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'Force Awakens' releases in France one day before rest of world
Star Wars fans - book your flights now. Disney and Lucasfilm have announced that the eagerly awaited world premiere of 'The Force Awakens' will play in France, 24 hours ahead of its release in other countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom and over two days ahead of the United States.
In France, new release films traditionally hit screens on Wednesdays, a standard which Disney is happy to retain. This means that French super-fans could potentially see the film ten times before the United States get to view a frame. You know what to do, super fans.
'The Force Awakens' slams into theatres on December 16th in France, December 17 in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and December 18 in the United States.
Continue reading: 'Force Awakens' releases in France one day before rest of world (full post)
Canon's new 250-megapixel sensor shoots 19,580 x 12,600 images
Canon has just hit a huge milestone, with its new 250-megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor that has set a new world record for resolution in its size. The new sensor is capable of shooting images at a mindblowing 19,580 x 12,600.
The 250-megapixel sensor is so powerful, that Canon says it can distinguish lettering on the side of a plane from 18km (11 miles) away. The new APS-H sensor is bigger than APS-C, but smaller than full frame, and is "primarily used on Canon's legacy EOS-1D line of DSLRs", reports The Verge.
Canon's new super-powered sensor has a quick signal readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second, with the Japanese giant saying that it has good noise performance even with the immense pixel count. Not only can the 250-megapixel camera shoot those insane 19,580 x 12,600 images, but it can also shoot video that is around 30x sharper than 4K, albeit at 5FPS. Canon says that the technology can be used in "specialized surveillance and crime prevention tools, ultra-high-resolution measuring instruments and other industrial equipment, and the field of visual expression".
Continue reading: Canon's new 250-megapixel sensor shoots 19,580 x 12,600 images (full post)
PS4 sales of Metal Gear Solid V smash Xbox One numbers considerably
Now that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is here, we can see what the first-week sales numbers are like. GfK Chart-Track, a market research company that tracks sales of multiple forms of media across the UK and Ireland, has MGS V: The Phantom Pain coming in a third-best in first-week sales of any game released in 2015.
The company announced: "It also marks the series' return to the top of the All Formats chart for the first time since 2008". But more importantly, how are the sales between the consoles? The company wrote on its blog: "PS4 takes a commanding 72% share over Xbox One which has 22%, while PS3 edges to a 3% share over Xbox 360 with just 2%".
Continue reading: PS4 sales of Metal Gear Solid V smash Xbox One numbers considerably (full post)
Ubisoft announces theme park in Malaysia, isn't limited to 30FPS
In a very surprising move, Ubisoft has just announced that it is set to construct a massive 10,000-square-meter indoor theme park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The theme park, according to Jean de Rivieres, Senior Vice President of Ubisoft Motion Pictures: "Ubisoft's intention for this park is to immerse people in reactive worlds where they can interact with each other and become the heroes of their own life-sized game. Ubisoft will produce all digital media for the rides, and help design guests' journey into the park to ensure the visitors' experience is at its best".
The studio is working with Malaysian theme park developer RSG, which will both run and own the mark. Ubisoft on the other hand, will have creative control over the park, which is expected to open its doors in 2020.
Continue reading: Ubisoft announces theme park in Malaysia, isn't limited to 30FPS (full post)
'The vast majority' of DX12 games in 2015/2016 are partnering with AMD
It looks like AMD are confident in their position in the market, even with NVIDIA scooping up most of the discrete GPU market with 82% being GeForce products. But, AMD's position could be a good one with DX12 now out, and developers jumping into the new Windows 10 exclusive API.
AMD's Head of Global Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, took to Reddit, where he said: "You will find that the vast majority of DX12 titles in 2015/2016 are partnering with AMD. Mantle taught the development world how to work with a low-level API, the consoles use AMD and low-level APIs, and now those seeds are bearing fruit".
Even though AMD can only talk about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which is one AAA game, and a benchmark in Ashes of the Singularity, it feels a bit rushed to have AMD claiming this. But, Hallock could be eluding to unannounced titles that we haven't heard about yet.
Continue reading: 'The vast majority' of DX12 games in 2015/2016 are partnering with AMD (full post)
Fake beta sign-up sites for Star Wars Battlefront start appearing
Early next month, EA will unleash the Star Wars Battlefront beta, and while registration isn't open just yet, some people are scamming foaming-at-the-mouth gamers with fake beta sign-up sites.
Of course, these sites are just total traps, which has seen Electronic Arts Community Manager, Matthew Everett, taking to Reddit. Everett said: "Registration has not been made available yet. Do not be fooled by fake beta sign-up sites. Our beta registration will live on our official site here: starwars.ea.com. I will also be sure to post a link once it is available".
