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Facebook teases off its Steam-like PC gaming platform

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 19, 2016 3:27 AM CDT

Facebook has announced that it's working with Unity on a new "dedicated, immersive experience [built] solely for gamers" that would see the Oculus owner and social networking giant competing directly against the likes of Steam.

With over 650 million users who play games through Facebook every month, we can see the allure of Facebook jumping into support PC gamers in a bigger, and better way. Facebook unveiled its desktop platform in May, where it was at the time, known as Facebook Games Arcade. Now, it's known as the "new Facebook PC gaming platform".

Facebook and Unity representatives told TechCrunch that the new platform will be "distraction free", but didn't elaborate on how much Facebook's influence in terms of the News Feed would find its way into the PC gaming platform. There will be support for casual games, but immersive games will also be there - and why wouldn't they, Facebook does own Oculus after all - this feels like a good push in the right direction for the company.

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Continue reading: Facebook teases off its Steam-like PC gaming platform (full post)

No Man's Sky v1.04 patch lands on the PS4

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 19, 2016 1:30 AM CDT

No Man's Sky continues to hit the headlines, with Hello Games pushing out a new patch that is now live on the PS4 version of the game.

The new v1.04 patch has already reached the PC, but the PS4 version of No Man's Sky is now updated, with a new patch promised for next week. There are no official patch notes, but designer Sean Murray has said that the v1.04 patch "improves stability", and will have some improvements that haven't been detailed just yet.

Murray took to Twitter saying "even though less than one per cent of players have raised support issues, we're going to resolve roughly 70% of them this week", following that tweet, he said: "Patch notes incoming but PC build adds support for more hardware + improves frame rate at low spec. PS4 improves stability + lots more".

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Continue reading: No Man's Sky v1.04 patch lands on the PS4 (full post)

$270 version of Final Fantasy 15 has no season pass

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 9:09 PM CDT

If you've got $270 burning a hole in your pocket, pick up the Ultimate Collector's Edition of Final Fantasy 15, which comes with a massive amount of physical and digital goods.

But, the $270 version of Final Fantasy 15 will be an extremely limited release, it won't include the $35 season pass. For $270, you'll get the game itself, a 192-page hardcover artbook, an action figure, steelbook case, soundtrack CDs, and digital content - but no season pass - because, reasons. FF15 director Hajime Tabata took to Twitter, when someone asked about whether the Ultimate Collector's Edition would include the season pass, and it was a big fat no.

Tabata tweeted: "Will the Ultimate collectors edition contain the season pass? - sadly no & we look into making more UCE but we were told we still can't".

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Continue reading: $270 version of Final Fantasy 15 has no season pass (full post)

Agony is a gloriously grotesque monument to the bizarre

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 6:16 PM CDT

Gamescom 2016 - Madmind Studios' new game Agony takes players on a mind-bending journey through hell itself, displaying a creative and supremely bizarre flavor of the underworld.

Agony is a gloriously grotesque monument to the bizarre

Agony is the kind of game I've been waiting on for a long time. We have horror games, sure, but this is different; this brings to mind the scarlet horrors of Wayne Barlowe and the twisted monoliths of Zdzislaw Beksinski, of the kinds of things in cenobite's nightmares, the things that make Jason and Freddy look like child's play. It's a new kind of horror game that taps the primal weirdness that birthed the genre, it's a blackened fane to everything grotesque and a blood-inked love letter to the abominable.

Agony's new eight-minute gameplay trailer propels the survival horror genre into one of the most visually striking versions of hell. As a horror movie connoisseur, I'm well-versed in the themes and visuals that Agony uses; we have Cronenberg-style body-horror with the writhing organic walls, and some very Clive Barker-ish demonic entities. Everything is visually entrancing in an eerie, freakish sort of way, and rather than being terrified, viewers want to see more. I mean if you ask me, this is how Diablo should be--at least in some way.

