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AMD powers world's largest, most expensive supercomputer
AMD has just scored a gigantic deal in that the company will power the next-gen fastest and most expensive supercomputer in the world, with the US Department of Energy buying a new AMD-powered custom supercomputer built by Cray called Frontier.
Frontier will come online in 2021 and is powered with super-fast EPYC processors and Radeon Instinct accelerators that will pump out an astonishing and record-breaking 1.5 exaflops of processing power. The system will be used for various tasks which will include performing advanced calculations in nuclear and climate research, simulating quantum computers, nuclear reactors, and more.
The new system will be delivered in late 2021 and turned on and cranking along in 2022 for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. AMD has some huge bragging rights here as Frontier has as much processing power as the 160 fastest supercomputers combined -- yeah, combined.
Continue reading: AMD powers world's largest, most expensive supercomputer (full post)
Master Chief Collection cross-platform progression confirmed
Gamers planning to double-dip with The Master Chief Collection on PC won't have to start from scratch.
After years and years of waiting, PC gamers will soon be able to play the early six-game Halo saga. 343 Industries is taking the PC port very seriously and plan to optimize it for the platform, including high resolution and frame rate support, multiple aspect ratios, and tight control schemes on mouse and keyboard to name a few. To ensure a smooth transition the team will also add progression parity between both Xbox One and PC flavors of the game.
Everything you do in The Master Chief Collection will carry back and forth between the PC and Xbox One versions. This includes campaign game saves, multiplayer rankings, unlocks like skulls, and other content tied to your Xbox LIVE account. All data is saved to the cloud and can be retrieved on both Xbox and PC.
Continue reading: Master Chief Collection cross-platform progression confirmed (full post)
Rumor: New Ghost Recon: Breakpoint game has 4 player co-op
Ubisoft plans to release a new Ghost Recon sometime this year, and now some fresh details may have leaked out.
According to recent reports, the next Ghost Recon game is called Breakpoint and could be a sequel to 2017's mega-popular Wildlands. The publisher accidentally posted up an image of Breakpoint on its store, revealing some details in the process. The game's central antagonist will be Wildlands' Cole D. Walker, portrayed by The Punisher's Jon Bernthal, who's betrayed his team and gone off the grid.
Set in the fictional island of Aurora (of Aurora Operation fame), the game will reprise Wildlands' strong focus on four-player co-operative play for strategic team-based action. Story should also be emphasized throughout the open-ended shooter, complete with live service elements that're monetized over time and a season pass to bolster post-launch expansions. We should see tons of free updates, tweaks, and content drops throughout the life of the game.
Continue reading: Rumor: New Ghost Recon: Breakpoint game has 4 player co-op (full post)
Lootboxes may be illegalized in U.S. soon
New U.S. regulations would outlaw lootboxes and free-to-play monetization schemes in games tailored towards minors.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is waging war on the lucrative billion-dollar lootbox market. With a new bill entitled The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act, Hawley wants to ban the sale of manipulative microtransactions in games aimed at minors, namely free-to-play mobile titles. Activision-Blizzard's Candy Crush's psychological pay-to-win mechanics are cited as a direct example.
If passed, the state-wide bill will be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission who would deem the sale of these microtransactions as unfair trade and bring steep penalties to violating companies. The FTC is currently scrutinizing lootboxes and microtransactions, and a recent North American study found buying digital in-game items could lead to problematic gambling disorders.
Continue reading: Lootboxes may be illegalized in U.S. soon (full post)
EA expects Jedi: Fallen Order to sell 6-8 million
EA has big confidence in Jedi: Fallen Order's yearly sales performance, and projects some hefty earnings from the game.
Jedi: Fallen Order has been in development since 2014, and everything we've seen and heard about it sounds fantastic. It's an ambitious singleplayer-only adventure through the heart of Star Wars magic, which is a huge departure from EA's typical focus on billion-dollar live services. Respawn's new game is a "Jedi power fantasy" with a strong emphasis on characters and third-person action combat. In many ways it looks to be the saving grace to the tumultuous line of EA Star Wars games that saw two major titles cancelled.
