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Tencent will publish PUBG in China

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 22, 2017 11:28 AM CST

Games publisher Bluehole has made a tremendously monumentous deal to partner with Chinese titan Tencent in order to publish its game in one of the most lucrative regions in the world.

Tencent will publish PUBG in China

After much tip-toeing and deliberation, Bluehole has finally teamed up with Tencent to bring PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to China. The game, which has amassed a considerable following across the globe, represents a massive point for monetization and continued play for years to come. However the last-man-standing shooter won't enter China unaltered, and will need to adhere to strict regulations and legislature to avoid a ban including toning down blood and violence and monitoring for cheaters.

The news was posted by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad who made the announcement on Twitter.

Continue reading: Tencent will publish PUBG in China (full post)

Paradox and Jon Shafer 'part ways' after just 6 months

Jak Connor | Gaming | Nov 22, 2017 8:33 AM CST

Earlier this year in May, lead designer for the Civilization franchise Jon Shafer moved to Paradox Development Studios, taking the role of Game Director for the studio's next unannounced title. This move by Shafer has taken quite a turn with Paradox Interactive releasing a statement addressing that Shafer and the studio have parted ways due to "creative differences."

Paradox and Jon Shafer 'part ways' after just 6 months

Mattias Lilja, Executive Vice President of Studios at Paradox Interactive has said "Jon is an ambitious person with a lot of drive and passion and he has led some good discussions in our teams over the past few months. However, during the course of these discussions, it has become clear that we want different things creatively and we have therefore taken the mutual decision that it is best to part ways. We wish Jon the very best in the next part of his career and would like to thank him for his efforts during his time with us."

We never knew what Shafer was actually working on at Paradox Interactive as he never gave any details away, but what we do know is that it certainly didn't go as planned.

Continue reading: Paradox and Jon Shafer 'part ways' after just 6 months (full post)

COLORFUL introduce new Plus Series SSD range

Shaun Grimley | Storage | Nov 22, 2017 7:39 AM CST

There's a new line of SSD's about to hit the market from COLORFUL, the new PLUS Series SSD. The COLORFUL Plus Series SSD combines the latest in 3D TLC NAND Flash technology and a new SMI SM2258XT controller that is able to deliver up to 640GB capacity and deliver some great results that we've come to expect from COLORFUL.

COLORFUL introduce new Plus Series SSD range

COLORFUL have utilized 3D TLC NAND Flash technology for the Plus Series SSD that has enabled the hardware giants to deliver bigger capacities whilst maintaining long lifespans of the SSD. Backed with BGA NAND Flash, the performance and stability of the SSD is also ensured. Combined with developments in 3D NAND technology, this has enabled new 3D NAND Flash specifications that produce non-standard capacities for the Plus Series SSD, this explains the slightly increased capacities of 160GB, 320GB and 640GB.

Below are benchmarks of the 640GB variant, the SL500.

Continue reading: COLORFUL introduce new Plus Series SSD range (full post)

CoolerMaster release the MasterKeys MK750 gaming keyboard

Shaun Grimley | Peripherals | Nov 22, 2017 6:25 AM CST

CoolerMaster have released their latest addition to their award-winning lineup, the MasterKeys MK750 mechanical gaming keyboard. Cooler Master placed a clear emphasis on performance with their latest offering, with Cherry MX switches, anodized aluminium body, RGB illumination, four dedicated media keys and a removeable magnetic wristrest.

CoolerMaster release the MasterKeys MK750 gaming keyboard

"We wanted to further raise the bar so we designed a keyboard that harbors all of the fantastic existing features of our MasterKeys Pro line except now we added more elements that are needed for a competitive gaming set up such as dedicated media keys and removable wristrest for comfort," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Sr. Product Marketing Manager.

Backlight keys are just not enough for the MK750, with Cooler Master including a unique illuminated light bar that enhances the style and gaming experience. Cooler Master didn't stop there with customization, the MK750 comes with nine purple doubleshot PBT gaming keycaps that provide incredible durability. The removable magnetic wristrest provides support that is demanded by intense gaming sessions thanks to its ultra-soft PU leather and memory foam properties.

