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HTC will reportedly begin taking pre-orders for its Vive headset on February 29, with the first VR headsets from HTC and Valve hitting consumers on April 1 - days after the Oculus Rift begins shipping to consumers on March 28.

Then we have news from Japanese site S-Max that HTC will announce the official Vive pricing at Mobile World Congress, which kicks off in Barcelona, Spain in a few hours time. HTC will unveil a slew of new smartphones, but I think MWC is going to be a very big deal for them this year thanks to the Vive.

Now, for price. The Oculus Rift is priced at $599 and only includes an Xbox 360 controller, not the awesome Lighthouse controllers and sensors that are included with the HTC Vive. The only rumor we have on the pricing for Vive has it hovering at the $1500 mark, which sounds extremely high, but isn't that high considering what you get in the box. The Vive ships with the awesome Lighthouse controllers, which could be sold separately for hundreds of dollars. Oculus won't be shipping its Touch controllers for the Rift until later this year, and the Rift is still $599 - the Touch controllers should cost somewhere between $199-$299, according to our estimates.

We've known for a while that smartphones are rapidly catching up to console-grade graphics, and by 2017, we'll have phones that are better than a PS4. But what about today's phones?

According to Epic Games' founder Tim Sweeney, Samsung's new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge duo are gaming powerhouses that actually match the performance of higher-end games consoles: "Features that were only possible on high-end game consoles now run on a device that fits in your pocket," Sweeney said in a recent promo tweet.

Both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge pack Qualcomm's new beefy Snapdragon 820 SoC, which includes the powerful Adreno 530 GPU. The Adreno 530 is optimized to support next-gen API's like Unreal Engine 4 and Vulkan to enable photorealistic 3D environments, and sports enhancements across the board including 64-bit Virtual Addresses and other key architectural changes. These new upgrades will play quite nicely with Samsung's mobile Gear VR headset, adding in a new power boost to improve immersion.

The follow-on to last year's highly sought after Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have finally been announced today at MWC. They're continuing to refine the forumla they began back with the more premium handsets last year with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.

Image courtesy Anandtech

The two new devices will ship with the most recent version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will pack one of two different chipsets under the hood, as is tradition for Samsung. The US will receive a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with two Kyro cores operating at 2.15GHz plus an additional two lower power cores working at 1.6GHz. While the rest of the world will have access to Samsung's own Exynos 8 processor. The Exynos 8 is the first fully custom CPU from Samsung on their own 14nm LPP process. Paired to that is 4GB of LPDDR4-1800 RAM and 32GB of NAND with the microSD slot finally making a much-needed return.

Up until now, the Hubble Space Telescope was the one that was looking to the utter edges of the universe, taking a few photos and blowing the world away each time. Well, NASA could retire Hubble very soon with its new WFIRST telescope.

The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (or WFIRST) has a field of view 100x larger than Hubble, and it's designed to block the glare from individual stars, which will make NASA's job of finding the chemical makeup of exoplanets easier. NASA won't launch WFIRST until the mid-2020s, so we should see the James Webb telescope that will be finished in 2018 be the champion until at around 2025 or so.

Once NASA has WFIRST online, it will provide a view of space that we've never seen before. NASA should be better capable of understanding the shape of the universe, as well as provide the US space agency with more insight into how dark energy and dark matter work, which could solve some very big problems and mysteries we have here on Earth.

As virtual reality promises to open up new dimensions and vistas in gaming beyond our wildest dreams, it's no surprise most people plan to use their headsets for gaming. While gaming is certainly a focus for VR headsets like the Vive, HTC says video games are only part of the equation: the Vive will transcend escapism to "transform people's lives".

HTC recently made waves in the VR scene by announcing the Vive's price and release date info, causing a virtual storm of hype across social media. While just about everyone is thinking about the incredible immersion that the Vive will bring to games like Alien Isolation, HTC reminds us that it's not all about gaming. VR has a wealth of practical uses, some of which are absolutely incredible.

"But it's not just about gaming. In addition to these launch titles, HTC is working with developers to foster the creation of content that spans multiple sectors including entertainment, retail, education, design, healthcare and automotive that will ultimately transform people's lives," reads the official blog post.

Huawei today announced their own take on convertible PC market today, expanding into the Windows realm of devices while bringing their mobile expertise to bear. The MateBook is a 12-inch Windows 10 hybrid tablet designed to one-up Microsoft's own premium Surface line.

