Latest News - Page 1816

Microsoft has greenlit environmental initiatives to significantly cut down on its carbon footprint, especially when it comes to console hardware manufacturing.

Xbox is one of the many games industry forces who joined the United Nations' new Playing for the Planet Alliance, which pledges to reduce environmental waste and climate change by altering manufacturing processes.

Microsoft is doing its part by making 850,000 Xbox consoles completely carbon neutral, but only in a test program. We could see all mainstream Xbox consoles eliminate carbon waste while operating and during manufacturing in a few years time, and Microsoft aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030. The next-gen Project Scarlett system may even be carbon neutral when it launches in Holiday 2020, complete with lower energy consumption.

For fighting game fanatics, Street Fighter II is up there with some of the greatest and most iconic fighting games ever. But what about the games its difficulty?

First, this isn't the first time players considered the thought that perhaps the Street Fighter II CPU was a little bit too much to deal with. Players suspected that the CPU had moments of invincibility and doesn't play by the same rules as what players do. In the above video, we can see numerous examples of how the Street Fighter II CPU had a clear advantage over players.

The video was released by Desk and it shows that the CPU consistently recovers from stuns 1/5 of the time it takes players to recover. Not to mention that the CPU also doesn't have to charge up for special moves like Guile's Somersault Kick, while also being able to mash buttons faster than players could even imagine. This video is for all those Street Fight II players who thought the CPU was a little too much to deal with, yes, your suspicion was correct.

Simply put, Facebook wants to read your mind and actually has admitted to it as well. According to a new announcement, Facebook wants to build a wristband that "captures your intention".

Firstly, "capturing your intention" means that the wristband will have the technological power to be able to read your electrical signals sent to your brain, and determine your intention before you even carry out the action. Meaning Facebook would essentially know what you are about to do before you even do it. Scary? Yes.

According to Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's Vice President of VR and AR, announced on Monday the acquisition of "neural interface platform" CTRL-labs. The way that Facebook is marketing this wristband is "empowering you with control over your digital life", which seems quite the farce considering how much Facebook has been put under the coals for privacy violations.

NASA has announced that they want to build a brand new space telescope to become the observer of the planet, this telescope would serve as a planetary defense instrument.

NASA has said that they have put away $150 million dollars of their budget to build this new telescope, and that if they did proceed to develop it that it would be able to track asteroids in Earths immediate neighborhood. Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen said during the Planetary Science Advisory Committee meeting today that "The goal is not to do everything for eternity. The goal is to do the right things as they pop up."

For the space telescope to be a ultility to the planet, it would need to be able to track the positioning of a multitude of different asteroids as well as take into account their size and projected routes. This new proposed NASA telescope would be able to do this and it could reach the skies as early as 2025. If the telescope does get approved and is launched, its believed that it would be able to find 65% of the undiscovered space objects currently floating around out in the ether.

There has not been a whimper of evidence out of Rockstar for Red Dead Redemption 2 coming over to the PC, but just recently a filling from the company has been spotted on the Australian Classification website.

If you head over to the Australian Classification website, you can see that Rockstar Games has filled a new classification with the board for "Red Dead Redemption 2" under the category "Computer Games". The title was given a 'MA15+', and it should definitely be noted that Red Dead Redemption 2 was already classified for PS4 and Xbox One back in 2018.

Since there is already classification for RDR2 on Xbox One and PS4, it leaves one platform with the most likely chance to receive RDR2, PC. This also ties directly into the fact that Rockstar released their very own PC launcher which would no doubt be the way they would give PC fans RDR2 if it were to eventually make it to PC.

The new Batman movie has got some fans quite perplexed at who will be taking on the legendary characters, and one of these characters is Batman's good friend in the Gotham City Police Department, Commissioner Jim Gordon.

We now have some news out of THR that has said that Westworld actor Jeffery Wright is currently in talks with Warner about taking on the role of the Commissioner. Who has already played Jim Gordon? Well, if Wright is to take on the role of the Commissioner his performance would be going up against Gary Oldman's portrayal in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and J.K Simmons in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

This new Batman movie will be focusing much more on the detective side of Batman that hasn't been shown on the big screen as of yet. Judging from this angle, I think it would be safe to assume that since we will be seeing a more detective orientated Batman that Gordon's role would become much more important, therefore giving more screen time etc. For those that didn't know, Robert Pattinson will be taking on the role as the Caped Crusader and the film is expected to hit theaters on June 25, 2021.

Robert Pattinson was announced as the new Caped Crusader not to long ago, but who will be his villain counter-part? According to some news outlets, Jonah Hill is currently in talks about being casted as the movies villain.

