The new "Removed" photography series by American photographer Eric Pickersgill aims to illustrate our addiction to technology, and the ironic social disconnection it produces. Perhaps the most disturbing of the series is pictured below; the rest can be found on his website below.

Pickersgill paints a stark picture of his inspiration: "The joining of people to devices has been rapid and unalterable. The application of the personal device in daily life has made tasks take less time. Far away places and people feel closer than ever before. Despite the obvious benefits that these advances in technology have contributed to society, the social and physical implications are slowly revealing themselves. In similar ways that photography transformed the lived experience into the photographable, performable, and reproducible experience, personal devices are shifting behaviors while simultaneously blending into the landscape by taking form as being one with the body. This phantom limb is used as a way of signaling busyness and unapproachability to strangers while existing as an addictive force that promotes the splitting of attention between those who are physically with you and those who are not."

Over the weekend, the land down under saw its biggest CS:GO tournament to date with international powerhouse teams Cloud 9 and Virtus Pro making the trip to Australia in order to play in the $55,555 Crown Casino invitational. With Australia's Renegades and Team Immunity qualifying to play against these top-tier teams, hopes weren't too high for the first draw of Immunity versus Cloud 9.

After choosing the maps and Cloud 9 goofing around on stage, the teams went to work on a digital battlefield. After a back and forward tussle, the first map went the way of Immunity on De_Cache, seeing a 16-12 victory. Next up was De_Dust 2 which saw Cloud 9 steamroll through at a 16-7 scoreline and finally a massive 16-3 win to Immunity on De_Overpass secured the series to the Aussie underdogs.

This victory not only saw them secure second place at the Crown tournament and push them into the grand finals to play against Virtus Pro, it also meant that Team Immunity cracked hltv's top 20 team rankings. Now sitting at number 19, the only other Australian team on this list is Renegades at 17th, a team which Immunity beat 2-0 in its last tournament.

Now that the open beta of Star Wars Battlefront is over, EA has announced that it was the biggest beta in its history, with over 9 million gamers participating.

Senior Producer on Star Wars Battlefront, Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir, said it was the latest beta in EA history. The development team at EA DICE will now use all of the information and feedback from the beta to "to tune and balance the game" for its big launch next month. It was only a day ago that we found out that EA will be offering a $50 season pass with the game, a week after we heard there would be no microstransactions in Star Wars Battlefront.

According to analyst firm Credit Suisse, Oculus will sell as many 5 million Rift headsets next year, with analyst adding that it doesn't expect the Facebook-owned VR startup to make any money on the first batch of headsets.

Barron's picked up Credit Suisse's report, with it reiterating that it is making the estimate of the sales projection without official information, based on the $350 estimate. Credit Suisse wrote: "We expect Facebook to price the headsets at cost in an attempt to drive initial consumer adoption - with the expectation that the company plans to monetize the devices overtime via associated software revenue. Note that our current projections do not contemplate any software revenue, although at launch Oculus will be offering a number of made-for-VR games and video content from partnering developers and content owners - which include Sega, Lionsgate, Fox, Twitch, Hulu, and Vimeo".

The firm added: "Net-net, we expect Facebook will grow hardware revenue generated from Oculus at a 4 percent five-year CAGR from $2.1 billion in FY16 to $2.6 billion in FY21. However, given our assumption that Facebook will once-again demonstrate a willingness to forgo near-term monetization in return for increased product adoption, we are modeling an initial negative gross profit impact from the initiative - with Oculus gross margins reaching breakeven by 2021 and contributing ~$50 million in gross profit by FY22".

With movie studios such as Twentieth Century Fox gearing up to release movies on the upcoming UltraHD Blu-ray format, which offers feature films in resolutions up to 3840 x 2160, comes today's news that the most hated part of the Blu-ray specification has been removed from UltraHD Blu-ray - region coding.

According to HighDefDigest "all UHD Blu-rays are region free", signalling an end to the anti-consumer stance that was bought over from the DVD format in order to control distribution. Although many studios such as Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers mostly refused to employ region coding on their discs, the fact it won't be part of UltraHD Blu-ray is certainly cause for celebration.

