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Ubisoft announces For Honor closed beta for January 2017

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Dec 15, 2016 4:23 AM CST

For Honor will have a closed beta that will kick off in January 2017, with Ubisoft set to throw a pre-launch limited time event that is being called War of the Factions. Just hours ago, we reported that you'll need an internet connection in For Honor, even for the single-player side of the game.

Ubisoft explains: "When the mighty Vikings, Samurai and Knights finally collide on the same battlefield... who will reign supreme? War of the Factions will track all multiplayer activity across all platforms in the closed beta launching January 2017. Rewards will be given to warriors participating in the beta as well as the winning faction".

Better yet, Eurogamer has said that future maps and modes will be free in For Honor, with Game Director Damien Kieken saying: "We don't want to split the community. So everything that's matchmade [including] new modes and new maps, will be given for free to the players. We'll also have other free content. We are a big team supporting the game after launch".

Continue reading: Ubisoft announces For Honor closed beta for January 2017 (full post)

Yahoo: Over 1 billion accounts have been compromised

Anthony Garreffa | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 15, 2016 3:09 AM CST

Yahoo has confirmed that over 1 billion user accounts have been compromised, with the breach dating back to August 2013.

The stolen user data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords, and even unencrypted security questions. Thankfully, financial information such as bank account and credit card data is held in a different server, with Yahoo saying that server was not affected - hopefully.

The company is now in the process of notifying all affected users, asking them to change their passwords - but as for the unencrypted security questions, Yahoo has invalidated them. It was only back in September that we reported over 500 million Yahoo account details were leaked in a breach in 2014, with forensic experts stating that the two hacks aren't related.

Continue reading: Yahoo: Over 1 billion accounts have been compromised (full post)

AMD's Zen CPU is killing Intel on Google searches

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Dec 15, 2016 1:16 AM CST

I've had my head flooded with AMD's next-gen Zen architecture, now called Ryzen, for months - but I thought I'd see what people are searching for - Intel's new Kaby Lake architecture, or AMD's next-gen Zen architecture.

According to Google Trends data, over the last 12 months people have been searching for "Intel Kaby Lake" more over the last 6 months - shifting from 1 this time last year, to a peak of 20 in early September, and now sitting at 13 - all from a scale of 0-100. "AMD Zen" on the other hand, has been trending more and more over the last few months - starting at 19 this time last year, peaking at 74 in the third week of August, and now spiking at maximum levels of 100/100.

You have to hand it to AMD: they have been killing the marketing on Zen this year, and the hype seems to be real. This trend is something I've been noticing over the last two years or so, where more and more people are aware of the codename behind AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel's new products. Zen on the other hand, seems to be a very strong brand name - and probably makes sense as to why AMD kept the word 'Zen' in their new Ryzen CPUs.

Continue reading: AMD's Zen CPU is killing Intel on Google searches (full post)

Watch Dogs 2 patch: improved CrossFire performance, more

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Dec 15, 2016 12:13 AM CST

Ubisoft is pushing out the v1.08 update for Watch Dogs 2 later this week, which will pack new features, improvements, and more.

The new patch for Watch Dogs 2 will let gamers replay any mission that is contained in the Main Operation, where you can choose a difficulty level, new enemy weapons, and even a new Hacker Level. The v1.08 update includes adjustments to Hacking Invasions, improvements to leaderboards, shooting mechanics, and online co-op.

There are also performance improvements and increased stability, while we have PC-specific fixes as well.

Continue reading: Watch Dogs 2 patch: improved CrossFire performance, more (full post)

LG has 6 new smartphones ready to debut during CES 2017

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Dec 14, 2016 11:05 PM CST

LG is set to throw a huge CES 2017 this year, with no less than 6 new smartphones to be unveiled at the show - and then we'll reportedly see a high-end flagship handset unveiled during Mobile World Congress the month after.

LG will be pre-announcing their new smartphones before CES, with the K-series handsets shipping in the middle of January. The Stylus 3 will ship in mid-February, the X calibur shipping in mid-March, and the X power 2 towards the end of April.

As for the new smartphones to be unveiled, here's what to expect:

Continue reading: LG has 6 new smartphones ready to debut during CES 2017 (full post)

ISS to have its network bandwidth doubled soon

Anthony Garreffa | Science, Space, & Robotics | Dec 14, 2016 9:36 PM CST

NASA has announced that it will be increasing the network speeds on the International Space Station soon, without a new router or satellite - with the upgrades being mainly terrestrial.