Continue reading: CoolerMaster release the MasterKeys MK750 gaming keyboard (full post)

Russia send gunslinging robot to pilot spacecraft into orbit

Jak Connor | Science, Space, & Robotics | Nov 22, 2017 4:37 AM CST

Earlier this year the state-funded Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects unveiled the Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research - or better known as FEDOR. The robot demonstrated the ability to fire pistols correctly at targets, crawl and even drive a car.

Russia send gunslinging robot to pilot spacecraft into orbit

In a tweet from Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Head of the Military-Industrial Commission Dmitry Rogozin said "Robot FEDOR showed the ability to shoot from both hands. Fine motor skills and decision-making algorithms are still being improved."

FEDOR is now having its decision making algorithms upgraded as the robot is destined to orbit the Federatsiya in 2021. Cosmonauts plan to use this very same spacecraft to hopefully carry astronauts to the moon one day, and also aspire to travel to Mars it the FEDOR as well.

Continue reading: Russia send gunslinging robot to pilot spacecraft into orbit (full post)

Intel CPUs have serious bug: vulnerable to remote attacks

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Nov 22, 2017 3:34 AM CST

Intel has found itself in seriously hot water, issuing a new security alert that management firmware on a bunch of new PC, server, and Internet-of-Things processor platforms are vulnerable to a remote attack.

Intel CPUs have serious bug: vulnerable to remote attacks

Mark Ermolov and Maxim Goryachy of Positive Technologies Research found the new vulnerabilities, which could see attackers remotely launching commands on Intel-based computers. We're talking about most desktop and laptop CPUs launched under the Core brand since 2015, and even Xeon and Atom lines of processors.

Intel CPUs Affected By Remote Attack Bugs:

Continue reading: Intel CPUs have serious bug: vulnerable to remote attacks (full post)

AMD's next drivers will include OSD performance monitoring

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Nov 22, 2017 1:46 AM CST

It looks like AMD could have a big surprise moving into the holiday season with a new Radeon drivers teased for December that will include over a dozen new features that will include gameplay capture and so much more.

AMD's next drivers will include OSD performance monitoring

AMD seems to be calling the new drivers Crimson ReLive Redux with the codename used in full "Crimson ReLive Redux I'm Still CatalystMaker v 2.4" which would be awesome. AMD, please call it that, just to troll everyone - I'm looking at you, Terry.

The new Crimson ReLive Redux drivers will reportedly rock a built-in on-screen display that shows you everything that's going on performance wise. AMD will provide you with a bunch of tools to get the most out of your system, which is perfect for those - like me - who want to know exactly what's going on and be able to record it all for... well, all of you in the world!

Continue reading: AMD's next drivers will include OSD performance monitoring (full post)

PowerColor RX Vega 64 Red Devil: factory overclocked Vega

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Nov 21, 2017 11:26 PM CST

We haven't seen any factory overclocked custom Radeon RX Vega graphics cards yet, but with SAPPHIRE and PowerColor close to the launch of some new custom RX Vega graphics cards, we might see PowerColor beat SAPPHIRE to the punch with overclocked RX Vega.

PowerColor RX Vega 64 Red Devil: factory overclocked Vega

PowerColor's upcoming Radeon RX Vega 64 Red Devil graphics card is rumored to ship with a Vega GPU that clocks at 1607MHz, up from the 1546MHz or so that the reference RX Vega 64 and some third-party cards ship with. This is a 3.9% increase over the reference boost, and 1417MHz at base sees a 13.6% increase over base reference GPU clocks.

There is a better triple-fan cooler on a huge triple-slot graphics card, so we should hopefully expect the coolest Radeon RX Vega 64 yet. ASUS couldn't keep Radeon RX Vega 64 that much cooler with their own ROG Strix Vega 64.

Continue reading: PowerColor RX Vega 64 Red Devil: factory overclocked Vega (full post)

EVGA unveils single-slot GTX 1080 Ti KINGPIN Hydro Copper

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Nov 21, 2017 10:40 PM CST

We barely have more than a couple of custom Radeon RX Vega graphics cards, but on the other side of things we can't get enough of the custom Team Green card with EVGA unveiling its new GeForce GTX 1080 Ti KINGPIN Hydro Copper graphics card.