With the rebirth of custom liquid cooling taking the PC DIY world by storm, we've seen companies such as Bitspower and EK Water Blocks lead the charge by releasing quality components time and time again for the latest motherboards, video cards and processors alike. But what about a water cooling solution for the modder who has it all?

In a recent press release, EK Water Blocks announced the release of its Intel 750 series PCIe SSD water block. Listed as full coverage, this block covers the entire PCB and has been "designed in cooperation with Intel".

Currently available for purchase, the EK-FC I750 has been quoted as the "first solid-state drive water block" and it's quite possibly not the last. Useful or not, that's up to you - but we're sure that it will make some kick-ass looking systems.

In an effort to give Call of Duty players more freedom, Treyarch has revealed that all levels of the game's campaign will be accessible when the game ships this November.

"[This new feature] gives players the flexibility to consume the content how they want," Jason Blundell, the director and manage of Call of Duty campaigns at Treyarch, told Eurogamer. "The unlocking level system is an archaic mentality we've had since we did bedroom development back in the day - you do this, then go on to the next one. Consumers and game players in general are far more mature these days. There are so many things vying for our interests today. It's about, how do they want to consume it? Maybe they put it down on level two, and then they're in work the next day, and some guy says, 'dude, you've got to check out level four!' And he's like, 'okay, I'll have a quick look.' That's totally fine. I think it's their choice."

This is a surprising move that seems to hint at the instant gratification culture of specific game genres. This looks like somewhat of a killing blow to the coherency of singleplayer campaigns, and Treyarch has delivered the ultimate concession to gamers who don't want to take the time to beat missions.

Google's new Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X Android handsets have already shipping in India, so naturally users like Intellect Digest are sharing their unboxing videos and early impressions on the new phones.

Both phones come in stylish cases, with the larger 6-inch Nexus 6P being the premium model at $499. As far as form factor and looks, the 6P has a nice flair to it thanks to the strong aluminum-grade metal shell, with accenting all around the edges. Performance-wise the 6P is described as fast and zippy thanks to its 3GB RAM and octacore processor, and just as Google said the new 13 MP camera seems to do exceedingly well in low-level conditions.

The Nexus 5X is the smaller 5-inch handset that starts at $379, and is described as a very "compact and handy phone". Although comparatively weaker in its specs with just 2GB of RAM and quad-core Snapdragon 808 processor at 1.8GHz, the Nexus 5X still is a strong contender that maintains most of the features of the 6P including low-light video and picture capturing.

With 2016 fast approaching, virtual reality integration is almost here, bringing a whole dimension in video game experiences. Rather than being huge narrative-driven games with open-worlds and AAA budgets, the first VR games are going to be high-quality bite-sized chunks that feel out the new tech.

"With the move to VR and AR, it's going to be a very competitive market. [VR] is going to lead to very high-quality game experiences, but that doesn't necessarily mean huge ones," Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney told VentureBeat at GamesBeat 2015.

Sweeney goes on to explain that VR is still very new and developers have yet to fully tap the potential of the new frontier. Devs are more like voyages fleshing out and experimenting with a new medium, so the First VR and AR games will be more flashy and gimmicky than meaningful.

Capcom's Resident Evil division is currently working on developing a game engine to power VR-ready games, which could pave the way for a terrifying undead shooter set in the landmark series.

The Resident Evil franchise is prime for a thrilling VR experience: imagine something like an immersive House of the Dead shooter with lightguns where you're exploring a creepy, dark atmosphere just riddled with surprises. VR is the next major platform for gaming, and Capcom's Division 1--the division that handles the development of new IP's that deliver fresh experiences--recognizes the importance of virtual reality to the future of video games.

"At present, we are focusing our energy on challenging the virtual reality (VR) game market," said Capcom's Division 1 manager Jun Takeuchi, who lent his talent to games like Resident Evil 5. "Currently, we are building a new game development engine able to support VR, which is the hottest market right now, while simultaneously developing titles for current game consoles. We have just set sail on our latest voyage."

Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565 released yesterday with numerous functional improvements, but also a key change in the activation scheme: Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 product keys can be used to activate Windows 10. Previously, you could install these operating systems as normal and then upgrade to Windows 10 for free; Microsoft is mercifully making that step unnecessary by allowing you to simply enter in the product key of the previous OS to validate your new Windows 10 install.

There is a stipulation: if you're going through the upgrade process instead or clean installing, the key you use with the PC you've installed Windows 10 on must have been used to activate the previous installed version of Windows. So for example, if you installed Windows 7 on your PC and then want to upgrade to Windows 10, you can do so, but you can't install Windows 7 on your laptop and then use that key to upgrade to Windows 10 on your desktop and then activate it (you'd have to have installed it on your desktop first at some point).

To start the process, go to Settings > Update & security > Activation, and then select Change Product Key if upgrading, and if clean installing, simply use the key during setup.

Facebook is currently working on four new video related functions, each of which is highly practical.

First up is suggested videos, which would help you find other videos to watch after you start watching a video from your Feed. This feature is available now on most iPhones around the world, and to some web users. Android users will see it within a few months.

Next is multitasking while watching videos. Facebook is now testing the ability to watch a video in a floating screen while you continue to use the site, which sounds much like what we see with Chromecast and YouTube.

In the latest piece on The Division, Community Developer on the game Hamish Bode talked with lazygamer at rAge. Bode had some interesting things to talk about, saying that The Division won't just be an online game but an awesome solo experience, too.

Bode said that The Division will also have gamers being able to multitask in order to get through the game on their own, where gamers can use different ways to get through their objectives. Bode said: "For example: I could specialize in a more long-range approach and you could be more up close [if playing together]. You'd have to be a little more multitasking if you were alone, or just try what works. That's what's interesting about the beta - people are going to find all sorts of ways that work for them".

Better yet, Bode said that The Division is mostly a seamless experience between 'zones'. These zones, including the awesome-sounding Dark Zone, are completely seamless to load into. Bode said: "It is seamless. For example, the Dark Zone. You don't load into it, you just jump the wall and you're in. And sometimes [players] are going to do this accidentally. And it's not always just walls - there are different types of entries and exits [to different zones]. And some only act as entries. So if [players] aren't sure, maybe don't jump".

We heard rumors not too long ago that NVIDIA was internally testing its new Pascal architecture, but this news is even more exciting. Rumor has it NVIDIA has been testing not only the high-end GP100 card, but the GP104.

Some of you might know the nomenclature NVIDIA uses for its GPUs, with the current GM204 GPU powering the GTX 980 and GTX 970 while the GM200 powers the GTX Titan X and GTX 980 Ti. The GP100 GPU will be the monster GPU that will power a new super-enthusiast and professional-orientated card, such as a new Titan X and Tesla/Quadro range, while the GP104 will most likely find its way into a new consumer GeForce product. We don't want to say the GTX 1080, as we really think NVIDIA will change gears with a next-gen product and shift around the product naming.

The latest rumor is that there will be a successor to GDDR5 called GDDR5X, and it will debut with NVIDIA's next-gen GeForce product. GDDR5X will reportedly keep the same 256-bit memory interface we have on the current GTX 980 while ramping up the memory bandwidth to 448GB/sec - higher than the best AMD cards, save the Fiji-based HBM-powered cards. HBM2 is still obviously on the cards, and will include a 4096-bit memory bus at 1GHz with memory bandwidth hovering at 1TB/sec.

Now that Halo 5: Guardians has gone gold, some keen-eyed gamers have spotted it in the wild. The packaging has revealed that gamers are going to need "up to 60GB" of HDD space to play Halo 5 on their Xbox One.

It looks like these images and details arrived from retail copies, most likely leaked from retailers somewhere in the world. The new images show us that Halo 5 is rated 'T-for-Teen', and that it has a one-player limit for local play. Halo 5: Guardians is different to previous games in the series, as it doesn't have local split-screen support. Halo 5: Guardians does include online cooperative play for up to four players, and includes a new 24-player Warzone game mode.

