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These are the 10 most popular consoles ever
Video games are one of the most popular forms of entertainment today, they have become a real competitive sport, and the gaming industry is generating billions of dollars. The "boom" of video games started decades ago. Pong and other early arcade games have shown that there is interest in the market for this type of entertainment, which prompted the engineers to develop home gaming devices.
Although it wasn't the first, the Atari VCS/2600 is one of the consoles which popularized home video game consoles and helped cement the video game movement into mainstream culture. It was released on this day, October 14, 1977 as one of the first second-generation consoles in North America, but it took two years for Atari 2600 to become popular in the market.
By 1979, the VCS was the best-selling Christmas gift (and console), due to its exclusive content, and 1 million units were sold that year. Atari Inc. then licensed the smash arcade hit Space Invaders, which greatly increased the unit's popularity when it was released in January 1980, doubling sales to over 2 million units.
Continue reading: These are the 10 most popular consoles ever (full post)
Universe contains 10 times more galaxies than we thought
The Hubble Space Telescope is being credited for yet another major discovery. Using the data from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have performed to this day the most accurate census of the number of galaxies in the universe. And they came to a remarkable conclusion.
According to the new information, there are at least ten times as many galaxies in the observable universe as previously thought.
The observable universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that can, in principle, be observed from Earth at the present time. The first real insight in the number of galaxies in the observable universe came in the 1990s when it has been estimated that there are 100 to 200 billion galaxies. New data shows the number is at least ten times higher.
Continue reading: Universe contains 10 times more galaxies than we thought (full post)
A lunar base on the Moon just got a lot harder to build
A base on the Moon is many scientists' dream because it would set a new milestone in space exploration, but according to new observations from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft that might be much more difficult than previously thought.
According to new data, the Moon experiences a heavier bombardment by small meteoroids than models had previously predicted. By examining the surface of the Moon, scientists have identified about 30 percent more new craters than anticipated by previous cratering models. In addition to discovering new impact craters, the team observed over 47,000 small surface changes, which they call splotches.
They also concluded that 99 percent of the Moon's surface would be overturned by splotch formation after about 81,000 years, which is 100 times faster than previous models that considered overturn from micrometeorite impacts alone, and ignored the effects of secondary impacts.
Continue reading: A lunar base on the Moon just got a lot harder to build (full post)
Zuckerberg needs help: Who should voice his AI assistant
Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg set his goals for this year. One of them was to build an artificial intelligence assistant that can control his home and help with work, something like J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System), Tony Stark's assistant in Iron Man.
Not even two months ago, Zuckerberg commented he is making significant progress, and his AI assistant is already helping him around the house. He described how he could control the temperature, lights, and gate by his voice.
Now, Zuckerberg is ready to give his AI assistant a voice, and he is asking everyone to help out and suggest who's voice should he use. In the films, Jarvis is voiced by an actor Paul Bettany, which is one of the suggestions Zuckerberg got on his Facebook status where he asked for help.
Continue reading: Zuckerberg needs help: Who should voice his AI assistant (full post)
Sony's PlayStation VR is surprisingly easy to repair
The gadget surgeons over at iFixit have wasted no time in delving in the guts of Sony's new PlayStation VR headset, slicing open every little nook and cranny to show off its high-tech innards.
Starting at $399, Sony's PSVR has successfully ushered accessible virtual reality hardware in the mainstream market. Now that the headset is out in the wild, it's time to crack it open and see how its internals fare, and how easy it is to repair.
According to iFixit's official PSVR teardown, headset repairs are actually pretty straightforward: the PSVR received a lofty 8 out of 10 in the ease of repairability scale.
Continue reading: Sony's PlayStation VR is surprisingly easy to repair (full post)
Sony is already selling PlayStation VR at a profit
Sony's new PlayStation VR headset is already making a profit for the Japanese console-maker, and could end up being a huge success for virtual reality accessibility and the PlayStation brand.
"We're making money on the VR console," President of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden told Polygon. Seeing as stock for the new PSVR headset has been flying off the shelves, with many retailers selling out both the limited $399 headset-only SKU and the $499 all-in-one bundle, it's not surprising that Sony is already raking in cash from their virtual reality gambit.
