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F1 2019 patch adds NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FidelityFX support

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 8:17 PM CDT

Update: Codemasters has since updated F1 2019 gamers, saying the patch wasn't fully baked. The developer explains: "Just a quick update on yesterday's correction to our patch notes for 1.07. We inadvertently released a partially completed integration of NVIDIA's DLSS technology in patch 1.07 which was not supposed to be enabled until a later patch. We are currently working towards enabling this in a completed state for an upcoming patch. Thanks to NVIDIA for helping us in tracking down this issue".

F1 2019 patch adds NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FidelityFX support

The latest update to F1 2019 adds in two important technologies from both Team Green and Team Red, with the v1.07 update including support for NVIDIA's DLSS technology (Deep Learning Super Sampling) as well as AMD's FidelityFX technology.

F1 2019's new update also reduces GPU usage on the front end, as well as HDR now being available on DX12 on the PC. As for DLSS and FidelityFX, the developer explains in the release notes: "NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and AMD FidelityFX Upscaling and FidelityFX Sharpening are now available as Anti-Aliasing options on applicable devices".

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Toshiba Memory introduces new speedy SLC XL-Flash

Shannon Robb | Storage | Aug 6, 2019 8:10 PM CDT

Toshiba is busy at Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, but the big news is coming across as Toshiba has now launched their XL-Flash.

Toshiba Memory introduces new speedy SLC XL-Flash

XL-Flash is an SLC part designed for very low latency. It is meant to combat Samsung's Z-NAND or even Intel 3D Xpoint which powers their OPTANE storage solutions.

XL-Flash is stated as you can see above to have a 5-microsecond delay which is 10x faster than existing TLC (50-microseconds). XL-Flash will be available to partners, which is a nice shift since Samsung's Z-NAND is locked to their models. We should see some very capable and speedy drives coming very soon.

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Is VirtualLink Dead? Valve's recent cancellation may say so

Shannon Robb | Extended Reality (XR) | Aug 6, 2019 7:41 PM CDT

Valve corp, yep the same one that brought you Steam, has canceled their VirtualLink adapter.

Is VirtualLink Dead? Valve's recent cancellation may say so

VirtualLink is a USB-C connection which can carry power, DisplayPort, and data all through a single interface and was touted as the potential next step for VR.

Valve made an adapter for its new Index headset which was to be the first step in adoption for VR HMD's and VirtualLink. But as of a few days ago, Valve pulled the plug on the adapter stating 'lack of adoption.'

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Continue reading: Is VirtualLink Dead? Valve's recent cancellation may say so (full post)

Biostar reveals Racing X570GT in its small mATX form

Anthony Garreffa | Motherboards | Aug 6, 2019 7:29 PM CDT

Biostar has just announced its new Racing X570GT motherboard, with the mATX board supporting both AMD's second- and third-gen Ryzen CPUs.

Biostar reveals Racing X570GT in its small mATX form

It has 4 x DDR4 DIMMs that will support up to 128GB of RAM, 1 x iron-reinforced PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 1 x M.2-2280 slot for an SSD over PCIe 4.0 x4, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots for add-in cards, and 4 x SATA connectors.

There's an active cooling fan keeping the X570 chipset cool, while for connectivity we have 1 x GbE, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, a single PS/2 port, HDMI and D-sub video out, and 7.1 audio connectors (thanks to the Realtek ALC887 codec). Biostar also includes an RGB 12V LED header and Digital 5V LED header that can take control of your RGB LED goodness.

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Continue reading: Biostar reveals Racing X570GT in its small mATX form (full post)

Intel teases next-gen 56C/112T CPUs for 2020 still on 14nm

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Aug 6, 2019 5:56 PM CDT

On the eve of AMD's launch of its EPYC Rome CPUs, competitor Intel has announced that its future Intel Xeon Cooper Lake family of CPUs will have server versions with up to 56C/112T of power.

Intel teases next-gen 56C/112T CPUs for 2020 still on 14nm

Intel detailed the future of its Xeon Scalable platform at its Data-Centric Innovation Summit that it's bringing its 56C/112T Xeon Platinum 9200 family to Cooper Lake. The reason? For the new bfloat16 instructions mixed with the high 28-core count CPU as well as the new Cooper Lake CPUs being socketed versus BGA only.

This means the new Xeon Platinum 9200 family on Cooper Lake is on the LGA4189 socket -- the same as the upcoming Ice Lake CPU coming after Cooper Lake. The new Xeon Platinum 9200 chips will have 8-channel DDR4 support and TDPs of up to

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Continue reading: Intel teases next-gen 56C/112T CPUs for 2020 still on 14nm (full post)

Halo Reach Xbox One testing delayed indefinitely

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 5:38 PM CDT

It could be a while before Halo Reach's Master Chief Collection testing begins on Xbox One.