Star Wars Battlefront launches on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC on November 17 while the beta arrives sometime in "early October".
Continue reading: Fake beta sign-up sites for Star Wars Battlefront start appearing (full post)
Metal Gear Solid V PC disc only contains 8MB install file
If you have bad internet and are thinking about buying a disc version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on PC, don't bother.
It looks like Konami has shipped retail PC DVD-ROMs of MGSV with only a single 8.8MB installer file, meaning you still have to download the full 20GB+ game via Steam. This is a pretty harsh roadblock to PC gamers with terrible internet speeds and one has to wonder why the Japanese publisher didn't just nix physical PC releases altogether.
While this is pretty frustrating, this kind of thing is nothing new. A lot of companies ship "physical" games with a download key to use on Origin, Steam, etc. Using this method the publishers are saving money packing in downloads via digital distribution networks like Steam rather than shipping the required 2-3 DVD discs required to fit the full game.
Continue reading: Metal Gear Solid V PC disc only contains 8MB install file (full post)
AMD's super-small Radeon R9 Nano can be used in Crossfire with Fury X
We have had one of AMD's new Radeon R9 Nano cards for around a week now, and we've only just gotten into testing it after testing out 4-way Fury X cards in a bunch of different games and resolutions.
Well, we just so happened to throw our R9 Nano into our system and straight away went to GPU-z, which said it was an 'AMD Radeon R9 Fury series' video card. But what happens when you throw in the full-blown Radeon R9 Fury X in? It works in Crossfire with the R9 Nano, that's what. The same goes for the normal R9 Fury, which also works in Crossfire with the super-small R9 Nano.
We can't share performance numbers on the R9 Nano until later this week, but we think that our review is going to be something worth reading, that's for sure.
Continue reading: AMD's super-small Radeon R9 Nano can be used in Crossfire with Fury X (full post)
'Force Awakens' actor blasts 'ludicrous' secrecy
Actor Anthony Daniels, the man who bought C-3PO to life in all six 'Star Wars' films has blasted the next entry in the franchise for its slavish occupation with secrecy. Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the release of the seventh 'Star Wars' film; the upcoming 'Force Awakens'.
"The secrecy has been beyond ludicrous.. For heaven's sake, it's a movie. When I got the script, it was typed in black on paper of the deepest red so you couldn't photocopy it. I got a hangover just reading it." Andrews continues, relaying a social media faux-pas which bristled representatives from new franchise owners Disney. "I said that I'd met so-and-so. An actor who plays a ... thing in the film. A character. Immediately I received a message from Disney: 'Remove the tweet! You're not allowed to say that!' Honestly. It's a kind of Kremlin attitude. Look, I know perfectly well not to tell you now what I'm giving you for a Christmas present because it would spoil the surprise. And these films are all about opening the box on Christmas Day."
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' hits cinemas worldwide in 2D, 3D and IMAX screens starting from December 17th, 2015.
Continue reading: 'Force Awakens' actor blasts 'ludicrous' secrecy (full post)
Biggest 2015 box office failures revealed
There were some great winners at the 2015 box office, with four films grossing over a billion dollars, including 'Jurassic World', 'Furious 7', 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'. But which films didn't make back enough bank? The Hollywood Reporter has tallied up the five biggest failures and they might surprise you.
Disney's 'Tomorrowland' is the number one failure, which looks like it will create a loss for the house of mouse to the tune of $120-$150 million, followed by 20th Century Fox's 'Fantastic Four' which didn't do so fantastically and which will cost the company between $80 and $100 million.
Sony's video game blowout 'Pixels' didn't entertain many, and will bathe in $75 million in losses, while the fun 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and 'Aloha' will generate $80 and $65 million in losses respectively.
Continue reading: Biggest 2015 box office failures revealed (full post)
This mod will unlock the 60FPS cap on Metal Gear Solid V's frame rate
Now that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is out, some gamers are noticing that there's a 60FPS frame rate cap. While 60FPS is still a great achievement, especially in the age of 'next-gen' consoles, there are a plethora of 120Hz and 144Hz monitors that gamers want to see fully utilized.
Thanks to the users of the NeoGAF forums, with user 'Alo81', who has provided a guide on how to unlock the framerate on MGS V: The Phantom Pain. First you'll need this file, then to follow these instructions:
Continue reading: This mod will unlock the 60FPS cap on Metal Gear Solid V's frame rate (full post)
Acer teases new 4K monitor with 75Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA's G-Sync
Acer didn't just unveil a new 35-inch 21:9 monitor with a 200Hz refresh rate, it also showed off a new 27-inch 4K monitor, too. Acer's new XB271HK will succeed the XB270HK, with the same 27-inch display size and 4K resolution, but bumps the specs up inside of the panel.
