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Seagate's new 12TB HDD costs $530, aimed at 4K video

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Oct 9, 2017 8:31 PM CDT

Seagate has just announced a massive new 12TB HDD, with the BarraCuda Pro family of drives joined by a new 12TB model. The 12TB model spins at 7200RPM, with 256MB of cache to improve load times.

Seagate's new 12TB HDD costs $530, aimed at 4K video

The new Seagate BarraCuda Pro family of HDDs were designed for professionals who want massive storage, with the new 12TB model costing $530 and featuring a 5-year limited warranty. If you want something a little different, Seagate has also announced their new IronWolf 12TB HDD, which like their BarraCude range, are part of Seagate's larger Guardian Series of HDDs for high capacity storage.

IronWolf is a feature-laden drive, as it allows multiple users to access it, making it perfect for file sharing and remote access.

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Star Wars: Battlefront II is extremely addicting

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 7:20 PM CDT

With Battlefront II EA has crafted one of the most addicting shooters I've ever played, which can make the arguable "pay to win" lootboxes even more potentially dangerous.

Star Wars: Battlefront II is extremely addicting

I played the open Battlefront II over the weekend (I'm still playing it because I'm hooked) and quickly found the game to be extremely addicting. Not just because it's fun, precisely, but because it's so engaging and chaotic. The 40-player Galactic Assault mode, in particular, is tremendously engaging and puts players in an insane all-out war between two sides. It's Star Wars fully realized. But the reason why it's so addicting to me is because I'm so bad at it. Bear with me here--things might get a little weird.

When I fired up Battlefront II for the first time I got my ass handed to me. I sucked really bad (and still kind of do). Coming from a game like Halo or Destiny 2, which all have set rules for their PVP action, Battlefront II is a jarring experience. Here we have a havoc-filled landscape that's decided drenched with lootboxes that directly sway the outcome of any battle. I felt like just fodder for the better players, or the ones who had spend enough time to accrue points to spend on packs and unlock more goodies--in short, when you start Battlefront II as a noob, you're already at a disadvantage (or at least that's how you feel). But that's also one of the main reasons why the game is so addicting.

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Xbox One X will help usher 4K TV revolution

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 5:27 PM CDT

Microsoft's new high-end $499 Xbox One X is tailor-made for the 4K television market, and the company has been approached by various display-makers in bids to usher in the new jump for the 4K TV market.

Xbox One X will help usher 4K TV revolution

With the PlayStation 4 Pro and the new Xbox One X, Both Sony and Microsoft are doing their part to help catalyze the 4K UHDTV market. But this push can't happen without the support of OEMs like Samsung, LG, and even Sony who are indeed helping the resolution revolution with their own range of higher-end premium 4K television sets. Microsoft exec Albert Penello is confident that the Xbox One X will help drive the momentum of 4K TV adoption, and in a few years, it'll be the main choice for the games industry. Then again, 4K is something you have to see to believe, which means the console and display industry have to come together in a symbiotic to adequately showcase and market their products.

"It's been an interesting marketing challenge," Penello said in a recent interview with MCVUK. "We have momentum on our side, which helps. The majority of TVs sold this year will be 4K TVs, there are all kind of analysts reports, and within the next few years everything will be 4K. So it's coming, in terms of retail of displays."

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Shadow of War is 53% bigger on PC than PS4

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 3:23 PM CDT

According to IGN editor Dan Stapleton, Middle-earth: Shadow of War clocks in at a huge 97.7GB on PC, which is over 50% bigger than the PS4 version.

Shadow of War is 53% bigger on PC than PS4

Monolith Productions has been crafting Shadow of War for a few years now, and it's meant to be an epic, sprawling open-world experience with enough content to keep you busy for months. In fact, the team hopes gamers will be playing Shadow of War "for years". Open world games are huge, there's no doubt about that, and the data needed for these massive titles often comes with a colossal weight on our hard drives. Shadow of War is no different, and according to recent info from an IGN editor, the game will weigh in at 97.7GB on PC, which is 53% bigger than the PlayStation 4 Pro's 63.93GB install size.

