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A new survey from EA may have given away some particulars about the story for Mass Effect: Andromeda, and it might have something to do with colonialism if the contents of the survey actually hold true. Let us all read these with caution, however.

The survey is one that's being made available online to users for what they're noting could be a possible future and direction for the series. This could either be a way to gauge interest for the present game they're working on, or to help decide the direction of a new series of games based on the same protagonist. Colonization of a distant galaxy is exciting in its own right, however.

We don't know very much about what the game is about, aside from that it'll be taking place not in our home galaxy, so seeing additional details, no matter how fleeting, is rather nice. This survey seems to point towards the human race fighting to establish a new home in a new galaxy against an intelligent alien race, though no specifics (obviously) were given. Survey's like these aren't uncommon to actually see if either their ideas are among the most picked or to establish a direction that they intend to take based on the feedback they receive. So it could be true, or it could be a way to establish where they're going next. This type of survey can also be a way to establish the best way to market to various parts of the world as well.

We reported yesterday that the FBI had broken into the iPhone 5C used by the San Bernardino shooter, without Apple's help. It's now being reported that Appel can't force the FBI to disclose just how it broke into their smartphone.

The FBI reportedly tapped the help of an Israeli security firm, which broke into the iPhone 5C, and with Apple unable to force the FBI to show them how they did that, it could mean that other iPhones could be broken into. Why? Because Apple can't fix the security hole that the FBI went through - mainly for iPhone users, but it's obviously a hole that Apple don't know about, or at least they don't know which method the FBI used. It's quite scary there's an easy hole for a company that's not Apple, nor the FBI, can use to break into iPhones - quite easily, it seems.

Ars Technica talked with a law enforcement official, who said: "We cannot comment on the possibility of future disclosures to Apple. [There] are legitimate pros and cons to the decision to disclose, and the trade-offs between prompt disclosure and withholding knowledge of some vulnerabilities for a limited time can have significant consequences," he said while explaining the Vulnerabilities Equities Process". So, there's no legal requirement of the FBI to disclose how it broke through Apple's much-touted security... well now.

Killer Instinct, alongside Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, showcase that developers don't care about PC gamers. Killer Instinct's frame rate is locked to monitor refresh rates, so if you have a high refresh rate gaming monitor cranking at 120/144/165Hz - then your game is going to be too fast.

There's a workaround for this however, as you can untie Killer Instinct's refresh rate lock from your monitor. You'll have to set a custom resolution in your display settings, to whatever resolution (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160 and so on) and 60Hz. The ultra-awesome gaming monitors at 120/144/165Hz are usually 2560x1440 native resolutions, so you'll have to lock your high refresh rate to 60Hz - and only for Killer Instinct.

This means you'll have to change resolutions (and refresh rates) for Killer Instinct, but then when you want to play something else like CS:GO, The Division or whatever else - you'll have to go back in and change your resolution and refresh rate from the custom settings to the normal resolution and refresh rate - until the developer updates the game and it'll work without a problem... hopefully.

Well... the fight between Spotify, Google and Apple just heated up with Spotify raising a huge $1 billion - but not from the usual investors and funding methods. It has borrowed $1 billion in convertible debt from TPG, Dragoneer, and clients of Goldman Sachs.

Why is raising debt different than equity? Well, as TechCrunch reports that by "raising debt rather than equity, it doesn't have to worry about poor signaling from a down-round raised at a lower valuation than the $8.5 billion it set in June 2015". Spotify has confirmed the news, with TPG telling TechCrunch: "This financing gives them the strategic resources to further strengthen their leadership position", and that the money will be pumped into growth and marketing.

But what happens if Spotify doesn't do well over the next year or two? Well, this is an aggressive deal with some razor sharp terms - with TPG and Dragoneer to convert the debt to equity at a 20% discount, or whatever share price Spotify sets for its eventual IPO. If the IPO doesn't arrive within the next 12 months, this discount increases by 2.5% every 6 months. Spotify will also have to cough up 5% annual interest on the debt, and 1% more every 6 months up to a total of 10%. Yeah, it's not good at all.