Sony president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Jim Ryan echoed this sentiment, saying that consumers are "significantly interested" in the PSVR headset, with launch sales projected to hit "many hundreds of thousands."
Continue reading: Sony is already selling PlayStation VR at a profit (full post)
Nintendo NX reveal coming next week, says Macquarie
Nintendo will finally unveil its new NX platform, possibly called Nintendo Duo, sometime next week according to financial investment firm Macquarie Group.
Nintendo is fast running out of time to reveal its purported handheld-console hybrid NX system, but key industry players predict a full-on NX debut is coming quite soon.
The popular consensus is that Nintendo will show off the NX sometime in late October, possibly on October 21, as the Japanese console-maker has a long tradition of big Nintendo Direct reveals during the Fall month. A Nintendo Direct announcement would be the fifth anniversary for the series, and coincide with four years of big first-party announcements.
Continue reading: Nintendo NX reveal coming next week, says Macquarie (full post)
Xbox Game DVR is slowing down DOTA 2 frame rates
Windows 10's Xbox Game DVR is crippling performance in games like DOTA 2, and Valve has responded.
Valve has acknowledged that the Xbox Game DVR is causing a number of issues in DOTA 2, including dramatic frame rate drops, crashes, freezing and other hiccups. Now Valve has added an in-game prompt that warns gamers about the Xbox DVR's performance hitches, and even goes so far as to show players how to disable the recorder.
The warning prompt reads: "Your operating system has Xbox Game DVR enabled which has been reported to cause performance problems in games, such as reduced or capped FPS, crashing, or freezing. Would you l ike to learn how Xbox Game DVR can be disabled on your system?"
Continue reading: Xbox Game DVR is slowing down DOTA 2 frame rates (full post)
'John Wick' to become a trilogy of films
The teaser for the 'John Wick' sequel got fans all excited earlier this week, and it looks like there's even more revenge planned after that!
Speaking to Collider, Director Chad Stahelski confirmed that talks were underway for a third film which would see 'John Wick' expanded into a trilogy. "The studio has asked us to put our heads together and see if we can come up with something. Winston's [McShane] is a big part of the next one, so is Lance Reddick. We've got some ideas." It seems the crew had no shaortage of ideas for the upcoming sequel either "When it came to coming up with a story idea, we had like ten bad ideas, and they we were like, 'f--k it,' what would have just happened the next day? Once we stopped worrying about ourselves, it was fun".
The upcoming 'John Wick: Chapter 2' sees Keanu Reeves reprise his role as the titular hard ass ex-retired hitman, alongside allies Ian McShane and John Leguizamo, with Ruby Rose taking up the mantle as the female villain. The film will hit cinemas in February 2017.
Continue reading: 'John Wick' to become a trilogy of films (full post)
ASUS and GIGABYTE's GeForce GTX 1050 Ti's spotted
After rumors that NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics cards were imminent, we can now see this as virtually confirmed - as there are now AIB partners with cards in the wild.
GIGABYTE has teased its got 'something for everyone' and that it's 'coming soon...' without teasing too much - we know it's the GTX 1050 Ti. GIGABYTE's purported GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Xtreme should feature a factory overclock and by the looks of things, the same cooling solution found on their GTX 950 graphics card.
ASUS and GIGABYTE branded GTX 1050 Ti cards have been spotted, with the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti rocking a dual-fan cooler, with it looking like a more basic ROG style cooler. The new card features 4GB of GDDR5, but ASUS will also reportedly be launching a GTX 1050 Ti Strix card as well, with an overclocked GPU and higher-end cooler. It seems as though the new Expedition series could be the new mainstream products from ASUS, while Strix continues soldiering on as their premium label.
Continue reading: ASUS and GIGABYTE's GeForce GTX 1050 Ti's spotted (full post)
Ever wanted to be a pigeon? Now you can in Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 is one of the most gorgeous games ever made, but it's also super fun - and most important of all, fresh. It's not 'yet another Battlefield shooter', as there seems to be enough new from my couple of hours with it so far that it feels different.