Even though Jedi: Fallen Order can't be monetized over time like Battlefront II via microtransactions, EA is quite enthusiastic about the game's performance. The publisher is eager to capture the growing resurgence of singleplayer-only games. In its FY2019 earnings report, EA predicts robust sales for Respawn's massive Star Wars game. "Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order we are modeling in the sales range of 6 million to 8 million," EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said in an earnings call.
Continue reading: EA expects Jedi: Fallen Order to sell 6-8 million (full post)
Ryan Reynolds trolls fans with Detective Pikachu movie leak
Pokemon fans are struggling to hold back their excitement as the first live-action Pokemon movie is about to hit theaters around the globe. You could say that some fans will be 'dancing' there way into their seat as it appears the entire movie has leaked early...
If you didn't know, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds will be starring as Pikachu in the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie. The movie release is only a few days out and Reynolds has taken to his personal Twitter account to share a supposed full-length movie leak link. The video that Reynolds has linked to features 1 hour and 42 minutes of a Detective Pikachu.
Before reading any further I would suggest you check the YouTube link out for yourself, it is located within the entirety of this post. Of course this isn't a legitimate movie leak, but more so a marketing tactic to get that hype level just that little bit higher before the movie hits theaters. Detective Pikachu officially hits theaters on May 10, 2019. If you want to see how Ryan Reynolds converted himself into Detective Pikachu, check out this link here.
Continue reading: Ryan Reynolds trolls fans with Detective Pikachu movie leak (full post)
Devil May Cry 1 for Nintendo Switch is only sold digitally
Yesterday we got an announcement out of Capcom for a new title to arrive on the Nintendo Switch, this title was none other than the first Devil May Cry game.
The announcement came from the official Devil May Cry Twitter account and said "Relive the adventure that introduced the legendary Dante to the world with the original Devil May Cry, coming to NintendoSwitch this Summer." Since this announcement was made the next questions that are being asked is - will the Nintendo Switch version release in a physical form? and will there be more ports to follow after this one?
The first of the questions can be answered by looking towards the official UK and US website listings for the title. According to both of the websites, Devil May Cry for the Nintendo Switch "is only available as a download. There are no plans to release a physical edition". This statement on the websites seems to have thwarted any plans of a physical release which is slightly disappointing but mostly expected. It could be possible that Capcom are planning on porting over all of Devil May Cry games, and are saving a physical release for Collectors Edition that would combine all the titles into one game cartridge.
Continue reading: Devil May Cry 1 for Nintendo Switch is only sold digitally (full post)
Witcher TV show wraps up filming, post-production begins
Some new reports have come out that consider the idea that Netflix's Witcher TV show has wrapped up season ones filming. It's now believed that the show has been moved into post-production.
Last week, director of Netflix's Witcher TV show, Charlotte Brandstrom posted to Instagram an image with the caption "Goodbye Budapest..." If you have been following the shooting leaks of the Witcher TV series then you would know that most of the filming leaks have been out of Budapest, Hungry. A leaked video of the set filming can be found here if anyone has missed that.
Another leaked video has been found on actor Adam Levy's instagram. The video is captioned "#Ciri and #Mousesack #thewitchernetflix enjoying #mocktails and #cocktails #Druid and #lioncubofcintra celebrating the wrap of another chunk of this epic journey." Combining both of these posts we can summarize that season one of Netflix's Witcher TV show is at least partly complete. I'm sure there would be a few shots of either landscapes, short scenes etc that would still need to be done.
Continue reading: Witcher TV show wraps up filming, post-production begins (full post)
Next-gen Google Assistant is 10x faster & works in real-time
Google has unveiled their next-generation Google Assistant technology that is expected to arrive on the new Pixel phones which is slated for release later this year.