The Coalition have been quick to update the kind-of-limped release of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, with the third patch now available and adding support for UltraWide resolutions (2560x1080 and 3440x1440), an FPS counter, and much more. Here's what to expect from the new patch:

Corsair has just unveiled its new M65 PRO RGB gaming mouse, which is a competition-grade FPS gaming mouse that is infused with technology that pushes you further towards your goal of winning. It features a huge 12,000 DPI optical sensor that provides "pixel-precise tracking and the advanced surface calibration support offers supreme responsiveness for your playing surface".

The new M65 PRO RGB has an advanced weight tuning system that lets gamers tune their mouse's center of gravity to better match their play style, as some gamers want super-quick precision so they make it lighter - while heavier weights are used for decisive movements. Corsair has tapped high-capacity Omron switches that are good for 20 million clicks, alongside low friction PTFE glide pads that will provide reliable performance throughout your gaming sessions with the Corsair M65 PRO RGB. Here are the full specs:

The new Corsair M65 PRO RGB is available right now from most places, while the M65 PRO RGB White will be available next month.

NVIDIA will show off its next-generation Pascal architecture at their GPU Technology Conference last week, where we should be introduced to the GeForce GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 video cards - with their purported cooler shrouds teased just a couple hours ago.

We could be surprised, and NVIDIA could unveil their new Pascal-powered Titan X successor - which is something I think we'll see. I think NVIDIA will unveil the GP100 GPU, rocking 16-32GB of HBM2 and a price of $1000-$2000 (I'd say $1499 for the 16GB HBM2 version and $1999 for the 32GB HBM2 card). NVIDIA could then drop the GTX 1080 for something like $599, rolling with GDDR5X - still providing a large increase in performance over the GTX 980 and GTX 980 Ti - with thanks given to the 16nm node and the new Pascal architecture.

Steam's no-refunds policy has raised the ire of gamers for years now, but never before have they pissed off a Government. Yesterday, that all changed.

In an Australian court yesterday, Valve's Steam Refund Policy was found to have resulted in "misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations to Australian consumers" in action brought by the Government's competition watchdog, the ACCC.

In an Australian-first, the court decreed that digital goods were just as subject to the same laws that govern the sale of physical goods, and the same consumer laws apply. Speaking on the court victory, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said "The Federal Court's decision reinforces that foreign based businesses selling goods and/or services to Australian consumers can be subject to Australian Consumer Law obligations, including the consumer guarantees".

The long-running lawsuit between Oracle and Google over the latter's use of Java in Android just got spicier: Oracle is seeking up to $9.3 billion in damages according to recent court filings. Lawsuit damages aren't typically a worry for the ever-rich Google, but an amount this high is plenty enough to worry even the search giant, which made $4.9 billion in profits last quarter.

The suit began in 2010 and went to trial two years later, where the jury was divided on whether Google was protected under fair use laws. A new trial is set for May 9 with a pre-trial scheduled for April 27; Oracle's Larry Ellison and Google's Eric Schmidt will take the stand, among other faces.

The new figure is about 10 times the original amount Oracle asked for, a reflection of Android's growth and subsequent releases. Google has hired a damages expert, presumably to push the figure way down. While its counter-offer isn't public, another filing indicates at least a portion of the damages are capped at $100 million. With a disparity this large, it's plausible the jury will settle somewhere in the middle (around $4.6 billion in this case, or one quarter's worth of profits for Google as opposed to two).

Last week it was a smart frying pan; this week it's a smart rice cooker. Chinese company Xiaomi, which already has several smart appliance products, is launching the $150 Mi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker in collaboration with partner Chun Mi, which aims to improve on the traditional rice cooker with added features.

Firstly, the app will let you scan your bag of rice so the cooker knows exactly what to do based on the type of rice you're using as well as its brand and origin. 200 brands are supported, with more to come. Second, it employs pressure control, induction heating, and a grey cast iron lining as highly regarded Japanese rice cookers do, all with the aim of creating tastier rice. And finally, it can make rice cakes as well as other dishes.