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Assassin's Creed: Origins monetized via time-saver packs

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 2:02 PM CDT

Assassin's Creed: Origins game director Ashraf Ismail affirms that the game's loot boxes won't be monetized and can be purchased with in-game currency, not premium currency, and that the game will have options to buy time saving packs of content from the in-game e-store.

Assassin's Creed: Origins monetized via time-saver packs

Months ago I predicted that Assassin's Creed: Origins would be monetized--thanks to its RNG approach to gear, I thought randomized loot boxes would show up. Now it appears that the game won't be monetized in such a way--however it will have options for gamers to spend real money on in-game items. Ashraf Ismail, game director for the latest entry on ancient Egypt, told Eurogamer that the in-game Nomad's Bazaar, run by the NPC Heda, isn't a form of loot box microtransactions such as Overwatch or Shadow of War. The boxes sold by Heda in the Nomad's Bazaar are bought with in-game currency, and you can sell items to him as well for profit. Plus Heda will send you on a daily quest for the chance to earn riches and rewards.

"The reason we did that was because we saw, even two years ago, people playing the game in different ways," Ismail told Eurogamer. "There are people who like to go into a military location, infiltrate them, steal the loot and equipment and hopefully find some unique or legendary gear."

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Rogue to break up their Overwatch esports roster

Shaun Grimley | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 8:26 AM CDT

With Blizzard finalizing the teams for its inaugural Overwatch League, esports powerhouses Rogue have announced via Twitter that they will part ways with their current Overwatch roster after failing to secure a spot in the Overwatch League.

Rogue to break up their Overwatch esports roster

It appears that the financial buy-in for Season one of the Overwatch League wasn't an issue for Rogue, and with some impressive results in this calendar year including being crowned champions of the BEAT Invitation Season 2 and Overwatch PIT Championship, Rogue clearly had no option but to start fresh.

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Latest Divinity: Original Sin 2 patch out now

Shaun Grimley | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 7:33 AM CDT

If you haven't noticed, I'm a HUGE fan of the Divinity series and I'm absolutely loving Divinity: Original Sin 2. If you're reading this, I'm assuming you're also enjoying the latest adventure in the world of Rivellon. Larian Studios have recently released their third significant patch for D:OS2, addressing a diverse range of issues and bugs while also nerfing a few ability that when combined, were clearly over-powered.

Latest Divinity: Original Sin 2 patch out now

The most noteworthy changes In path 3.0.146.559 include improvements to the game's journal, "several" unspecified quests should now close out as they should instead of lingering in your active journal, Attacks of Opportunity no longer working inside of smoke, right clicking at any time will stop your characters movement, Reduced Chicken form running distance to 6 meters and plenty more.

You can view the incredibly long patch notes in detail by clicking here to read the official post by Larian Studios.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer set for October 9

Shaun Grimley | Celebrities & Entertainment | Oct 9, 2017 5:36 AM CDT

Ever since Mark Hamill tweeted, then promptly removed the tweet, proposing that viewers watch Monday Night Football on October 9 for 'no reason in particular', rumors have been circulating of when Lucasfilm would release a new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It appears as if Hamill was indeed correct, Lucasfilm have confirmed that the trailer will air during Monday Night Football.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer set for October 9

Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer will air during the halftime break during the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears game in Chicago. Kick-off is at 5:15pm PT/8:15pm ET and it is hard to tell when half time will take place, you can ensure that the trailer will surface online immediately once it airs. In case Football isn't your thing. The news keeps getting better for Star War fans, with tickets for Star Wars Episode VIII set to go on sale in the US after it immediately airs.

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Bitcoin reaches $4500 again, rising fast for the fork

Anthony Garreffa | Cryptocurrency & Mining | Oct 9, 2017 4:49 AM CDT

Bitcoin has reached the heights of $4500 once again, for the first time in a month, and right now it has no signs of stopping. Bitcoin is headed towards a hard folk, which in very simple terms is a software upgrade that "introduces a new rule to the network that isn't compatible with the older software. You can think of a hard fork as an expansion of the rules. (A new rule that allows block size to be 2MB instead of 1MB would require a hard fork)", explains CoinDesk.