Halo Reach Xbox One testing delayed indefinitely

Photo: Isaac Hannaford

Halo Reach is coming soon to the Master Chief Collection on both consoles and PC, but early testing still hasn't begun on consoles. The culprit? The new re-vamped cross-game progression system is eating up all of the Xbox One's limited 8GB DDR3 RAM system memory. Remember 343i has to make sure all Halo games run just as smooth on the base 2013 model as the higher-end Xbox One X with its 12GB of GDDR5 shared memory. That means having to work with lower-end hardware.

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Continue reading: Halo Reach Xbox One testing delayed indefinitely (full post)

New Switch likely uses 16nm Tegra X1 T214 chip

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 4:54 PM CDT

Nintendo's new Switch revision may feature a Tegra X1 T214 chip based on 16nm FinFET, offering more efficient thermals and battery life.

New Switch likely uses 16nm Tegra X1 T214 chip

Nintendo is quietly replacing the original 2017 launch Switch models with a slightly improved new SKU. New photos from Spawn Wave show the revised 2019 Switch might sport a shrunken 16nm Tegra SoC and is designated A1, which indicates slight CPU stepping (revised performance to reduce bugs, in this case it'd be the security flaw that led to hacked Switches).

The A1 moniker aligns with the datamined Mariko firmware which indicates a Tegra X1 T214 chip on 16nm. The original 2017 Switch uses a Tegra X1 T210 chip. No performance bumps should be expected--the T214 is a small bump over the T210--and the new revised Switch should only bring two small tweaks: improved battery life (up to 9 hours versus the 2017 model's 7.5 hours) and a hardware security patch to thwart hacking.

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Continue reading: New Switch likely uses 16nm Tegra X1 T214 chip (full post)

Rocket League's lootboxes will soon be removed

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 4:09 PM CDT

After making millions and millions over the course of multiple years, Psyonix has decided to pull its random monetized crates from Rocket League.

Rocket League's lootboxes will soon be removed

Rocket League will be lootbox-free by year's end, developer Psyonix today confirmed. The move comes after the developers raked in tremendous revenue from Rocket League's in-game purchases, which have gamers buy keys to unlock crates of items. Psyonix was also bought out by billion-dollar Fortnite titan Epic Games and now doesn't have to rely so heavily on monetization. But make no mistake: Rocket League will still be monetized with optional microtransactions. Psyonix is just changing the delivery method.

Rather than using what EA calls "surprise mechanics" where the contents are randomized, Psyonix will let gamers see what they're about to buy. It'll basically be a digital store where you exchange real cash for digital items.

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Continue reading: Rocket League's lootboxes will soon be removed (full post)

EK offering price/performance focused starter cooling kits

Shannon Robb | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Aug 6, 2019 3:50 PM CDT

EK has been hard at work designing some more cost-friendly options for users looking to get their feet wet in liquid cooling. (I know, bad pun is bad)

EK offering price/performance focused starter cooling kits

EK is now offering full copper-based liquid cooling kits even with RGB for those who like that sort of thing but instead of being Aluminum-based like their 'Fluid Gaming series' this is based on copper parts.

There are presently four kits available. There are two 'S series' with the S240 and S360. There is also the 'P series' with the P240 and P360. The S series is based around a more slim radiator in the CoolStream Classic SE which is 27mm thick or similar to what you get with an off the shelf AIO. The P series uses CoolStream Classic PE radiators which are 45mm thick and therefore have a much more stout surface area for exchanging heat.

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8chan owner says site takedown was 'sinister behavior'

Anthony Garreffa | Internet & Websites | Aug 6, 2019 10:29 AM CDT

Most people might not be aware but 8chan was taken down in the last 48 hours, with it being removed from its host Cloudflare, moved to BitMitigate (but then THEY were shut down) and now Jim Watkins -- the owner of 8chan, has responded:

8chan owner says site takedown was 'sinister behavior'

Watkins goes into detail in a new video on YouTube addressing the world about the El Paso mass shooter, who allegedly posted a manifesto to 8chan (but this hasn't been proven by the mainstream media or authorities). Watkins however, says that it was first published to Instagram and not 8chan (yet why isn't Instagram being taken down).