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Continue reading: Agony is a gloriously grotesque monument to the bizarre (full post)

No Man's Sky might have paid DLC after all

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 5:24 PM CDT

No Man's Sky's free substantial content updates may transform into paid DLC after all.

No Man's Sky might have paid DLC after all

Remember when Hello Games pushed out the huge day one content update for No Man's Sky? It wasn't just an optimization update--according to the devs that patch added in new features and content, usually the kind of stuff gamers get charged for as DLC. The devs said that No Man's Sky's updates will always be free, but at what point? Can the devs afford to add in massive chunks of content for free?

"Hello Games will continually update No Man's Sky this way. This is the first of many," Sean Murray said at the time, promising the next free update will add in the ability to build bases and own space freighters, as well as graphics options that will "really change the game again."

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Continue reading: No Man's Sky might have paid DLC after all (full post)

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided features 19 graphics options

Sean Ridgeley | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 4:35 PM CDT

A lucky few have gotten their hands-on early PC copies of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and with that comes a sneak peek at the game's graphics options. The list is much longer than that of its predecessor, including 19 items as well as 12 display options. Among them: MSAA, field of view, temporal anti-aliasing, contact hardening shadows, chromatic aberration, and then less fancy bits like shadow quality, texture quality, and depth of field.

On a related note, DirectX 12 won't be supported at first: developer Nixxes Software says that should arrive the week of September 5.

Mankind Divided launches in four days.

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Watch an hour of new Final Fantasy 15 gameplay footage

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 3:30 PM CDT

Gamescom 2016 - Square Enix showed off nearly an hour's worth of new Final Fantasy 15 gameplay footage, detailing strings of quests, battles, NPC interactions and more.

Watch an hour of new Final Fantasy 15 gameplay footage

If you're still disappointed by Final Fantasy 15's recent delay to November, the devs have eased your pain with a nice chunk of new gameplay footage. The only trade off is that the video is based on the Xbox One version, so the graphics are a bit wonky at times, but it still looks absolutely fantastic.

Although it's only 52 minutes long, the footage is edited in such a way that it takes us pretty far into the game instead of being just one continuous stream. There's a nice blend of main quests seamlessly merging into sidequests and miscellaneous activities, showing how the dynamic and immersive the open world is.

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Continue reading: Watch an hour of new Final Fantasy 15 gameplay footage (full post)

Ubisoft shoots farts in your nose, thanks to South Park

Anthony Garreffa | Extended Reality (XR) | Aug 18, 2016 3:22 PM CDT

Ubisoft is using one of the most unique PR pushes I've seen, with a device that shoots farts into your nose - a real life version of the Oculus Rift parody in South Park: The Fractured But Whole video game called the Nosulus Rift. The device straps to your face, shooting the smell of a fart directly into your nostrils - yeah, we're not joking.

Oculus' Head of Studios, Jason Rubin, was asked what he thought about the device, as it's a parody of the Oculus Rift headset. Rubin said: "[Matt Stone and Trey Parker] are some of the funniest human beings on the planet and very deserving of their accolades. Having Matt and Trey take on Oculus says we've made it. It is absolutely a moment of pride for Oculus". Stone and Parker worked with Rubin on South Park: The Stick of Truth when Rubin was the CEO of the now-closed developer THQ. Rubin added that "producing Matt and Trey was one of the most amazing moments" of his career".

Rubin added: "We would go and hear their pitches for levels and they'd be like, 'Okay, you're climbing up a rectum,' and I was like, 'Oh my god, how are we going to get this by the ratings board? Those guys are amazing. It's a moment of pride. More power to them. Ubisoft is a big supporter of VR, so the joke is on all of us and we all share in that".

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T-Mobile says 'the era of the data plan is over'

Sean Ridgeley | Mobile Devices | Aug 18, 2016 2:36 PM CDT

T-Mobile is making choosing a phone plan a lot simpler than what you're used to by removing the choice altogether and going all in on unlimited.