Their first foray into laptop territory is an attractive looking device at only 6.9mm thick and a surprising 1.4 pounds. The 12-inch screen is slightly smaller physically and in resolution than the current Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book though it boasts the same resolution of 2160x1440, usable aspect ratio and size as the Surface Pro 3. On such a small(ish) device, the pixel density, at 216 ppi, should be high enough for all but the most hawk-eyed of individuals. The screen they're using will have 85% of the NTSC color gamut.

The device is a true hybrid with a sturdy looking keyboard cover that doubles as a stand when you actually want to use it as a traditional laptop. Being their first computer, this might not initially tick all the boxes, but it seems to have learned from the mistakes of past hybrid makers. Included is a novel active pen and also has a laser pointer in one end to annoy co-workers.

At MWC 2016, HTC just announced that it's final consumer Vive VR headset will cost a premium $799, a clear $200 over its Oculus Rift competitor. First shipments are slated to release in April, and the Vive VR will be up for pre-order on February 29 at 7am PST.

Unlike the Rift, consumer-ready Vive is a "complete system" and comes packaged with "everything you need" to experience VR right out of the box: two wireless controllers, the Lighthouse motion-tracking receiver that enables room-based interactions, earbuds, and a linking box that connects the headset to your PC. The Vive VR also comes with two free games, including Job Simulator 2050 and Fantastic Contraption.

The Vive has spent the past few months redefining the dimension of virtual reality, with TweakTown's own Anthony Garreffa calling it an "Oculus Rift killer".

There have been rumors of Intel delaying its 10nm technology, but the company has come out and squashed those rumors, in an ad.

Motley Fool spotted the ad, which has since been taken down, which had Intel saying that its 10nm CPU manufacturing technology would begin mass production "approximately two years" from the posting date. Intel said that the advert was wrong, reiterating that its "first 10-nanometer product is planned for the second half of 2017".

Intel should be positioning itself to have 10nm server processors ready for launch in the first half of 2018, with the consumer market to continue making good use of the 14nm CPUs until 10nm supplies become available in larger numbers.

MWC 2016 - LG has just unveiled its new, and very interesting Rolling Ball, at Mobile World Congress. LG worked with drone maker Parrot on the Rolling Ball, which looks like BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

LG's new Rolling Ball works with the company's new G5 smartphone and turns it into a remote that can control the Rolling Ball from anywhere in the world. It features an on-board camera that records footage, but it's also a speaker that lets you speak through it - like, to your pet. LG's Rolling Ball also includes an IR blaster that lets you turn your TV on, from your smartphone, through the Rolling Ball.

The hardware powering the LG Rolling Ball are found in the center stripe, with the two large hemispheres are the engine that turns the robot in any direction. LG isn't talking about the price on the Rolling Ball just yet, but we should find out in the near future.

MWC 2016 - Alongside the announcement of the G5 smartphone and LG 360 VR, LG has unveiled its new LG 360 CAM. From the product name, you've probably guessed it's a 360-degree camera, and you'd be right.

The LG 360 CAM features two 200-degree cameras, both rocking 13-megapixel sensors, capable of capturing 360-degree videos and photos. LG 360 CAM features a 1200mAh battery, and 4GB of internal storage. LG 360 CAM will shoot 2K videos with 5.1-channel surround sound, thanks to the three microphones on the LG 360 CAM.

LG 360 CAM is also capable of shooting 360-degree content for Google Street Video, and YouTube360 content.

MWC 2016 - LG just unveiled the G5 smartphone, rocking its magic slot accessory port, which takes a camera, and many other devices. One of the other devices LG unveiled at MWC 2016, was the new LG 360 VR.

LG 360 VR works with the newly-announced G5 smartphone, with LG claiming it simulates "a 130-inch TV viewed from two meters away". Not too bad at all. Instead of docking the smartphone into the VR headset like you do with a Samsung smartphone and the GearVR, you plug your G5 smartphone into the LG 360 VR through a cable. This means the LG 360 VR is also barely-there weight of just 118g (or 4.1oz).

As for the display, the LG 360 VR's display has a 639PPI, with VR set to look incredibly beautiful. The LG 360 VR will also support any 360-degree images and video, and any content from the Google Cardboard headset.

