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Fortnite used to recruits kids by far-right groups

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 9:23 PM CDT

Rip your children away from Fortnite, it's being used as a recruitment tool for pure evil. Yeah, so according to a "reformed neo-Nazi" the smash hit Battle Royale game is being used by "far-right groups" to "radicalize kids and recruit them into their organizations".

Fortnite used to recruits kids by far-right groups

Christian Picciolini, a skinhead-turned-peace activist explained that his group "sought marginalized youth and promised them 'paradise'. Picciolini explained what he did on Reddit, saying that most of the tactics are still used today through "nefarious tactics like going to depression and mental health forums, and in multiplayer gaming, to recruit those same people". He explained: "They drop benign hints and then ramp up when hooked".

What games? That would be the biggest games on the planet that Picciolini named as "Fortnite, Minecraft, COD, all of them". He said that the recruitment within the games happens from "mostly foreign recruiters from Russia and eastern Europe". The ridiculous article even names the recent "gamergate" as connected to alt-right groups.

Continue reading: Fortnite used to recruits kids by far-right groups (full post)

HTC to shed 1500 jobs in Taiwan, a cull of 1/4 global jobs

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Jul 3, 2018 8:59 PM CDT

HTC isn't in a strong position right now, with a report coming out of Reuters that says the Taiwanese smartphone company is cutting around 1/4 of their global workforce.

HTC to shed 1500 jobs in Taiwan, a cull of 1/4 global jobs

These job losses will hit the Taiwan manufacturing scene, as HTC is wanting to manage their resources better as sales continue to die against Samsung and Apple. HTC said that it would cut 1500 jobs from its manufacturing unit in Taiwan, which is around 25% of their global staff that right now sits at 6450.

HTC explains: "Today HTC announces plan toust optimize the manufacturing organizations in Taiwan ... This plan will allow more effective and flexible resource management going forward". It shouldn't surprise, as HTC reported a 55% drop in revenues year-on-year in April, and a huge 46.7% drop in sales in March. Ouch.

Continue reading: HTC to shed 1500 jobs in Taiwan, a cull of 1/4 global jobs (full post)

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could feature huge 4000mAh battery

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Jul 3, 2018 7:59 PM CDT

Samsung is expected to unveil its new Galaxy Note 9 on August 10 at its latest Samsung Unpacked event, with fresh rumors teasing the Note 9 will rock an even larger battery for all-day use.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could feature huge 4000mAh battery

The latest leaks see Samsung using a much larger 4000mAh battery inside of the new Galaxy Note 9, while the current Galaxy Note 8 has a decent 3300mAh, while the new S9+ has a 3500mAh battery. But that large battery will need to be charged faster, and that's where some disappointment might be seeping in.

The new Galaxy Note 9, like the Galaxy S7, S8, and S9 has EP-TA200 charging which has a maximum 10W of power, the slowest charging speed in the world apart from an iPhone. There are fears of another Galaxy Note 7 fiasco over the battery, but with that over I'd love to see a super-stable battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 technology inside, so we have super-fast charging to get that 4000mAh battery filled as quickly as possible.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could feature huge 4000mAh battery (full post)

ASRock extends Phantom Gaming series to RX Vega 56/64 cards

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Jul 3, 2018 7:18 PM CDT

ASRock made quite the splash with its new Phantom Gaming series of Radeon RX 500 series cards a few months ago, but it looks like the company is set to release the Radeon RX Vega variants in reference form, which is kinda boring.

ASRock extends Phantom Gaming series to RX Vega 56/64 cards

Both of the new Vega-based cards will come in Phantom Gaming X form, with both the RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 variants arriving in reference form, without any technological changes to the cooler... so don't expect cooler operation or quieter gaming at all. We will see the usual specs from the cards, with 8GB of HBM2 being the highlight here.

ASRock Phantom Gaming X RX Vega 64 Specs:

Continue reading: ASRock extends Phantom Gaming series to RX Vega 56/64 cards (full post)

Fortnite makes $318 million in the month of May alone

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 6:36 PM CDT

Fortnite is truly unstoppable but did you know it's making over a quarter of a billion dollars per month? Yeah, it is insane and the latest numbers from SuperData Arcade only cement these facts into history.

