, is an image of a GameStop screen that lists 12 unreleased Nintendo Switch games. The first thing that comes to mind is that since there is so many games listed under 'untitled' that Nintendo are preparing to announce a bunch of new games ahead of the Christmas season, and before the end of Q3 through a Nintendo Direct.

A Nintendo Direct during September, which is the last month of Q3 makes sense as it would continue the hype train moving forward through to the holiday season and through to Q1 of next year. Do keep in mind though, this is still a 'leak' so there is currently no credible source, all we are going off of is a blurry image from GameStop. Why must all these 'leaks' have blurry images, in this day and age everyone usually has a half-decent phone and that phone comes with a half-decent camera, yet all these 'leaked images' are blurry... It really makes me question their credibility.

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Continue reading: GameStop Nintendo Direct leak suggests 12 new untitled Switch games (full post)

Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 looks AMAZING in these new 3D renders

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 1:15 AM CDT

We first heard about Sony's new radical V-shaped PlayStation 5 in recent patents, and then a Codemasters developer came out and admitted - yes, the current PS5 developer kits do indeed sport the V-shaped design.

Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 looks AMAZING in these new 3D renders

Well now we have the great folks at LetsGoDigital providing some gorgeous 3D renders from the recent PS5 patent, with a closer look at the out-of-this-world design that Sony might be going with for the PlayStation 5.

It even looks good standing up, and I'm sure that the PS5 will be stackable in case gamers want to buy (or have) multiple consoles.

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Continue reading: Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 looks AMAZING in these new 3D renders (full post)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak: Bandai Namco fighter/Crash Bandicoot

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 23, 2019 1:07 AM CDT

We are back again with another Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak, and before we get into what has been purportedly 'leaked', grab your tin foil hats and fill up your drinking cup with skepticism.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leak: Bandai Namco fighter/Crash Bandicoot

The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community if rife with fake rumors and its almost like you have to sit down and sift through all of the rumors to hopefully find that golden nugget that true. This doesn't mean that ALL Super Smash Bros. Ultimate leaks are fake, because some have certainly been true in the past, it just means its extremely difficult to come across one that is true.

With that being said, a new leak has surfaced claiming that the fourth DLC character will be a Bandai Namco representative, or Crash Bandicoot. The source on this leak has come from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sub reddit where Reddit user Blackbeats182 posted an image of a supposed GameStop September direct. Blackbeats182 predicts that if Nintendo holds a Direct during September that we will either hear more information about the recently announced Banjo-Kazooie or get a tease for a Bandai Namco representative. Another possibility is Crash Bandicoot coming to Smash Ultimate, but that really does seem quite far fetched.

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GeForce RTX Makes Minecraft Great Again with ray tracing

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 11:31 PM CDT

NVIDIA announced it had teamed up with Microsoft and Mojang during Gamescom 2019 for new RTX-based ray tracing effects in Minecraft. Now we have two new videos with 48 minutes between them, all showing off Minecraft with RTX:

GeForce RTX Makes Minecraft Great Again with ray tracing

Gamersryde has 18 minutes of Minecraft and RTX enabled, showing off the game in all of its ray tracing glory. Hell, just in the opening 5 seconds of the video you are blown away with the effects of the fire reflecting off of the tiles and bricks, versus no RTX and it looks absolutely dull and lifeless in comparison.

Digital Foundry goes into a helluva lot of detail with Minecraft and its new ray tracing RTX mode enabled, if you want to get your geek on and watch them play through the Gamescom 2019 build of the game.

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Toshiba CM6: PCIe 4.0 enterprise NVMe SSDs offer up to 6.7GB/sec reads

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Aug 22, 2019 11:08 PM CDT

Toshiba has just unveiled the world's first PCIe 4.0-based enterprise SSDS at Flash Memory Summit 2019, with the new Toshiba CD6 and CM6 series SSDs use PCIe 4.0 lanes to drive speeds through the roof.

Toshiba CM6: PCIe 4.0 enterprise NVMe SSDs offer up to 6.7GB/sec reads

Mixed with Toshiba Memory's in-house and latest 96-later BiCS4 FLASH NAND we have up to 6.7GB/sec transfer rates. Yeah, 6700MB/sec.

Toshiba's previous-gen CD5 and CM5 were based on PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes with max speeds of around 3.2GB/sec, so the lanes opening up on the PCIe 4.0 highway drive speeds at up to 6.7GB/sec is a huge win. Even more so when you consider it's a huge 12x speed improvement over the normal SATA drives at 525MB/sec (0.5GB/sec compared to 6.7GB/sec is huge).

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Continue reading: Toshiba CM6: PCIe 4.0 enterprise NVMe SSDs offer up to 6.7GB/sec reads (full post)

EA DICE cancels Battlefield V's upcoming 5v5 competitive mode

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 10:52 PM CDT

EA DICE has cancelled its upcoming 5v5 competitive mode for Battlefield V, something that whoever is left playing the game was probably looking forward to.

EA DICE cancels Battlefield V's upcoming 5v5 competitive mode

In a new update from Ryan McArthur, senior producer on Battlefield V, we are told the team cancelled the competitive mode so that they could better focus on core issues in the game, and getting other content out faster.

McArthur explained: "The focus on improving the quality of the Battlefield V experience and adding more of the content you want has led us to step back from our original plans to offer a competitive 5v5 mode. Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals".

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Xbox games may arrive on Epic Store as well as Steam

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 7:09 PM CDT

Microsoft could end up bringing games like The Master Chief Collection to the Epic Games Store, but don't expect any kind of time-exclusivity deals.

Xbox games may arrive on Epic Store as well as Steam

Right now Epic Games has one tactic: to keep as many games off of Steam as possible. The idea is to starve Steam out in a war of attrition, all while claiming to benefit gamers and developers by forcing Steam to change. Epic wins indie devs and publishers over with big cash advances and the 88-12 revenue split, and big names like Deep Silver, Take-Two, and Ubisoft all signed up. But big players like Microsoft won't play by these rules, and they don't care about timed-exclusivity deals. They care about maximizing exposure and game sales.

On Twitch, Xbox General Manager of Marketing Aaron Greenberg says Xbox games could one day show up on the Epic Store, but not as exclusives. The whole idea is to expand the playerbase, not restrict them with exclusivity. "Xbox games on the Epic Store? We're open. We're saying if somebody wants to offer we'd be happy to work with them. The key there would be is that we want to enable a broader connected community and we'd do it in a way that puts the player as the priority over the business."

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Gears 5's direct cosmetic monetization isn't 'ahead of the industry'

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 6:15 PM CDT

Like every big AAA Xbox game from Microsoft with online play, Gears 5 has microtransactions. But it's not the contentious lootbox type, it's the more-favored cosmetics. This isn't a revolutionary feature.

Gears 5's direct cosmetic monetization isn't 'ahead of the industry'

At Gamescom 2019, Gears of War Multiplayer Design Director Ryan Cleven confirmed Gears 5's microtransactions. The monetization is purely cosmetic, and you always know what you're going to buy. Gears 5's in-game store lets you buy a premium currency with real money, which is then traded for digital skins in a storefront. There's no lootboxes (The Coalition would be insane to include them). Sounds pretty standard for today's games, right?

Well Cleven says this is direct monetization is "ahead of the industry," when in reality, games have been using this storefront tactic for a while (Path of Exile, Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, Anthem, Warframe, the list goes on). It's nothing new or innovative. In fact, a new trend would be to rip out microtransactions altogether and simply rely on Xbox Game Pass subscription revenues to supplement game sales. But hey, that'd completely disrupt Microsoft's entire service-first business model.

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Stan Lee's daughter blasts Disney for disrespecting father's legacy

Derek Strickland | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Aug 22, 2019 5:17 PM CDT

Ignited by the ire of Spider-Man's MCU departure, Stan Lee's daughter Joan Celia Lee has some choice words for Disney and Marvel Studios.

Stan Lee's daughter blasts Disney for disrespecting father's legacy

Apparently Disney, the billion-dollar behemoth that's constantly swallowing up studios and intellectual properties so it can monetize them with merch and watered-down sequels, isn't all that wholesome any more. The recent Sony-Marvel split, which led to Spider-Man being pulled from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a clear example. Sources tell Deadline that Disney wants to re-negotiate its deal with Sony with a 50-50 deal on all Spider-Man revenues (this decision was driven by Spider-Man Far From Home's huge $1.1 billion in earnings).

This led to a massive debate that shook the whole internet. Who should win Spider-Man? Should Sony sell? According to Stan Lee's daughter, JC Lee, Disney has been nothing but tremendously disrespectful to Lee's original Marvel legacy. Disney shouldn't have total control simply because they won't do it justice.

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Denuvo DRM is coming to mobile phone games

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 3:46 PM CDT

As OEMs like ASUS push out insane gaming smartphones, Irdeto aims to protect mobile games with its Denuvo DRM tech.

Denuvo DRM is coming to mobile phone games

Denuvo anti-tamper and anti-cheat protections are coming to mobile games, Irdeto announced. Denuvo DRM has been quite contentious in PC gaming, sometimes even locking users out of the games they legitimately purchased. The mobile space, which is dominated by microtransaction-ridden free-to-play games, could likewise be impacted.

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Continue reading: Denuvo DRM is coming to mobile phone games (full post)

Capcom preps you for Iceborne with this helpful infographic

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 2:23 PM CDT

Capcom wants to make sure you're ready for Hoarfrost Reach's frozen wilds, chilly monsters, and massive story arc.

Capcom preps you for Iceborne with this helpful infographic

Monster Hunter World's new Iceborne expansion is dropping next month, and it's a doozy. Iceborne the first and only expansion for the game and it's so big that it could be a sequel, packing in new monsters, tons of weapons, a huge new continent to explore, and a winding narrative (Capcom is literally treating it as their own big AAA release of FY2019). But there's some roadblocks for new players and you can't just jump in right away.

Luckily Capcom has prepared a quick infographic to outline key tips and tricks to get you up to speed. The biggest prerequisite for Iceborne is beating the story up to Hunter Rank 16, but you'll also need to shore up your hunter's skills before you're ready for the icy continent.

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Continue reading: Capcom preps you for Iceborne with this helpful infographic (full post)

Ubisoft to invest in new IPs and ramp up game dev teams

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 1:35 PM CDT

Despite already having an expansive array of mega-hit franchises, Ubisoft says it'll keep making new IPs. But will they be big-budget projects or smaller titles like Gods and Monsters?

Ubisoft to invest in new IPs and ramp up game dev teams

Ubisoft is a pretty interesting company, but it's getting stuck in the live service trap. Instead of focusing on big new IPs, Ubisoft has doubled-down on games like Rainbow Six, The Division, Far Cry, and Assassin's Creed. It's derivative, but effective, and Ubisoft earns billions every year. How long can they keep releasing sequels and live ops? For a while, but they still have to plant seeds for new IPs to grow.

Now Ubisoft exec Alain Corre says the company isn't done with new IPs, and we can expect a few new ones to pop up with next-gen consoles, streaming, and PC advancements on the way. "We feel that it's also a good moment now to invest in new IPs. There are lots of new technologies appearing. PC is still developing fast, there are new consoles coming next year, the streaming technology is there, cross-play is also something that will excite players, so we feel it's the right time to create new genres, and new IPs for us. After all, if the sun can shine on these ones, we'll have them for a long time to come," Corre told MCV UK.

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Switch Lite vs normal Switch in side-by-side comparison

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 1:00 PM CDT

The new handheld-only Switch is smaller than the original, but it's not exactly miniature.

Switch Lite vs normal Switch in side-by-side comparison

The main selling point of Nintendo's new cheaper $199 Switch Lite is handheld-only gaming in a more mobile-friendly package. It's got a smaller 5.5-inch 720p screen (compared to the normal Switch's 6.2-inch display) and a shrunken chassis. But we've yet to see any side-by-side comparisons to show off just how much smaller it is...and the answer is kind of surprising.

A recent snap from IGN's Brian Altano delivers a direct side-by-side comparison of the Switch Lite and the normal transforming Switch hybrid. The Lite isn't that much smaller than the base unit. The Lite's materials do look cheaper in quality though, and I'm worried about those JoyCons. The upside is the new Switch Lite sports a shrunken Tegra X1 revision on 16nm for improved battery life, cooler temperatues, and increased power efficiency.

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Continue reading: Switch Lite vs normal Switch in side-by-side comparison (full post)

Farming Simulator 20 begins harvesting the Nintendo Switch in Q4 2019

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 22, 2019 8:06 AM CDT

Aspiring farmers from around the globe will be pleased to know that the release date for the next Farming Simulator game has been revealed.

Farming Simulator 20 begins harvesting the Nintendo Switch in Q4 2019

The official Farming Simulator Twitter account dropped the release date on fans when they were posted the question of whether Farming Simulator 20 would be arriving on iOS and Android. According to the response, "Farming Simulator 20 will be released on iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch."

In response to another question posed by the same person who asked the above question, the Farming Simulator Twitter account revealed the window they are aiming for to release the game. Vikrant rana asked "Can you announce the launch date of it today?", the Farming Simulator account replied with "We aim to launch FS20 in Q4 this year."

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Continue reading: Farming Simulator 20 begins harvesting the Nintendo Switch in Q4 2019 (full post)

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