So different in fact, that you get the chance to play as a pigeon - and we're not joking at all. During the single player mission which recounts the 1918 Battle of Cambrai, you're looking through the perspective of chauffeur turned tank operator, Edwards. Edwards drives the tank towards Cambrai, destroying field gun positions before getting stuck in the mud. Once the enemy surrounds you, the crew release a messenger pigeon to signal for help - which is something that happened during the early wars.
You get to control the pigeon for a little while, soaring over the battlefield which as Kotaku explains 'gives a very stark sense of the war's scale', with trenches and scorched earth for as far as you can see. Battlefield 1 has been depicting the war in a way we've never seen before, and with touches like this - you have to commend them.
Continue reading: Ever wanted to be a pigeon? Now you can in Battlefield 1 (full post)
GIGABYTE's new GeForce GTX 1080 rocks custom waterblock
GIGABYTE has been nailing its GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, with my review on their GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming leaving me very impressed, but now they've gone and gotten me interested in their beasty new GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming Waterforce WB graphics card. Their new card rocks a fully custom waterblock, which should allow for some serious overclocks.
The new watercooled GTX 1080 from GIGABYTE rocks base and boost GPU clocks of 1759MHz and 1898MHz, respectively - but there is an OC mode as well which bumps the GPU clocks up to 1784MHz and 1936MHz for base and boost, respectively. GIGABYTE has a custom GTX 1080 capable of 2000MHz+ on the GPU, packing a 12+2 phase power design, with GIGABYTE using the same capacitors and chokes that NVIDIA used on its new Titan X.
It's a great looking card as well, with GIGABYTE outfitting it with LEDs that will look great once water is pumping at the top of it, and 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors.
Continue reading: GIGABYTE's new GeForce GTX 1080 rocks custom waterblock (full post)
Wash your Wang with Shadow Warrior 2 launching on the PC
Shadow Warrior was a more quotable game than Duke Nukem 3D for me, with Wang being a super-crass 'hero' that was just an awesomely fun game to play - both in singleplayer, and multiplayer where things used to get heated back when I played the game on a LAN with friends.
Well, developer Flying Wild Hog has gone the whole hog with Shadow Warrior 2, which is now out on the PC. Shadow Warrior 2 features open-ended levels that can be explored in detail, as well as the ability to double jump and climb walls. There are story-related missions as well as randomly generated missions, with different enemy placement and weather conditions. This means that replayability should be pretty high, which is something we don't see much of in single-player games these days.
Better yet, is that Flying Wild Hog has used a procedural damage system in Shadow Warrior 2 that lets you cut, or blow off enemy parts or limbs - depending on the weapon and playstyle used. In a throwback to the 90s, the developer has included cooperative play which allows you and up to 3 friends play the single-player campaign together.
Continue reading: Wash your Wang with Shadow Warrior 2 launching on the PC (full post)
Black Ops 2 Xbox One BC support is up to Activision
Out of all the Xbox 360 games that have yet to arrive on Xbox One's backward compatibility, gamers have rallied behind a single title: Black Ops II. But Microsoft doesn't call the shots, and it's ultimately up to publishers whether or not the game gets backward compatibility support or not.
That's what Xbox division head Phil Spencer said in a recent Tweet. When asked for the probably millionth time if Black Ops II would ever come to Xbox One BC, Spencer replied by saying he eventually wants the full Xbox 360 games library available on Xbox One via the BC program, but publishers make the call.
"I like the progress on backward compatibility. We'd like to have all [games included] and work on third-party games is always a partnership with publisher."
Continue reading: Black Ops 2 Xbox One BC support is up to Activision (full post)
Ubisoft Uplay store releases October game special
To celebrate Ubisoft's 30th anniversary, the Ubisoft Club has been offering one special game to registered users each month, starting back in June this year. The games are kept anonymous until the date of release when the titles then become available to keep.
Ubisoft has recently revealed for the month of October, the classic action-adventure game 'Beyond Good & Evil' available in the Uplay game store now. The classic title was originally released back in 2003 for Sony PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube and PC.
Those interested in the game need to if not done so already, you'll need to register for a Uplay account.