Fortnite makes $318 million in the month of May alone

SuperData Arcade's new monthly report says that Fortnite passed $300 million in a month, with a huge $318 million generated in the month of May alone. SuperData Arcade noted: "Fortnite hits a new high but growth is slowing down. We estimate that Fortnite made $318 million across all platforms in May, up 7% from April. The majority of growth came from console, with mobile and PC both coming in flat compared to April".

$318 million in a single month means Fortnite is making over $10 million per day... just let that sink in for a minute.

Continue reading: Fortnite makes $318 million in the month of May alone (full post)

Dying Light 2's reactive world houses dynamic AI

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 5:21 PM CDT

Dying Light 2 is pushing open-world dynamism to new levels thanks to its big new sandbox.

Dying Light 2's reactive world houses dynamic AI

Everything I've heard about Dying Light 2 has me excited about the game. I loved the first one, but felt that the choices just really weren't there--I wanted to do more, maybe help more people or cause more damage to the already-fragile society. I wanted to take risks outside of combat and make decisions that could seriously empower or wreck an entire populace. Dying Light 2 is giving players even more choice-and-consequence style mechanics that ensure our decisions actually matter.

We've already seen snippets of Dying Light 2's cause-and-effect world, but enemy and NPC AI is one of the big drivers of this ever-shifting world. Reactive AI is a big focus for Techland and acts as a major avenue to the unique experience.

Continue reading: Dying Light 2's reactive world houses dynamic AI (full post)

EA Vancouver will cannibalize Visceral's Star Wars assets

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 3:56 PM CDT

EA Vancouver, who's now handling the development of Visceral Games' previous Star Wars project, aims to tap the rich vein of assets and content left behind by its predecessor.

EA Vancouver will cannibalize Visceral's Star Wars assets

Last year EA closed down Visceral Games and handed off the studio's ambitious Star Wars game, codenamed Ragtag, to a big team led by its Vancouver-based studio. Amy Hennig (of Uncharted fame) was spear-heading the project alongside the team at Visceral and was invested strongly into making a unique story arc that tapped the magic of the original trilogy, and in the many months of developing, iterating, and concepting, the studio had created a wealth of assets to shape its new vision.

But ultimately the third-person action adventure project was canned. Not exactly cancelled, mind you, but the original vision didn't appeal to EA's testers (and the company's engagement-driven business model likely had something to do with it). Now EA Vancouver has inherited the responsibility of salvaging the game and making it into something that fits while using the smorgasbord of blueprints, concept art, and other myriad of assets left behind by Visceral. According to EA Motive exec Jade Raymond, the big team wants to cannibalize as much as possible from Ragtag and put it to good use.

Continue reading: EA Vancouver will cannibalize Visceral's Star Wars assets (full post)

Microsoft wants to use AI to catch cheaters

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 3:17 PM CDT

Microsoft, like other major games-makers and platform-holders, is eager to use the growing spectrum of AI and machine learning to help power its online services--and even catch cheaters.

Microsoft wants to use AI to catch cheaters

A recent Microsoft patent outlines a way to use machine learning to bolster Xbox LIVE and its gaming services framework to prevent cheating and keep track of the terabytes of data floating in the company's network. The patent, which was filed in 2017 and only now published, has a number of different modalities, functionalities, and iterations to it, but the gist is creating an intelligent AI-like system that continually learns and performs platform-wide cheat detection.

Ultimately Microsoft is concerned about in-game cheating as well as using specific hacks and methods to unlock achievements and other rewards. Remember that Xbox now has a new program that allows gamers to complete in-game goals to enter for real prizes, as well as its new merged Microsoft Rewards initiative.

Continue reading: Microsoft wants to use AI to catch cheaters (full post)

Super Mario Run revenue hops over $60 million worldwide mark

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 5:00 AM CDT

Nintendo delved into the mobile market with another title Super Mario Run back in September 2016, since then the title has gone wild, just now passing a massive total worldwide revenue of $60 million.