Bitcoin reaches $4500 again, rising fast for the fork

At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $4576 USD, with a high today of $4626. The Bitcoin fork takes place on October 25. We could see the price of BTC rising past $5000, or higher, as owners of 'altcoins' begin selling or trading their currency for BTC, wanting to ride the high. Altcoins are also taking a hit in price already with many on Facebook groups that I follow worried about the downtrend in altcoin pricing, but the big uptick in BTC pricing.

There are a few things happening on October 25, with the Bitcoin hard fork leading us right into the arms of Bitcoin Gold (BTG). BTG is the result of the Bitcoin fork, with BTC holders to receive the same amount of BTC as you have in BTC on the day that the Bitcoin blockchain snapshot is being taken, October 25 in this case.

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AOL Instant Messenger to shut down on December 15

Shaun Grimley | Software & Apps | Oct 9, 2017 3:26 AM CDT

Remember when you'd log on to the internet with your 56k modem, wait patiently for AIM start-up and log in? There's probably some people who do (hopefully without the 56k modem). Unfortunately Verizon, owner of AOL, have announced that on December 15, the long-running instant messenger service will be shut down.

AOL Instant Messenger to shut down on December 15

"AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," writes Michael Albers, communications products VP at Oath.

AIM is one of the last 90's IM services to shut down, with MSN Messenger shutting down in 2014 and Yahoo Messenger pulling the plug last year. The social landscape has changed towards social media and social apps over the past 15 years, with the introduction of Smartphones we've seen Facebook, Snapchat and Skype revolutionising the digital social scene.

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Battlegrounds is close to 2 million concurrent gamers

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Oct 9, 2017 2:28 AM CDT

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds continues sprinting into unknown territory when it comes to how big this game will get, with PUBG hitting a new peak 1.96 million users on Steam over the last 24 hours.

Battlegrounds is close to 2 million concurrent gamers

Even at the time of writing this at 11:46PM PST (California) there were 1.07 million players, which completely eclipses Dota 2 and its 375,220 current players, and 716,717 peak players in the last 24 hours. CS:GO is being utterly thrashed by PUBG in terms of peak and current players, with 159,439 current players and a peak of 608,748 players in the last 24 hours.

But you know what? I'm about to jump into the game myself, with three other friends at my office for a LAN. This is why there's 1.96 million peak players, it's freaking addictive and I'm feeling really hungry, and for some reason I feel like chicken.

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Magic Leap to launch with mixed reality DC/Marvel comics

Anthony Garreffa | Extended Reality (XR) | Oct 9, 2017 1:33 AM CDT

We have no idea when Magic Leap will release their headset, or what it'll end up being released as, not what it'll look like... but we know that they will have Madefire's mixed reality comics on day one.

Magic Leap to launch with mixed reality DC/Marvel comics

Both companies announced the partnership during New York Comic Con, sayign that they've been working together for the past five years. Magic Leap's upcoming mixed reality headset will provide a truly next-gen content experience, with comic books that will look like they're 3D illustrations floating in mid-air, where you'll be able to pin them to your room like customizable digital wallpaper.

Madefire will have major comics from Marvel, DC, and Blizzard... with that alone being worth whatever price the admission is for Magic Leap. Madefire has also promised original titles just for the mixed reality headset, too.

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EK Water Blocks has new terminals for multi-GPU setups

Anthony Garreffa | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Oct 9, 2017 12:33 AM CDT

EK Water Blocks continues to forge forward as the world leader in high-end liquid cooling products for the PC, with their latest release in new terminals for multiple Full-Cover GPU water blocks.