TechCrunch reports: "The ISS and dozens of satellites rely on the Space Network, a more or less unified architecture for sending large amounts of data from orbit to base stations around the world. Its maximum bandwidth is 300 Mbps, which is of course much faster than most ISPs provide, and more than enough for everyone on the ISS to stream videos at once".

28TB of high-definition, real-time space data is transmitted back to Earth everyday, as well as the astronauts' internet browsing, video calls - and if it were me, Overwatch gaming. All of the transmission goes through a dedicated network of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, which then blast the signals to base stations, and then pass them through to their destinations here on our pale blue dot.

Continue reading: ISS to have its network bandwidth doubled soon (full post)

Vega 10 pumps 4K 60FPS in Star Wars: Battlefront DLC

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Dec 14, 2016 8:32 PM CST

If there's one thing to be excited for right now, leading into 2017 - it would have to be AMD's next generation GPU architecture: Vega.

AMD flew out select technology press to Sonoma, California for its annual Tech Summit - where we finally got our chance to see Vega 10 running in-person, but it was at the New Horizon event that the public got to see Vega 10 running 4K 60FPS in Star Wars: Battlefront's new Rogue One DLC.

AMD was also powering the gaming PC with its upcoming Ryzen CPU, which was announced a couple of days ago. It's an impressive showing so far, with DOOM being teased at 4K 60FPS+ on Ultra and Nightmare graphics settings during the event, something we wrote about here.

Continue reading: Vega 10 pumps 4K 60FPS in Star Wars: Battlefront DLC (full post)

Amazon launches Prime Video in more than 200 countries

Lana Jelic | Internet & Websites | Dec 14, 2016 5:23 PM CST

As of today, December 14th, Amazon Prime Video is available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe.

Netflix' biggest competitor is now available in the almost the entire world, except for China. Customers can sign up for a Prime Video membership and watch on Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire Tablets and LG and Samsung smart TVs.

Amazon is offering a free 7-day trial and the monthly price for this service is $2.99 or 2.99 euro for the first six months. After that, the monthly fee will double to $5.99, which is still less than Netflix subscription which is $8.99.

Continue reading: Amazon launches Prime Video in more than 200 countries (full post)

Sony announces $113 Revolution Pro PS4 controller

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 14, 2016 4:34 PM CST

Sony today announced another third-party "pro" PS4 controller called the Revolutionary Pro. Crafted by Nacon, the Revolutionary Pro aimed at eSports console gamers who want a better controller than the DualShock 4 with its janky hanging triggers.

Sony announces $113 Revolution Pro PS4 controller

The Revolutionary Pro retails for £89.99 (roughly $113) and features enhanced joysticks with 46-degree amplitude for advanced accuracy, two main modes including Pro Control and Advanced modes that optimize joystick sensitivity, an 8-way D-pad, customizable controller profiles, vastly improved triggers (the DualShock 4's floating triggers are horrible), a rubber coated surface, and a 3m braided cord that affords extra latency thanks to the PS4 and PS4 Pro's new firmware update that improves latency via wired USB controllers.

Interestingly enough, Nacon's "Pro" DualShock 4 can be customized in terms of weight. Users can easily adjust the weight of the controller with included weights, which are added--or removed--in the base handsets of the controller itself.

Continue reading: Sony announces $113 Revolution Pro PS4 controller (full post)

Watch new Tekken 7 battles at 1080p 60FPS

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 14, 2016 12:33 PM CST

If you love Tekken like I do, then you're undoubtedly super excited for Tekken 7. The game looks so fluid and smooth, running at full 1080p 60FPS on the PS4, bringing a new level of pinpoint accuracy and targeted chaos for the series. Although the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 2016 is over, Namco Bandai has just released two new bits of gameplay footage showing off Master Raven, Claudio, Bob and Paul Phoenix in action.

Watch new Tekken 7 battles at 1080p 60FPS

Even though I vastly prefer Tekken Tag's two-character tag-team action over traditional 1v1 Tekken, Namco's latest Tekken 7 has me pumped. Most of our favorite characters are back, with the major staples returning with some fancy new moves that synergize with all the crazy attacks we already know and love.

The two new matches show off best of five matches with two new characters: Claudio Serafino and Master Raven. Claudio faces off against Bob and Master Raven goes up against Paul Phoenix's hard-hitting combos, but oddly enough, the damage output seems to have been adjusted significantly for Tekken 7. Paul isn't pulling off his insane life-smashing attacks like he did in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Continue reading: Watch new Tekken 7 battles at 1080p 60FPS (full post)

Microsoft to bundle drivers with Windows Store games

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 14, 2016 11:55 AM CST

Microsoft will soon start bundling specific drivers with Windows Store games, auto-installing the requisite drivers to improve performance when downloading and installing games on the Windows Store.

Microsoft to bundle drivers with Windows Store games

This new auto driver delivery system will be part of the new Windows Creator's Update coming in 2017, which is a massive new OS update that will bring a ton of new features for creators, gamers, and tighten up Universal Windows Platform (UWP) cross-platform apps, services and functionality.

The requisite game drivers will be automatically downloaded with all PC game downloads on the Windows Store, with Microsoft affirming that this will improve performance and stability of the games. Once the game is downloaded it will trigger Windows Update to acquire specific drivers. We're unsure whether or not users will be able to turn this feature off, especially since Windows will overwrite existing driver installation with this new feature.

Continue reading: Microsoft to bundle drivers with Windows Store games (full post)

Modern Warfare Remastered now has microtransactions

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 14, 2016 10:41 AM CST

Activision just rolled out a nice surprise with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered's new update--supply drops are here, and they can be purchased with real cash.

Modern Warfare Remastered now has microtransactions

Modern Warfare Remastered's winter update adds seven new multiplayer maps, two new holiday weapon camos, two new game modes, and the first of what's likely to be many supply drops. The supply drop is caleld Operation Arctic Worlf can be acquired with Call of Duty Points, which can be bought with cash, or with Depot Credits that are earned in-game.

Operation Arctic Wolf contains cosmetic personalization and customization items only, so don't expect pay to win (at least not yet): weapon camos, reticles, combat uniforms, emblems, calling cards, and playable women soldiers, and even new melee weapons are included in the drop. The melee weapons can be crafted with the game's new Parts, which are earned as you play, or grab them with supply drops.

Continue reading: Modern Warfare Remastered now has microtransactions (full post)

HMD's first Nokia-branded phone is here and it costs $26

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices | Dec 14, 2016 9:32 AM CST

While we are still waiting for the new Nokia-branded Android smartphone, which should be unveiled in February at MWC, HMD Global launched their first Nokia phone - Nokia 150.

The phone comes in two versions - Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM. Both phones have 2.4-inch QVGA screen with a resolution of just 320 x 240 pixels. They come with a built-in FM radio and MP3 player.

The 1020 mAh battery gives you up to 22 hours of talk time and up to 31 days standby time for Nokia 150, while the standby time drops to 25 days for Dual SIM. Oh, and did I mention the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM have a keypad?

Continue reading: HMD's first Nokia-branded phone is here and it costs $26 (full post)

Facebook Events app now available for Android users

Lana Jelic | Software & Apps | Dec 14, 2016 8:26 AM CST

Back in October, Facebook launched a standalone app for events. Initially, the app was available only for iOS users, but Facebook has now released it for Android users as well and you can get it on Play Store.

Facebook events app is perfect for users who like to have a better overview of their upcoming events, but Facebook doesn't require you to download the app to be able to use Events in your Facebook app, at least not for now.

When you open Events, you can see the events your Facebook friends are interested in, recently-announced events by the pages you like, and updates from events you're already connected to. You can also browse events based on your interests or location. Events app features an interactive map that will help you browse trough the events easier, something that the Events feature in Facebook's main app doesn't have. Facebook also added a calendar in the app so you can keep track of the events you are attending.

Continue reading: Facebook Events app now available for Android users (full post)

Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey new role revealed soon

Anthony Garreffa | Extended Reality (XR) | Dec 14, 2016 6:17 AM CST

Oculus co-founder and CEO Brendan Iribe has just stepped down from the VR giant, taking a PC-focused VR role within Facebook - and now the flip flop wearing Palmer Luckey will have a new role revealed soon, reports UploadVR.

An Oculus spokesperson told UploadVR: "Palmer is still at Oculus and we'll have more to share on his new role soon". Luckey's position within Oculus took a hit when the millionaire VR wonder boy threw $10K towards an anti-Hillary Clinton group. He was forced to issue an apology, where he said: "I am deeply sorry that my actions are negatively impacting the perception of Oculus and its partners".

It'll be interesting to see what Palmer does within Oculus and what his "new role" turns out to be... if it were me, I'd just collect that sweet VR cash each week and do whatever the hell I wanted at the company. Test out all the prototype hardware, play all the unreleased games and just lounge around like a boss. But, I'm sure we're going to hear all about it very soon in an official capacity.

