Latest News - Page 2356

This time last year, NVIDIA had over 80% of the GPU market - but things have changed in the last 12 months. AMD launched their successful Radeon RX 400 series graphics cards, powered by Polaris - while NVIDIA launched an onslaught of GTX 10 series cards.

AMD was sitting with just 18.8% of the GPU market share last year, but now they've climbed up to 29.1% - while NVIDIA has fallen from 81.1%, down to 70.9%. GFXSpeak reported from Jon Peddie's data: "New market data from Jon Peddie Research shows that graphics add-in board (AIB) sales are on an upward trend. Shipments during the third quarter of 2016 (ending September 30) increased from the second quarter of 2016 by 38.2%; this is considerably above the ten-year average of 14.3%. On a year-over-year basis, JPR found total AIB shipments rose 9.2%. By comparison, total shipments of desktop PCs fell 17.1% in the same period".

There were also some quick highlights that are worth looking at:

Yesterday we reported on Netflix's audacious requirements for streaming 4K video on PC: 4K streaming will be exclusive to PCs rocking a new Intel Kaby Lake i7 CPU and are only available on Microsoft's Edge browser. These restrictions will likely have an effect on gamers who own Sony's new PS4 Pro, and here's how.

So why did Netflix create these restrictions? It's rather simple: bandwidth. 4K video streaming takes a lot of bandwidth, and by requiring Kaby Lake CPUs for 4K streaming, the company significantly reduced the bandwidth by making 4K streaming less accessible to the mainstream market. But what about PS4 Pro owners?

Sony's new PlayStation 4 Pro is all about 4K: it rocks a new highly-customized Polaris GPU built specifically for gaming on 4K HDR TVs. But it's missing something very important: a 4K UHD Blu-ray player. Sony's PS4 Pro doesn't have a 4K Blu-ray player, and the company is instead forcing gamers to stream 4K content online via its own overpriced ULTRA 4K service, and signing deals with partners like Netflix. Even though its missing a huge important piece, the PS4 Pro has sold quite well so far, indicating the system will soon hit mainstream success.

Sony is in some serious hot water, with the /r/technology subreddit seeing countless posts in a thread titled "(PSA) Sony removes 90+ pages thread on their community forums with users reports on input lag issues with 2016 Bravia models, any new threads regarding it instantly locked--amid holiday season".

There was an original thread created on Sony's own community forums, but it was closed - the second thread was locked after 5-10 minutes, and the third thread was "instantly deleted". The post from 'GivingCreditWhereDue' adds that "Any new threads regarding the issue are getting locked".

The issue? Sony's new 2016 line of Bravia TVs aren't ready for 4K gaming... with the post saying "as their flagship models have really high levels of input latency. Sony advertises their x930D bravia model as best fit for the PS4 Pro, but users who actually have it face a sever disadvantage when it comes to competitive and even casual games like Battlefield".

A blog post on the official Titanfall 2 website announced its first post-launch DLC will be released to the players on November 30. The addition of a microtransaction store for purely cosmetic purpose is also on its way.

Angel City's Most Wanted, Titanfall 2's first free DLC, will include a remake of the original fan favorite Titanfall "Angel City". It will first be available on November 30 for players that have pre-ordered Titanfall 2. Everybody else will get access to the map on December 3.

The DLC will also include a new elite wingman pistol, a new pilot execution that let you phase into the enemy + new titan kits to customize your titan abilities further. Respawn also announced an in-game shop will be in the DLC for players to buy "new skins, new camo and prime Titans".

Snap Mode is one of the most annoying and truly backwards features that the Xbox One has to offer; originally created as a means of fluidly and easily multi-tasking by running two apps at once, Snap Mode extremely clunky and cumbersome. The mode runs in the right-hand side of the screen and actually shrinks the main screen, making for some distorted and rather clumsy/slow "multi-tasking". But it looks like Snap Mode is getting a major change for the better, and Microsoft is keen on evolving the feature for a new generation.

Microsoft has already given the Xbox One OS a huge facelift with the New Xbox One Experience update, which adding a ton of functionality like backward compatibility, a 50% speed boost while navigating menus, enabled Windows 10 UWP integration via a custom OneCore OS and added a new quick launch bar. Now it seems Microsoft wants to optimize the system even further by completely evolving the outdated Snap Mode feature.