The price may seem steep, but Xiaomi says its cooker is comparable to the aforementioned Japanese rice cookers, which go for about $600. If you're a rice nerd (if there ever was such a thing), it could be well worth it.

The Snapchat team is looking to revolutionize online communication further with its Chat 2.0 update. One of the goals with it is to make speaking and video chat a seamless transition from text chat; one tap will now do the trick. But it goes further than that.

"You can start by sending a few chats, and when your friend shows up, start talking or video chatting instantly with one tap," they explain. "Your friend can simply listen if you want to sing them a song, or watch if you have a new puppy to show them. If they aren't there, you can quickly send an audio note to say what you mean. And sometimes, a sticker says it best."

"What we love most about the new Chat is how easily you can transition between all these ways of communicating - just like you do in person. When that's possible, you aren't texting, calling, or video chatting... you're just talking. We've been working on this redesign for a while - we can't wait to hear what you think!"

The resume of a motion capture actress may have inadvertently revealed Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor 2.

According to Nerdleaks, Shadow of Mordor 2 was previously listed on the resume page for Lauren Mary Kim, a seasoned stunt and motion capture actress who's worked on games such as BioShock: Infinite and Elder Scrolls Online. At the time of writing, any mention of the sequel has been scrubbed from the page, possibly indicating that Warner Bros. stepped in to yank the mention.

Due to Shadow of Mordor's cliffhanger ending, it's not exactly a surprise that the game is getting a sequel. The original was praised for its breakthrough Nemesis system and Assassin's Creed-like mechanics, receiving generally favorable reviews. So it's only natural that Warner Bros. and Monolith turn the game into a franchise.

Not every publisher is necessarily on good terms with GOG.com due to the DRM-free nature of the service, but more seem to be warming up to their way of business. 2K Games has decided to start offering their older library of games on GOG.com and are having a sale from now until April 5th to celebrate that decision.

2K Games was (and continues to be) a powerhouse of a publisher that happens to have quite a few different and great franchise under their control. They've decided to start offering their retro-classics in a DRM format for everyone to enjoy, opening up the different ways to play these classics without having to build a retro PC. The sale going on has several different bundles (listed below) from 66-75% off.

Although Ubisoft hasn't officially announce Watch Dogs 2 yet, pre-orders for the sequel are now live on GameStop's UK site.

GameStop UK's Watch Dogs 2 pre-orders don't give us any actual information on the game--the release date is TBC, and stock logos are used for box art--but their existence actually tells us a lot. Pre-orders typically follow a major game reveal, as publishers and devs are keen on raking in as much cash as soon as possible to finance further development. When pre-orders open before the reveals, however, that usually means the announcements will follow soon after. Keep in mind Watch Dogs 2 is only listed on the GameStop UK site.

We can then postulate that Ubisoft will unveil Watch Dogs 2 at this year's E3 expo in June, and open up global pre-orders after the official reveal. Ubisoft has already confirmed that Watch Dogs 2 will launch by 2017, and it'll have significant advantages on PC. AMD recently confirmed that Watch Dogs 2 will tap DirectX 12 and be fully optimized for AMD video cards.

It's only just been a day since three games joined the Xbox One compatibility list, but now one more game is being added, bringing the list up to 141. Major Nelson announced on Twitter that Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 is now playable on the Xbox One.

This means that if you happen to have a copy of the physical disc laying around, you'll be able to pop it in and fire it up once again, or go to the Xbox 360 portion of the Xbox Store and download it if you own a digital copy. This is now the fourth re-release of playable games in two weeks for the Xbox One backwards compatibility program and the second Valve game to join the list.

Microsoft is adamant about bringing as many games as is possible by keeping lines of communication open between them and publishers and developers. Just yesterday Soul Calibur II, Halo Wars and The King of Fighters '98 made it on the list while last week we saw the original Assassin's Creed and Dark Souls also become fully backwards compatible. Performance is looking of these games within the emulated virtual machine seems to be improving from the hiccups that affected earlier games.

UPDATE: Before you download the Survival Mode beta, be sure to back up your save files and disable all PC mods. Bethesda issued an official warning on its community forums, but the actual Survival Mode announcement on Bethesda.net doesn't at all mention mods or backing up saves.