EK Water Blocks has new terminals for multi-GPU setups

EKWB's new design is more minimalistic than previous units, with the terminal featuring an engraved EK logo... and that's it. EK has redesigned the X-series terminals in the form of connectivity, with all of the ports being flush with the body of the terminal. This means that there's no more recessed ports, so there's no need to buy more extender fittings.

The new X-series terminals do everything their predecessor did, but were redesigned with some of the quirks ironed out. The design is more streamlined with the single EK logo, with options for Parallel or Serial terminals for connecting up your EKWB Full-Cover GPU waterblock with the new Terminal X-series. EK has used X-number labeling as a way to work out which GPU waterblocks that are a certain terminal can connect. EK-FC Terminal X2 S can connect up two GPU watrerblocks, in Serieal configuration for example.

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OMRON's AI-powered robot is a table tennis champion

Anthony Garreffa | Science, Space, & Robotics | Oct 8, 2017 10:49 PM CDT

OMRON has been making a table tennis robot for a while now, with the AI-powered future table tennis champion dubbed FORPHEUS in its fourth-generation state now able to use its new companion robot arm that throws the ball up in the air so that it can serve.

OMRON's AI-powered robot is a table tennis champion

This means that FORPHEUS is a great trainer and/or opponent for would-be table tennis players, with the fourth-gen robot featuring a display on both sides of the "net" that display players' status.

There's also a three-camera system that faces the human player that is built into the main body, and a bat that is driven by three arms and a 5-axis motor.

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GIGABYTE X399 Designare EX lands, with Thunderbolt 3?

Steven Bassiri | Motherboards | Oct 8, 2017 10:29 PM CDT

While AMD's Threadripper/X399 launched a few months ago, until now, we hadn't seen much information about new X399 motherboards. GIGABYTE teased pictures of their X399 Designare EX, which is part of their "second wave" of X399 motherboards. The motherboard arrived a few days ago from Taiwan, and I can't wait to review it and see what it has to offer over the first wave of X399 motherboards.

GIGABYTE X399 Designare EX lands, with Thunderbolt 3?

The X399 Designare EX looks more professional than the X399 Aorus Gaming 7, which looks more like a gaming motherboard, but that isn't where the differences end. The motherboard features an integrated IO shield, and there is also a built-in fan under the IO cover that should help to cool down the VRM heat sink, which has also been redesigned.

We also see a header labeled THB_C, which we have seen on other GIGABYTE motherboards as a GPIO header for Thunderbolt 3 add-in cards. However, there is zero mention of the header on the internal connectors list, motherboard diagram, or in the header/port descriptions section of the manual. There are a few possibilities as to why it was omitted, as the header is visible on GIGABYTE's official images of the motherboard. The main one is probably that the certification process isn't over. We have seen the same thing happen on some of GIGABYTE's Z270/Z170 motherboards, where they had the hardware but no certification, so they left any mention of the feature out of the official documentation.

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Google's AI has a much higher IQ than Apple's Siri

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Oct 8, 2017 9:50 PM CDT

Apple might get a lot of the media spotlight for the iPhone, but Google kicks Apple's ass in more ways than one when it comes to services... and especially AI assistants.

Google's AI has a much higher IQ than Apple's Siri

Siri was announced six years ago now, with much more competiion in the artificial intelligence assistant game now from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and others. But now a team of researchers out of Cornell have been working on a new report that sheds some light on which company makes the best AI for smartphones.

Google's AI has an IQ of around 47.28, which is just below the average IQ of a six-year-old, while Siri has an IQ of just 23.9. The team said: "Although this work is still in progress, the results so far indicate that the artificial-intelligence systems produced by Google, Baidu, and others have significantly improved over the past two years but still have certain gaps as compared with even a six-year-old child," the researchers wrote in a paper published on ArXiv".

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AMD's next-gen Navi GPU launching in August 2018

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Oct 8, 2017 8:42 PM CDT

AMD has had an amazing couple of years, and an even better 2017 with the mega success of Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper knocking Intel down from its uber-throne. But what about the GPU division?