MWC 2016 - LG has just unveiled its G5 smartphone at Mobile World Congress, with it featuring a 5.3-inch QHD display with its native resolution of 2560x1440 and 554PPI. The 'magic slot' was revealed, something hotly anticipated by myself and many others around the world, where it can be used to remove the battery, and so much more.

The LG G5 features a full-metal body, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor inside. We have 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 32GB of onboard storage (expandable up to 2TB with microSD), a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera (that does 8-megapixel wide shots) and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Software wise, we have the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and the usual Wi-Fi 802.11 ab/g/n/ac and USB Type-C connectivity. LG has included a 2800mAh removable battery, which is awesome.

The rear-facing camera is interesting, thanks to the 8-megapixel wide-angle lens with a 135-degree field of view, which takes beautiful wide-angle shots. LG also made a big mention of the always-on display, with normal users checking their smartphones at an average of 150 times a day, it's a great idea. This isn't the first time LG has used an always-on display, as it was featured on the V10 smartphone. The G5 is a flagship device, so what about the battery drain from the always-on display? Only 1/3 of the screen is turned on, with LG saying it uses only 0.8% of the battery every hour.

Mobile World Congress 2016 has kicked off, but Samsung's official announcement and reveal of the Galaxy S7 isn't for a little while yet. But before the announcement, we've seen yet another leak, showing us the Galaxy S7 in the best detail yet.

The new leak is courtesy of Android Headlines, with our best look at the Galaxy S7 to date. We can see that the Galaxy S7 definitely features a slightly better design than the S6 and S6 edge, with a fingerprint sensor as the Home button. We know that the Galaxy S7 is now 5.5 inches long, with volume buttons on the left and power button on the right. The rear-facing camera doesn't such a protruding lens, which is great for when the Galaxy S7 is laying face down.

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S7 at MWC 2016 shortly.

Australian telco giant Telstra has had the trophy for fastest LTE in the world a few times now, with the company teasing Australians that it will have its 4G networking capable of pumping 1Gbps (or over 100MB/sec) to smartphones and tablets across Australia.

Right now, Telstra has seen real-world speeds over 800Mbps in the country, recently switching to Category 9 and Category 11 carrier aggregation technology in cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Once the company rolls out its LTE Category 16 technology to metropolitan 4G and 4GX towers, it will be capable of pumping out up to 1Gbps. Not only that, but Australians will have the ability to upload at a blistering 150Mbps, too.

Telstra will use a combination of its 700MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz frequency bands to link together using carrier aggregation, in order to reach the 1Gbps speeds. Netgear has been a longtime partner of Telstra, where they'll be working together to develop the world's first LTE Category 16 hotspot, which is will feature the world's first use of Qualcomm's impressive Snapdragon X16 modem. The Snapdragon X16 features 4x4 MIMO technology, and 256QAM modulation, which supports up to 20 different Wi-Fi connections, simultaneously.

The hype train has well and truly begun with Gears of War 4, with developer The Coalition saying that the game will be "a graphical showcase" for the Xbox One.

The Coalition boss Rod Fergusson was interviewed in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine US, where he talked about Gears of War 4, where the teamed learned a lot from its experience in the 60FPS gameplay from Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The studio wanted to bring some of their findings into Gears of War 4, with Fergusson saying: "Delivering [with Ultimate Edition] the first 60fps multiplayer experience in franchise history really taught us a lot about what it means to have a 60fps culture on the team and we're leveraging that experience for Gears of War 4".

The original Gears of War launched on the Xbox 360 some 10 years ago now, in 2006, and was praised for its graphics back in the day. Fergusson said The Coalition's mission is for Gears of War 4 to be "a graphical showcase" for the Xbox One, where he said: "Like how the original Gears of War was a visual showcase for the Xbox 360, Gears of War 4 will be a graphical showcase for the Xbox One".

After all of the leaks on Doom, we're getting some official information from the Twitter account of Doom regarding the single-player side of things.

Someone asked how long the single-player campaign would be, with the following reply on the Twitter page for Doom: "The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign". Not too bad, but Doom isn't really a single-player game - people will be buying it for the multiplayer (which I think will be short lived, but shhh). As for the single-player side of things, there will be 17 missions. These include:

Doom will be released on May 13 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Ubisoft might have found a winner with its Snowdrop engine, the gorgeous piece of technology that powers The Division - speaking of which, the open beta is here - are you enjoying it?