Its not just one or two media outlets who have reported the news either, The Hollywood Reporter, Collider and Deadline have all reported that Jonah Hill is currently in talks with the film to take on the role as The Riddler. This hasn't been confirmed though as some of the media outlets have said that the villain hasn't been penciled in just yet, and that The Riddler was just an idea that was thrown around.

Alongside The Riddler, THR says that The Penguin is also a possibility and that negotiations are currently at their very early stages. It was also mentioned that Hill and Warner are still quite unsure of what role he would eventually take. It should also be noted that the film is set to showcase a multitude of Batman villains, and not just the ones that are mentioned above. Robert Pattinson's Batman movie is set to hit theaters on June 25, 2021.

130 years ago today Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo Koppai in Kyoto, Japan. From there, the Japanese company would warm the hearts of millions upon millions of gamers, changing the gaming world as we know it.

Nintendo started out in the gaming world with hanafuda playing cards, but then the founder's great-grandson changed the company throughout the mid-1900s into things like love hotels, taxis, and other businesses -- but then Nintendo went into the electronic toy market and the rest is history.

My earliest gaming memory is waking up at 6am one morning to see my Dad and my uncle sitting on the lounge, NES controllers in-hand, playing the original Super Mario Bros. and clocking it overnight.

Google will be launching its new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones at its upcoming event in October, where we will also reportedly be introduced to the new Pixelbook Go.

Pixelbook Go is Google's rumored new laptop that will have fans of the Chomebook happy, as it seems like the Pixelbook Go is aiming at Microsoft's popular Surface Go, and that is a good thing.

Right now it is just a single image as a tease, with the Pixelbook Go reportedly featuring a 13.3-inch 4K display with a 360-degree hinge. Google is reportedly keeping the "Molecular Disney" branding that was on the Pixel Slate.

Epic Games is introducting new AI bots into Fortnite and its online matchmaking, with Epic explaining the AI bots "will behave similarly to normal players and will help provide a better path for players to grow in skill".

Fortnite bots will not be in the competitive matches, but as you get better at the game the AI bots won't be spun into the matchmaking and you'll be playing against real people -- or so you'll think, I guess. Epic is wanting to go for the participation model of Fortnite, where "anyone can win" because you don't need kids screeching and throwing their Xbox controller at the TV when they inevitably lose in a Fortnite match.

Epic is also making some tweaks to the matchmaking process, where Fortnite players will be better matched with players in their skill level. The new v10.40 update will be rolled out into Fortnite in the next few days, including the new AI bots while the tweaked matchmaking system will roll out over the coming weeks so the developer can see how players react.

Disney+ isn't far away with the industry-changing streaming service going live on November 12, but if you want to get in early you can pre-order now.

The service will start at $7 per month or $70 per year, but you'll get a 7-day free trial on November 12 to help sway you over. Disney+ allows you stream ad-free content to 4 devices at once, with no limits to downloads.

If you want access to Hulu and ESPN+ then you'll be spending another $6 per month bumping up the monthly cost of Disney+ to $13 per month. All Disney+ subscription packages automatically review, but the company will be offering cancellations before each renewal date just in case.

The fight for quantum supremacy might have just been tipped into Google's favor, with the search giant saying it has reached a major milestone towards the development of quantum computing.

A recent paper was published and then quickly pulled on NASA's website, which read that "this experiment marks the first computation that can only be performed on a quantum processor". The research paper was titled "Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor".

Google's in-house quantum computer smashed through a calculation of a random number generator in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds, versus the world's fastest supercomputer -- Summit, which would take around 10,000 years. The authors of the paper wrote: "To our knowledge, this experiment marks the first computation that can only be performed on a quantum processor". Impressive stuff.

Apple talked about manufacturing its new Mac Pro inside of the US, as the costs of manufacturing it in China and bringing it over to the US would prove too high for Apple to make its sky-high products on.

Well, now it's official - Apple is making the new Mac Pro at its plant in Austin, Texas. Apple needs specific parts for the machine, something that with Trump's tariffs on China making difficult -- but Trump offered exemptions on them, if Apple built the Mac Pro in the USA.

10 out of 15 requested exemptions for components that Apple required have been greenlit by the Trump administration, but the manufacturing of other parts will be secured by US-based suppliers.

I didn't think I'd be typing this today but here it goes -- a female walrus has attacked, and successfully sunk a Russian Navy rescue boat by a female walrus. The walrus was most likely protecting its young, explains the RGO.

The Altai was sent out by the Russian navy's North Fleet, which was sailing away towards Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic with researchers from the Russian Geographical Society on-board. In order to get to the Altai shore the crew had to get off the larger vessel and onto a smaller landing craft, which is when things got serious.

A female walrus appeared and attacked one of the expedition boats, sinking it. The research group explained: "Walruses attacked the participating boat. The boat sank, but the tragedy was avoided thanks to the clear actions of the squad leader. All the landing participants safely reached the shore".

Yahoo has changed its logo for the second time in 25 years, after its recent change back in 2013 -- before that, it had the same logo from when Yahoo first opened its doors in 1995.

The company teamed with design firm Pentagram on the new logo, with Yahoo explaining that the new logo is a "refresh of its visual identity". Yahoo says the new logo "captures the exuberant personality of the brand and reimagines it for the future". Pentagram has designed styles for the likes of Citibank, The Daily Show, and United Airlines.

Pentagram added that it continued using Yahoo's iconic purple color, but added in some tweaks. The new Yahoo logo now includes a shade of purple known as "grape jelly" with secondary purples called "hulk pants" (seriously) and "malbec".

Death Stranding is a weird game. But this...this just tops it.

Hideo Kojima's new game is kind of mind-boggling. It has an out-of-this-world story arc, online multiplayer that binds people together in a unique way, and it's one of the only games I can remember that lets you weaponize your own human waste. That's right: Sam's pee, blood, and even poo can be used to craft ammo and other weapons in the game.

In a recent Tokyo Game Show 2019 stream, Kojima said a few things I thought he'd never say, including discussing the potency of bloody urine when used as a weapon. Sam's natural bodily functions actually serve a direct purpose to fuel your progress. It turns out eating and drinking has a tangible effect on gameplay other than for health responses; peeing and pooing will actually help fill out your ammo inventory.

The U.S. is granting one-year tariff exceptions to specific goods including power supplies, mice, PCBs, and graphics processors.

The U.S.-China trade war threatens to upend various tech industries with a steep 25% tariff tax, causing significant ripple-down effects across the entire supplier-to-consumer chain by raising manufacturing/shipping costs and MSRP. Major components like those used in consumer and enterprise computers and video game consoles were initially targeted, but U.S. trade regulators have relented by granting key tariff exemptions to specific tech including partially printed circuit boards (PCBs) for graphics cards (and consoles), mice in excess of $70, and power supplies that exceed 500W.

This should exempt graphics cards, video game console components, and most hardware using PCBs from the tariffs.

The new $199 handheld-only Switch Lite may use the same JoyCon analog sticks as the base model, putting it at risk for the dreaded JoyCon drift.

JoyCon drift is a big problem on the Switch. It makes most games basically unplayable, forcing gamers to buy and snap on a new controller. But unlike the normal $299 model, the new Switch Lite's JoyCons are fastened to the side and can't be replaced. Now there's evidence the newer handheld Switch may suffer the same drifting issues.

A recent Switch Lite teardown from YouTuber SpawnWave reveals some interesting info. The cheaper Lite model apparently uses the same JoyCon analog sticks as its predecessor, indicating the Lite could be hit with the devastating hardware fault. The Lite's sensors look the same as the 2017 model's, but they have different model numbers, which could indicate some new tweaks.

Google aims to disrupt Apple Arcade with its own $4.99 a month all-you-can-play games offering.

Google today announced Play Pass, a $4.99 a month subscription service that bundles more than 350 apps and games. Similar to Apple Arcade, every game on Play Pass is a premium experience and won't have in-game purchases, microtransactions, or ads. Titles include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Evoland, Terraria, Limbo, This is the Police, Hoplite, and Wayward Souls. Premium apps will also be wrapped in the service.

Play Pass is compatible with mobile phones, laptops, and tablets that run Android 4.4 and Play Store version 16.6.25. Family sharing is also confirmed, and subscribers can share their subscription with up to 5 family members. There was no mention of cross-platform cloud saves, but I don't see why they wouldn't be included.

Global entry! We have teamed up with SAPPHIRE to give away one of their awesome new PULSE RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 video cards to one lucky winner.

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The all-aluminum backplate provides additional rigidity that guarantees nothing bends and dust stays out, and it also helps cool your card by increasing heat dissipation. Pivotal SAPPHIRE features like the Quick Connect Fan, Dual Bios Support and Power Fuse are all readily available to keep your GPU running smooth and silent. Get ready to experience next-level gaming performance and welcome the PULSE RX 5700 XT as the new integral heart of your PC!