According to Windows Central, Microsoft is currently experimenting with a new picture-in-picture Snap Mode feature. It seems that Microsoft's motivations to remove the legacy Snap Mode aren't totally aligned with user feedback, but basic functionality, as Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform apps cannot leverage the current Snap Mode.

The much anticipated follow up to Ridley Scott's Alien prequel 'Prometheus' is now set to burst into cinemas earlier than expected.

While the film was originally slated for release in August 2017, 20th Century Fox has announced via the Alien Anthology Twitter page that it will now release in May during the busy summer blockbuster season. While the title drops the 'Prometheus' name of its predecessor, the film will feature the return of the android David with Michael Fassbender reprising his role. According to Director Ridley Scott, it's set to strengthen the connective tissue between the 'Prometheus' and 'Alien' movies - with the classic Xenomorph alien set to scare a new generation of film goers.

'Alien: Covenent' will hit 3D and 2D cinemas in May 2017.

It looks like AMD is preparing to launch a next-gen graphics card, where the company should unveil its new Vega architecture soon - it's looking like we can expect the Radeon RX 490 to be unveiled soon.

The new Radeon RX 490 will be AMD's new 4K-ready flagship graphics card that will fight against NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080, and hopefully at a lower price point. AMD has said that we aren't to expect a faster Polaris graphics card than the RX 480, so I don't see why they would announce an RX 490 when they should jump to the RX 590 with a card that can beat NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1080 (which will only be replaced with a GTX 1080 Ti soon enough).

But, there's some exciting things to expect, according to WCCFTech:

Unlike the previous Mass Effect games, Mass Effect: Andromeda will have a seamless non-interrupt feel to it thanks to current-gen PC and console hardware, meaning gamers won't have to sit through tons of loading points through their interstellar adventures.

Sitting down with GameInformer, BioWare recently confirmed that Mass Effect: Andromeda's player ship, the Tempest, would be a seamless space within the game. That means the Tempest won't have any pesky loading zones as players explore and navigate through the different layers of the ship, with even planet exploration and even spaceflight travel being re-worked to feel much more immersive.

Read Also: Mass Effect: Andromeda won't be capped at 30FPS on PC

Update: I've been chatting with Bertram on Twitter, and he said that "this is not a fundraiser", adding that "money issues can be so... finnicky... we've decided to hold off for now. We're exploring a fundraising method that would use multisig bitcoin wallets in order to allow for complete transparency and consencus before funds are spent".

Last week I wrote a story about WikiLeaks being astroturfed and that it was under the control of the government, and there was barely a peep from the mainstream media. Well, it's something that we should all be looking at right now, as it affects freedom of speech on the internet in a big way.

I took to my personal Twitter to talk about it, and in the last few days my account has blown up with followers, DMs, and retweets. There is a very large support group who wants to see WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange safe and sound, and just as I was considering opening up a GoFundMe account for this very reason, Logan Bertram did.

Microsoft's venture with Oculus has manifested, bringing Xbox One game streaming to the Oculus Rift VR headset this December.

Oculus Rift owners won't actually be able to play Xbox games in full VR, but instead broadcast games directly from your Xbox One console to the Rift headset in a kind of theater-like auditorium that projects the gameplay on a giant screen similar to PlayStation VR's Cinema Mode. Gamers will need to download a special app in the Oculus Store in order to broadcast Xbox games

"Today marks an evolution in our ongoing partnership with Oculus, as Rift owners will be able to stream their Xbox One library to Rift with the new Xbox One Streaming to Oculus Rift app, including fan favorites like Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Halo 5: Guardians, the biggest sports games, indie darlings, Backward Compatible Xbox 360 games, and more titles coming in 2017," reads the official update on the Xbox blog.

Watch Dogs 2 is now available on PC, and Ubisoft has teamed up with NVIDIA to show off the ultimate port of the game with high-end NVIDIA Game Works features.

Watch Dogs 2 is already an amazing-looking game on consoles, breaking a new barrier when it comes to open world gaming and next-gen interactions. With NVIDIA Game Works, however, Watch Dogs 2 takes on a new dimension of depth and immersion, rocking extra PC-specific features like high-definition shadows, 4K textures, TXAA and HBAO+, and much more.