EVGA unveils single-slot GTX 1080 Ti KINGPIN Hydro Copper

EVGA guarantees that the GPU boost clocks on the GTX 1080 Ti KINGPIN Hydro Copper at 2025MHz, which isn't hard for most custom GTX 1080 Ti cards from EVGA. We have the same 9 thermal sensors, voltage measurement points, and a full cover backplate. Power-wise we have 10+3 phase and 8+8-pin PCIe power connectors - side mounted, which is awesome.

Best of all, EVGA has engineered its ass off with a custom single-slot I/O bracket, making this one of the first - if not the world's only single-slot GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Even with it being a small single-slot card EVGA has included 3 x mini-DP connectors, HDMI, and even DVI.

Continue reading: EVGA unveils single-slot GTX 1080 Ti KINGPIN Hydro Copper (full post)

Tencent the first Chinese company worth over $500 billion

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Nov 21, 2017 9:51 PM CST

Tencent has been valued recently at $510 billion, making it the first Chinese company in history to be worth the half-trillion-dollar mark. It's a huge deal for the company, as it joins many others in the industry that are based in the US.

Tencent the first Chinese company worth over $500 billion

We're talking about some of the biggest companies in the world that include Google/Alphabet, Facebook, Microsoft, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, and more. Amazon reached $500 billion back when it went public in 1997, with social media giant Facebook hitting the $500 billion mark when it launched its IPO back in 2012.

Tencent went public in 2004 but has had absolutely phenomenal growrth over the last two years, with a shot to the moon in 2017 going from HK$175 per share to a huge HK$400+ per share.

Continue reading: Tencent the first Chinese company worth over $500 billion (full post)

50 million Uber accounts hacked, Uber paid $100K to hide it

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Nov 21, 2017 9:00 PM CST

Uber has admitted that back in 2016, two hackers stole email address and phone numbers of Uber passengers as well as the license plates from US drivers. The ridesharing giant says that no credit card information, location data, or social security information was stolen.

50 million Uber accounts hacked, Uber paid $100K to hide it

Uber defended the attack by paying the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and brush it under the rug. Bloomberg reports: "Uber said it believes the information was never used but declined to disclose the identities of the attackers". Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over as chief executive officer in September, said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg: "None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it. We are changing the way we do business".

Travis Kalanick, Uber co-founder and former CEO knew of the attacks last year, he said: "Here's how the hack went down: Two attackers accessed a private GitHub coding site used by Uber software engineers and then used login credentials they obtained there to access data stored on an Amazon Web Services account that handled computing tasks for the company. From there, the hackers discovered an archive of rider and driver information. Later, they emailed Uber asking for money, according to the company".

Continue reading: 50 million Uber accounts hacked, Uber paid $100K to hide it (full post)

NVIDIA still the leader of GPU market, even with Vega here

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Nov 21, 2017 8:29 PM CST

AMD used up an entire year of marketing hype with Radeon RX Vega, and still I don't know anyone who has purchased one - NVIDIA on the other hand has probably barely kept up with production to meet the demand of the GeForce GTX 10 series.

NVIDIA still the leader of GPU market, even with Vega here

GPU shipment numbers are now in from JPR, showing that GPU shipments as a whole increased 9.3% compared to the previous quarter, with a huge drive of sales coming in from cryptocurrency mining. GPU shipments from both NVIDIA and AMD are at an all-time high because of cryptocurrency mining, but PC gamers are also scooping up the latest graphics cards for games like Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, Wolfenstein II, Call of Duty: WWII, and many other games that have been released in the last few months.

NVIDIA has experienced a huge 34.7% increase in desktop discrete GPU shipments, and a nice 22.4% increase in notebook GPU shipments for Q3 2017. AMD on the other hand has noticed a much smaller increase of 7.6%, even with Radeon dominance in cryptomining. Over the last three months since, even with the introduction of AMD's next-gen Radeon RX Vega graphics cards, AMD noticed a 0.2% decrease in GPU market share over the quarter.

