Nintendo Switch dock heat is warping console

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 2:08 PM CDT

Earlier today I saw reports that Nintendo's new handheld-hybrid Switch console gets warped by compounded heat while docked, and I decided to check my system out. I can indeed confirm that my Switch console is no longer straight and is warped with a slight bow on the right side.

Nintendo Switch dock heat is warping console

So what caused this warping? I've reported the Nintendo Switch doesn't get very hot when docked, even when playing multiple hour sessions of demanding games Breath of the Wild, but there is heat passing through the device. The Nintendo Switch is made out of rather cheap-ish material that easily deforms when it comes in contact with certain materials, including adhesive. The odds are the Switch's frame--which is made out of the cheap material--is slowly warping due to compounded heat generated while the system is docked.

Read Also: Nintendo Switch Review

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch dock heat is warping console (full post)

Tesla's quarterly report shows record deliveries

Lana Jelic | Business, Financial & Legal | Apr 3, 2017 1:26 PM CDT

Tesla Motors has announced their quarterly results which show that the company's deliveries have jumped by 69% compared to the same quarter last year.

Tesla's quarterly report shows record deliveries

The company delivered a record of 25,000 vehicles - 13,450 Model S and 11,550 Model X. Tesla's production in the first quarter also hit a quarterly record by manufacturing 25,418 vehicles.

Tesla has said it expects to deliver 47,000 to 50,000 Model S and Model X vehicles combined in the first half of 2017.

Continue reading: Tesla's quarterly report shows record deliveries (full post)

Did BioWare outsource ME: Andromeda's facial animations?

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 10:35 AM CDT

We already know Mass Effect: Andromeda should've been delayed to fix the weird facial animations, but it looks like BioWare's artists might not even be directly responsible for the game's most mocked feature. Reports indicate BioWare outsourced all human most of the alien character models to other EA branches.

Did BioWare outsource ME: Andromeda's facial animations?

Anonymous BioWare devs who worked on Mass Effect: Andromeda told YouTuber Liam Robertson:

"The game's animations were a result of over-reliance on CyberScan technology.

Continue reading: Did BioWare outsource ME: Andromeda's facial animations? (full post)

What Mass Effect: Andromeda teaches us about hype

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 9:00 AM CDT

Yes we've been picking on Mass Effect: Andromeda a bit lately, but on the Mass Effect Reddit I came across an interesting tidbit that genuinely serves as a cautionary tale about hype. And this one is pretty ironic.

What Mass Effect: Andromeda teaches us about hype

Back in 2016, BioWare's Mac Walters told OXM that the animations are at an "all time high" for the company as a whole. "The quality of the character animations is at an all-time high for us, and that's great because it means expressiveness, emotion and a connection with the player," Walters said.

Fast forward to the final release of the game with its terrifying, often wacky and freakish facial animations, this quote seems entirely ridiculous. And I'm not innocent in spreading hype for this game--I've written tons of articles talking about how impressive it looks and how excited I am for it. But all of that content seems to be written about a different game, the vision that BioWare had versus the janky game they shipped.

Continue reading: What Mass Effect: Andromeda teaches us about hype (full post)

Upgradeable console 'seems like a stretch' to Xbox boss

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 5:00 AM CDT

In a perfect world, consoles would be upgradeable and new games could come out with better graphics and higher resolution support, and you'd just upgrade your Xbox or PlayStation console - but no, the world we live in today isn't like that.

Upgradeable console 'seems like a stretch' to Xbox boss

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now come out saying that you won't be upgrading your Xbox any time soon, including Microsoft's next-gen Project Scorpio console. On Twitter, Spencer said that upgradeable components for consoles were "a stretch". He said: "The idea that users will open up a console and change compute components inside seems like a stretch to me".

Spencer continued: "Am I going to break open my console and start upgrading individual pieces of my console? That's not our plan. There is something special about what happens with a console. You buy an appliance-like device; you plug it into your TV; it works when you plug it in. It's not like I'm going to ship a screwdriver set with every console that comes out".

Continue reading: Upgradeable console 'seems like a stretch' to Xbox boss (full post)

Total War: Warhammer II announced, coming to PC in 2017

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 3:35 AM CDT

The Total War franchise has been a big one on the PC over the years, with Total War: Warhammer released in May 2016, but now Sega Europe has announced its sequel - Total War: Warhammer II, and that it'll be here before the end of the year.