Halo 5 launches exclusive to the Xbox One on October 27.

Memorabilia masters Mondo have put together quite the early Christmas present, slapping the entire score from the 'Back to the Future' trilogy onto an awesome-looking vinyl set.

You can grab each movie individually as a two-record set for $35 each, or the entire vinyl kit for $105. The individual album versions include artwork by Matt Taylor, who was responsible for the screen-print Back to the Future posters for Mondo while the box set artwork and design was done by DKNG Studios.

If you buy the kit, you'll get it in an awesome radioactive box, the same box that Doc had in the first movie. The album art itself looks incredible, with any 'Back to the Future' fan set to jump at the chance to secure themselves this beautiful kit.

The Star Wars Battlefront open beta is nearly wrapped up, with DICE announcing that the first-person shooter will receive four post-release expansion packs, which is all part of the $50 season pass. Considering DICE said there would be no microtransactions, this is quite the fork in the road.

These expansions haven't been detailed, nor do we have a release window, but EA teases that they will be "filled with new content". EA is giving season pass holders a couple of reasons to plonk down $50, where Star Wars Battlefront gamers can enjoy a two-week early access to the expansion packs, and an exclusive "Shoot First" emote.

The season pass to Star Wars Battlefront is nothing new for EA, with the company really driving the post-release content home with their Battlefield franchise. This means if you buy Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition, and the $50 season pass, you'll be paying a total of $119.98.

Roberts Space Industries has opened a free trial of Star Citizen's Arena Commander module, letting would-be space pilots test their mettle with intergalactic dogfighting and simulations for a full two weeks.

Now the devs originally opened up the free trial for those who watched CitizenCon 2015, but we have you covered even if you weren't able to check out the livestream. Simply enlist and sign-up here, and then enter CITCONFLIGHT2K15 in this field here.

Test pilots will have access to a slew of ships to choose from, and will get a good feel of the game's free-roaming and ship-to-ship combat. The Star Citizen trial will last up until October 25, so if you sign up now you'll get almost two weeks of free play.

After spending 9 million GBP on three years' worth of constant guard, the London Metro Police have finally stepped away from their 24/7 surveillance over the Ecuadoarian embassy that houses Julian Assange.

For the past three years now the London Metropolitan Police Service has stood like sentinals outside of the Ecuadorian embassy in round-the-clock guard posts. The world watched on as the controversial figurehead Julian Assange faced his opressors through the safe harbor of the embassy. The polic guard have strict orders to arrest the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange on sight if he should step outside of the safe harbor of the embassy, but for the past three years, Assange has stayed safely ensconced in the building like a hostage.

This endeavor has cost nearly 10 million GBP across three years time, and now the police force has finally called it quits. "Whilst the MPS remains committed to executing the arrest warrant and presenting Julian Assange before the court, it is only right that the policing operation to achieve this is continually reviewed against the diplomatic and legal efforts to resolve the situation," reads an official announcement from the London Metro Police. "As a result of this continual review the MPS has today Monday, 12 October withdrawn the physical presence of officers from outside the Embassy."

343 Industries has just released the official launch trailer for Halo 5: Guardians, giving a tease at the events that made Master Chief go rogue and trigger an intergalactic manhunt.

The footage is a delicious mix of in-game action and cinematic flair, giving viewers a satisfying look at the new Spartan abilities like the devastating ground slam, as well as setting the somber tone of the campaign. The montage has it all--first-person chaos in a battlefield of Covenant baddies, vehicular insanity with explosive Scorpion tanks, new weapons being teased, and a glimpse at the high-tech Promethean overlords that look as deadly as they do stylish.

Sadly we don't get to see Blue Team in action very often in the trailer. It's most Locke's new Fireteam Osiris ripping and shredding through snowy precipices, skillfully gunning down baddies like a hot knife slides through butter. As an avid fan of the Halo books I'm more interested in sticking with the classic Spartan II's, but the trailer does allude to the exact cause of Master Chief's disappearance, hinting at a mysterious mission with the rest of Blue Team.