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AMD's next-gen 'Super Secret' Navi GPU teased
AMD might be an entire generation behind with their Vega GPU architecture, but their next-gen Navi GPU architecture is due sometime in late 2018 and has turned up as the elusive "Super Secret" ID in AMD's new driver.
In the latest AMD's drivers, there is code that reads "new_chip.gfx10.mmSUPER_SECRET.enable[0:0]". Someone spotted the new Super Secret ID in the latest Linux release of Radeon drivers, but it could be Team Red having some fun with us.
Navi could be the first GPU from AMD that would see a scalable GPU design being deployed, with many smaller Navi GPU dies interconnected through AMD's super-fast Infinity Fabric technology. This means AMD could drop GPU cores from each die, resulting in less cores per die but multiple dies added together would give us a Threadripper-like GPU design.
Continue reading: AMD's next-gen 'Super Secret' Navi GPU teased (full post)
Fallout developers won't use micro-transactions in new game
Obsidian has taken to their developers forums to address the question of whether micro-transactions will or will not be featured in the new Fallout Developers game, the simple answer which Obsidian them self gave is "no."
Obsidian has posted a short and sharp answer concerning the use of micro-transactions throughout their new game, they said that "No micro-transactions, of any kind, in our game" and continued by saying that their new found partnership with Take-Two Interactives Private Division has not influenced their creativity and vision of the game at all but instead benefited it greatly.
"We also wanted to say a word about our partnership with Private Division, our publisher on this title. Far from "pushing" us to put anything -- microtransactions or otherwise -- into our game, Private Division has been incredibly supportive of our vision, our creative freedom, and the process by which we work to make RPGs. They have been fantastic partners, and we are extremely excited to work with them through release, to put what we know is going to be an amazing game into as many hands as possible."
Continue reading: Fallout developers won't use micro-transactions in new game (full post)
Self-driving cars expected to create a $7 trillion industry
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics over 3.8 million Americans operate vehicles as their way of income, truck driving being the largest profession employing about 1.7 million people. With these statistics in mind it can be easily said that when self-driving cars become the norm a very substantial amount of Americans will be effected and may result in a country wide job loss across any industry that is in need of a vehicle to operate.
A report from Intel has surfaced and the company has predicted at least $7 trillion will invested into the Passenger Economy by 2050.
The report reads: "Autonomous driving technology will enable a new "Passenger Economy" worth US $7 trillion - more than the projected 2017 GDPs of japan and Brazil combined."
Continue reading: Self-driving cars expected to create a $7 trillion industry (full post)
Extinction will be micro-transaction free
Maximum Games and Iron Galaxy Games upcoming game 'Extinction' is scheduled for a release in Q1 2018, and has now been confirmed by the developer to not be featuring any micro-transactions, to go with this announcement the publisher has released a video showcasing the games skills and mechanics.
From the above video we can see that players will have the option of a variety of different skills and traits each benefiting the main character in different ways overall giving the edge in battle. It is explained that the foes you are versing will sometimes require players to unlock these trains is in order for a successful kill to take place, this system of making players flee from some foes means that each combat encounter will be different and challenging.
In attempt to save humanity from these massive monsters players will not only be using their unlocked traits and abilities to their advantage they will also be using the environment around them as much as they can. Sprinting across roof tops and climbing trees will become the norm as strategy with placement of your character will be detrimental to survival.
Continue reading: Extinction will be micro-transaction free (full post)
Google upgrade their trade-in program to cardboard boxes
Google started a trade-in programing leading up to the launch of the Pixel 2 with a goal in mind of lowering the initial cost of their flagship phone. This new program is a great idea but complaints across the Pixel sub-reddit surfaced as people were not happy with the packaging Google was sending out for customers to send their phone back to receive the discount.
Until Google addressed this issue, plastic bubble wrap sleeves were sent out to customers that desired to trade-in their phone to acquire the discount but now Google has upgraded their packaging to new cardboard boxes lined with padded foam.