Google Assistant has truly become an amazing asset for Android devices, with it now being located in over 1 billion devices and available in over 30 different languages spreading over 80 different countries. The personal helper has become widely accepted by its users, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't need an upgrade. Later this year Google will be introducing that upgraded 'next-gen Google Assistant' to the new line of Pixel 4 phones.
According to Google, advancements in neural networks has allowed for the company to shrink the 100GB of data that was required for Google Assistant to process speech requests down to just 0.5GB (500MB). Google has said that this "breakthrough" in technology has allowed for the company to install the entire data model of Google Assistant on users smartphones which enables some new levels of functionality. Google has said that with these new models, Google Assistant will be able to "processes speech on-device at nearly zero latency, with transcription that happens in real-time, even when you have no network connection."
Continue reading: Next-gen Google Assistant is 10x faster & works in real-time (full post)
Claptrap voice actor accuses Borderlands 3 CEO of assault
In wake of the recently revealed Borderlands 3, developer and publisher Gearbox Software has taken a hit when it comes to internet rumors through wild accusations.
While these are some quite crazy accusations, I would like to remind our readers that just because the accusation is big doesn't mean that its necessarily true. I would also like to remind our readers that due to the seriousness of these claims, to come at what has been said in a non-biased and fair standpoint for both parties. Now with the disclaimers out of the way, lets get into what has been said. If you have played Borderlands you might remember Claptrap, the voice actor for the character, David Eddings has soon left his role but not without a saying a few things.
Eddings was asked by a fan if he was returning to the role of Claptrap for Borderlands 3, Eddings replied to this question by saying that he was replaced after he insisted on being paid for his performance. In response to Eddings tweet, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford fired off a tweet of his own, claiming that Eddings is "just bitter and disgruntled about having been terminated" and that he was offered "2x scale" and "he refused".
Continue reading: Claptrap voice actor accuses Borderlands 3 CEO of assault (full post)
Warren Buffett: Bitcoin is 'like a seashell or something'
Warren Buffett is worth $90 billion and you don't get that way by jumping into every new fad, right? Well, during the annualk Berkshire Hathaway meeting in Omaha, he had some very wise words about Bitcoin.
Buffett talked with reporters where he called Bitcoin "a gambling device" that "just sits there" and "hasn't produced anything". He added, weirdly, that Bitcoin is "like a seashell or something". But the weird didn't stop there for Buffett, who compared Bitcoin to the buttons on his jacket. Yes, I wish I was joking, Buffett compared the price of Bitcoin to the buttons on his jacket.
He said: "I'll tear off a button here. What I'll have here is a little token... I'll offer it to you for $1000, and I'll see if I can get the price up to $2000 by the end of the day... But the button has one use and it's a very limited use".
Continue reading: Warren Buffett: Bitcoin is 'like a seashell or something' (full post)
Super Micro production leaves China after spying allegations
It was only last October that Bloomberg ran a story claiming that super-tiny spy chips were being planted on Super Micro motherboards and that China had access to it all, including the servers these motherboards went into, and sometimes into the heights of Apple and Amazon server farms.
The problem is that there has been zero evidence of this found by independent investigators and now Super Micro is suffering through sales of certain US customers that have ties with the US government, and is now moving their production out of China to ensure these clients that nothing nefarious is going on. The company is now building its own production facilities, so that they won't need to worry about people questioning their security in future products.
China was and still is a huge player in the server-grade component production market, with the country making close to 90% of the nearly 14 million server motherboards made in China in 2017. All those servers and they're built in China, and Super Micro is accused of putting spy chips on their motherboards without proof and no one is batting an eyelid at the majority of server motherboards being made in China. Kay.
Continue reading: Super Micro production leaves China after spying allegations (full post)
Hard-as-nails roguevania Dead Cells is coming to mobiles
Dead Cells, one of the hardest indies on the market right now, will soon turn your phone into a roguevania torture device.
Having already conquered the Nintendo Switch, developer Play Motion is bringing their immensely challenging indie sensation Dead Cells to mobile phones, starting with iOS first.