The new XB271HK is part of Acer's Predator XB1 lineup of monitors, featuring a ZeroFrame edge-to-edge design backed up by a 4K, IPS-based panel. It supports 100% of the sRGB color gamut for great color reproduction, but where the new XB271HK takes the cake from its predecessor is that it pumps out 4K at up to 75Hz with NVIDIA's G-Sync.
Acer's XB270HK had the same 4K resolution and G-Sync technology but was only capable of 60Hz, and while 75Hz doesn't sound like much, with G-Sync it's going to feel like quite the jump in refresh rate smoothness for gamers.
Continue reading: Acer teases new 4K monitor with 75Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA's G-Sync (full post)
Samsung teases DDR4 RAM at 6.4GHz for 2020 with 51.2GB/sec bandwidth
Samsung is already planning on the next memory grade beyond DDR4 and projects that it will be able to hit 32GB with base speeds of 6.4GHz by 2020.
With the mainstream adoption of DDR4 RAM fast approaching on the horizon, industry movers like Samsung are beginning to lay out the building blocks for the next memory standard. As technology continues to evolve at a blistering pace Samsung projects that the new SDRAM grade will manifest within the next five years and that prototypes will be unveiled as early as 2018.
At IDF 2015, Samsung laid out targeted performance values for the post-DDR4 solution. The findings project that next-gen DRAM should be able to hit speeds of up to 6.4Gb/s with a total memory bandwidth of up to 51.2GB/s. A sub-10nm form factor has been targeted for the memory IC.
Continue reading: Samsung teases DDR4 RAM at 6.4GHz for 2020 with 51.2GB/sec bandwidth (full post)
Elite: Dangerous will soon have Xbox One and PC cross-platform play
Update: Michael Gapper, the PR and Communications Manager for Frontier Developments reached out to us after this story went live, correcting us. He said: "We've chosen not to do crossplay between Xbox One and PC for Elite: Dangerous because we don't want to throw those communities up against one another in direct competition. PC and Xbox One players occupy the same galaxy, but not the same play space. This means everyone shares the same story, and experiences the same economy, interstellar wars, exploration, diplomacy and Powerplay state throughout the galaxy. Whether you play on PC, Mac or Xbox One, everyone will contribute to and benefit from sharing the same galaxy, without necessarily colliding head-to-head".
If you're an Elite: Dangerous player, did you know that Frontier Development will be ushering in cross-platform play between the Xbox One and PC versions of the game on October 6? Exciting stuff, huh?
Elite: Dangerous launches on the Xbox One on October 6, so from day one it will be cross-platform capable with the PC version of the game. But, the Xbox One version of Elite: Dangerous will not have Kinect support for headtracking, which is a disappointment, but it will feature support for the upcoming Xbox Elite controller that's priced at $150.
Continue reading: Elite: Dangerous will soon have Xbox One and PC cross-platform play (full post)
LG shows off double-sided 111-inch 4K OLED TV
LG has unveiled quite the unique offering at IFA 2015, with a massive 111-inch double-sided, 4K OLED-based TV. The 111-inch TV is made capable using three 65-inch 4K OLED displays, allowing viewers to watch both sides of the TV simultaneously.
The company also displayed a new 55-inch version of its double-sided TV, which is just 5.3mm thick. But who would use a double-sided TV? Consumers wouldn't, but for businesses and signage, it could be something worth looking into. One of the pioneers of OLED technology, Dr. Ching W. Tang said during LG's keynote presentation at IFA: "Without backlight and other auxiliary layers, the OLED display is fundamentally less complicated compared to LCD, and in time less costly to manufacture".
The South Korean electronics giant also teased a super-thin 55-inch OLED display that is under 1mm thick. This is more of a wallpaper OLED TV, given its incredible thinness. Tang added: "I have no doubt, given its advanced features and superior performance - foldable, wearable, flexible and transparent, OLED is the display technology for the next generation".
Continue reading: LG shows off double-sided 111-inch 4K OLED TV (full post)
ASUS tease new QHD gaming monitor with 165Hz refresh and NVIDIA G-Sync
When ASUS released the ROG Swift PG278Q last year, it was the gaming monitor that dreams were made of. An awesome-looking 27-inch QHD monitor with a 2560x1440 resolution, it was backed up by a huge 144Hz refresh rate, with NVIDIA's G-Sync technology sprinkled on top.