Continue reading: Ubisoft Uplay store releases October game special (full post)
AMD has improved Radeon RX 480, 50% better perf/watt
A few months ago some of my industry sources said that AMD were working on making its Polaris GPU more efficient, with some magic found in the PCB and power delivery systems - something that was broken when AMD launched the card, with Radeon RX 480s using more power than they should have.
AMD is supposedly tweaking their latest revisions to Polaris 10 and Polaris 11, with over 50% more performance per watt, which would really help the Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 470 stand out more than they do now.
We recently tested AMD's Radeon RX 480 in Gears of War 4 running on DX12 at a crazy 8K (7860 x 4320) resolution, and it still offers half the performance of the Titan X which costs $1199, while the RX 480 sits at $279. The Titan X is 91% more powerful, but costs 344% more money - this comes down to AMD's excellent DX12 capabilities and efficiency with Asynchronous Compute on the Polaris architecture.
Continue reading: AMD has improved Radeon RX 480, 50% better perf/watt (full post)
Mafia 3 blocks cutscene audio and music in game clips
2K Games has reportedly put in an automatic audio block in Mafia 3 that mutes NPC dialog during cutscenes and in-game music during video captures or live streams.
If your streaming Mafia 3 on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or any other service, your viewers won't be able to hear cutscene voice dialog or rock out to the game's stellar soundtrack. This block has been reported on all platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, and includes in-game recordings as well as online livestreams.
It's worth pointing out that the player hears everything like normal, and it's only the viewers of the stream and recordings that can't hear the audio tracks. Reports indicate you can circumvent this audio block by using a capture card.
Continue reading: Mafia 3 blocks cutscene audio and music in game clips (full post)
Final 'Star Wars: Rogue One' trailer gets fans excited
It's release is only 8 weeks away, and today Disney and Lucasfilm have lifted the lid ever slightly higher on the first 'Star Wars' spin-off 'Rogue One'.
Set just before the events of 'A New Hope', 'Rogue One' is set to follow the band of courageous Rebel troops who stole the plans for the first Death Star, which allowed the alliance to pinpoint its weakness. Starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn and Donnie Yen, the film will serve as the first film outside of the numbered episodes which make up the Skywalker saga. Perhaps the most thrilling thought is seeing the bad-ass version of Darth Vader back on the screen, unlike the whining, puny version from the 'Star Wars' prequels.
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' hits 2D, 3D and IMAX screens worldwide from December 16th.
Continue reading: Final 'Star Wars: Rogue One' trailer gets fans excited (full post)
Batman Telltale Series: A New Order, lanches October 25
The third installment of Batman: The Telltale Series is almost here, with Episode 3: 'New World Order' to be available to fans digitally worldwide on October 25 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The official website for Batman: The Telltale Series recently posted an interview in which host Greg Miller of kindafunny.com sat down with writer James Windeler, director Jon Stauder and voice of Harvey Dent, Travis Willingham in an all out exclusive chat about the second episode 'Children of Arkham'. The group discussed and explained details and motives of the Caped Crusader and the events that took place in Episode 2 but furthermore went on to release snippets of info about the backstory and ideas into Episode 3.
New World Order, captures Gotham City on the brink of destruction with the rise of infamous villains well known to the Dark Knight coming out of the shadows to cause havoc and chaos throughout the city. The episode will uncover more about the personal lives of other characters such as The Penguin, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman and the coin tossing Harvey Dent otherwise known as Two-Face.
Continue reading: Batman Telltale Series: A New Order, lanches October 25 (full post)
Battlefield 1 features world's tiniest handgun
Battlefield 1's teensy Easter egg isn't so much deadly as it is hilarious.
The ultra-tiny 2mm Kolibri, also known as the "world's smallest commercially available centerfire cartridge" handgun, will be a useable gun in Battlefield 1. As you can see in the GIF, the Kolibri, which is named after a hummingbird, isn't exactly lethal so there's no actual tactical reason to use it, but your opponents might actually die of laughter upon seeing it.
Continue reading: Battlefield 1 features world's tiniest handgun (full post)











