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New Mass Effect: no FPS cap on PC, optimized for NVIDIA?
Good news, PC gamers! BioWare's massive open-universe space exploration RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda will have an unlocked frame rate on PC, and the game itself may be optimized to leverage NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 10-series video cards, and possibly the upcoming GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.
In an era where PC game ports often ship broken and barely tap the full potential of high-end hardware, it appears BioWare is aiming for the stars with Mass Effect: Andromeda's PC support. We previously reported that the new Mass Effect would run at 30FPS+ on PC, but we didn't know if there was a cap. Now it's official: there is no cap for ME: Andromeda on PC, and the game will also support 21:9 UltraWide displays on day one.
According to Kotaku Australia, BioWare producer Mike Gamble also said that the devs were "targeting day one drivers out for Andromeda," but who will get the drivers: Team Red or Team Green?
Continue reading: New Mass Effect: no FPS cap on PC, optimized for NVIDIA? (full post)
Mass Effect: Andromeda multiplayer is 'pretty seamless'
BioWare has revealed a few fresh snippets on its new amazing-looking sci-fi space exploration RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda, this time highlighting how the game seamlessly blends singleplayer and multiplayer.
Andromeda's multiplayer will be entirely optional, but the line between campaign and online multiplayer will be much more blurred this time around; "it's pretty seamless," said BioWare's Mike Gamble. Multiplayer will be narratively connected with ME: Andromeda's exploration-heavy singleplayer campaign, but don't expect the multiplayer to be seamless in the scope of drop-in/drop-out connectivity.
"There's a system that we use called the Strike Team system, and fundamentally it allows you to go between singleplayer and multiplayer within the game. And it's packaged around a meta-story of what's going on in Helios," Bioware producer Mike Gamble told Kotaku Australia.
Continue reading: Mass Effect: Andromeda multiplayer is 'pretty seamless' (full post)
The Android phone with a 7,000 mAh battery costs $1000
One of the biggest complaints about smartphones is their short battery life, but with the new Gionee M2017 you won't have to worry about that.
The device, available only in China at the moment, comes with a 7,000 mAh battery which is actually two 3,500 mAh batteries in the same body. The company stated that the battery gives you up to 915 hours of battery life in stand-by or up to 25 hours of talk time.
The Gionee M2017 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 653 processor and has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Other features include dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor and a dual 12MP + 1.3MP camera.
Continue reading: The Android phone with a 7,000 mAh battery costs $1000 (full post)
Twitter's CEO admits Twitter needs an edit button
In a series of Tweets where Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey had been soliciting user feedback, the CEO indicated that Twitter is seriously considering the ability to edit tweets.
As anyone who tweets knows, you currently must delete a tweet to fix any typographical errors, which is both a blessing and a curse. For celebrities and politicians, they can easily be caught making mistakes while regular users constantly delete tweets to fix minor mistakes.
Continue reading: Twitter's CEO admits Twitter needs an edit button (full post)
LeEco breaks ground on $3 billion electric car factory
LeEco has been on a quite precarious ground as of late, partially because their CEO is having issues with some of his other startups, including Faraday Future, an electric car company in the US. However, Faraday Future and LeSee the car division of LeEco are not the same company although the technology in LeSee has been developed by Faraday.
There have been many doubts about Faraday Future's capabilities and future as a company since they have yet to release a product. However, LeEco is still moving forward with their $3 billion electric car factory in China. This is after the company's own CEO Jia Yueting admitted that perhaps LeEco has overextended itself across too many markets. As of right now LeEco makes phones, TVs, bicycles, VR headsets and cars. All of these markets require significant capital and human resources and it appears that LeEco may have stretched themselves too thinly.
In September, LeEco got $1 billion to bring its electric and self-driving cars to the Chinese market, but still falls short of the $3 billion necessary to complete the factory. That also doesn't account the funds Jia or his investors will need to also get Faraday Future on track to deliver a car and not implode before they finish their development for LeEco's LeSee car.
Continue reading: LeEco breaks ground on $3 billion electric car factory (full post)
Samsung plans to launch wireless earbuds with Galaxy S8?
The rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S8 have been floating around for a while now with the biggest one being that the Korean giant might remove the headphone jack.
Whether or not this rumor is true, there are now new reports saying that Samsung will launch a new and improved wireless headset with their next flagship, better than their current earbuds. According to SamMobile, Samsung will launch wireless earbuds with the Galaxy S8.
It is not certain at this point if the wireless earbuds will come with the Galaxy S8 or if Samsung plans to sell them separately. However, if the rumors are true, it seems that Samsung plans to compete with Apple's AirPods and may or may not be connected together.
Continue reading: Samsung plans to launch wireless earbuds with Galaxy S8? (full post)
Take a look at Fallout 4's scrapped content
While playing Fallout 4, you get a distinct sense that it's unfinished. There's something missing and the game definitely feels incomplete; that's because it actually is, and we've found a nice catalog of all the awesome content that was cut from the original game.