AMD's next-gen Navi GPU launching in August 2018

AMD launched their next-gen Vega GPU architecture, the first consumer graphics cards to feature HBM2 technology. It was back in May this year where I exclusively revealed there would be less than 16,000 Vega graphics cards available in the months post-launch... and here we are, with shortages and only a single custom RX Vega graphics card in the wild. But what about Navi?

Once again I have an exclusive story that AMD will have Navi ready to go sometime in July-August 2018, with a Navi-based professional card being launched at SIGGRAPH 2018. We're still waiting for AMD to launch Radeon Pro SSG, something they unveiled during SIGGRAPH 2017 that hasn't yet materialized. In the meantime, Radeon Technologies Group boss Raja Koduri has taken a sabbatical from the company until early-2018.

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Justice League's latest trailer unites the heroes

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Oct 8, 2017 7:54 PM CDT

I said to myself a few days ago that I wouldn't watch the final trailer to Justice League, I said to myself that I have self control... well, I was wrong. Warner Bros. has released the final trailer to Justice League, and I've got to say... I'm beyond pumped.

Justice League's latest trailer unites the heroes

The trailer really covers the death of Superman and how it has affected the world, with the trailer opening in Smallville - well, at least in Lois's mind. Lois is dreaming of Clark, which is a very emotional scene. The trailer cuts to Lois waking up realizing that it was a dream, to the TV saying that crime, violence, terror, and war are all on the rise - in the post-Superman world.

Bruce tells Diana that he's been dreaming of something dark coming to Earth, and that he needs to build a team to be prepared. Bruce tells the other heroes that "divided, we are not enough". Bruce continues, saying: "the world needs Superman, and I made him a promise, which is why I've brought you together".

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Tesla's first electric truck prototype is 'completed'

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Oct 8, 2017 6:58 PM CDT

Tesla isn't far away from changing yet another industry, with the company now finishing off its first electric semi-truck prototype. Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder and CEO, Elon Musk confirmed the news over Twitter.

Tesla's first electric truck prototype is 'completed'

The company did plan on showing off the world's first electric semi-truck at a media event later this month, but Musk has confirmed the unveiling event has been pushed back to November 16. Musk took to Twitter to explain, where he said: "diverting resources to fix Model 3 bottlenecks and increase battery production for Puerto Rico and other affected areas".

Musk also confirmed that Tesla has been sending out updated invites to the media saying that the "first Tesla Truck prototype is completed". Musk continued his Twitter rampage, saying that the "specs are better than anything I've seen reported so far". Musk also said that the engineering and design teams have done amazing work on the electric truck, adding that their work "is aces" and that "other needs are greater right now".

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Is Chris Avellone working on a new Fallout project?

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 8, 2017 6:44 PM CDT

Chris Avellone, the ex-Obsidian dev known for his work on Fallout and Icewind Dale, might've just teased a new Fallout project...or it could mean nothing at all.

Is Chris Avellone working on a new Fallout project?

A few days ago Chris Avellone changed his Facebook profile picture to a stick figure (presumably himself) hugging Fallout's iconic Vault Boy with the caption "I missed you so much," leading gamers to believe the developer has returned to the Fallout universe. The dev has a beloved following in the Fallout community: Avellone is responsible for key features in Fallout 2, and Fallout: New Vegas, the latter of which is regarded as the best Fallout of all time. This small update on his Facebook page has kicked off widespread hype for Avellone to "save" Fallout and inject core RPG concepts and story arcs back into the series.

No one knows for sure what this update means. It could be Avellone teasing a new DLC, or game, or maybe he's contributing to a new big Creation Club DLC (remember Avellone also lead the creation of Fallout: New Vegas' DLCs). Or it could simply be Avellone's way of celebrating Fallout's 20th anniversary. (Interesting enough Avellone changed his profile banner on September 30th to reflect the series' anniversary, adding the quote "So proud to have been a part: Fallout 2, Fallout Van Buren, Fallout: New Vegas + DLCs. Fun... fun never changes. Yaaaaay #Fallout20th").

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