Well, now we're looking at its successor, something ASUS teased at IFA 2015. The new ROG Swift PG279Q features the same 2560x1440 resolution on the same 27-inch display, but cranks the refresh rate up to an insane 165Hz. This is the industry's first 165Hz-capable monitor, making it the undeniable champion of gaming monitors when it's released later this year.
Inside, we have the QHD resolution of 2560x1440, backed up by 1000:1 contrast ratio, 170/160-degree horizontal/vertical viewing angles, 350cd/m2 brightness, and 8-bit colors. We should expect DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 inputs, too. The new ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q will feature an IPS-based panel compared to the TN panel found in its predecessor, the ROG Swift PG278Q. An IPS panel is something that the Acer XB270HU had over the ROG Swift PG278Q, but now ASUS has beaten Acer at the monitor gaming with not just an IPS-based gaming monitor, but a huge 165Hz refresh rate.
Continue reading: ASUS tease new QHD gaming monitor with 165Hz refresh and NVIDIA G-Sync (full post)
Fox announce first 4K Blu-ray titles
With the upcoming UHD Blu-ray format specification announced and manufacturers gearing up to release product to the market, the first Hollywood distributor has now announced the first wave of titles that will be hitting retail early next year.
Twentieth Century Fox is the first studio to back the 4K successor to Blu-ray, with 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', 'Kingsman: The Secret Service', 'Fantastic Four', 'X-Men: Days of Future Past', 'Wild', 'Life of Pi' and 'The Maze Runner'.
There's still many questions yet to be answered on the new format, including whether legacy Blu-ray issues such as region coding apply, but with movement at the station there's no doubt the future is looking very high in resolution indeed.
Continue reading: Fox announce first 4K Blu-ray titles (full post)
Samsung unveils first 4K UHD Blu-ray player with 60FPS playback
Samsung officially leads the 4K initiative by unveiling the first-ever consumer ready 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray player, ushering a new generation of high-fidelity entertainment into homes around the globe.
Samsung announced its pioneering UHD player, the UBD-K8500, at IFA in Berlin and touts some major performance boosts like ful 4K resolution at a fluid 60 frames-per-second, a 10-bit color palette that's 64 times more dynamic than standard Blu-rays, and object-based sound formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for UHDBR audio. The UHD Blu-ray player also sports an HDMI 2.0a port to support industry's new high dynamic range (HDR) standard and will be backwards compatible with current Blu-ray discs.
"The new player is also capable of upscaling content to provide UHD resolution for any disc, as well as for 4K streaming services," Samsung's visual display VP Mike Zoller said.
Continue reading: Samsung unveils first 4K UHD Blu-ray player with 60FPS playback (full post)
The Mad Max game looks absolutely stunning in 8K
Avalanche's new Mad Max game is an explosive rip-roaring high-octane romp through the bloody post-apocalyptic series, and these 8K screenshots show that the havoc-filled wastes are actually a thing of beauty.
The 8K image gallery was shot using the game's quite amazing built-in photo editor as well as a combination of other third-party software and SweetFX shaders. You can see the full uncompressed 8K gallery here.
To hit full 8K, PC gamer k-putt used a tool called SRWE to resize the game's window to 8000x4000, and the program matched its internal renderer to the set resolution. K-putt also had to use DeadEndThrills' cheat table to expand the photo editor's set 16:9 aspect ratio.
Continue reading: The Mad Max game looks absolutely stunning in 8K (full post)
OSVR updates its hardware, delivers 1080p 120Hz display and more
There have been some changes to the OSVR project, with the team updating the specifications of their Hacker Development Kit. The Razer-led OSVR project has also updated the software and API, which is now capable of using NVIDIA's GameWorks VR technology.
The biggest difference is the new 5.5-inch silver-screened OLED display, packing a 1920x1080 resolution with 120Hz refresh rate. OLED technology has a higher response rate to the individual pixels, which will result in a much lower persistence experience. The optics module has also been modified, with a larger eye box that makes it easier to slip the OSVR headset on, as well as increasing comfort.
Inside, there's still the same two lens system that reduces geometric distortion by 13%, with the sensor hub being integrated so that it takes up less physical space. It includes an accelerometer, gyroscope and a compass. There's also two USB 3.0 headers which are perfect for expansion, another USB 3.0 connection has been added to the outside of the OSVR, too.
Continue reading: OSVR updates its hardware, delivers 1080p 120Hz display and more (full post)


