Latest News - Page 2087

This is one of the most exciting applications for blockchain tech and is a huge win for you, me and the online media companies we interact with! The ad-blocking browser Brave has partnered with Dow Jones Media Group. Why would they do that you ask? Especially when media groups detest ad-blocking software.

Brave, while people love it for its ad-blocking capabilities, never intended to completely block ads, they want to do it better. They want to deliver more privacy and security, a faster browser experience, fewer middlemen and reward users and content creators.

This is where the blockchain comes in! Brave Software have created the Basic Attention Token (BAT) which will allow for blockchain based digital advertising to value user attention securely and accurately. Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript and co-founder of Mozilla and Firefox is the CEO of Brave Software and the founder of BAT, wants to help protect users while also making sure content is rewarded appropriately.

I've been on holiday for the past week and didn't cover the purported specs on the GeForce GTX 1180 from WCCFTech, something I wanted to have the time to properly sit down and think about and then, write about... so here we go.

The site says "latest leaks, rumors and information provided" to them, without any names or proof, so this is all in the air. The site says the GeForce GTX 1180 will pack the unannounced Turing GPU architecture with the GT104 variant powering the GTX 1180, at up to 400mm2.

NVIDIA will pack an insane 3584 CUDA cores into the purported GeForce GTX 1180, with 8-16GB GDDR6 models on a 256-bit memory bus with the GDDR6 clocked at 16Gbps, blowing GDDR5X and HBM2 out of the water. This will provide the purported GTX 1180 with 512GB/sec of memory bandwidth up from the 320GB/sec offered on the GTX 1080 with its 8GB of GDDR5X at 10Gbps.

The largest shift for Battlegrounds is about to occur, with developer PUBG Corp. has announced the world's first global tournament for Battlegrounds, inviting 20 of the best PUBG teams in the world to compete in Berlin in July for a prize pool of $2 million.

PUBG Corp. boss Chang Han Kim announced: "The team at PUBG Corp. is working tirelessly to ensure that the PUBG Global International exemplifies the pinnacle of PUBG competition and brings to life all of the excitement, tension, and exhilaration of the highest level of PUBG play, not only to the fans attending the PGI 2018, but also those watching at home".

The company will choose 20 qualifying teams in the beginning of July, after a bunch of regional qualifying tournaments are held in the US, Europe, and Asia. PUBG players will fight in 4-player squad battles in both third-person and first-person modes, with the third-person qualifying rounds taking place July 25-26, and first-person between July 28-29.

PUBG is beyond a phenomenon in China and now Fortnite is going to join the fray, all thanks to a partnership between Epic Games and Chinese gaming giant Tencent.

Tencent has a 40% stake in Epic Games, with the company to distribute and publish Fortnite in China. Tencent also controls PUBG in China, so they will be doubling down with both Fortnite and PUBG in China which is a big, big deal. On top of that, Tencent will spend $15 million on marketing Fortnite in China, marketing the Battle Royale smash hit to Chinese gamers while stopping piracy and taking down illegal clones of the game which is a big problem for Battlegrounds in China.

Fortnite in China will be a big success due in part to Tencent spending time and money on the eSports scene in China for Fortnite, with the company reportedly building a dedicated app that will help gamers learn about Fortnite, watch live games, and more.

There are various theories about what Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's multiplayer is going to be like, with the latest tease that it will be similar to Overwatch from Blizzard, which falls under the Activision umbrella like Call of Duty.

Charlie Intel is reporting that Black Ops 4 will feature multiplayer that is inspired by Overwatch and even LawBreakers, with another mention that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will indeed not feature a single-player story. The report starts off with "New Multiplayer information has been confirmed by more than one source so I can now talk about that more publicly. As of two days ago Multiplayer was in the worst state you have ever seen a Call of Duty multiplayer mode".

It continues: "Sources who have play-tested the mode claim that it is less like a call of duty mode and more like a Call of Duty Overwatch or a Call of Duty Lawbreakers. The Lawbreakers reference is incredibly apt considering what he told me next. Remember how I said the game was simultaneously boots on the ground and advanced movement? Well I can elaborate on that a little more too".

AMD is fighting the good fight with gamers with a new surprise bundle that is called Combat Crate. What is the new Combat Crate exactly? Well, there are two different Combat Crates so far, the first with a Ryzen 5 1600 and the other with a Ryzen 7 1700.

Both of the Combat Crates come with an MSI B350 Tomahawk motherboard and MSI RX 580 Armor OC graphics card. This is a perfect combo for playing games at 1080p or even 1440p, and packing some hefty CPU power for a bundled price of just $599.

If you purchased these parts separately, it would cost $585 cheaper than the Combat Crate. But, the MSI RX 580 Armor OC graphics card is discounted from its original $379.99 price to $327.67, so if it was not discounted the bundle would be $35 cheaper or so.

About a month before its official release, Detroit: Become Human has gone gold and will get a nice demo for PlayStation 4 users to play.