Other than a Summer release window, exact details are light. We expect the full indie to be pushed onto smartphones and tablets, complete with touchscreen controls and optional Bluetooth gamepad support. With permanent death, Dead Cells is already hard enough...I couldn't imagine playing it without a joystick or buttons.
Continue reading: Hard-as-nails roguevania Dead Cells is coming to mobiles (full post)
EA Access binge gaming subscription coming to PS4 in July
EA could enjoy lots of extra revenues by bringing its all-you-can-play subscription to PlayStation 4.
EA today confirmed that its EA Access service is coming to console gaming's biggest platform: the PS4. The 90 million-strong PS4 userbase will be able to sign up this July, bringing a bounty of potential earnings to both EA and Sony by proxy, who takes a 30% cut of everything sold on its platform.
The subscription, which offers access to 50+ games across EA's varied catalog for $4.99 a month, was previously barred from the PS4 as Sony pushed its own buffet-style PlayStation Now service. PS Now is actually starting to kick up a bit and is the most-subscribed console service, so Sony has relented on EA. This change comes at an interesting time for Sony as it shifts towards a more service-based model under John Kodera, former Sony Interactive president who stepped down to exclusively focus on PlayStation's online future.
Continue reading: EA Access binge gaming subscription coming to PS4 in July (full post)
Monster Hunter: World is the king of Capcom's sales
Monster Hunter: World has now topped 12 million units shipped worldwide, Capcom announced, making it the reigning king of the publisher's sales.
Capcom is absolutely killing it lately. Not only are its profits up to record highs for the second consecutive year to $113.17 million, but its biggest games keep on growing. Monster Hunter: World has become a monumental breadwinner for the company thanks to its huge online-driven approach that fosters engagement and monetization, as well as game sales. But Capcom's attitude towards service games has been extremely healthy, garnering tons of goodwill to millions of Monster Hunter fans across the globe.
Now Capcom reports the monstrous online game is up to 12 million shipments, up 2 million since August. But only by comparing Monster Hunter: World to Capcom's other big hits do we see how massive the title actually is. The second best-selling Capcom game is Resident Evil 5, which sits at 7.4 million copies sold. This means Monster Hunter: World eclipses the runner-up by 4.5 million units. The game also sold 5 million copies, or about 67% of RE5's lifetime sales, in just 3 days.
Continue reading: Monster Hunter: World is the king of Capcom's sales (full post)
AMD's next-gen Zen 4 could arrive on new 5nm or 6nm in 2021
AMD is just a couple of weeks from making its next-gen Zen 2 CPU architecture official with the unveiling of its new Ryzen 3000 series CPUs on the fresh new 7nm node, all while Intel struggles its way to 10nm.
The latest news comes from TSMC talking about its new 5nm manufacturing process in a recent call with investors, with the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer talking about its 5nm developing being "well on track". TSMC says that it has entered a phase called "risk production" in the first few months of 2019, meaning it has already happened, and that the first tape out of 5nm will happen in the first half of 2020.
TSMC explains: "With 1.8X logic density and 15 percent speed gain and (sic) an ARM A72 core compared with 7nm, we believe our N5 technology is the most competitive in the industry. With the best density, performance, power and the best transistor technology, we expect most of our customers who are using 7nm today will adopt 5nm".
Continue reading: AMD's next-gen Zen 4 could arrive on new 5nm or 6nm in 2021 (full post)
Darksiders 2 'Deathinitive Edition' listing leaks for Switch
A new listing on the EBGames website has suggested that there is a Deathinitive Edition for Darksiders 2 coming to the Nintendo Switch.
While this is certainly a leak, the source is a decently reliable one. Game store leaks with Amazon or Best Buy are usually fake, EBGames on the other hand has served quite reliable. This Deathinitive Edition for Darksiders 2 on the Nintendo Switch has appeared on the Canadian EBGames website and has listed the title with images to look at and a price of $29.99 CAD. Thanks to Lbabinz we have the link located on his tweet.