T-Mobile says 'the era of the data plan is over'

"I declare that the era of the data plan is over," says CEO John Legere. "We are completely destroying the whole concept of a data plan; it's gone. We have one single offer that banishes data buckets forever."

Its new and only plan -- apart from previous plans available to those already signed up for them -- is dubbed "T-Mobile One", costs $70 per month ($50 for a second line, and $20 for each line after that), and offers unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data. Also included: unlimited mobile hotspot data on the 2G network.

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Intel i7 6950X overclocked to an insane 5731 MHz

Derek Strickland | Processors | Aug 18, 2016 12:30 PM CDT

Renowned overclocker Elmor has set a new world record by pushing Intel's i7 6950X an insane 91% past its base clock speed.

Intel i7 6950X overclocked to an insane 5731 MHz

At this year's Intel IDF 2016 "Technical Innovation" event, Elmor was able to overclock Intel's Broadwell-E i7 6950X CPU to 5731 MHz, which is 91.06% past the CPUs base clock speed. Elmor achieved this speed by using liquid nitrogen cooling on an ASUS Rampage V Edition 10 X99 motherboard, an ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Ti Matrix video card, and G.Skill's Trident Z DDR4 RAM.

For more info on Intel's Broadwell-E i7 6950X Extreme Edition CPU, check out our official review.

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Continue reading: Intel i7 6950X overclocked to an insane 5731 MHz (full post)

No Man's Sky's patch will fix urgent, critical errors

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 11:30 AM CDT

With all of the issues surrounding the launch of No Man's Sky, news of two patches for the PC and PS4 releases of the game should have some gamers happy.

An email has been sent by the developer, saying: "A patch for both PC and PS4 will be released this week. These will fix the most urgent and critical issues for all our players. Then next week another patch for PS4 and PC will be released which will help to improve the experience further for players. We will keep you updated".

The PC version of No Man's Sky has been suffering from performance issues, so these patches should hopefully fix performance, as well as the notorious alt-tab bug that crashes the game for most people who try it.

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MSI launches its new GeForce GTX 1060 3GB models

Anthony Garreffa | Graphics Cards | Aug 18, 2016 10:00 AM CDT

MSI has just announced its new GeForce GTX 1060 3G range of graphics cards, which will be mostly the same as the normal GTX 1060 except it has 3GB of VRAM instead of 6GB of VRAM.

There will be five different models of the GTX 1060 3GB from MSI, with the GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 3G, GTX 160 GAMING 3G, GTX 1060 ARMOR 3G OCV1, GTX 1060 ARMOR 3GV1, and GTX 1060 3GT OC graphics cards. There are varying clock speeds, with the GTX 1060 GAMING X 3G featuring its GP106 GPU clocked at 1594/1809MHz for base/boost, respectively. The GAMING X cards will feature MSI's infamous TWIN FROZR VI cooling technology, while the ARMOR models will feature the ARMOR 2X cooling tech.

As for pricing, we should see MSI's GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING 3G priced at around $215, while the GAMING X will be a little more expensive, and the ARMOR models a little cheaper.

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Continue reading: MSI launches its new GeForce GTX 1060 3GB models (full post)

NVIDIA accuses Intel of cheating on Xeon Phi benchmarks

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Aug 18, 2016 8:31 AM CDT

Intel used a benchmark slide during its presentation at ISC 2016 to detail their Xeon Phi processors being 2.3x faster than NVIDIA GPUs in neural network training. According to Intel's data and comparisons, the Xeon Phi is also 38% better at scaling. Well, NVIDIA isn't happy and it's ready to fight, taking to a new blog post saying "We'd like to address these claims and correct some misperceptions that may arise".