Continue reading: NVIDIA still the leader of GPU market, even with Vega here (full post)

Razer release two new headsets to the Hammerhead range

Shaun Grimley | Peripherals | Nov 21, 2017 6:40 AM CST

With the Razer smartphone on the horizon, Razer have decided to add two new additions to their Razer Hammerhead in-ear headset family, the Razer Hammerhead USB-C and Razer Hammerhead for iOS Mercury. That's right, USB-C connection. This means phones that don't feature a 3.5mm connection will benefit gratefully from Razer's latest products.

Razer release two new headsets to the Hammerhead range

The Razer Hammerhead USB-C features a flat cable, inline remote control, a highly durable aluminium chassis and and bi-flange ear tips for passive noise isolation. The Razer Hammerhead USB-C houses a custom-tuned DAC converter with digital output and features 10mm dynamic drivers that is finished in the classic Razer flamboyant green and black.

The Razer Hammerhead for iOS Mercury leverages digital output of Apple Lightning connector source-direct audio without processing for maximally pure, accurate, mobile sound that is finished in a sleek white color to match your Apple product.

Continue reading: Razer release two new headsets to the Hammerhead range (full post)

EVGA reveal the DG-7 mid-tower gaming PC case range

Shaun Grimley | Cases, Cooling & PSU | Nov 21, 2017 4:50 AM CST

EVGA have introduced their latest mid-tower case range that is designed with aesthetics and functionality in mind, introducing the DG-7 range. With the ability to include tempered glass panel for up to 3 sides, the DG-7 range offers a vast range of options and designs that create a great all-round case.

EVGA reveal the DG-7 mid-tower gaming PC case range

The DG-7 range is all about options, with the ability to mount your GPU vertically that can be displayed via your tempered glass panel, full RGB control thanks to the DG-7's control board that can sync up your systems RGB lighting and small additions that allow for a versatile build such as PSU shroud, built-in cable management and hidden hard drive trays. While K-Boost allows for optimum performance at the press of a button, this button allows for easy overclocking of your CPU and GPU to achieve the most out of your system.

Available in black or white and in 4 models with 3 year warranty, you can pre-order your new case from here

Continue reading: EVGA reveal the DG-7 mid-tower gaming PC case range (full post)

GIGABYTE announces Aorus K9 optical switch gaming keyboard

Shaun Grimley | Peripherals | Nov 21, 2017 3:38 AM CST

GIGABYTE has revealed their latest mechanical gaming keyboard to the Aorus family, the Aorus K9 Optical gaming keyboard. The Aorus K9 Optical features Optical mechanical switches that are made by Flaretech and produce debounce times as low as 0.03ms. This provides higher precision gaming and unmatched durability of 100 million keystrokes.

GIGABYTE announces Aorus K9 optical switch gaming keyboard

The impressive Optical mechanical switches aren't the only impressive addition to GIGABYTE's latest keyboard, the Aorus K9 is also splash proof with GIGABYTE claiming "Without exposed metal connectors, it is fully splash proof, even enabling use under water". The optical Flaretech switches also eliminate chatter, this achieved by the use of fully optical actuation, rather than electromechanical.

As expected with premium gaming products, RGB illumination is present with 16.8 million-color RGB multi-color back-lighting that is compatible with GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software. GIGABYTE have yet to release pricing or availability details.

Continue reading: GIGABYTE announces Aorus K9 optical switch gaming keyboard (full post)

Samsung might have accidentally teased foldable Galaxy X

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Nov 20, 2017 11:14 PM CST

Samsung is expected to unveil its next-gen Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones sometime in the March/April 2018 timeframe, and then 6 months later they should unveil the big new Galaxy Note 9. But remember, there's still a foldable smartphone on the way in the form of the Galaxy X.

Samsung might have accidentally teased foldable Galaxy X

Galaxy X has just been teased again with Samsung uploading a new support page for the SM-G888N0 handset. The SM-G888 family of devices has been used before, with the model number always found near Galaxy X rumors. Dutch site MobielKopen revealed that the SM-G888 had already received a few certifications from regulators including the Bluetooth SIG, Wi-Fi Alliance, and South Korea's own National Radio Research Agency.