Although David Cage's cinematic games from Quantic Dream often polarize gamers, I was quite piqued in the drama shown in Detroit: Become Human's E3 2017 showcase--it seemed gritty, raw, and emotional, and represented just one small part of the game itself. Now that the game has been finalized on a master disc the android dilemma simulator is ready for manufacturing...but we'll get an early taste of the QTE-fest a lot sooner than May.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog Quantic Dream co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere confirmed a Detroit: Become Human demo is launching tomorrow. "To celebrate this milestone, and to help you pass the time as you hold on just a little while longer for the game's release on May 25th, I am extremely happy to announce that the very first scene of the game, Hostage, will be available for download on the PS Store starting tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24 at 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time," he said.

Despite strong pushback from consumers and enthusiast gamers and even legislative action, one analyst firm predicts the lootbox and cosmetic skin gambling sectors' earnings could rise to $50 billion across the next four years.

While the lootbox market has been disrupted with big events like the Battlefront II controversy, key publishers like Activision, EA, Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft continue to make billions from microtransactions every year--and this year should be no different. According to a new report from analyst firm Juniper Research, lootbox and skin gambling revenues will continue surging across the next four years to reach a total spend of $50 billion by 2022--about a 67% increase from this 2018's forecast.

"A new study from Juniper Research forecasts that loot boxes and skins gambling, two emerging gaming growth sectors, will reach a total spend of $50 billion by 2022, up from under $30 billion this year," the report synopsis states. "Loot boxes are in-game packs which contain a random selection of items; while skins are in-game cosmetics which change the appearance of weapons or characters."

On the heels of Yakuza's long-running success, SEGA's internal first-party studio responsible for the series is branching out to a new unannounced series.

Like most games-makers SEGA is keen on continuing the linage of key franchises for as long as possible, but as time goes by it's extremely important to balance content out with new IPs. While SEGA's Yakuza dev team is indeed working on a new game in the series--Shin Yakuza--they're also making something brand new.

In an interview with Famitsu, SEGA Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi confirmed the Yakuza studio is laying the groundwork for a new IP for home consoles. SEGA has made quite a strong push for a more broad presence across mobiles, PC, and consoles. With initiatives like the SEGA Ages rollout on the Switch and the free-to-play SEGA Forever program on mobiles, the Japanese games-maker continues making good on its promise to resurrect classic IPs across today's gaming platforms.

Up until now Nintendo Switch skins were quite scarce, or if you found one it could possibly damage your Nintendo Switch in some kind of fashion. Dbrands has solved that issue by now guaranteeing that their skins for the Switch will not damage the device.

The announcement from dbrands came from Twitter where the company said that the problem with Nintendo Switch skins damaging the device has now been solved. The company said that "As some of you may remember, last year dbrand took a firm stance against skinning the Nintendo Switch due to potential damage upon removal of a skin. Since then, we've been working diligently alongside 3M to develop a unique adhesive - one which is engineered into every Nintendo Switch skin we offer and guarantees to remove with no damage to your Joy-Cons, Switch console, or Dock."

Dbrands is also offering other features that can be added to the Nintendo Switch, so if you are interested in purchasing one of the 7 new Switch skins, or some other add ons that are available, you can visit the official dbrands website here.

AMD had quite the successful launch this week with their new flagship Ryzen 7 2700X processor, with the 8C/16T chip taking swings in the right areas with Pinnacle Ridge, but what about the Ryzen 7 2800X?

Right now AMD has the game locked tight in price/performance with the Ryzen 7 2700X against Intel's gaming powerhouse in the Core i7-8700K which is only a 6C/12T offering. If Intel strikes back with an 8C/16T model with the speeds of the 8700K, it looks like AMD is ready for such a thing with a purported Ryzen 7 2800X.

AMD can't just increase the TDP and clock speeds of the Ryzen 7 2700X and make it into an even beefier chip in the Ryzen 7 2800X, it wouldn't be enough. AMD could easily scale the Ryzen 7 2800X up with a surprise 10C/20T offering at over 4GHz, enough to counter Intel and keep the prices low enough without gutting the just-released Ryzen 7 2700X with its 8C/16T of 4GHz CPU power.

Microsoft is really giving Xbox One users a more PC-like console experience in the last few weeks with the addition of AMD FreeSync display support, but the tease of 120Hz is a far bigger deal.

Microsoft has announce that High Refresh Rate (HFR) support is coming in an update next month, something that will allow Xbox One owners to use 120Hz displays. In the 'Display and sound' options and video output menu, there is an option for the refresh rate to be increased from 60Hz to 120Hz.

The Xbox One will be able to drive up to 120Hz in both 1080p and 1440p monitors, which is pretty crazy for a console. The company talked about the upcoming update, and said: "In April, we added variable refresh rate, 1440p resolution support, and auto low latency mode. But we aren't done just yet. In May, we're adding support for additional panel refresh rates. Gamers with gaming monitors and televisions that support a 120Hz refresh rate can now turn on 120Hz support for 1080p and 1440p output resolutions. This high refresh rate option means you can now take full advantage of displays with 120Hz capabilities".

Campo Santo has announced on their website that their team of twelve has been acquired by Valve, the announcement read that this does not hinder or change any plans for their current project In the Valley of Gods.

