Latest News - Page 2449

Current data storage techniques rely nearly solely on typical electronic techniques that have been used for years, but they are slightly limited if we wish our data to last for longer than 20 years in cold storage without being switched out. Microsoft is teaming up with Twist Bioscience to explore using DNA as a means of long-term storage. And it's working splendidly.

They've agreed to purchase ten million long oligonucleotides, or DNA, from Twist Bioscience to start encoding actually digital data into the nucleotides therein. Twist Bioscience says that using DNA is advantageous in many different ways over the usual disk or NAND-based solutions. Data could potentially last for up to 2,000 years, far longer than usual, and the amount of data that can be stuffed into just a gram is somewhere around on trillion gigabytes, or a zettabyte, of data. That's astounding.

The approach that they'll be using appears to be de novo or from the very beginning. That is, they'll be making the DNA and not using already present DNA, infusing it with data, then sequencing it so it cannot be re-obtained unless re-sequenced. DNA storage is something that has been explored since 1988, when a small amount of information was put into a small strand of already living DNA. There are plenty of obstacles to making this a viable technology in the future, but thus far, even with current techniques, it could potentially be a magnificent alternative to current archival techniques.

Valve has officially teamed with Bitpay, introducing support for Bitcoin as a payment method on Steam. Gamers can now use digital currency to purchase games and more through Steam, which is pretty damn cool.

Rory Desmond, Director of Business Development, North America and APAC, explained on the official website: "Today we're announcing a new payment integration with software and gaming giant Valve which will bring bitcoin payments to Steam gamers worldwide".

The quote continues:

Gamers and PC enthusiasts have long thought of Intel as a PC company thanks in part to sheer longevity, and of course its technically excellent processors. But as the PC market under-performs, Intel is now looking at itself in a new light, one that focuses more on other technology sectors.

The company's chief executive Brian Krzanich made it crystal clear for the first time this week that it's transforming itself "from a PC company to a company that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices." Which is only logical, given 40 percent of its revenue and 60 percent of its profit margin now come from sources other than the PC space.

"It's time to make this transition and to push the company over all the way to that strategy and that strategic direction," said Krzanich.

We have teamed up with ZOTAC this week who is giving away a speedy SONIX PCIe 480GB SSD to one lucky winner!

Prepare for the silent silver bullet - the ZOTAC SONIX PCI-e SSD. In a world where every second counts, you cannot afford to lag behind. Maximize your speed, minimize load times and make the hourglass a distant memory. With the PCI-e interface, the setup is a very simple plug and play*, so say goodbye to cable management. Your ultimate upgrade requires no wires and no mess - just a sleek dose of metal, silicon, and blazing speed.

Rules and Conditions

At long last, Facebook is today releasing its new Facebook app for Windows 10 desktop as well as a Messenger app. On mobile, its Instagram app debuts.

The Facebook app is available now and features a smaller style layout than with the previous app, which was very in your face. This one is much more efficient for taking in a lot of information and navigating between different sections. As well, performance is much improved with snappy loading of images as well as between clicks. Feature-wise, it supports Live Tiles for at a glance updates, Reactions, stickers in comments, and you can share photos to it through File Explorer (click the Share tab at the top of the window), among other things.

The Messenger app is available now and of course features chat functionality, which is now separate from the Facebook app. Native desktop notifications are listed as a feature; in my brief experience, they're much more reliable than with the previous Facebook app. Live Tiles are also supported. Design-wise, it's now in line with the mobile app (complete with smaller font size), which happens to work well on desktop. As with the new Facebook app, performance is much improved.

The Fallout 4 1.5 patch with Survival mode has been out for about a month now on Steam, but only in beta form. If you're not a beta kind of person, today's your day as the update has gone public.

Survival mode appears aimed at oldschool Fallout fans or just any masochist that enjoys the challenge of a harrowing, realistic experience -- the kind you'd find in a real wasteland. It's especially for you liked the excellent Fallout: New Vegas hardcore mod from developer Josh Sawyer. The key changes here are the removal of fast travel and save anywhere functionality (now you can only save when you sleep), and "increased lethality, diseases, fatigue, danger and more." In short: it's rough out there. If you want to know more, check out our 'Everything you need to know about Fallout 4's new Survival Mode' article.

Other inclusions in the patch: better performance and stability and lots of bug fixes, among other things. Boot Steam to grab it now.

As internet data cap surcharges have become more and more impactful (some providers are now charging as much $35 per month for you to 'avoid' fees associated with usage caps), more and more customers are starting to notice and even take action.

The Wall Street Journal reports data limit complaints to the Federal Communications Comission (FCC) stood at 863 in the first half of 2015 before soaring to 7,904 in the second half. More than that, some said they were canceling streaming services like Netflix, Sling TV, and Sony PlayStation Vue, which are top sources of data consumption. This year looks similar with 1,463 complaints registered as of mid-April.

While companies like Comcast publicly state caps are necessary, leaked internal documents and comments show they're quite aware that's not true, making the situation all the more absurd.

One of Facebook's more exciting acquisitions over the years was VR startup Oculus, and with Facebook feeling generous from its recent earnings report, we caught a glimpse of the future of Oculus and Facebook's intentions.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said: "I really want to emphasise that most [Oculus] Rift early adopters are gamers and developers, but eventually we believe that VR is going to be the next big computing platform and we're making the investments necessary to lead the way. We've got a lot of great content with more than 50 games and apps built for Rift. Again, this is very early and we don't expect VR to take of as a mainstream success right away".

The Oculus Rift launched just weeks ago, and the numbers aren't great yet - but the water hasn't even begun to ripple let alone settle in the VR market.

Nintendo bolsters its rather drab Wii Virtual Console with one of the best RPGs ever made.

If you skipped the Wii generation in favor of the Wii U, you missed out on one of the best RPGs in existence. Thankfully Nintendo has you covered: Xenoblade Chronicles is now available on the Wii U Virtual Console.

The digital Xenoblade Chronicles port will set you back just $19.99, which is pretty good considering the physical disc-based Wii version goes for about $50 on eBay. Like all the VC games, Xenoblade Chronicles will allow off-screen play on the Wii U GamePad. Sadly the game doesn't support the Wii U Pro controller, so you'll have to use the GamePad or pick up a legacy Wii Pro Classic controller and a Wiimote.

Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah teases a mysterious new game, but we have reason to believe it might not be the next Dragon Age.

Two days ago BioWare dev Mark Darrah tweeted a teaser video of himself flipping through a book used for internal studio projects. The book wasn't named, and featured a curious new symbol on it, and kicked off a firestorm of speculation. Could this be the next Dragon Age game? Maybe...but maybe not.

Outside of its traditional franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, BioWare is also working on a brand new IP. We don't know much about the new IP, but job listings hint that it'll have "extensive online components" with server-based multiplayer gameplay, and that BioWare started writing its new IP back in November of last year.

The next installment of the yearly Call of Duty franchise, which is reportedly named Infinite Warfare, just might have a more expensive Legacy Edition which very well could include a fully remastered version of one of the best Call of Duty games that's been created; the original Modern Warfare.

A user on Reddit has posted what is supposedly the reservation card, which can be picked up in the isle for pre-orders at retailers, for Target. It shows what might be the box cover art and also displays, very prominently, a release date of November 4th 2016. The artwork itself is certainly within the same style as all previous Call of Duty installments and the card itself looks quite legitimate, but we've still not had any official announcement by Activision or through Infinity Ward themselves.

Despite that we're definitely within the normal time frame that we see an announcement of some kind for the series, and a listing has appeared on the PlayStation store, so we might be seeing some news very soon. The only word we've received is from Activision and that it'll be "innovative" if nothing else. What innovation the Call of Duty: Ghosts developer is bringing to the table, we just don't know.

Microsoft will announce new Xbox One hardware at E3 2016, internal sources at Redmond have told a key Windows blogger.

Thurrott.com writer Brad Sams has brazenly decreed that Microsoft will undoubtedly unveil a new second-generation Xbox One console refresh at E3, along with a brand new standard controller. Sams also reports that Redmond has a pretty substantial trump card that could manifest as a new way to tighten the Windows 10 PC and Xbox ecosystem, while also heavily differentiating the cross-platform brand from its competitors.

"Based on sources inside the company, expect to see new hardware at the event and there will also be a new standard controller that ships with the Xbox One. The company also has something else up its sleeve that I still don't have all the details on but it's a much bigger deal than an updated standard controller. The new standard controller will look similar to the current design, which isn't too surprising, but will likely come in a new color. Considering that Microsoft currently ships a black controller, a white default design seems like a decent mid-cycle refresh for the console to help spur sales."

Email privacy had always been a point of contention in nearly all circles. It wasn't until quite recently that most cloud providers started encrypting your messages while just sitting in your inbox, and requests for your email data have been made without search warrants under other executive order authority as well as under the auspices of the older law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

The Email Privacy Act was just passed by the US House of Representatives that would require the use of a warrant when looking at emails, even those that are 180 days or older. This new bill is a much needed update to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which required only a more simple subpoena to find older emails. This bill subsequently closes that loophole. This bill may be response to the recent lawsuit from Microsoft regarding the older ECPA, who argue that it violates the Constitution.

Just as with before, the government is not required, and won't, notify you if they're rummaging through your emails though some providers have taken it upon themselves to notify users if they're the subject of an investigation. This bill, however, still has to pass through the Senate, and then be rectified by the President, but with the momentum it already has, it very well could be a much needed update to privacy that doesn't get hung up for political reasons.

After saying it would be bringing Minecraft to the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR back at its Oculus Connect 2 event in September 2015, the day has come - Minecraft is now available for the Gear VR.

Minecraft is available on the Oculus Store for $6.99, with one of the biggest games ever now available to play in VR. The Gear VR edition of Minecraft features everything you find in pocket edition, including both the Creative and Survival modes, skins and multiplayer support.

You'll need a Bluetooth controller to play, with Oculus stating that Minecraft for the Gear VR is 'comfortable for some'. We tried it during the Game Developers Conference earlier this year and walked away impressed, with no motion sickness at all.

A new second-generation Xbox One model has been in mass production since February 2016, according to recently unearthed documents.

Microsoft is planning its own mid-cycle second-generation Xbox One refresh to counter Sony's new 4K-ready PlayStation Neo, leaked documents suggest. The Japanese documents were spotted on NeoGAF, and have since been translated to read:

New Project

Galactic Civilization III has just been updated to version 1.7, and this one is quite sizable in nature. The focus of which is to help make managing your no doubt plethora of Starbases much easier than it was then ever before.

Starbases, for all the obvious benefits, had some limitations. Namely, that you had to manage each one explicitly. But now you can very easily upgrade your floating space stations from your shipyards, too, which will deliver those upgrades as quickly as possible from the closest shipyard as well. Stardock has also added a more detailed look into the various systems of those bases, making it far more convenient to run your empire.

Among the other changes in v1.7 are a few improvements to the diplomacy system that was itself recently overhauled. Trade prices are now actually dependent on your diplomacy with the various species around you. They've closed a few loopholes, such as the stacking of treaties, that were exploited often. Now it's a bit more random and a bit more fun as well. There's plenty more than just that with the full change log that can be read right here.

Microsoft reveals a special edition Xbox One designed by Stark Industries.

I've long thought that most custom special edition consoles are pretty lackluster, but Microsoft has just unveiled an interesting Xbox One designed by none other than Tony Stark. Microsoft and Marvel teamed up to promote Captain America: Civil War, with the partnership culminating in this special Stark Industries-themed Xbox One. The console looks pretty interesting, especially with its mock arc reactor, but I'm worried about ventilation as the system's top is pretty much covered up.

This Xbox One is part of a giveaway, so don't expect to see them in stores. You can enter the win the console by retweeting this Tweet from Xbox France, or liking the Xbox France Facebook page. We'll also likely see a Captain America-themed console as well.

Samsung was one of the first companies to see the future with VR, collaborating with Oculus from nearly the beginning, while building their own Gear VR headset in collaboration with the Rift maker.

At its own Samsung Developers Conference (SDC) the company has teased the future of its plans with its research into VR, and that it thinks a future Gear VR would be an all-in-one headset, without the need of a smartphone, that could reportedly offer a 'Holodeck' experience. Yes, a Holodeck experience - bring it on.

Injong Rhee, Samsung's Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, Software and Services - which is a mouthful of a job title, said it was his personal duty to reveal Samsung's future plans. Rhee teased that Samsung is researching untethered HMD technology, which is an 'all-in-one' device that has a built-in smartphone by the looks of things. Motion tracking and touch sensors are also a big part of Samsung's R&D, which comes as no surprise considering how much better the VR experience is with better, VR-ready controllers.

AMD is positioning itself for a huge battle with NVIDIA this year, in more ways than one. First we have their next-gen Polaris architecture, the new GPU division being spun into Radeon Technologies Group, and an all-in approach when it comes to VR.

The first step for now is the release of Polaris-based video cards, with the expected Radeon 400 series to be unveiled next month and even more so at Computex in the first week of June. We should expect new cards that will beat the Radeon R9 380 and R9 390X, and thanks to the 14nm FinFET process, lower power consumption but much faster cards performance per watt wise.

During an interview with Ars Technica, AMD's main man Roy Taylor said: "I don't think NVIDIA is going to do anything to increase the TAM, because according to everything we've seen around Pascal, it's a high-end part. I don't know what the price is gonna be, but let's say it's as low as £500/$600 and as high as £800/$1000. That price range is not going to expand the TAM for VR. We're going on the record right now to say Polaris will expand the TAM. Full stop".

Ever since the release of 'Iron Man 3' in 2013, Robert Downey Jr. has been pretty cold on the potential of headlining a fourth solo 'Iron Man' film, even telling publications last month that "I don't think that's in the cards". But it looks as though the stance might be moving.

Speaking to ABC News on the eve of the release of 'Captain America: Civil War' which sees him return as Iron Man for the sixth time, Robert Downer Jr. says "I feel like I could do one more", which is a big change from 2014's "There isn't one in the pipe. No, there's no plan for a fourth Iron Man".

Last week it was revealed that Downey Jr. has signed up to reprise his role in the upcoming 'Spider-Man: Homecoming, which hits cinemas worldwide next July.