PUBG cross party play enabled for Xbox One and PS4 players

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 20, 2020 10:15 PM CST

In a world that is now dominated by the likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends, the grand daddy of battle royale in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- or PUBG, is still alive, and very much kicking.

PUBG cross party play enabled for Xbox One and PS4 players

The developers of PUBG have now announced cross party play functionality, which enables Xbox One and PlayStation 4 gamers to team up for a single party and play together. PC players are unfortunately left out of the loop for now, and can't play with their console friends in PUBG just yet.

PUBG's new cross party play feature is limited to the Public Test Server (PTS) right now, before the developer can iron out issues and insert it into the main game. PlayStation 4 gamers can find it in their "Purchased" section of their Library, while Xbox One gamers will discover it in their "My Games and Apps" menu, or the Microsoft Store.

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Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 adds Deadpool into the mix

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 20, 2020 9:47 PM CST

Epic Games has just unleashed Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 2, introducing a slick new style into the game that feels so much like The Incredibles in its new trailer. Check it out:

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 adds Deadpool into the mix

The new season of Fortnite has a huge infusion of spies, where gamers will be able to choose a side: Ghost or Shadow, and then complete missions to "earn a battle pass variant" for each of the new characters. There are a bunch of new covert operatives for you to play in Fortnite, something that includes a human-cat hybrid called Meowscles, and a customizable Maya skin that can be morphed to look like any other player in the game.

If you finish the Challenge Table missions and other in-game requirements, Epic says that you'll get 1500 V-Bucks. Not only that, but Deadpool is featured in Fortnite's new chapter, with Epic adding that Deadpool is featured as the "secret" Battle Pass skin, and he will have his own unique set of challenges, too.

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Samsung stuffs up, sends millions of Galaxy phone owners notifications

So, last night I'm chilling out watching the third season of The Handmaid's Tale (which is really great, I suggest you check it out) when my Samsung Galaxy Fold received a new notification to its Find My Mobile service. I crapped my pants quickly, as it simply said '1' but I ignored it.

Samsung stuffs up, sends millions of Galaxy phone owners notifications

But then I checked my Galaxy Note 10+ smartphone and it too said '1' and the same notification had popped up, so the poop in my pants got heavier. I waited 30-40 minutes and checked Twitter to discover that plenty of other people received the same notification, and then Samsung addressed it.

Samsung said that the notifications popped up on Galaxy smartphone users handsets after an internal test that went haywire, with the company taking to its official UK support account on Twitter to say the mistake "sent unintentionally during an internal test". Oops.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Note 20+, Note 20 Ultra renders teased

Samsung just finished launching its new Galaxy S20 range of smartphones, and while we've already been teased with the Galaxy Note 20 -- and again with a Galaxy Note 20 patent and its waterfall display teased, now we have some delicious new renders to share.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Note 20+, Note 20 Ultra renders teased

But now we have some renders of not just Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note 20 -- but rather, the Galaxy Note 20, the Galaxy Note 20+, and the flagship Galaxy Note 20 Ultra smartphones. Considering that Samsung bakes in a gigantic 6.9-inch 120Hz display on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, I don't know how things could get any bigger at this point -- but that's what makes the Note series of phones awesome: gigantic displays.

WindowsUnited worked with YouTuber 'WazarKhanHD' on some gorgeous new concept renders, on how they think Samsung will design the new Galaxy Note 20 family of smartphones. At surface level, the new Galaxy Note 20 looks identical to the current Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ but when you turn it to the back you'll see they've used the rectangular-shaped camera array that Samsung baked into the Galaxy S20 family of smartphones.

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Tesla Cybertruck has over 500,000 orders so far, or 5873 per day

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Feb 20, 2020 8:45 PM CST

Tesla shook the entire world when it unveiled its electric Cybertruck in late 2019, but since then we don't know how many orders Tesla Motors have received.

Tesla Cybertruck has over 500,000 orders so far, or 5873 per day

But now, according to the latest information from the Cybertruck Owners Club -- with information current to February 18, there are around 535,000 orders for Tesla's exciting new Cybertruck. This breaks down to 5873 orders per day, which is a pretty damn large amount of orders.

How does the Cybertruck Owners Club work out this information? Easy: it plays around with Tesla's own reservation numbering system which is easy to work out as members hare their Cybertruck reservation number. Cybertruck Owners Club explains: "Your order number is just a sequential number, starting at about 112744100 (the number that reservations began). So subtract that from your number for your (approximate) place in line".