Feedback from the Pixel sub-reddit has generally be very good for this new change, with many people worried their phone would become damaged throughout the shipping process now can rest assured that they will receive their discount.
Continue reading: Google upgrade their trade-in program to cardboard boxes (full post)
GIVEAWAY: IN WIN 101 Mid-Tower Case and Polaris RGB Fan Pack
Global entry! We have teamed up with IN WIN to give away an awesome case and RGB fan kit to one lucky winner!
One person has the chance to take home the above two prizes, the IN WIN 101 white mid-tower computer chassis as well as three IN WIN Polaris RGB fans (one twin pack and one single pack).
How to Win
Continue reading: GIVEAWAY: IN WIN 101 Mid-Tower Case and Polaris RGB Fan Pack (full post)
North Korea hijacking cryptocurrency industry workers
North Korea might have been the first country in the world to actually land a man on the Sun (don't worry, they went at night time when it's dark), and now they're expert hackers who have been working on a spearphishing campaign that targets cryptocurrency industry workers.
The hackers are targeting Bitcoin, where they trick workers into opening their systems through a Word document that needs to be edited in order to view the document. If the crypto expert falls for this, they open their system to rogue macro that silently loads a PC-hijacking trojan while the crypto worker is viewing the document.
North Korean hackers have been playing these games for over a month now, but Secureworks' analyst have indicated that this has been happening since as early as 2016. Secureworks adds that North Korea's hacking attempts are still on-going, and that they will have more information as they continue to investigate.
Continue reading: North Korea hijacking cryptocurrency industry workers (full post)
Ataribox pre-orders on hold, team needs more time
If you have been waiting with your money in-hand for the Ataribox Indiegogo campaign, you'll be waiting a little longer as the team has explained that there is a "key element" missing that is holding them back from throwing the Ataribox up for pre-order.
Atari announced back in September that it would be launching its refreshed Ataribox console in a crowdfunding campaign in the Fall, with systems shipping in Spring 2018. Atari has issued an update that explains the delayed Indiegogo campaign that was meant to kick off on December 14, and is being placed on pause for now.
Atari's statement reads: "Because of one key element on our checklist, it is taking more time to create the platform and ecosystem the Atari community deserve. Building Ataribox is incredibly important to us and we will do whatever it takes to be sure it is worth the wait".
Continue reading: Ataribox pre-orders on hold, team needs more time (full post)
Win a 'Simpsons: Season 18' DVD for Christmas!
To celebrate the return of Springfield's favourite family to DVD, we have seven boxsets of 'The Simpsons: Season 18' to give away thanks to our friends at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
'The Simpsons: Season 18' was a historic one; the last before THE SIMPSONS Movie, the season-finale 400th episode, "You Kent Always Get What You Want", "24 Minutes" with guest star Kiefer Sutherland, Treehouse of Horror XVII with the sepia-tone classic "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid" and much much more.
Guest stars include Michael Imperioli, The White Stripes, Tom Wolfe and Natalie Portman and classic episodes include the Emmy-nominated "The Haw-Hawed Couple" and WGA winner "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II.
Continue reading: Win a 'Simpsons: Season 18' DVD for Christmas! (full post)
CS:GO's new Survival mode sounds like Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds is in the headlines for all the right reasons, it's not just one of the most-played games of 2017, it is Game of the Year to many millions of people like myself who have more than gotten their money's worth.
Valve has been long-established in the first-person shooter scene with the likes of Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Portal - but their eSports giant in CS:GO has made them the center of a lot of the eSports world from the very beginning. CS:GO is having their playerbase affected by the snowballing effect of PUBG, so it should come as no surprise to hear there could be a Battle Royale-like game mode coming to CS:GO.
The rumor of Survival Mode is coming from the Valve News Network, where they've noticed in some of the CS:GO patches dating back to even May 2016, were references to all sorts of PUBG-like content for CS:GO.
Continue reading: CS:GO's new Survival mode sounds like Battlegrounds (full post)
Analyst: Bitcoin on its way to $400,000 - will happen soon
Bitcoin has soared to the new heights of $19,000 but that could be the start of the new wave of price increases, with independent research analyst Ronnie Moas saying Bitcoin could reach $400,000 in the near future.