"HBAO+ ambient occlusion shading and rendering techniques add depth to a scene. Immersive lighting and details and shadows add realism to the Bay Area. With the implementation of TXAA aliasing is diminished and edges sharpened," Ubisoft's Dominic Guay affirms in the intro vid.

Sony has recently revealed that the PS2 classic Samurai Shodown VI is now available on the PS Store. The news was announced via Gematsu and the official PlayStation Blog only days ago.

The original SNK classic Samurai Shodown IV was first released on PS2 back in 2006, but will now see compatibility for the latest-gen console with improved graphics and features.

Samurai Shodown VI, like other PS2-PS4 games, is priced at $14.99 on the PlayStation Store. Visit the PlayStation Blog for more details.

First Facebook accidentally flagged their boss as deceased, and now Twitter has suspended their CEO Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey didn't have access to his Twitter account for a short period, and once he returned he wrote that the "account suspension was an internal mistake."

However, the number of his followers dropped from 3.9 million to only 142, which prompted many users to joke about how they have more followers than Twitter's CEO. His follower count eventually started growing back to its original size and his account is back to normal now.

Yet another online retailer lists Nintendo's Switch hybrid-handheld console for $245, this time possibly revealing the system's exact March release date.

Online UK retailer Gameseek has listed the Nintendo Switch for £198, which converts to $245 USD, coinciding with our Switch pricing reports that pinpoint the console at a starter $250 SKU and a "pro" bundle priced at $299. What's more interesting is that Gameseek has a pre-order price guarantee that locks in the listed price even if the system's actual release date price goes up, which strongly indicates that the cost could be accurate (companies don't like losing money, after all).

Read Also: Nintendo Switch handheld delivers console-quality gaming

Online sources have reported that Activision has recently announced a new Christmas themed Skylander Sensei figurine. The Jingle Bell Chompy Mage will be available to customers on November 25.

The holiday exclusive has been created just in time to celebrate this year's Christmas season, making it a perfect gift for every Skylanders Imaginator fan.

Jingle Bell Chompy Mage will also be featuring new fighting techniques that will be adaptable to other Skylanders. Visit the official Online Store for more information.

This November, Microsoft is offering its Xbox Live Gold members a new list of titles as part of the Games With Gold promotion.

Free on Xbox One:

Free on Xbox 360:

World of Warcraft, one of the most popular MMORPG games ever, was released on this day 12 years ago and has since gained millions of fans all over the world.

Those who have followed the game since the very beginning remember the moments that unfortunately newer players can't experience. Massive 40-man raids, Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, Swift Zulian Tiger, etc., are just some of the experiences that made the game so popular.

World of Warcraft initially had a much smaller community, and the gamers enjoyed being the first residents of Azeroth. The quests and raids had to be solved without the help of various guides on YouTube or WoWHead. However, over the years, Warcraft held its status as one of the most played online games in the world.

Nintendo America has recently launched a tour of "The Legend of Zelda" themed escape rooms for fans to come and experience. Designer SCRAP alongside Nintendo have created "Defenders of the Triforce", to appear in different locations around the United States in 2017.

Like previous escape rooms, the idea of solving a mystery with a group of people in order to be set free will remain the same. In a news release by Nintendo, it stated teams will consist of six participants: "interact with classic items and characters seen in The Legend of Zelda series like the Goron, Zora and Kokiri tribes, discovered items can be used to solve puzzles and move forward into other areas, just like in The Legend of Zelda games."

Tour dates/locations:

Google knew it was onto something with the launch of its next-gen Pixel smartphones, and since they are "only on Verizon" when they're not unlocked - Verizon is doing well with sales, too.

According to a new report from Wave7 Research, Google Pixel accounted for 7.5% of all Verizon activiations in the last 30 days, which as 9to5Google reports is "a big deal considering we're entering the holiday season". Verizon has been splashing money on advertising the Pixel and Pixel XL, even advertising Google's new Daydream View VR headset now that it's available.

Google and Verizon spent $27 million combined in the week of October 27 to November 2, with Google contributing $15 million while Verizon spent $12 million.

Skyrim Special Edition didn't launch on the PC without a few hiccups, but Bethesda has already pushed out Update 1.3 to Steam users through a beta release.

The update includes improved stability and performance, as well as better support for 144Hz displays. The patch is only available in its beta form on Steam right now, so you won't have your Skyrim Special Edition updating automatically.

Here's what to expect in the v1.3 update: