Latest News - Page 2460

Google parent company Alphabet is envisioning a not-so-distant future where internet doesn't require cable running through your city, but rather is beamed wirelessly into your home.

Company chairman Eric Schmidt brought the idea up at the annual shareholder meeting, where he stated that thanks to better computer chips and accurate "targeting of wireless signals", the technology is not only viable, but it can match its own Google Fiber speed-wise. Schmidt said he's met with Alphabet CEO Larry Page and CFO Ruth Porat to discuss it.

The technology is said to be in testing now in Kansas City, where Google first launched Fiber. The plan is to demonstrate it there by next year.

Computex 2016 - Sandisk unveiled their new Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive during Computex 2016, with the new generation drive featuring a new retractable design, higher speeds, more capacity, and more.

Vice President of Sandisk's Product Marketing, Dinesh Bahal explains: "With its reversible connector, impressive speeds, and multi-purpose potential, USB Type-C is a game-changer. More Type-C devices are entering the market and through our Type-C mobile drives, we can offer consumers a complete line of mobile storage solutions. The new Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive now provides more than twice the capacity and offers the flexibility to quickly and conveniently move photos, videos and files between devices, as well as the freedom to expand device capacity".

The new Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive comes in up to 128GB with a reversible USB Type-C connector and a standard USB Type-A connector that will allow you to connect it up to your PC, notebook, or even smartphone and tablet. We have USB 3.1 performance pushing up to 150MB/sec, which is more than enough speed to throw huge files onto the drive, at high speeds. The new drive arrives in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB with pricing of $19.99, $29.99, $39.99 and $69.99, respectively.

Computex 2016 - Lian Li was in force at Computex this year, unveiling two more "conventional" desks, in the form of the new DK-12 and DK-16. These new desks from Lian Li are automated standing desks, with a "similar console and customizable height presets to the DK-04".

The desktop on the other hand, is a particle board with a waterproof, leather-like surface mounted on aluminum. The standing mechanism itself can lift, and handle up to 264 lbs (120kg). The big difference between the DK-12 and DK-16 is that the DK-12 is 140cm wide (55 inches) while the DK-16 is around 200cm wide (78.7 inches). Lian Li will have a planned accessory for mounting under the desk, with an adjustable arm that can hold any shape/size PC, so that when the desk moves up and down, so too will your PC.

With the swirl of E3 2016 announcements and teases so far, one of the biggest ones is that Halo 5 is reportedly on its way to the PC, according to NeoGAF's industry insider 'Enter the Dragon Punch'.

The rumor teases that 'Enter the Dragon Punch' says "I have it on good authority from multiple sources that Halo 5 will be coming to PC". Most would discredit someone called Enter the Dragon Punch, but this person has been on the mark with several other leaks in the past, including the recent Sunset Overdrive on the PC rumor. It would make sense for Microsoft to release Halo 5 onto the PC, as they own both Xbox and Windows, but will they actually come through and release it well?

We all saw how Quantum Break was released on the PC alongside the Xbox One version, so if Microsoft does end up releasing Halo 5 on the PC, they need to do it in a big way. Far better graphics, tuned controls for the PC, countless graphics options (think DOOM), and more.

Something we missed during our Computex 2016 coverage was the new Plextor M8Pe series SSD, which is the company's new PCIe-based SSD which arrives with the super-fast 32Gb/s PCIe interface.

The new Plextor M8Pe series SSDs arrive in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and even 1TB sizes, all powered by the Marvel 88SS1093 series processor, baked onto Toshiba-made MLC NAND flash. The 128GB version of the drive reads at up to 1.6GB/sec while writes are slower at 500MB/sec with up to 120,000/130,000 IOPS R/W 4K random access. Moving up to the 256GB model, which is capable of up to 2GB/sec reads and 900MB/sec writes with 210,000/230,000 IOPS random access.

The larger 512GB model packs reads speeds of up to a whopping 2.3GB/sec while write speeds are 1.3GB/sec, with 260,000/250,000 IOPS random access, while the 1TB version has some insane numbers, with up to 2.5GB/sec reads and up to 1.4GB/sec writes with 280,000/240,000 IOPS random access.

FIFA 17 has been announced with the new game powered by the beautiful Frostbite engine, the engine created by EA DICE that has powered Battlefield 4, Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefield Hardline (let's forget about that), Need for Speed, and others.

EA has also detailed some of the different editions of FIFA 17, with a Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition and even a Super Deluxe Edition. FIFA 17 launches on September 29 on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC - but first, here are the details on the three different versions of FIFA 17:

Standard Edition

While box office analysts are anticipating a soft opening for Duncan Jones' 'Warcraft' feature film off the back of some less than stellar reviews, it hasn't stopped the film's China opening generating mega-bucks.

According to Forbes, the film has generated nearly $46 million on opening day at the Chinese box office - the second highest opening of all time in the country, representing a higher take than for recent blockbusters such as 'The Force Awakens' and 'Captain America: Civil War'. Expectations are that the film won't even crack the $100 million dollar mark in the U.S., so it's vitally important that the film make bank in overseas territories if it's to recover its estimated $160 million production budget - let alone turn a profit.

'Warcraft' opens in the U.S. tomorrow, and on June 16th in Australia.

With E3 2016 literally right around the corner, the rumors of a next-gen Xbox console are being teased once again. According to sources of The Verge, the refreshed Xbox One console will be 40% smaller than the current model, and will reportedly include 4K support of some kind.

Now, I think a refreshed Xbox One makes sense, but I don't think it'll be enough to fight off the purported PlayStation 4.5/4K, which is a faster console. If the refreshed PlayStation arrives and can handle 1080p 60FPS (or 4K 30FPS) gaming alongside PlayStation VR... Microsoft's Xbox One console, and this new, thinner Xbox console, would be finished. But, if the refreshed Xbox is a more capable device, sporting a next-gen Polaris-based design, then Sony could find itself with improved competition from Microsoft. If we consider the upcoming Radeon RX 480 is capable of some serious horsepower with its 150W TDP and $199 price, so maybe we'll see a lower-end Polaris that would power the next-gen Xbox.

Remember that Microsoft has its Windows side of business, and it could potentially partner with Oculus and include Rift support - which will be a huge contender against the PlayStation VR that is launching later this year.

Facebook, Twitter, and Tinder, among other services have enabled GIF support in recent times, and now WhatsApp is joining the party too.

The changelog for the latest iOS 2.16.7.1 beta, as interpreted by @WABetaInfo, indicates GIF support is indeed on the way. Unfortunately direct importing of GIFs doesn't appear to be apart of the deal (at least not yet), but you can link to GIFs and they'll show up as intended. Other GIF-related features include GIF saving to your camera roll, autoplay, static image conversion, direct reply, encryption, and peek and pop actions.

Look out for the new goods when the beta hits. Or if you're not the beta type, sit tight and wait for the public release, which shouldn't take long.

Firefox will soon see what Mozilla developer Asa Dotzler calls "the largest [change] we've ever shipped": the public release of Electrolysis (aka E10S).

A fundamental design change, E10S splits Firefox into two separate processes: one for interface, and one for content. The benefit for the user is if there are any stability issues (slowdowns due to resource hogging, freezing, crashing, etc.), you'll still be able to use your tabs, buttons, and menus as normal.

E10S has been in beta for a long while now and Dotzler says it's finally nearing public release; the current plan is to launch it publicly on August 2. Only one percent of users will receive it immediately, but assuming all goes well, it will then gradually roll out to the other half in the weeks that follow.

Destiny's new expansion may skip last-gen consoles entirely as Bungie and Activision prepare to thoroughly phase out the PS3 and Xbox 360. If that wasn't enough, you'll have to own The Taken King expansion to play Rise of Iron.

Destiny's new Rise of Iron expansion releases on September 20, 2016, according to leaks from Twitter user @MoreConsole, but what's even more interesting is last-gen versions are missing. This could mean PS3 and Xbox 360 owners are getting edged out of future content for Destiny, and Destiny 2 in 2017 will likely be on current-gen consoles only (and likely PS4K).

What's more is that Rise of Iron will require both Destiny's The Taken King mega-expansion and the base-game in order to play. That's right--The Taken King is basically now Destiny's base game, and you won't be able to play Rise of Iron if you own the regular version. A recent leak from Xbox Singapore also revealed that the Rise of Iron will feature the following:

While the Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt marks the end of the monstrous and superb game's content, there's still work to be done, as you might expect following a large expansion release.

CD Projekt RED's Community Lead & Website Coordinator Marin Momot confirmed as much on Twitter, stating the "reported major issues" should all be fixed with a new patch that's currently being worked on. There's no ETA for it, but he does say they want it out "as soon as possible."

If you're what they call a "patient gamer", this also means the patch release will likely be the best time to grab the game in its entirety (or now, since it's on sale).

It's been quite some time since Square Enix dropped Kingdom Hearts III info, and fans might have to wait a lot longer for updates.

Square Enix promises that new Kingdom Hearts III announcements are coming "this winter", possibly hinting we won't see any KH3 news or footage at E3 2016.The publisher shared the news at the very end of the new Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 remaster trailer.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X dev Hironori Okayama affirms that new KH3 updates will come at E3 2016, saying as much in a recent interview with The Koalition. If Okayama said it, then it's likely true, and the winter update could be a release date or new gameplay footage and info.

Ubisoft has officially breathed fresh new vivacious, raw life into the Watch Dogs franchise, culminating in a stylishly comedic open-world game that's completely different from the mournful original.