Total War: Warhammer II announced, coming to PC in 2017

Creative Assembly are back in the developer chair for Total War: Warhammer II, with four new continents to battle on: Ulthuan, Naggaroth, The Southlands and Lustria. CA teases that Total War: Warhammer II will be so big, the map covers the entire geographical areas of the first two games.

Total War: Warhammer II will give gamers the ability of playing four new races (High Elves, Dark Elves, Lizardmen, and another race that CA and Sega haven't revealed just yet), with each of them including their own unique campaign mechanics, and armies of Legendary Lords, Heroes, monsters, troops, and siege weapons. CA will also push out a post-launch update that will let people play through any campaign as any owned, or playable race from the first game in the Total War series.

Continue reading: Total War: Warhammer II announced, coming to PC in 2017 (full post)

Apple to offer HBO, Showtime through premium TV service

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Apr 3, 2017 2:20 AM CDT

Apple is shifting into the content business in a big way with teases that it will acquire Disney, which owns Pixar, LucasArts, and Marvel - their collective properties worth tens of billions of dollars. Now the company is reportedly looking at offering a premium TV service that would include HBO, Showtime, and Starz for a single monthly price.

Apple to offer HBO, Showtime through premium TV service

If you were to subscribe to each of those premium TV channels, it would cost $35 per month, but according to Redcode, Apple is wanting to make it more convenient by offering the bundle as a standalone product. Instead of bunch of separate apps, Apple would offer the premium TV channels in a new app - with the power of having shows like Game of Thrones and Homeland on its side.

There haven't been any external comments from the premium TV side, or Apple, but with the previous rumors of the Disney acquisition - the race towards being a content king is something Apple has its sights set on.

Continue reading: Apple to offer HBO, Showtime through premium TV service (full post)

ARK updated with underwater bases, and so much more

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Apr 3, 2017 12:48 AM CDT

ARK: Survival Evolved has been updated with a massive list of changes and tweaks, with the new v256 patch including vacuum-sealed underwater bases, aquatic creature breeding, TEK teleporter pads and wireless generators, and four new powerful creatures.

ARK updated with underwater bases, and so much more

Studio Wildcard has also made some big changes to the menu of ARK, with the Inventory UI being completely revamped - making it easier to work with your inventory in ARK. Lead Designer, Lead Programmer, and co-founder of Studio Wildcard, Jeremy Stieglitz, explains: "The new ARK Inventory UI is a total redesign of the game's former clunky interface! This visual and functional overhaul brings right-click context menus and better organization for remote inventories. It's a significant step on the road of preparing ARK for its home stretch of Early Access!".

ARK: Survival Evolved v256 patch includes:

Continue reading: ARK updated with underwater bases, and so much more (full post)

Stallone quits 'The Expendables' crew

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Apr 3, 2017 12:34 AM CDT

It's a successful franchise that he kicked off back in 2010, but it looks as if Sylvester Stallone has parted ways with the crew of 'The Expendables'.

Stallone quits 'The Expendables' crew

According to a Deadline Hollywood report, Stallone has decided to step back from the fourth instalment in the franchise, after a series of fundamental disagreements with studio head Avi Lerner which apparently revolved the choice of director, the script and even the visual effects house. When asked for comment, Lerner confirmed that discussions with the action star were tense, but he hasn't given up hope, saying "We've got disagreements with Sly, but we've had them for over a year and a half. Right now, each one has an opinion. We agreed on 95% of things, but there are certain things in production we don't agree on. I don't think it's over, but write whatever you want. In my opinion, it's not dead."

'The Expendables' franchise has been a lucrative one for Lionsgate, which has gone on to gross over $800 million at the worldwide box office. The 2012 follow up is the most successful to date, grossing $315 million on a $100 million budget.

Continue reading: Stallone quits 'The Expendables' crew (full post)

'Rick and Morty' makes return as a real April Fools joke

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Apr 2, 2017 8:56 PM CDT

Fans of Adult Swim's 'Rick and Morty' have been patiently awaiting the return of the mad-cap adventure series for almost a year and a half, but yesterday the network released the first episode as the best April Fools joke of them all.

'Rick and Morty' makes return as a real April Fools joke

Continue reading: 'Rick and Morty' makes return as a real April Fools joke (full post)