Super Mario Run revenue hops over $60 million worldwide mark

According to Sensor Tower, a mobile store marketing intelligence website, the App Store is 77% of all income revenue from Super Mario Run. This is mainly due to Nintendo releasing it on the App Store six months before releasing it on the Google Play Store, the Google Play Store now sits at around 35% with a slight shift in the market earlier this year.

Sensor Tower also reports that from a geographical stand-point, 43% of the players that enjoy Super Mario Run and contribute to the revenue are located in the United States, while only 17% are from Japan. For more information visit the Sensor Tower website here.

Continue reading: Super Mario Run revenue hops over $60 million worldwide mark (full post)

Take-Two CEO: Red Dead Redemption 2 could be on the rocks

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 4:00 AM CDT

As we move closer to one of the biggest titles of the year releasing, everyone is expecting that Rockstar's sequel to Red Dead Redemption will compete for the biggest game of the year. The Take-Two Interactive CEO has commented on the expectations surrounding the title.

Take-Two CEO: Red Dead Redemption 2 could be on the rocks

Take-Two Interactive is the parent company to Red Dead Redemption 2's developer Rockstar Games. The CEO of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick has sat down with Game Industry to give some details on the stance the companies are taking against competing titles. Zelnick has said that even though Rockstar games are expected by fans to be the juggernaut titles of the year, the company is "running scared too" also saying that a "healthy degree of paranoia and insecurity about releases is probably a good thing."

Zelnick says that he is "fond of saying that arrogance is the enemy of continued success." and that Rockstar and Take-Two will not be believing in their "success until we deliver it." This could mean that Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 might not take the market by storm as much as everyone is expecting, with the CEO of the parent company saying "We never claim victory until it's occurred. We have very powerful, smart, capable competitors bringing great products to market and we need to win - that means we have to work harder than the next guy."

Continue reading: Take-Two CEO: Red Dead Redemption 2 could be on the rocks (full post)

New battle royale, Fear the Wolves PC requirements released

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 3:00 AM CDT

One of the newest battle royale titles on the block is Focus Home Interactive and Vostok Games' Fear the Wolves. The official PC requirements have been made available on the titles Steam page.

New battle royale, Fear the Wolves PC requirements released

At the moment, Fear the Wolves is a post-apocalyptic 100 player battle royale experience that throws players into the competitive arena in either the form of a squad or solo play. The title is currently under Steam Early Access and for those that want a quick official description here's what Steam's got: "Fear the Wolves is a competitive Battle Royale FPS by Vostok Games. Escape S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s Chernobyl pursued by mutants, radiation, horrific anomalies, the weather, and other players"

According the official requirements released on the Fear the Wolves Steam page and since this title is in early access, the developer has said the requirements are subject to change as the game moves close to it's release date. For further information regarding the new upcoming battle royale, visit the official Steam page for Fear the Wolves here.

Continue reading: New battle royale, Fear the Wolves PC requirements released (full post)

Crash Bandicoot becomes fastest-selling Switch title of 2018

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 2:00 AM CDT

The port for Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy releasing on the Nintendo Switch debuted only just three days ago, the orange marsupial has taken the handheld console by storm, topping the sale charts as the fastest selling Nintendo Switch title of 2018.

Crash Bandicoot becomes fastest-selling Switch title of 2018

Games Industry has reported that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has rose to the very top of UK's gaming sales charts, beating the likes of The Crew, FIFA 18 Mario Tennis Aces and God of War. With the recent release on the Nintendo Switch, the N.Sane Trilogy has taken first place as the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch title of 2018, this isn't that shocking though as the game is only priced at $40USD.

If you want to view the detailed sales charts for Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy across all of the platforms, that can be viewed here. Also, if you haven't already picked up the N.Sane Trilogy, and are curious at what frames/resolution you will be getting on your platform check out the performance breakdown of the title here. For further information, jump onto the Crash website.

Continue reading: Crash Bandicoot becomes fastest-selling Switch title of 2018 (full post)

SEGA releases BRUTAL Yakuza 3 PS4 screenshots

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 3, 2018 1:00 AM CDT

SEGA has released a slew of combat themed screenshots of Yakuza 3 on the PS4, showcasing the brutal combat players will be able to enjoy in the upcoming title.

SEGA releases BRUTAL Yakuza 3 PS4 screenshots

The screenshots display the main character Kazuma Kiryu using a variety of different weapons to beat down his opponents. The weapons we can see here are Kiryu's fists, sticks, gas tanks and many more objects.

At the moment there is no planned release date for Yakuza 3 on the Western markets, currently there is only a Japan release date set and that is August 8th. Just recently, SEGA announced that Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami will be coming to PC through the 'Best of Japan' line-up, if you missed out on that news you can check it out here.

Continue reading: SEGA releases BRUTAL Yakuza 3 PS4 screenshots (full post)

AMD Ryzen 3 2300X: 4C/4T for under $150 is a cheap BEAST

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Jul 3, 2018 12:25 AM CDT

AMD might not be securing all of the CPU market share right away with Ryzen, but it's causing enough of a stir to pull thousands of people away from the clutches of Intel, who is in a world of trouble as it is right now with its CEO resigning recently, and their 10nm process completely broken.

AMD Ryzen 3 2300X: 4C/4T for under $150 is a cheap BEAST

The company is reportedly preparing a mid-range Ryzen 3 2300X processor which is a 4C/4T part, with its CPU clocks bumped up to 3.5/4.0GHz thanks to no multi-threaded support. AMD's use of the 12nm process also helps, with tweaks to precision boost overdrive and XFR enhanced.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 3 2300X should sell for between $120-$140 which will make it some truly insane value when you compare it to the Intel Core i5-7600K which costs over $220. But what about the performance of the Ryzen 3 2300X? This is what we need to see.

Continue reading: AMD Ryzen 3 2300X: 4C/4T for under $150 is a cheap BEAST (full post)

Samsung Galaxy S9 sending users private pictures to people

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Jul 2, 2018 11:37 PM CDT

Samsung phones seem to be trying to take over the world, messaging random users' contacts and sending them messages and photos. The problem turned up on Reddit, spotted by Gizmodo, and then found its way to Samsung's official forums.

Samsung Galaxy S9 sending users private pictures to people

The messages in question are being sent through the default Samsung Messages app, with reports stating that the app doesn't show users the files were sent. The only way people know this is happening, is once they receive a response from the recipient of the message sent. One user said that his Galaxy smartphone sent ALL of his photos to his girlfriend.

The Verge talked to a Samsung spokesperson who said they are "aware of the reports" and that their technical teams are "looking into it". The forums seem to say that both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are affected, but there could be more.

Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S9 sending users private pictures to people (full post)

Bethesda is building Starfield to handle next-gen hardware

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jul 2, 2018 10:31 PM CDT

Bethesda is hard at work on its next-gen franchises, something that includes the ambitious and still very mysterious Starfield, with the developer stepping into the step into space for the first time ever.

Bethesda is building Starfield to handle next-gen hardware

During E3 2018, Bethesda Game Studios executive producer Todd Howard teased Starfield would be a "next-generation, single-player game". During an interview with Eurogamer, Howard talked about what he meant in more detail, teasing: "[Next-generation] to us means two things. It does mean hardware and it does mean software on our side, and it also means gameplay - what does the next generation of epic single-player RPGs feel like to us?"

Howard added: "What systems we put it out on, what's the hardware requirements - [that's] still to be determined. We're pushing it. We're thinking very, very far in future so we're building something that will handle next-generation hardware. That's what we're building on right now, that's where our mind is, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't exist on the current systems as well".

Continue reading: Bethesda is building Starfield to handle next-gen hardware (full post)

Battlefield V could feature a bagpipe as a weapon

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Jul 2, 2018 7:49 PM CDT

Battlefield V will be one of the biggest releases of 2018, and while we know what weapons to expect from its World War II setting, did you know we might be able to use a bagpipe as a weapon?

Battlefield V could feature a bagpipe as a weapon

During an interview with DICE producer Andreas Morell and PC Gamer magazine, Morell talked about the vanity items that will be featured in Battlefield V. In the interview, Morell said: "It needs to be believable. It needs to fit with the era. We're not creating a steampunk universe or anything like that. But if it was used, we can have it. Doing research for this, we stumbled across a guy called 'Mad Jack' Churchill, a British guy who was part of the Norwegian campaign".

He continued: "He was the only one who's got a confirmed kill with a sword in World War Il. He used to go into battle with a bagpipe and a Scottish broadsword. So I wouldn't be surprised if we included a bagpipe as an item because there was one crazy guy who used it".

Continue reading: Battlefield V could feature a bagpipe as a weapon (full post)

Nintendo say 'stay tuned' for Smash Bros Ultimate Amiibo's

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 2, 2018 5:00 AM CDT

One of the most popular Nintendo collectibles have got to be the amiibo's, luckily fans can rest easy as Nintendo will be bringing brand new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo's to customers before the games initial release.

Nintendo say 'stay tuned' for Smash Bros Ultimate Amiibo's

This information has come from Nintendo Japan's website which they addressed the upcoming new characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo has said that they will be adding amiibo's for Ice Climbers, Pichu, Young Link, Snake, Pokemon Trainer - Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard and Wolf.

The company has told fans to "stay tuned" for more information regarding when these new figures will be released. If you want to keep checking up on amiibo news visit the amiibo 'Character Line-up' website here.

Continue reading: Nintendo say 'stay tuned' for Smash Bros Ultimate Amiibo's (full post)

Nintendo are 'highly confident' to meet 2018 Switch demands

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 2, 2018 4:00 AM CDT

Nintendo have come forward and said that they are more than ready to tackle the demand of the Nintendo Switch throughout 2018. Even though massive titles are releasing such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokemon Eevee/Pikachu.

Nintendo are 'highly confident' to meet 2018 Switch demands

Game Informer has been lucky enough to sit down with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, during the interview the subject of Nintendo Switch supply was discussed. Andrew Reiner asked Fils-Aime "With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate hitting this holiday, let's talk about hardware. Switch is still selling like mad. Are you going to be sending out more during the holiday [to meet demand]?" Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releasing isn't the only title Nintendo has to consider though, Pokemon Eevee/Pikachu will also be releasing in 2018 with numerous other titles, Fils-Aime and Nintendo don't seem bothered by this at all though.

Fils-Aime replied to the question with "Absolutely. Our goal as a business is to drive momentum and create excitement to get people who have heard about the hardware, but haven't yet bought it, to jump in. Our biggest failure is when the consumer goes to the shelf and it isn't there. We're focused on making sure the supply chain is going to be robust."Fils-Aime continues and says that Nintendo as a whole is "highly confident that we are going to be able to meet the demand." If you wish to view the full interview where other topics were also discussed it can be viewed here.

Continue reading: Nintendo are 'highly confident' to meet 2018 Switch demands (full post)

Smash Bros. Ultimate roster leak: King K Rool/ Paper Mario

Jak Connor | Gaming | Jul 2, 2018 3:00 AM CDT

Many Super Smash Bros. players are awaiting for further characters to be announced after following the additional Ridley and Inklings reveal. New leaks have surfaced and it seems that there is going to be plenty more characters coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Smash Bros. Ultimate roster leak: King K Rool/ Paper Mario

A few sources have come forward saying that Smash players should expect more characters to be on the way, some of these are anticipated characters and some are a surprise. Before I dive into that though, I have to say this is all rumors at the moment as nothing has been officially confirmed. Starting off, we have a leak on 4Chan that suggests: King K Rool, Ashley, Paper Mario, Karate Joe and Simon Belmont are on the way and will be revealed sometime leading into the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

A image has been released of the Smash Bros. Ultimate character selection screen some of the 'new' characters art styles are different from the rest, as well as some characters listed here just don't seem popular enough to make the final cut. From the image, we can see numerous characters such as: Glass Joe from Punch Out!, Dixie Kong, Karate Joe from the Rhythm Heaven series, Sophie, Steenee, Chibi Robo, Jimmy T from WarioWare, Lip, Mr. Magician, eShop Bag, Twinbee and Hakura. DasVergeben, the leaker who was correct about Ridley coming to the new Smash said last week on Reddit that Nintendo has confirmed the final line-up for the game as well as the DLC characters.

Continue reading: Smash Bros. Ultimate roster leak: King K Rool/ Paper Mario (full post)

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