Well, during an interview with Finder, Ubisoft Massive's Head of IP, Martin Hultberg said that the Snowdrop engine is now available to other studios within Ubisoft. Hultberg said: "It's just more efficient that way. In our case we developed the Snowdrop Engine from the ground-up because we needed middleware that could run on the new consoles and PC, while doing everything we wanted to do with the open world, the weather, time of day and such features. Now we've made that engine available to other studios, and not just the Clancy teams. Any Ubisoft team can use Snowdrop now".

One of the key parts of Snowdrop is the awesome Dark Zone within The Division, which is where the multiplayer side of the game resides. Hultberg confirmed that the Dark Zone was thanks to Snowdrop, that that it can now be incorporated into other open world games, especially considering Ubisoft dominates open world games. Hultberg continued: "The Dark Zone experience in itself isn't technology specific to the rest of the game, but the transitions that we do between the [campaign and Dark Zone] game modes - the fact that we do not use lobbies or menus - is the key part of the Snowdrop Engine. I think that feature could definitely be incorporated into other Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed. It's a really immersive feature that I think fits with pretty much all Ubisoft's IPs".

Mobile World Congress 2016 kicks off next week in Barcelona, Spain - so it's perfect timing that Acer begins teasing what the world will see next week.

Acer CEO Jason Chen teased reporters last week, saying that the Taiwanese company "has been conducting research and development of VR technologies for a while", and that it is "planning to introduce some new technologies to surprise everyone", reports Taipei Times. Chen added: "We are thinking of how to expand Acer's reach in the field and turn our VR technologies into a business. And that is an important element in the process of Acer's corporate transformation".

Considering Samsung and HTC have been in the VR game for quite a while now with their Gear VR and Vive, respectively, what could Acer reveal that would "surprise everyone" at MWC? It's exciting, and mysterious, and I love it.

Intel launched their new Broadwell-based Xeon D processors last week, led by the impressive Xeon D-1587. Intel's new Xeon D family includes a few system-on-chip (SoCs) that are aimed at the microserver and storage markets, thanks to Intel being able to make the new Xeon D family in a low TDP package.

The flagship Xeon D-1587 is a beast in itself, with 16 physical cores with 32 logical threads. It boasts 24MB of cache, and has its 16 cores clocked at 1.7GHz, best of all - it rocks this all at 65W. Impressive, eh? The next one down is the Xeon D-1577 which has the same specifications, 16 cores and the same 24MB cache, but a 1.3GHz clock speed and only 45W TDP. Last of all, is the Xeon D-1571 which features the same 16-core goodness, falling in line with the Xeon E5 V4 processors powered by Broadwell-EP. But, it gets a clock speed of 1.3GHz, 24MB cache, and same 45W TDP.

Intel's new Broadwell-powered Xeon D processors arrive in BGA packaging, so you'll need to purchase them directly from Intel's AIB partners, such as SuperMicro, GIGABYTE, or others. As for pricing, the Xeon D-1571 is priced at $1222, so expect the Xeon D-1587 to be priced a little higher than that. But the next question is: what about performance? Yeah well, Intel has you covered there, too. Before that, we have support for dual-channel DDR4 2133MHz, or DDR3L at 1600MHz. The system would support up to 128GB of RDIMM, 64GB of UDIMM/SO-DIMM in ECC or non-ECC. The SoC features a total of 24 x PCIe 3.0 lanes and 8 x PCIe 2.0 lanes, while we have dual 10GbE for networking, 4 x USB 3.0 and 4 x USB 2.0 ports, with 6 x SATA 6Gbps ports for HDD connectivity.

Square Enix opened the doors to its closed beta of Hitman on February 19 for the PC, letting gamers go around assassinating a bunch of people before the game goes live.

The Hitman beta throws people into The Prologue, which is set in a "secret ICA training facility". It shows Agent 47's introduction into the ICA, showing off his first meeting with Diana Burnwood, his handler who, in the future, will assign him deadly contracts. Well, some gamers are taking screenshots of the game - thanks to its Glacier engine, it looks pretty damn good. The problem is, if we compare it to games like Crysis (released in 2007) it really doesn't shape up that well at all.

Above, we have a screenshot of the new Hitman, compared to Crysis from 2007 - there's quite the difference there, and it's not in Hitman's favor.