This hasn't been officially announced so nothing is confirmed as of yet, but the Nintendo Switch getting a Deathinitive Edition of Darksiders 2 really does make sense and wouldn't be that surprising. Darksiders Warmastered has already released on the Nintendo Switch, if you want to check out a trailer for that title you can visit this link here.
Continue reading: Darksiders 2 'Deathinitive Edition' listing leaks for Switch (full post)
Pokemon GO gets Pokemon Detective Pikachu movie content
A new collaboration has been announced between The Pokemon Company and Pokemon GO developer Niantic. The collaboration will see some uniquely themed Detective Pikachu themed content arrive in the Pokemon GO app.
In celebration of the upcoming release of the live-action Pokemon Detective Pikachu movie starring Ryan Reynolds, Niantic will be bringing a bunch of Detective Pikachu themed content to Pokemon GO. The Pokemon Company is pleased to announce that from May 7th until May 17th, the Pokemon GO app will feature fresh new content that will allow players will be able to capture Pokemon from the movie. Bulbasaur, Jigglypuff, Psyduck, Aipom, Snubbull and many more will appear more frequently for players during the run time of this event.
Other pieces of new content are special raid battles and field research. Players will be able to challenge Pokemon with starring roles in the film as well as acquire movie-themed field research. There will also be a bunch of new avatar items that players will be able to collect, including a detective hat with Pikachu ear and a t-shirt with the Pokemon Detective Pikachu logo on it. Players will also have to watch out for Detective Pikachu photo-bombing images in GO Snapshot. If Detective Pikachu is spotted photo bombing then there is a chance that the player can catch the Pokemon.
Continue reading: Pokemon GO gets Pokemon Detective Pikachu movie content (full post)
THQ Nordic's 'Biomutant' listed for Nintendo Switch release
I've had my eye on THQ Nordic and Experiment 101's Biomutant title since way back in early November when THQ Nordic grabbed the rights for the title.
Biomutant is one of those titles that has massive potential to penetrate the gaming market in a unique fashion. The game gives me Jak and Daxter kind of vibes, with the fast-paced combat, diverse range of interesting enemies and cartoonish-like art style. The downside? When I last took a look at the game back in late 2018 and early 2019 the title seemed very unfinished, which led me to believe the game that we were being showcased was a very early version of a project not yet completed.
My suspicions turned out to be somewhat true, as THQ Nordic delayed Biomutant until the Summer of 2019. I would assume that this extra time would be needed to smooth over the development side of things for Biomutant, or perhaps create a Nintendo Switch port? EB Games Canada may have jumped the gun on the last point as their website has listed a Nintendo Switch Biomutant release when originally the game was only planned to be arriving on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Continue reading: THQ Nordic's 'Biomutant' listed for Nintendo Switch release (full post)
First Devil May Cry announced to release on Switch in 2019
Capcom has begun the process of bringing their very well-known hack n' slash franchise Devil May Cry over to Nintendo's portable console. The first Devil May Cry will arrive on the Switch this Summer.
The announcement comes from the official Devil May Cry Twitter account, where Capcom have revealed that Nintendo Switch players will be able to step into the shoes of the legendary Dante in the original Devil May Cry. This announcement has come after both the producer and director of the Devil May Cry franchise expressed their love for the Nintendo Switch, saying that they want to see "everything on Switch".
This will just be the start of Capcom bringing over the Devil May Cry franchise, as after the release of the first game onto the Switch Capcom will follow with the sequels in the franchise. This is not officially confirmed and is purely my personal speculation, but I find it extremely hard to believe that Capcom will just stop the ports at the first Devil May Cry and not aim to eventually bring over the recently released Devil May Cry 5. Dante will be arriving on the Nintendo Switch in the first Devil May Cry sometime this Summer. When a more accurate release date is revealed I will be sure to update you with a follow up post.
Continue reading: First Devil May Cry announced to release on Switch in 2019 (full post)






