First off, NVIDIA claims that Intel used Caffe AlexNet data that is 18 months old, with four Xeon Phi servers against four Maxwell-based GPUs. The latest version which is publicly available, and NVIDIA providing a link to it in their blog, sees NVIDIA's four Maxwell GPUs delivering 30% faster training time than the four Xeon Phi servers. Using four of the new Pascal-based Titan X GPUs, training is a whopping 90% faster than four of Intel's Xeon Phi servers, and if you want to put the boot heel on Intel's neck, just a single DGX-1 machine from NVIDIA is 5x faster than four Xeon Phi servers.

NVIDIA goes into great detail on its blog so be sure to check it out, with the post finishing with NVIDIA saying "It's great that Intel is now working on deep learning. This is the most important computing revolution with the era of AI upon us and deep learning is too big to ignore. But they should get their facts straight".

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AMD's 16-threaded Zen-based CPU spotted, has a 95W TDP

Anthony Garreffa | Processors | Aug 18, 2016 7:01 AM CDT

AMD is working towards Zen as we speak, but more leaked details have arrived on the 4-core and 8-core CPUs which will feature 8 and 16 CPU threads in total, respectively. The new details are on the clock speeds and TDP, with the 16-threaded Zen CPU clocking in at 2.8Ghz base frequency and up to 3.2GHz boost. The new 16-thread CPU will be a 95W part according to the leaks.

If we compare it to Intel's Broadwell-E based, 16-threaded Core i7-6900K processor, which is also made on the 14nm process, Intel has a higher 130W TDP. AMD's 8-core/16-thread Zen-based CPU has a TDP of just 95W in comparison, 35W less than Intel's offering with the 6900K. AMD has some great efficiency tricks up its sleeve with Zen, but the 14nm process used by Intel is different to the 14nm FinFET process that Samsung and Globalfoundries use for AMD's new CPUs.

Performance wise, we already expect over 40% more instructions per cycle (IPC) over the previous generation CPU architecture from AMD, codenamed Excavator. The older FX-8350 from AMD was an 8-threaded CPU (4 physical CPU cores) codenamed Orochi, while the Zen-based Summit Ridge CPU is twice as fast in Cinebench 15, according to AMD. If we're looking at twice the efficiency per core, the new 4- and 8-core processors are going to be rather large improvements for AMD, putting them on a more level playing field against Intel.

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Continue reading: AMD's 16-threaded Zen-based CPU spotted, has a 95W TDP (full post)

Intel doubles down on VR, now building a VR studio in LA

Anthony Garreffa | Extended Reality (XR) | Aug 18, 2016 5:32 AM CDT

Intel has committed to VR in a big way, announcing plans to build a new studio in LA that will work on sports and entertainment VR projects, with the new studio called the Intel Tech Experience Labs.

The company hasn't unveiled any details on the VR studio, but the LA Times has said that Intel will be working on helping companies and other third parties create VR videos using Intel's technology. VentureBeat reports that the VR studio will continue the work Intel did on the 360-degree replay technology is acquired earlier this year and was used by the NBA to provide fans with different angles of the court.

Intel isn't the first to have its own VR studio, with the Facebook-owned Oculus having its Story Studio, and YouTube has offices in both NYC and LA that have VR rigs. AOL even has a VR studio that Huffington Post uses for 360-degree content. It looks like Intel is getting very serious about VR, and that's a great thing to see.

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Google's new Nexus as fast as Samsung Galaxy S7

Anthony Garreffa | Mobile Devices | Aug 18, 2016 3:26 AM CDT

Google has the world excited for its next-gen Nexus smartphones, which until now we've known as the Nexus M1 and Nexus S1. The Nexus M1 is the faster of the two, and a new leak says that the new Nexus M1 will have high-end hardware, and will be just as good as any of the flagship smartphones on the market.

According to an Antutu benchmark for the "Google Nexus Marlin" found by a Weibo user 'The Malignant', the new Nexus M1 will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. Google's new Nexus M1 will also reportedly feature 32GB of storage, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera backed up by an 8-megapixel selfie camera. We're also expecting a 2560x1440 native resolution.

