Latest News - Page 2290

AMD hosted its technology summit in Beijing, China covering its new Ryzen 5 processor launch - with AMD CEO Lisa Su taking the stage to unveil the new price/performance champions in the Ryzen family - but there was a very slight, but very exciting tease of Radeon RX Vega.

As you can see from these images, the Radeon RX Vega reference design sports a super-slick white/red/black style that I'm really loving - but the video was shown to select journalists, so we don't know how real it is. This could be an elaborate fake, and if it is - they did a good job, if it's not - AMD has an awesome looking next-gen graphics card on its hands.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX Vega has a beautiful Vega logo on the back, with a GPU Tach LED load indicator that will be super useful - the usual RADEON branding on top with red LEDs, and a dip-switch to change the color of the LEDs... awesome.

If you're rocking Intel's new Kaby Lake CPU or AMD's super-fast Ryzen processors and running an older operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, well - you're out of luck. Microsoft no longer supports operating systems older than Windows 10 (because it's been out for so long now).

Microsoft is now gimping Kaby Lake and Ryzen CPUs on Windows 7/8.1, effectively forcing you to upgrade to Windows 10 - as they've thrown a processor check into the latest Windows Update for W7/8.1 - sneaky. This update prevents Kaby Lake and Ryzen CPU owners from downloading updates, with an error message that reads: "Your PC uses a processor that isn't supported on this version of Windows".

The more I see and hear about Arkane's new re-imagining of Prey, the more I want to play it. Now we get a nice personal glimpse at the inky shadow-aliens that will be hunting us like the prey we are.

While Arkane doesn't classify Prey as a horror game, it absolutely has cerebral and psychological elements: the game will get into players' heads (quite literally with neuromods) and has a definite Outer Limits or Twilight Zone vibe to it. This feeling is amplified in no small part by the Typhons, which are the vapor-like shadow aliens, who are almost incorporeal like a smoky fog--in many ways they seem like they might not be there at all, and Morgan Yu, the main character, could simply be going insane.

One of the most interesting cerebral mind-bending aspects of the Typhon is the Cacoplasmus, aka the Mimic. The Typhon come in all shapes and sizes, but none are so insidious as the Mimic: this Typhon can disguise itself as any nearby object like a chair or a box or even a coffee mug and patiently wait for its prey to walk by. Then, of course, it strikes.

Earlier this year, Google confirmed that the Pixel successor will come this year, although considering that the current Pixel was launched in October last year, we won't see its successor anytime soon.

What we know for sure about the upcoming Pixel is that the device will be more or less the same price as the original phone, meaning that we are looking at another premium device.

According to a new report, this year's Pixel might come in not two but three versions. Droid Life reports that Google is developing the devices under codenames "muskie," "walleye," and "taimen."

Samsung will officially launch the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in just two weeks, and we have already seen numerous leaks about the specs and the design of the upcoming flagship.

According to the latest leak, Samsung will stick to the 12MP main camera but shoot up to 1000 fps videos.

The Korean company also reportedly added DRAM to enable the high framerates.

Samsung introduced a 9.7-inch tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3, at this year's MWC in Barcelona.

The tablet, which comes with an S pen, will be available for pre-orders on March 17th with in-store availability starting on March 24th.

The Galaxy Tab S3 will be available at a price of $600 and in two colors - black and silver. You can also buy the keyboard cover separately for $130.

The LG G6 was recently announced in Barcelona during MWC, and the phone is already selling in the company's home country. The device should hit the US market on April 7th, and the Korean company has a special treat for early-adopters.

"For a limited time," if you buy an LG G6, you will also receive a free Google Home. Google Home is a nice cherry on top of the cake since the device itself costs $129.

Both the G6 and Google Home come with the Google Assistant built-in.

GoPro has found itself in a curious position, with the third reduction in its workforce since the beginning of 2016 - with the action camera giant cutting another 270 jobs from its roster, hoping to save $200 million across 2017.

The new cuts include current staff, and open positions - after posting a $373 million loss in 2016, after production delays on the new Hero 5 cameras - as well as the recall of its Karma drone. GoPro stock took a big hit, hitting an all-time low this week, but went up 10% in after hours trading.

Back in January 2016, the company ditched 7% of its global workforce - but the November cuts were worse, with 15% of its staff being thrown out of a job. GoPro also completely closed its entertainment division, and lost ex-Skype boss and GoPro president Tony Bates. GoPro hasn't stated which areas the new cuts will affect, so I'm sure we'll hear all about that in the coming weeks, and whether it'll have lingering - or potentially disastrous repercussions throughout 2017.

AMD Radeon graphics card owners will want to jump onto the new Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.3.2 beta drivers, with support for the soon-to-be released Mass Effect: Andromeda.

There's also a 12% performance improvement for Radeon RX 480 graphics card owners compared to previous driver releases. You can grab the new AMD Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.3.2 beta drivers right here.

Known Issues

Overwatch is one of the biggest games right now, with a solid foundation on the PC - but with the release of the new Nintendo Switch console, we're now hearing news that Overwatch could end up on Nintendo's new console.

During a recent Reddit AMA, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan said: "I'm loving the Switch! My second favorite gaming platform of all time is the 3DS. Getting [Overwatch] on the Switch is very challenging for us. But we're always open minded about exploring possible platforms".

Now, "getting Overwatch on the Switch" sounds like Blizzard are working on the FPS for Nintendo's new console - but I wouldn't take this as a confirmation just yet. Also, I don't see how a super-fast paced FPS like Overwatch could work with the triggers and small screen, but in docked mode it could be fun - but without a mouse and keyboard? Pass.

Tesla Motors is looking to raise just over $1 billion, something the electric car maker will do soon as it ramps up towards the launch of its upcoming Model 3 electric vehicle - its new car priced at around $35,000.