Today Ubisoft announced Watch Dogs 2, showing off a game that hardly resembles the grim, downgraded port we were given in 2014. The sequel has a distinct youthful spirit of its own, and while AIden Pearce's story left a bad taste in our collective gaming mouths, I for one am starting to get an appetite for Watch Dogs 2. From what we were shown today, Watch Dogs 2 combines a sense of youthful anarchy that sharply contrasts the serious tone of the original, and there's a distinct punkish style that seems to combine Mr. Robot with a modern hipster's style and the devil-may-care, let's-watch-the-world-burn attitude of a punk rocker.

Ubisoft has published three huge videos with pretty much everything you need to know about the game, but we have a nice bullet list of the particulars below for your perusal. Watch Dogs 2 is confirmed to release November 15, 2016 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

A nifty gadget from Swedish company Neonode lets you turn your laptop screen into a touchscreen simply by plugging in a small Wii sensor bar-like device via USB and...that's it.

Once plugged in, the AirBar takes care of the rest by projecting an invisible field of light onto the surface of your display, magitechnologically allowing you to interact directly with it. I kid: the bar utilizes zForce AIR tech, which uses sensors to relay information as a form of movement to the laptop when the light beams are disrupted.

As a bonus, the touch functionality is perhaps less sensitive than your typical touch displays in that you can touch with oven mitts, chopsticks, fingers, or whatever else. Even a paintbrush can be used, effectively turning your laptop into a poor man's graphics tablet.

Eidos Montreal shows off the latest gameplay footage for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, showing off a truly Orwellian future and deep, dynamic and sprawling gameplay.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided as a completely different game from Human Revolution. The world has been entirely segregated; augs are forced to live with one another, and are separated from humankind. Humanity is in a schism, and players will interact with an incredibly vivid and robust in-game world full of possibilities.

The new Pre-E3 footage showcases a ton of different things about Mankind Divided, including gameplay mechanics like the Smart Vision and FPS modes, new weapons like the Stungun, Tesla gun arm, and Nanoblade gun arm (which allows you to throw blades at enemies), aug powers like camo stealth, and just how deep the game's environments are. Players will be able to use almost every bit of their environments to their advantage for maximum tactical efficiency, and nonlethal approaches are much more rewarding this time around.

Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has split into two different studio teams to work on two different games, but neither of them are Alan Wake.

In a lengthy announcement post, Remedy today revealed what's in store for its future, and Alan Wake nor Max Payne are along for the ride. The studio is working on two unique and new AAA IP's: the first one is a "brand new Remedy game with a new partner," and the second is an "early concept which will turn into a game sometime in the future." These new projects won't be unveiled any time soon, either: Remedy has confirmed it won't show anything at E3 2016 or Gamescom.

The devs were also kind enough to not get Alan Wake fans worked up. "Finally, we feel that it's important to set the expectations right and let you, the fans, know that neither of the two projects currently in development is an Alan Wake game. We're working on something else, but at the same time we're exploring opportunities in other mediums to tell more Alan Wake stories."

UK retailer lists the hotly anticipated Skyrim remaster for a November release, adding more fuel to the rumor fire.

Not so long ago we reported that Bethesda will unveil Skyrim remastered for PS4 and Xbox One will full mod support. Now UK retailer Base.com has listed the "Skyrim Definitive Edition" for a release on November 23, 2016, adding more credence of an E3 reveal.

Bethesda is also expected to reveal even more goodies at their E3 2016 showcase--as if Skyrim remastered wasn't enough--including a Wolfenstein 2 sequel from Machine Games, Prey 2, and The Evil Within 2 from Tango Gameworks. We'll likely also see even more Fallout 4 DLC (yes, there's more!) and possibly DOOM.

Injustice 2, the sequel to NetheRealm's popular fighting game Injustice Gods Among Us, has been officially announced with a new cinematic trailer.

With Injustice 2, Netherealm promises a ton of innovations including deep character customization with "unique and powerful gear" and a dynamic level-up system, a brand new original story arc that follows the original game, and a massive roster of DC characters including Supergirl. The trailer shows off some amazing-looking gear for all the combatants, including a very Batman Beyond-like armorset for Batman. The sequel will also take players across the DC universe's most iconic regions, including Metropolis, Atlantis and Gotham City.

"In Injustice 2, we are introducing new features that will change the way fans play fighting games. We're always interested in pushing the genre forward and allowing players to customize and level-up their favorite DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains is a significant leap," said NetheRealm's Ed Boon.

Square Enix today announced that Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 will release in December, and showcased a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming compilation.

The new Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 gameplay trailer shows off Aqua, one of the original Keyblade warriors, battling against the Heartless. Aqua's adventure will be told in the all-new playable Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage, which acts as a direct prequel that bridges to the events of the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III.

"In this new trailer, experience Aqua's battle against the Heartless in KH0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, new HD gameplay from KH Dream Drop Distance & new scenes from KHχ Back Cover that sheds light on the mysterious Foretellers!" reads the trailer's official description.