The announcement explained that this agreement came after several "long conversations" and eventuated into a mutually beneficial decision. "In Valve we found a group of folks who, to their core, feel the same way about the work that they do (this, you may be surprised to learn, doesn't happen every day). In us, they found a group with unique experience and valuable, diverse perspectives. It quickly became an obvious match."

The team behind Firewatch is currently on their way to relocating at Valve's Bellevue Washington HQ, where they will continue working on In the Valley of Gods. "Yes, we're still making In the Valley of Gods (as a Valve game!); yes, we'll still support Firewatch; and yes, we'll still produce The Quarterly Review and our regular blog content. Thanks so much for your interest in our games and we'll see you in Washington. Cheers." If you are interested in reading the full blogpost check out the official Campo Santo website here.

There has been some rumors bouncing around that Microsoft will have exclusive rights to Borderlands 3's marketing, Randy Pitchford has addressed these rumors via Twitter.

The rumors began on a few smaller sites and included many other titles such as CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, the new Battlefield and a new Splinter Cell game. The rumors suggested that all of these titles had all of their marketing rights signed over to Microsoft.

CEO of Gearbox took to Twitter to address this rumor for his unconfirmed title, saying "Where are you getting that? Gearbox signed no such thing with Microsoft. How are these things becoming propagated as fact when there is zero basis in reality?"

Creative Assembly has released a new video for Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia and it details how players will be able to make a comeback if they are at a disadvantage.

The video begins quite late into a campaign, the narrator is playing Mierce and displays how players should not loose hope if they are on the back foot. The video showcases strategies that players can use to regain some power, utilizing victories over their enemies while also appointing the correct officials can result in a complete turn-around for a faction.

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is planned for release on May 3rd and will only be available for PC.

As the release date for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze moves closer and closer Nintendo has released two new trailers for the upcoming title, meet the Kong family everyone!

Nintendo's release of two new trailers has a main goal of introducing potential players to the Kong family. The first trailer located above allows us to meet the very iconic Donkey Kong, we can see him progressing through the levels of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze with his pal Cranky Kong.

The second trailer showcases the very stylish Funky Kong and his trusty surfboard. Just like the first trailer, we can see quite a lot of gameplay of Funky Kong progressing through the levels. Funky Kong will only be available to play on the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which is planned for release on the 2nd of May.

Over the last year, Battlegrounds has added a new desert map titled Miramar, this map has caused some controversy amongst the community so the developers have announced that they will be adding a map selection tool "soon."

Some players have gone ahead and deleted the Miramar files from their game just to not play the map, this won't be needed in the future though as PUBG developers have heard the cries from the community and will be adding map selection for each region.

Here is what the Steam Community post read: "Map selection is something that players all over the world have continuously asked for. We take your feedback extremely seriously, but we also want to be thoughtful about how we implement changes to PUBG. And we knew that map selection posed a couple of problems we needed to seriously consider."

The on-going lawsuit between Valve and the ACCC is about to come an end, Valve has appealed the fine of $3 million and the Australian High Court has tossed the appeal out. Newell is going to have to pay-up.

According to an announcement from the ACCC, Valve has breached consumer law in Australia causing the company to be slapped with a fine of $3 million. Justice Edelman, fined Valve back in 2016 for not allowing Australian gamers the right of refunding products between the years of 2011 and 2014, Valve appealed this notion but the High Court has dismissed their proposal.

Here is what the ACCC said: "As a result of the High Court's refusal of special leave, the Full Federal Court's decision that Valve is bound by the ACL in its dealings with Australian customers, despite being based overseas, is the final decision on this issue"

Modder 'jd941' created a Photogrammetry mod that updated the textures of the rocks found around the original Skyrim. Now, modder 'LupusHegemonia' has made the same mod available in the Special Edition version of Skyrim.

LupusHegemonia has released two versions of the mod, the first being the original authors creation "This is the author's original 4K-4K (and some 8K-8K too! ) textures files - defuse/normal maps/pumping maps etc." The second being a creation of his own "This is my personal version of the textures. I made them quite much de-saturated and most of them in grey-tones. Also, I added more grunge surface to most of the rocks' textures/normal maps. My version in 4K-2K resolution."

If you are interested in updating the textures of your rocks in Skyrim: Special Edition, here is the direct link to the Nexus Mod page where you can find many screenshots of the terrain.

God of War director Cory Barlog has taken to YouTube and posted a reaction video of his first time reading reviews for his newly released game. The video showcases Barlog showing true heart for what he and his team have created.

Barlog begins the video explaining that he is very nervous and has been stalling himself instead of looking at the reviews. This is mostly due to how long it has taken to create this new God of War game, Barlog details that 5 years of pure heart and soul creation from not only him, but his team as well have been poured into this game.

About 1 minute into the video Barlog forces himself to read the review, he is soon taken back and overwhelmed by emotion at what he sees from Metacritic. The video really is a tear jerker, Barlog shows his vulnerable side, removing the confidence of pre-release and showing true emotion for what he has created. Humbled at seeing the reviews, Barlog thanks his team and says that he is truly lucky to be able to work with people who believed in him when he didn't.