Continue reading: Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey new role revealed soon (full post)

LG's new 4K HDR monitor with USB-C debuts at CES 2017

Anthony Garreffa | Displays | Dec 14, 2016 4:31 AM CST

LG is prepping for a massive CES 2017, with one of the more interesting products to debut at the show being a new 4K monitor with HDR capabilities - oh, and it'll have USB-C connectivity.

LG's latest 32UD99 will be a 32-inch monitor with a native 4K resolution and supports the HDR 10 standard. HDR is something relatively new to PC monitors, and AMD has been pushing HDR technology for a while now at its various events and tech days. The new HDR-capable PC monitors are finally hitting the market, with LG being the first.

The new 32-inch 4K HDR display will rock an IPS panel that will display over 95% of the P3 color gamut, and with the USB-C connectivity you'll be able to plug it into your laptop and charge your smartphone (like the Google Pixel) over a single cable.

Continue reading: LG's new 4K HDR monitor with USB-C debuts at CES 2017 (full post)

Oculus CEO and co-founder Brendan Iribe steps down

Anthony Garreffa | Extended Reality (XR) | Dec 14, 2016 2:53 AM CST

Brendan Iribe, the co-founder and CEO of Oculus has just stepped down, saying: "You do your best work when you love what you're working on. If that's not the case, you need to make a change".

Iribe took to the Oculus blog to announce the sudden departure from Oculus' reality, where he said: "Changing the world ... has required us to also scale Oculus at warp speed. With our growth and product strategy, we've decided to establish new PC and mobile VR groups to be more focused, strengthen development and accelerate our roadmap".

He added: "Looking ahead and thinking about where I'm most passionate, I've decided to lead the PC VR group - pushing the state of VR forward with Rift, research and computer vision. As we've grown, I really missed the deep, day-to-day involvement in building a brand new product on the leading edge of technology".

Continue reading: Oculus CEO and co-founder Brendan Iribe steps down (full post)

45-year-old spends stolen $1 million on Game of War

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Dec 14, 2016 12:16 AM CST

You know how it is... you steal $4.8 million and instead of flying to a private island and living your life playing Overwatch (what, that's what I'd do) - you blow $1 million in Game of War.

45-year-old Kevin Lee Co used the embezzled money on in-game goods in Game of War, after starting with Caterpillar machine dealer Holt in 2008, Lee Co became the boss of Holt's accounting department within a year. He hid financial transactions right through until March 2015, leaving the company one month later.

In that time, he used his company credit card to buy cars, season tickets, and even plastic surgery - falsifying and manipulating Holt's records to hide his purchasing habits. If the bank queried the charges, Lee Co would simply say that the charges were approved - as he was the person signing on the dotted line, and securing millions in the process.

Continue reading: 45-year-old spends stolen $1 million on Game of War (full post)

Win this awesome Activision console gaming pack!

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Dec 13, 2016 11:16 PM CST

To coincide with the release of the TweakTown 2016 Holiday Buyer's Guide, we have a prize pack of the hottest, must-have games to give away thanks to our friends at Activision - a ready made gift with something for the whole family!

One lucky winner will take home an Activision prize pack as featured in the Holiday Buyer's Guide consisting of:

1x Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4)

Continue reading: Win this awesome Activision console gaming pack! (full post)

Vega 10 should ship with 8GB HBM2, Titan X beating perf

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Dec 13, 2016 10:11 PM CST

Now that AMD has let the Radeon Instinct cat out of the bag, with the Radeon Instinct MI25 accelerator powered by a Vega GPU, we can begin putting some of the pieces together. We don't know much about Vega 10 itself, but we can look at the servers that will be powered by the MI25 accelerator, and do some math.

We also now know that the Vega 10 with its 8GB of HBM2 is capable of running DOOM at 4K 60FPS+, which is impressive for a pre-production, very early board.

AMD teased the upcoming Inventec K888 server with Radeon Instinct MI25 accelerators (4 of them) capable of 100 TFLOPs of GPU power, meaning a single Vega-based Radeon Instinct MI25 has 25 TFLOPs of performance (MI25 = Machine Intelligence 25 TFLOPs, or at least that's how it seems to me). One big caveat here is that AMD is claiming FP16 performance, so we should expect 12.5 TFLOPs of single precision (FP32) performance.

Continue reading: Vega 10 should ship with 8GB HBM2, Titan X beating perf (full post)

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