We are still waiting for the official announcement and release date of the new Nexus smartphones, which shouldn't be too much longer away, hopefully somewhere in October.

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Continue reading: Google's new Nexus as fast as Samsung Galaxy S7 (full post)

Elaborate $800 Middle Earth Blu-ray boxset incoming

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Aug 18, 2016 1:42 AM CDT

Now that the whole Peter Jackson Middle-Earth saga is complete (well, until they come out with the 'The Silmarillion' .. .kidding it will never happen), Warner Bros can finally release that huge Blu-ray boxset that fans have always wanted.

So up for pre-order today is the 30 disc 'Middle-Earth' Ultimate Blu-ray Collection, which rounds up all three 'Lord of the Rings' extended edition trilogy, 'The Hobbit' extended edition trilogy with dozens of extra feature discs equaling hundreds of hours of extra features. The price tag? A credit card busting $799. But it does come with a "spectacular 100-page sketch-style book" as well as "six stunning faux leather books and a collectible Hobbit-style wood shelf", so there's that.

The 'Middle-Earth' Ultimate Blu-ray Collection hits shelves on October 4 - just in time for Christmas.

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Continue reading: Elaborate $800 Middle Earth Blu-ray boxset incoming (full post)

DriveClub VR to be the 'most immersive' version

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 1:18 AM CDT

Gamescom 2016 - DriveClub was one of the best looking games released on the PlayStation 4, and with the developer working on DriveClub VR as a PlayStation VR exclusive will be one of the best VR driving games yet.

Sony said in a blog post: "While we normally like to keep everyone in the Driveclub community up to speed on any developments, we've had to keep this one under the hood... until now. We've been working tirelessly on Driveclub VR for more than a year now, to bring you the definitive and most immersive Driveclub experience possible".

DriveClub VR is being developed by Sony's Immersive Technology Group, with the team wanting to "take Driveclub to a more immersive level" thanks to VR. Not only do we have new screenshots of DriveClub VR, but we have some key points to share:

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Continue reading: DriveClub VR to be the 'most immersive' version (full post)

Xbox One S controller bringing new perks to gaming

Emma Tucker | Gaming | Aug 18, 2016 12:16 AM CDT

We have all heard about the new Xbox One S console making headlines in magazines, websites, and social media. Yeah, sure, everyone knows or assumes that with a new update or release it's bound to be better, but what do we really know about the updated Xbox One S controller? A decent controller makes your gaming experience better, everyone knows that it has got to be responsive, easy to use and equipped with the hottest features.

Microsoft has modified its controller for the best gaming experience with the recently developed model being light weight and smaller in diameter and has some new features up its sleeve. The specs include double the wireless range, meaning that you will have twice the wireless range of the previous Xbox One controllers. The new sleek and slim like design provides a more comfortable feel with a fancy textured grip stopping anymore of those near miss drops.

The advanced Bluetooth perk means that anyone with a Windows 10-based smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops can sync up and be used instead of a stylus pen or mouse, but the best is still yet to come. Microsoft is providing its customers the option of a personal design with the Xbox One S, so if you are over the standard black or white controllers and have no idea how to stick on a decal without screwing it up, then you can now log onto the Xbox website and make your own for $79.99.

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Continue reading: Xbox One S controller bringing new perks to gaming (full post)

Batman: Arkham VR lets you experience being Batman

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Aug 17, 2016 11:32 PM CDT

Gamescom 2016 - If there's one PlayStation VR exclusive that gets released on October 1 to experience, it would have to be Batman: Arkham VR, which makes you feel like Batman in VR.

In the first Batman VR experience, you'll dive head first into the Batcave where you can scope out Batman's equipment, and then walk up to the mirror after putting the suit on and you will see your reflection - you are Batman. You'll also be able to experience Gotham City, as well as Wayne Manor, all from Batman's eyes.

There's some new footage in the clip, as well as fan's reactions after experiencing Batman: Arkham VR at San Diego Comic-Con just recently.

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