He said:

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Event Horizon TV show announced for Amazon Prime Video

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Aug 6, 2019 10:00 AM CDT

If you haven't watched Event Horizon yet, as in the 1997 movie starring Lawrence Fishburne and Sam Neill, then you need to - it is a classic. One of the best sci-movies you can watch... and to remind you about it, here's the trailer:

Event Horizon TV show announced for Amazon Prime Video

Well, it's coming back in a new announcement that Amazon has teamed with Paramount on a new Event Horizon series that would be exclusive to Amazon Prime Video. Adam Wingard will be directing, coming in from Godzilla vs. Kong and before that the reboot of Blair Witch. He'll also be an executive producer with Larry Gordon and Llyod Levin who were producers on the original Event Horizon movie.

There's no ETA on the series and no details on the plot but the original 1997 movie saw a ship out in the depths of space, with the crew led by Fishburne through an alternate dimension... and then things get, interesting. You just read that in the deepest voice in a 90s-era style voice over, didn't you?

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Continue reading: Event Horizon TV show announced for Amazon Prime Video (full post)

Undertale 'Frisk' rumored for next Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 8:00 AM CDT

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rumors are definitely not hard to come by, and even some could argue that there is just a cesspool of them, but that doesn't mean that they are all not true.

Undertale 'Frisk' rumored for next Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC

The problem with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rumors is that there is that many of them, that its almost impossible to determine which ones have the possibility of being real and the ones that are just completely fake and made up for clicks. Today, we have a rumor for the next DLC character coming to the game, and according to a not-so-reliable 4Chan source, the next character is supposed to be Undertale's Frisk.

This rumor has NO legitimacy whatsoever, as no sources have been provided. For sake of argument though, lets entertain ourselves with the thought that Frisk could make it to Smash. Undertale is one of the most recognized indie titles out there and definitely has a more then dedicated fan base which could lead you to think that Nintendo would consider adding the character to the roster. Is this a big enough reason for Nintendo to use a place up in their fighters pass though? And would the addition of Frisk please majority of the Smash community when other characters could of potentially taken her place?

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Continue reading: Undertale 'Frisk' rumored for next Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC (full post)

NASA just acquired its first HUGE data dump from sun probe

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Aug 6, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

NASA has announced that they have received the first data dump from their solar probe they launched back in August 12th, 2018.

NASA just acquired its first HUGE data dump from sun probe

Since the Parker Solar Probe is designed to observe the sun and is currently caught in its immense gravitational pull, the probe can only send back data chunks at certain times. NASA has just received their first data dump from the probe and it's 50% bigger than what they expected. 20GB of data was downloaded from the first and second pass of the probe going around the sun.

Nickalaus Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager said "All of the expected science data collected through the first and second encounters is now on the ground. As we learned more about operating in this environment and these orbits, the team did a great job of increasing data downloads of the information gathered by the spacecraft's amazing instruments."

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Darksiders II for the Switch has terrible frame-drop issues

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

THQ Nordic has announced that their title Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition will soon be making its way to the Nintendo Switch in both physical and digital form.

Darksiders II for the Switch has terrible frame-drop issues

The above video is the announcement trailer for the Nintendo Switch version of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, and showcases what players will have in-store for them if they decide to pick up the title. Right off the bat, I noticed extreme framerate drops in the trailer, both in cutscenes as well as live gameplay. Examples of this can be found at times: 0.46 - 0.48 / 1:11 - 1:14 and many more.

I really do hope that Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition doesn't release with these framedrops, and between now and the release date, developers Gunfire Games iron out all of its issues. There is also the possibility that these drops in frames we are seeing are from video compression and something has gone wrong during the upload. Hopefully THQ Nordic, or Gunfire Games gives a statement regarding these drops so we know whether or not its in-game or just in the trailer.

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AMD CEO Lisa Su rumored to leave, eyeing CEO role at IBM

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Aug 6, 2019 5:28 AM CDT

Update: Lisa herself has responded to the rumor, slamming it -- and that she loves AMD and the "best is yet to come".

AMD CEO Lisa Su rumored to leave, eyeing CEO role at IBM

Prepare the salt because this rumor is a juicy one, but AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su is reportedly looking at leaving the company and joining IBM. Shock horror, right? The latest rumor from Wccftech is a big one, and something I've heard whispers (but didn't want to believe them) of, too.

According to sources of Usman Pirzada from Wccftech: "Lisa Su is eyeing the #2 position at IBM with the eventual goal to end up as CEO and President of IBM, replacing Ginni Rometty. The advanced groundwork for this transition has apparently already been laid down as you will read further in this article. While I do not know the exact reasons for why Lisa would choose IBM of all companies to move to, I am told that this is something that she has wanted for a very long time".

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare hones in on core multiplayer

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 5:00 AM CDT

Infinity Ward recently revealed their multiplayer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and while players were excited by what they saw some were wondering if the game would launch with its own battle royale.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare hones in on core multiplayer

When Treyarch launched Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 it came with its own battle royale game mode called Blackout. While the game mode was popular for some time, it quickly died off and players went to other titles such as Fortnite and Apex Legends. Infinity Ward will be taking a different approach with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, instead of going full battle royale they will be concentrating on what made Call of Duty, Call of Duty - the core multiplayer.

Joe Cecot, the multiplayer designer for Infinity Ward, told IGN that Infinity Ward are "big fans of battle royale. We're excited for large player counts and things like that, but right now we're really focused on core multiplayer." He continued and said "We really focused on Modern Warfare, authentic and gritty, realistic weapons and it's a different experience. It's really... just about pulling back to Modern Warfare and keeping that pure." Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be launching for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25, 2019.

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SpaceX can Uber your satellite to space for just $2 million

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Aug 6, 2019 4:00 AM CDT

SpaceX is on the forefront of space technology and now they will be allowing for companies to hitch a ride on their prized Falcon 9 rocket for as low as $2 million.

SpaceX can Uber your satellite to space for just $2 million

SpaceX has announced a new idea "rocket rideshares" which allows for other companies satellites to hitch a ride with SpaceX's big rocket, the Falcon 9. According to the announcement, SpaceX is basically attempting to create an Uber service for satellites and will be charging patrons a low price of just $2.25 million for 150kg of mass.

SpaceX is planning on launching their ride share program sometime between November 2020 and March of 2021. After those initial flights are conducted, more flights will take to the skies on an annual basis - Q1 of 2022 and 2023.

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Continue reading: SpaceX can Uber your satellite to space for just $2 million (full post)

Apex Legends producer teases new character 'Crypto' release

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 3:00 AM CDT

A leading producer at Respawn, who are the developers of the massively popular battle royale shooter Apex Legends have teased the next character that will be joining in on the action.

Apex Legends producer teases new character 'Crypto' release

The teaser has been released onto Tina Sanchez's personal Twitter account and it showcases some behind the scene images of what seems to be the motion capture for the new Apex Legends character. Fans have speculated this is possibility the motion capture for the expected 'Crypto' character to be added and when Sanchez was asked if it was, she replied with a blank face emoji.

Since Season 3 for Apex Legends isn't even that far off, I'd expect we could see Crypto arrive then, much like Wattson arrived in Season 2 and Octane arrived in Season 1. Respawn seem to be following a trend of seasonally adding new characters, and according to a datamining leak they could have 10 new characters cooking up in development. While that might seem far-fetched, the datamining leak did predict Octane and Wattson, which provides at least some legitimacy to the information.

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Continue reading: Apex Legends producer teases new character 'Crypto' release (full post)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate EVO 2019 tournament breaks record

Jak Connor | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 2:00 AM CDT

The Evolution Championship Series, or EVO for short recently finished up yesterday and a viewership record has been broken for the headlining game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate EVO 2019 tournament breaks record

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate replaced veteran EVO title Super Smash Bros. Melee and it seems that has worked out for the best as viewership for EVO has never been higher. According to Rod Breslau, EVO founder, "Smash Bros Ultimate has set the record for the highest peak viewership in EVO history for any game at over 279,000"

Above you will find the Super Smash Bros. UItimate grand finals, competing in the match is MKleo and Tweek. MKleo is currently the reigning champion as fellow Smash Bros. players are having a hard time getting ontop of his Joker. Tweek stuck to his main character Pokemon trainer and put up a galiant fight until Leo decided to switch it on and comeback and take out the tournament for a win. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is currently available on the Nintendo Switch.

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30-year-old sealed copy of Kid Icarus found, sold for $9,000

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 6, 2019 12:41 AM CDT

Most people won't find a precious sealed game in their attic hiding away for 30 years, but Nevada resident Scott Amos did. He found a sealed copy of Kid Icarus that had been sitting in his Mom's attic for 30 years.

30-year-old sealed copy of Kid Icarus found, sold for $9,000

Scott found the sealed copy of Kid Icarus in his Mom's attic on Mother's Day of all days, and no one in the Amos family can remember buying the game. The purchase date of the game makes it look like someone in the Amos family purchased it as a Christmas present. Scott explained: "All the family has been trying to come up with a hypothesis. (My mom) thinks she put it there and never got it back out, and then it ended up in the attic".

Making my heart beat faster when reading about this story, Amos left the sealed copy of the game on the kitchen counter as he didn't realize how much it was worth at the time. His two young children and the dog could've picked it up and unsealed it, reducing its worth greatly -- but thankfully that didn't happen.

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Continue reading: 30-year-old sealed copy of Kid Icarus found, sold for $9,000 (full post)

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