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AOC Agon AG353UCG: 35-inch 3440x1440 at 200Hz G-SYNC Ultimate monitor

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Feb 20, 2020 8:20 PM CST

AOC has just unveiled its new AGON AG353UCG gaming monitor, rocking a huge 35-inch 21:9 panel with a native 3440 x 1440 resolution, super-smooth 200Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-SYNC Ultimate certification.

AOC Agon AG353UCG: 35-inch 3440x1440 at 200Hz G-SYNC Ultimate monitor

The new AGON AG353UCG gaming monitor has the same display size, native resolution, refresh rate, and G-SYNC Ultimate goodness as the flagship ASUS ROG Swift PG35VQ which I reviewed, and loved. AOC's new AGON AG353UCG seems to be using the same panel, right down to the 1000 nits of brightness for HDR content, and 90% of the DCI-P3 color space.

AOC is using the same quantum dot technology as ASUS inside of its ROG Swift PG35VQ gaming monitor, so the differences here are going to be coming down to the price. At the time of writing, ASUS was selling its ROG Swift PG35VQ on Amazon for $2500 -- while the AOC Agon AG353UCG isn't available in the US right now but with a converted price we're looking at $2600.

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HTC launching 3 new VR headsets, just in time for Half-Life: Alyx

HTC is on a roll today, unveiling their new prototype Vive Proton headset -- but also detailing 3 new versions of its Vive Cosmos VR family of headsets.

HTC launching 3 new VR headsets, just in time for Half-Life: Alyx

The new VR headsets that HTC unveiled at the Vive Cosmos Play, Vive Cosmos Elite, and Vive Cosmos VR -- each of these headsets will join the Vive Cosmos family. Each of the new Vive Cosmos headsets have the same make up as the original Cosmos, including the flip-up, head-mounted design, 1440 x 1700 resolution LCD displays with hardware IPD adjustment, and more.

Vive Cosmos Play - $500

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HTC's new Vive Proton prototype VR headset teased for 5G smartphones

HTC is working on a totally new headset, something the company has teased today as its Vive Proton -- a prototype headset that seems to combine virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality into a bug-eyed looking headset.

HTC's new Vive Proton prototype VR headset teased for 5G smartphones

The new Vive Proton headset is built for the future of 5G smartphones, and is an all-in-one XR headset that packs the displays, cameras, and speakers inside of a glasses-like design. It looks like you'll be walking around like a big ant, with a bug-eyed style design but inside I'm sure it's using leading technology and features.

HTC wants to see its new prototype Vive Proton headset powered with high-end visuals and audio, where off-loading the CPU and GPU required for that is a big help -- this is where the 5G connectivity comes in. 5G gives huge speeds (both up and down) to handle the transmissions needed for high-end XR experiences. But... HTC won't be putting a crazy-fast 5G chip right next to a users head, either -- so what's the solution there?

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Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos get deepfaked into Star Trek

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 20, 2020 6:14 PM CST

The world of deepfake videos is getting scarily real, with one of my favorites being Avengers stars Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr being deepfaked into Back to the Future -- as well as Neo and Agent Smith from The Matrix being deepfaked into Office Space. But look what we have here:

Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk alongside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have been deepfaked into the original Star Trek, into the pilot episode 'The Cage'. Musk plays Captain Christopher Pike, who was the captain of the USS Enterprise before the legendary James T. Kirk -- while Bezos is deepfaked onto a Talosian alien with a gigantic bald head, which he kinda suits.

In this episode of Star Trek, the Talosian aliens capture Pike and enslave him where he'll be used to breed humans and rebuild a destroyed society. In the episode, Pike attempts to escape which leads the Talosians to come to the conclusion that humans resisting to captivity won't make them a good species to rebuild a destroyed society.

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Next Super Smash Bros. game isn't planned yet, will be on next console

Jak Connor | Gaming | Feb 20, 2020 3:41 AM CST

The director of the Super Smash Bros. series has spoken out about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC content, as well as the next Super Smash Bros. game.

Next Super Smash Bros. game isn't planned yet, will be on next console

Masahiro Sakurai recently took to Japanese magazine Famitsu to discuss the coming six DLC fighters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and to talk about the next Smash Bros. game after Ultimate. Sakurai says that all of the DLC fighters were chosen by Nintendo and that while working on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he can't direct any new game idea. Sakurai also mentions that he is ok with this, as he wants to work to make other people happy, and not himself.

Sakurai also touches on if there is a new Super Smash Bros. game in development already. Sakurai says that at the moment, Nintendo currently doesn't have any plans for a new entry in the Super Smash Bros. series and that he doesn't know what will happen with the franchise yet. It's highly unlikely that Ultimate will be the last entry in the Super Smash Bros. series, especially when you consider that Ultimate is the best-selling game out of the entire series, and out of every fighting game in US history.

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