The upcoming $1 billion injection will come from $250 million in secondary stock offerings, with another $750 million in convertible senior notes (as The Verge points out, it's "basically a loan"). There'll also be options for the underwriters to secure another 15% for each offering, while Tesla CEO and real life Tony Stark, Elon Musk, will buy $25 million in Tesla common stock as part of the deal.

Tesla will launch its new Model 3 electric car in 2018, starting from $35,000.

OtherSide Entertainment, the studio working on System Shock 3, has announced a new publishing agreement with Starbreeze Studios - the team behind PayDay, with a $12 million investment into the production of System Shock 3 for the PC, and other platforms.

System Shock 3 is in development under the careful guiding eye of legendary game developer Warren Spector, who worked on the original System Shock and System Shock 2 - as well as the original (and the best) Deus Ex and Thief: The Dark Project.

Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson-Klint explains: "System Shock is one of those iconic franchises in the history of games that still gets my blood going and Mr. Spector is one of the founding fathers of the modern action RPG. We're greatly looking forward to bringing System Shock 3 to players world wide in our collaboration with Otherside Entertainment and Warren Spector's team. I'll be first in line to play".

GPU-Z has teased the upcoming release of the unconfirmed Radeon RX 500 series, with TechPowerUp's new GPU-Z v1.18.0 has support for the Radeon RX 580, RX 570, RX 560, and RX 550.

Most AMD partners are phasing out the older Radeon RX 400 series cards in favor of the upcoming rebranded RX 500 series cards, with a rumored price of $199 on the new Radeon RX 580, and just $149 for the new Radeon RX 570.

As for the GPU-Z 1.18.10 changelog, here it is:

AMD is just weeks away from launching its mid-range Ryzen 5 family of CPUs, with the Ryzen 5 1400, Ryzen 5 1500X, Ryzen 5 1600, and the flagship Ryzen 5 1600X processor.

AMD's new Ryzen 5 family is their mid-range offering to fight off the higher-end Core i3 and mid-range Core i5 processors from Intel, with the new Ryzen 5 1600X being compared against Intel's Core i5-7600K in Cinebench, with AMD's new Ryzen 5 1600X being 69% faster. A huge improvement, thanks to the 6C/12T performance versus 4C/8T on the 7600K chip.

AMD Ryzen 5 CPU - core/threads - clock speeds

Zelda: Breath of the Wild's weapon durability system (or as Jim Sterling aptly refers to it, "weapon fragility system") is annoying. There's no way around it: having your weapons break really rubs players the wrong way. But it also does something very, very important: teachers players how to improvise and be strategic.

You're not meant to use weapons every time you fight in Nintendo's new Zelda game.

Weapons and shields will degrade the more you use them, and eventually break at the wrong moment. This really can be a problem, especially when you start to avoid fighting enemies because the rewards aren't worth the damage to your cool new swords, spears, bows and shields. But there's a simple way around this frustration: using your infinite supply of ghost-bombs.

Keen on trying VR, but put off by the price? Newegg has your back with a special offer.

PC-powered virtual reality, while the definitive way to experience VR, is quite expensive. An HTC Vive costs $800, and an Oculus Rift will run you $599--and those are just the headsets. That price doesn't count the VR-ready PC you need to experience the new frontier. But Newegg's new promotion gives you a free GIGABYTE Radeon RX 480 GPU with the purchase of an HTC Vive.

AMD's Radeon RX 480 is two video cards above the Vive's minimum Radeon R9 290 requirement, but it's worth mentioning the free GIGABYTE RX 480 is a 4GB model and not the more expensive variant with 8GB of VRAM. Still, though, it's a pretty sweet deal for anyone who's on the fence about VR adoption, and the free GIGABYTE RX 480 is valued at $185 MSRP.

HTC has started teasing their "unexpected" announcement scheduled for next week, March 20.

The teaser, published on their Facebook page, doesn't reveal much. The image attached to the post says "Spring is coming."

Of course, the most obvious announcement would be the HTC 11. The company has yet to unveil their new flagship powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, and it is possible that they will introduce the device next week.

Disney-Pixar's 2017 film 'Coco' has just released its first trailer, and it's probably not going to get the seal of approval from President Trump.

Following the music obsessed 12-year-old Miguel, the musical journey 'Coco' sees the protagonist unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history, whilst following his dream to be an accomplished musician - which won't be easy considering music is banned in his family. The film is set to feature the voices of Benjamin Bratt and Gael García Bernal and helmed by 'Toy Story 3' director Lee Unkrich.

'Coco' hits theatres in 3D, 2D an IMAX from November 22 in the U.S. and in Australia sometime in December.

Qualcomm recently announced their Snapdragon 835, the first 10nm SoC, and here we are already talking about 7nm chips. Qualcomm's 10nm chips are being built using Samsung's newest 10nm processor, and it looks like there's better coming soon.

Samsung announced that they are planning to start producing 7nm chips in early 2018, meaning they could be ready for their next year's Galaxy S flagship.

In order to stick with their plan and time frame, the Korean company has announced that they will invest $6.98 billion to build new 7nm facilities in 2018, and extend the 10nm production lines.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild has 900 Korok seeds spread across the massive (and I mean massive) in-game world. Not even two weeks after the game's launch, a dedicated gamer has found all 900 of them, and unlocked the secret of Hestu's reward.

One of the main gripes in the new Zelda game is limited inventory space. The game quickly gives you a way to unlock more space, but only at the expense of time: you have to search for Korok seeds hidden throughout the game. To get these seeds you have to solve humorous little logic puzzles throughout Hyrule: puzzles like placing a rock in an incomplete ring of circles, putting an apple on an altar, things like that.

Solving these puzzles summons a cute little "child of the forest" who rewards you with a Korok seed.