Moas is also the founder of Standpoint Research which is a self-described "one-man operation" based in Miami, with Moas writing: "Bitcoin is already up 500 percent since I recommended it in the beginning of July, and I'm looking for another 500 percent move from here".
Funnily enough, Moas had a price target of $5000 for Bitcoin in 2018 when BTC was priced at just $2600. We have the new all-time high of $19,694 right now, but Moas is optimistic for the future where he's said: "The end-game on bitcoin is that it will hit $300,000 to $400,000 in my opinion, and it will be the most valuable currency in the world".
Continue reading: Analyst: Bitcoin on its way to $400,000 - will happen soon (full post)
Tesla bans new commercial drivers from Supercharger stations
Tesla has just squashed ride-sharing and commercial use of their electric vehicles charging up their Tesla cars at Supercharger stations, with their new Supercharger Fair Use policy prohibiting new commercial drivers from charging up their vehicles at Supercharger stations.
Tesla has been expanding its network of Supercharger stations, where back in April the company said it wanted more than 10,000 Supercharger stations before the end of the year. For the last few months there has been growing concern over the heavy traffic at Supercharger stations, which are now congestion points for drivers... so you can see how that's not good.
At the end of 2016, Tesla announced new fees for charging your electric vehicle, where the company said it would start charging drivers additional costs if they leave their cars at Supercharger stations after their car has finished charging. It was an attempt to eliviate the congestion problems, but now that more Uber and other ride-sharing giants alongside commercial users.
Continue reading: Tesla bans new commercial drivers from Supercharger stations (full post)
You can now mine cryptocurrency with your BODY
With the price of Bitcoin reaching the peaks of $19,086 earlier today, it should come as no surprise the flood oof cryptocurrency-related news would reach the point of using the human body to mine crypto.
We've reached a point where a Dutch startup believes that human beings should be like they were in The Matrix, simply batteries to run the system. The Institute of Obsolescence (IoHO) is based in The Hague, where it works on seeing how people can be capitalized at a biological level, with data production labor through art and research projects.
IoHO has built a body suit that harvests the excess heat generated by your body, and mines cryptocurrency with it. This means you could effectively be laying down for hours per day, or even sleeping and your body is generating money. I didn't think I'd ever type that, but here we are - December 2017 and we're mining cryptocurrency with our bodies.
Continue reading: You can now mine cryptocurrency with your BODY (full post)
Surface Phone rumors surface again: dual OLED displays?!
If there's one thing I took away from Qualcomm's tight relationship with Microsoft and their new Snapdragon-powered Windows 10-based PCs, it's that I can smell a Snapdragon 845-powered Surface Phone.
The latest rumor on the Surface Phone comes from Microsoft filing a new patent that simply teases a 'Hinged Design', which would see a hinge alongside the camera setup. There are two hinge types: magnetic and mechanical, with the latest patent talking about dual screens - which if done right, could be a game-changer.
It seems as though Microsoft is experimenting with prototype Surface Pro smartphones with dual OLED displays according to the new patent, and follows through with the future that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saying he wanted the company to make their products stand out and not be market followers. This would be a big, big way to do that.
Continue reading: Surface Phone rumors surface again: dual OLED displays?! (full post)
Bitcoin flashes past $19,000: could have $20K by Christmas
Bitcoin is on an unstoppable journey towards $20,000 right now after staying in the $16-17K mark for the last week, BTC breached $18,000 in the last 48 hours and has flown past $19,000 in the meantime.
The talk of Bitcoin reaching $20,000 by the end of the year, and even at the earliest; Christmas, has been real. We're getting so close to it right now, with Bitcoin's price doubling over the last three weeks. If you invested $1000 in January, you would have made a 20x increase in your initial investment... which is simply insane. Apple stock, where you at?
Hell, I wrote this story and left it for a few hours as I was busy and then as I went to write this article I double checked and the price had peaked at $19,783 while reaching $19,630 at the time of writing. Wow.