Just like with any game, Fallout 4 has a lot of trimmings left on the cutting room floor. These trimmings might be irradiated, ghoulish, rather creepy and bizarre, but they would've changed the game in so many amazing ways. Players would be able to throw exploding spears, dive into the depths of the irradiated seas with old-school diving bells and suits to take on mutated dolphins and killer squids with an awesome secret harpoon gun. In fact, the quest was called 20 Leagues Under the Sea and had its own little Vault Boy animation.
Fallout 4 also once had destructible environments, but I suspect these were a lot less dynamic than, say, Battlefield 1. Throwable weapons were found, including javelins, saw blades and hatchets, as well as a rad crossbow and even an unfinished model for the super-awesome Chinese Assault Rifle from Fallout 3. An assortment of monsters was also found, giving us a creepy look at what could've been. Honestly, Fallout 4 would've been a very different game if the cutting room floor was incorporated into the final release, but I guess the same could be said for any triple-A release.
Continue reading: Take a look at Fallout 4's scrapped content (full post)
NASA teases future Mars concept base, missing Matt Damon
According to scientists and experts at NASA's Langley Research Center, we could be one step closer to colonizing mars with their new 'The Mars Ice Home'.
The inflatable tube is lined with a shell of water ice, using materials found on Mars - with the water protecting the inhabitants from cosmic rays, and could even be repurposed as rocket fuel for the Mars Ascent Lander.
Right now, NASA's impressive Mars Ice Home is a concept with some issues, as experts have said it would take around 400 days to fill the shell with enough water from Mars. Robots could help, inflating and pumping the shelter while the human astronauts are on their journey from Earth to Mars. The Ice Home will continue to evolve, but this is an exciting new step.
Continue reading: NASA teases future Mars concept base, missing Matt Damon (full post)
GIGABYTE's next-gen Z270 mobos, Aorus ready for CES 2017
In just a few days time, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will kick off with Intel launching its new Kaby Lake family of CPUs, and their partners unleashing new gaming laptops, desktops, laptops, and everything in between.
GIGABYTE will be unveiling its new Z270-based motherboards and new Aorus products, with GIGABYTE's new 200-series motherboards already shipping, and will be available on January 5 in certain markets. The company has been pushing its Aorus gaming note books into marks like Europe, North America, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia, with aggressive marketing to continue in those markets - but with next-gen Aorus products.
Have you been waiting for 200-series motherboards from GIGABYTE? Let us know in the comments below.
Continue reading: GIGABYTE's next-gen Z270 mobos, Aorus ready for CES 2017 (full post)
Quantum Break developer teases new multiplayer games
Remedy Entertainment had a massive year this year with the launch of Quantum Break, neck deep in a myriad of issues and launch problems, with the game being received badly - worse so than their previous game, Alan Wake.
Game Director Mikael Kasurinen sat down to an interview with Polygon, talking about various things that just didn't work with Quantum Break. He said that the concept the developer had for Quantum Break with its TV show mix in with the game itself wasn't perfect, and that it wasn't easy to combine these two worlds. He said that both Quantum Break and Alan Wake would've been better if they were less linear.
Kasurinen said: "If you go back and look at Alan Wake ten years ago you could see us talking about it about how we dabbled with the idea of driving around in a car in an open environment. You could see even then that desire to go in that direction". He continued: "One way to tell a story is to create a rich world you can get to explore. When you look back at Alan Wake and Quantum Break, you can see we spent a lot of time looking at the shape of those worlds, the cities, towns, neat characters, maps".
Continue reading: Quantum Break developer teases new multiplayer games (full post)
Amazon will deliver packages, even if the world ends
Amazon is already incredibly good at advancing the way it gets products to its consumers, and now its next step in delivery systems looks to be a floating warehouse that sends drones out to deliver packages.
The company filed a patent in 2014 that was awarded to Amazon earlier this year, that teases gigantic floating warehouses that the company calls "airborne fulfillment centers". Amazon would man the floating warehouse, something that could be considered a mothership, with staff that would fulfill the orders it receives online, and sends out autonomous drones to deliver them.
Amazon also says that the crew on the ship will arrive on smaller aircraft that will dock, drop off and pick passengers up, and then undock to fly back to the ground - so that the mothership can stay in the air as long as it can. This would give Amazon an exclusive edge against every single other company in the world, in that it could offer items delivered from the sky with the most convenience ever - anywhere in the world it would have one of their "airborne fulfillment centers" are operating.
Continue reading: Amazon will deliver packages, even if the world ends (full post)
NVIDIA to tease Mass Effect: Andromeda on PC next week
It looks like PC gamers will have something to drool over at from NVIDIA at CES 2017 next week, with the official Twitter account of Mass Effect teasing that there will be "more Mass Effect: Andromeda environments and gameplay" shown off during NVIDIA's CES 2017 keynote on Wednesday 4th January, 2017.
NVIDIA's CEO and founder Jen-Hsun Huang will be on stage as always, with a pre-show keynote that will tease the industry's next steps in self-driving car technology, AI, gaming, and hopefully more.
Continue reading: NVIDIA to tease Mass Effect: Andromeda on PC next week (full post)
Samsung Galaxy S8 might come with a stylus
Samsung's S Pen has so far been reserved for their Note Series, but after the Note7 fiasco, the Korean giant might include the Pen with their S Series.