Now that Fallout 4's new Survival Mode is now up on Steam for beta testing, Bethesda reveals the treacherous rigors of the new difficulty.

Fallout 4's new Survival Mode is absolutely grueling. While the new difficulty is far beyond "hard", it'll add a whole new dimension to the game, making players actually think about their decisions and strategies rather than blasting through everything. Bethesda has injected challenge back into the game, and in a way, the Commonwealth has been reborn. Hell, Bethsoft even equates the difficulty to Dark Souls. Check below for a few of the changes you can expect in the new Survival Mode.

The Tomb Raider franchise has turned 20 years old today, and Square Enix, with Crystal Dynamics, are going to be celebrating that milestone with a few special events and activities for the rest of 2016. And they've also partnered with GameChanger Charity to allow you to get the Tomb Raider 2013 reboot just for donating, at least, $1.

The crew behind Tomb Raider plan on kicking off their celebration of the achievement by hosting a few events at PAX East 2016 in Boston this year. Throughout the year, we'll also see more events, giveaways and likely more content for Rise of the Tomb Raider that pays homage to Lara Croft's heritage. She's certainly been quite the icon in gaming, and though games surrounding her haven't always been successful, the Tomb Raider franchise has survived and even thrived despite the hardships encountered.

"Since its introduction, Tomb Raider has held a significant place in video game history, and further cements that with this milestone," said Ron Rosenberg, Co-Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics. "We look forward to celebrating with fans, and honoring the iconic Lara Croft with special events, retrospectives, giveaways and other surprises throughout this year of Tomb Raider."

Fallout 4 players have found a curious Easter egg in Fallout 4's Automatron DLC that could point to an E3 2016 announcement.

While scouring The Mechanist's lair, Geeksnack came across a very special Vault-Tec lunchbox. The lunchbox in question has the word (or name) "JUNE" written upon it in colorful letters. As we all know, E3 2016 is held in June, so this could be Bethesda's cute way of hinting that a major Fallout-related announcement will be made at the event. After all, the studio is holding their very own pre-E3 event on June 12.

So what could this mean? I'm thinking if it's a genuine hint, Bethesda will just unveil a concrete release date for Fallout 4 console mods. The studio confirmed that Fallout 4 mods on PS4 and Xbox One may release as early as May, but we still have no actual info on how console mods will work. I expect Bethsoft to unveil the mod infrastructure as well as a release date at their E3 show.

Black Desert Online is already a very large game with more in-game activities than most MMORPG's, but it's about to get a whole lot larger with the Mediah Expansion, which is due out tomorrow.

Daum Games is increasing the size of the world by 30% with the new Mediah region to make for a more diverse dominion with extra room to grow kingdoms and, of course, to show off the rather sophisticated visuals, which just so happen to run quite well on a variety of hardware despite the good looking nature of the home-grown graphics engine. In that new are they've added over 1000 new quests, new guild missions, a Crimson Battlefield that allows for 40v40 skirmishes, new weapons armor and equipment and even new craftable alchemy stones.

So that things aren't too terribly easy in the new region of Mediah, a new boss known as the Kzarka, which is an enormous beast-like character, is hiding and capable of taking on over a hundred high-level players at a time. A world boss, so to speak.

This year's Call of Duty game will reportedly delve deep into the distant future, with ultra-futuristic tech and interstellar combat. In other words, the new Call of Duty could very well take on a Halo-esque approach.

The reports from from NeoGAF posts from industry insider Shinobi602, who claims that the new Call of Duty will be so advanced that Black Ops 3 will "feel like the Stone Age" in comparison. That's a pretty tall order, considering Black Ops 3 had some pretty advanced cybernetic tech. Last year Shinobi was right on the mark about certain Black Ops 3 details, so these claims could be accurate.

Activision has already confirmed that a "new innovative Call of Duty game" is coming this year, but we're not sure if it'll be another sequel or not. Rumors hint that Call of Duty: Ghosts 2 will be released this November, and we can probably expect an official reveal at E3 2016.