I'd dare say that Samsung's launch of the foldable Galaxy X smartphone will be a very limited affair, with less than 50,000 units available at launch. It's going to be incredibly difficult to manufacture, something that won't happen in mass scale anytime soon, either.

Continue reading: Samsung might have accidentally teased foldable Galaxy X (full post)

Uber taps Volvo, adds 24,000 self-driving cars to its gang

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Nov 20, 2017 9:55 PM CST

Uber has just announced a big new deal with Volvo, with the ridesharing giant buying 24,000 self-driving cars to add to its network. The 24,000 cars will be bigger SUVs, with the Volvo's flagship 100 XC90 SUV with the latest in autonomous driving technology.

Uber taps Volvo, adds 24,000 self-driving cars to its gang

Volvo's flagship 100 XC90 SUV costs $46,000 and will be delivered to US owners between 2019-2021, which is a move that sees Uber really step up into the self-driving ridesharing game, as well as boosting Volvo's sales and exposure in the world. Volvo engineers have been working with Uber on getting a baseline vehicle with autonomous technology built-in, giving Uber the ability to augment self-driving technology as it needs. Volvo will be able to use these cars in its own fleet in the future, giving both companies a leg-up into the autonomous car market.

The two companies reached a $300 million deal in 2016, which saw the two companies collaborating on car designs, financing, and autonomous car tech. Volvo needed to change quite a bit within the car and the manufacturing of the car itself, as autonomous cars need totally different braking and steering.

Continue reading: Uber taps Volvo, adds 24,000 self-driving cars to its gang (full post)

Uber updates app with 'Live Location' functionality

Anthony Garreffa | Electric Vehicles & Cars | Nov 20, 2017 8:31 PM CST

Uber has provided a new update to their ridesharing app that will make your Uber experience even better, for both the passenger and the driver. The new update is called Live Location, which will see Uber sharing your exact location with drivers in more detail, alongside the expansion of Beacons.

Uber updates app with 'Live Location' functionality

During busy times it can be hard for Uber drivers to find their passengers, and vica versa - but not with the new Live Location feature. Uber users have to turn on the feature in their app by tapping the gray icon in the bottom right hand side of the app. This will share your location in real-time, but you can disable it if you don't want the Uber driver having your location in real-time.

Uber explains: "When you're at the mall, airports, and other busy locations, it can be challenging for you and your driver to find one another. With live location sharing, your driver can see where you're located in relation to your pickup spot. That way, your driver knows you're right there - or walking around the corner - to meet them. To turn on "live location" tap the grey icon in the bottom right corner of your screen. When your icon is blue, you're sharing your location. You can change this at any time by tapping the icon on your map, or going to your privacy settings in app".

Continue reading: Uber updates app with 'Live Location' functionality (full post)

Publishers should raise game prices, says analyst

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Nov 20, 2017 6:23 PM CST

Amid the Battlefront II microtransaction controversy, KeyBanc analyst Evan Wingren argues that the suspension of the game's in-game purchases is a risk, and that publishers should raise the prices of their games.

Publishers should raise game prices, says analyst

Making video games is expensive, and big games-makers like Activision, Take-Two, EA, and Ubisoft typically spend the bulk of their quarterly earnings re-investing into future projects. To lessen the blow of risky new IPs and games and buffer the amount of cash that's re-invested, these companies rely on microtransactions in live service games that A) allow gamers to play the game longer and B) provide padding for the company's financial future. But when that safety net is removed--even temporarily--because of big push-back, as with the case of Battlefront II's microtransactions, this could catalyze an industry change.

According to KeyBanc Capital analyst Evan Wingren, publishers should think about charging more money for games because gaming is quantitatively the cheapest form of entertainment. In fact, the analyst says gamers aren't overcharged but undercharged, and that the Battlefront II controversy is a "perfect storm of overreaction."

Continue reading: Publishers should raise game prices, says analyst (full post)

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