The rumors appear to indicate that Samsung's next flagship, the Galaxy S8, might come with a stylus.
There are many rumors floating around about the Galaxy S8, from the removal of the headphone jack and the physical buttons on the front of the phone to expanding the internal flash storage, and including 6GB of RAM.
Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy S8 might come with a stylus (full post)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X specs and image leaked
Xiaomi has recently freshened up their Redmi Note 4 devices by adding two new colors, blue and black, but it seems that they are now focusing on their Note series.
According to the newest report, the Redmi Note 4X will feature 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The device should be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 653.
The leaked image shows that the rumors about the specs are correct. In the image, you can see the About Phone section, confirming the rumored specs.
Continue reading: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X specs and image leaked (full post)
Samsung Galaxy A Series will make its debut on January 5
Samsung recently sent out invitations for their January 5th event in Malaysia where they will unveil their upcoming Galaxy A Series smartphones.
Samsung Malaysia recently teased the water resistance feature of the Galaxy A (2017) Series, and the event invitation has the same water reference, which makes us believe that this series will be water resistant.
The current A series launched a year ago, so this is perfect timing for the new generation.
Continue reading: Samsung Galaxy A Series will make its debut on January 5 (full post)
VR won't grow much in 2017 due to supply constraints
According to the latest reports from DigiTimes' industry sources, VR headset shipments are "unlikely to enjoy a high growth rate in shipments in 2017", with Oculus, HTC, Sony and more to suffer next year.
The reason? DigiTimes says "constrains in the supply of high resolution panels, high performance chips, and supporting software and firmware". Their sources added: "Most IC chips, platform products and hardware solutions currently available in the market are unable to keep up with the pace of development and hardware requirements of the VR industry, impeding makers' efforts to ramp up their shipments in 2017".
HTC reportedly shipped up to 500K Vive units this year, but are expected to hit 600K units in 2017, while Sony will ship 1.5 million PSVR headsets this year, and up to 2 .5 million PSVR headsets in 2017. Oculus, who have been going through some serious issues this year - will ship 650K units this year, and 1.2 million in 2017, according to TrendForce.
Continue reading: VR won't grow much in 2017 due to supply constraints (full post)
ASUS 'reorganizing its loss-making' tablet business
ASUS has been releasing weird and at times very wonderful tablets over the years, but the company hasn't been making profits on them, so starting in the first half of 2016 the company began restructuring its tablet business.
DigiTimes reports: "Asustek started reorganizing its tablet business in the first half of 2016 and has greatly reduced the number of its new tablet projects as well as tablet shipments in 2016. Since Asustek still has a few hundred R&D and sales staff in its tablet department, Asustek has been trying to relocate them to new businesses such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and smartphone and the process is expected to be completed by the end of first-half 2017".
This leads me to be wondering what ASUS will do about tablets at CES 2017 next week, and whether we might see a shift away from slates by ASUS.
Continue reading: ASUS 'reorganizing its loss-making' tablet business (full post)
Lenovo's new laptops rock clean Win 10, next-gen storage
Lenovo are teasing the future of their laptops ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week, with an entire lineup of new and refreshed laptops rocking Kaby Lake processors, and more.
We have the totally new ThinkPad Yoga 370 2-in-1 convertible, refreshed T-Series (T470, T570, T470s, and T470p) and L-Series (L470 and L570) models, the new X270, and an updated version of the ThinkPad 13.
What to expect from Lenovo's new laptops:
Continue reading: Lenovo's new laptops rock clean Win 10, next-gen storage (full post)
Vive 2 with dual 4K 120Hz displays not launching at CES
HTC is quickly spraying out the rumors that it will be unveiling and launching the Vive 2 at CES 2017 next week, with reports stating that the Vive 2 would rock dual 4K displays at 120Hz, which would've been amazing.
UploadVR have confirmed with HTC that the Vive 2 will not be shown off at CES 2017, with HTC's official statement reading: "There is no truth to the rumor of launching Vive 2 at CES 2017. At Vive, we are laser focused on building out a strong and growing ecosystem for current and future Vive owners so they can experience the best room-scale VR with the most compelling content available".
Now, HTC have said that they're not going to be launching Vive 2 at CES 2017 - but what if HTC aren't naming the Vive successor 'Vive 2'... does that mean we could see it teased as Vive 4K or something new? Maybe that's just me wishing out aloud.
Continue reading: Vive 2 with dual 4K 120Hz displays not launching at CES (full post)
GIVEAWAY: MSI GeForce 1050 GAMING X 2G Video Card
Global entry! MSI joins us again for another video card giveaway. This time one lucky winner will be sent a GeForce 1050 GAMING X 2G. This time the rules are a bit different. Being the end of the year, MSI wants feedback on how they did with their video cards. See Step 6 below for details.
THE ULTIMATE PC GAMING PLATFORM
Get Game Ready with GeForceĀ® GTX.
Continue reading: GIVEAWAY: MSI GeForce 1050 GAMING X 2G Video Card (full post)