Continue reading: Bitcoin flashes past $19,000: could have $20K by Christmas (full post)
Because science: sperm used to deliver cancer drug to tumors
In the wonderful world of science, today we are happy to report that scientists have worked out a new way of a possible way to fight cancer: using sperm.
A team of researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Material Research Dresden have recently completed a study where they turned sperm into an effective drug delivery tool. If you were like me, you wouldn't know that sperm has many different benefits when it comes to delivering drugs.
First, sperm is mobile - the drugs can be encased so that it doesn't get diluted by body fluids or leak out, and they protect the drug from enzymes that could break them down. They also don't cause immune responses like other cell types, and they also don't duplicate and form unwanted colonies.
Continue reading: Because science: sperm used to deliver cancer drug to tumors (full post)
Battlegrounds replay function tested ahead of v1.0 release
Battlegrounds is now released on the Xbox One/X consoles as of December 12, with some pretty awful performance but a huge chunk of 1 million players in the game already. But what about the upcoming v1.0 release on the PC?
PUBG's new replay feature is currently being tested in the Battlegrounds test servers ahead of the v1.0 release, an option that needs to be enabled before the startr of the match and then records everything around you in a 1km radius. After the match you can then go through the replay, and see the action from completely different angles.
Better yet, there's a list of battles in that match that helps you navigate through the round easily. It's great to see these things reaching the game before the v1.0 release, which is expected in the next two weeks. I can't wait!
Continue reading: Battlegrounds replay function tested ahead of v1.0 release (full post)
Bad Company 3 could be joined by new Battlefield set in WWII
With all of the news of Battlefield: Bad Company 3 coming in 2018, some of it has been squashed and boosted up rumor-wise with the news of a new Battlefield game set during WWII.
YouTuber AlmightyDaq said there isn't just Bad Company 3, but two new Battlefield games planned for the New Year, where he said: "There are two games. I'm aware that DICE Sweden's game is WWII. That's what my next video is about. The [Bad Company game] I leaked is [being made by] DICE LA".
Bad Company 3 is said to be set during the Vietnam War, with DICE LA working on Metal of Honor and Lord of the Rings games. If it ends up as a full release, it'll be interesting to see how EA will handle two Battlefield games released in the same year.
Continue reading: Bad Company 3 could be joined by new Battlefield set in WWII (full post)
Battlegrounds already has over 1 million playing on Xbox One
Battlegrounds has been the most successful game of 2017, making the PC stand out the platform of choice for the hottest game of the year, but now it's time for Xbox One gamers to get in on the chicken dinner fun.
PUBG launched onto the Xbox One and Xbox One X consoles on December 12 quickly racking up 500,000 concurrent users, but that has now boosted up to 1 million people playing the game in the first 48 hours of PUBG's release on Xbox. Surprising, considering how bad PUBG runs on both consoles.
Microsoft went a step further, bundling Battlegrounds with the Xbox One X for a limited time - December 17-31, which will only boost those numbers through the roof.
Continue reading: Battlegrounds already has over 1 million playing on Xbox One (full post)
Xbox One X consoles come with PUBG for limited time
If you buy an Xbox One X for $499 after December 17, you'll get a free copy of 2017's biggest online multiplayer game.
Microsoft snagging up timed exclusivity for PUBG on Xbox was a big move, but the game still has some issues here and there--of course it's not yet finished and was mostly made by Microsoft's own in-house team with the help of Bluehole. I recently predicted that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds could end up being the Xbox One X's biggest system-seller, especially during the system's post-November launch period.
While exact sales on the Xbox version haven't been extrapolated just yet, PUBG has sold over 20 million copies to date on PC and remains a continually strengthening force in the games industry. Sadly the game doesn't currently tap the Xbox One X's raw power: PUBG runs at 30FPS on all Xbox consoles, regardless if you own the higher-end $499 model.
Continue reading: Xbox One X consoles come with PUBG for limited time (full post)






















