This Destiny Titan figure is a work of art

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 24, 2015 12:29 AM CDT

As a staunch supporter of Destiny's Titan class (Defenders do it best!), I get excited at the prospect of modeling an incredibly detailed miniature version of my in-game character on my desk...or shelf...or anywhere else.

But where are all the Destiny action figures? Halo has a ton of them, made by McFarlane Toys no less. What about Bungie's newest shooter? Bambaland has answered the call with their gorgeous new Titan action figure that features all the articulation, detail, and eye-catching glory you'd expect from a proper Light-infused space hero.

The only catch is that it's $190. Well the one that comes with the Hawkmoon is $190, maybe the basic retail versions are a little cheaper. At that price range it's clear that the figure is meant to be a handsome bounty sitting atop a collector's shelf of prized valuables. Most of us don't plan to buy it, but it doesn't hurt to window shop. So let's take a closer look, shall we?

Continue reading: This Destiny Titan figure is a work of art (full post)

Metal Gear Solid 5 requires only 25.1 GB storage capacity on PS4

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Jul 24, 2015 12:05 AM CDT

The digital download of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, scheduled for release later this year, will only require 25.1 GB of free space for Sony PlayStation 4 gamers.

Considering how large some recent games have been, some of you may be happy to hear that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will only be about 25 GB. The massive open-world game is smaller than the PlayStation 3's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which is about 26.6 GB.

The game features real-time cutscenes, very little audio files since Snake doesn't talk much, and good compression could attribute to the relatively small file size.

Continue reading: Metal Gear Solid 5 requires only 25.1 GB storage capacity on PS4 (full post)

NVIDIA is giving away copies of Metal Gear Solid V with GeForce cards

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 23, 2015 10:33 PM CDT

If you're in the market for a new GPU and have had your eye on Metal Gear Solid V, then NVIDIA has you covered.

For a limited time NVIDIA will hand out free copies of Konami's latest tactical espionage adventure to those who purchase a GeForce GTX 980 Ti, 980, 970, or 960 GPU or 980/970M notebook. The copies will be digital, much like NVIDIA's past promotions that include titles like The Witcher 3. Let's hope that this promo goes better than the ill-fated Arkham Knight fiasco.

Interestingly enough, the ex-Konami franchise creator Hideo Kojima released a new promo poster for the game, which can be found below. Kojima's name is markedly absent from the promo. After the heated controversy between Konami and Kojima and subsequent cancellation of the highly anticipated Silent Hills it's fair to say that the publisher has a lot riding on this one. They can't afford a blunder on any platform, especially not on PC.

Continue reading: NVIDIA is giving away copies of Metal Gear Solid V with GeForce cards (full post)

Xbox One backward compatibility was planned all along

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 23, 2015 8:34 PM CDT

It looks as if the Xbox One's hot new backwards compatibility feature isn't actually so new after all. In fact Microsoft might have planned to include it before the console was even released, despite Don Mattrick's "backwards compatibility is really backwards" antics.

A very interesting snippet has surfaced as part of an Xbox Wire interview with Xbox's Director of Program Management, Mike Ybarra. "The Xbox Engineering team spent over three years making backwards compatibility a reality," reads the line in question.

Over three years? Wait, that doesn't exactly add up. Since it originally released November of 2013, the Xbox One will only turn two this November, so a round of quick math will reveal that Microsoft had indeed banked on backwards compatibility before the system was released on store shelves. Even with that extra forethought and planning, the Xbox team hasn't had an easy time tackling the feature.

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Win Disney's classic 'Snow White' on Blu-ray HD in our latest promo

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Jul 23, 2015 7:36 PM CDT

To celebrate the release of Walt Disney's original animated classic 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' from the Disney Vault for a limited time, we have copies of the Blu-ray to give away to five readers.

No Film in history has captured the world's imagination like Walt Disney's first full-length animated masterpiece. The beautiful and kindhearted princess Snow White charms every creature in the kingdom except one -- her jealous stepmother, the Queen. When the Magic Mirror proclaims Snow White is the fairest one of all, she must flee into the forest, where she befriends the lovable seven dwarfs -- Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy and Dopey. But when the Queen tricks Snow White with an enchanted apple, only the magic of true love's kiss can save her! Share this beloved classic with your family and celebrate Snow White's happily ever after again and again!

To go into the running to take a Blu-ray home, simply answer the following question in 50 words or less:

Continue reading: Win Disney's classic 'Snow White' on Blu-ray HD in our latest promo (full post)

eSports league wants to drug test pro gamers

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jul 23, 2015 7:14 PM CDT

Amid reports that professional eSports players were abusing Adderall during sanctioned tournaments, the Electronic Sports League (ESL), is taking steps crack down on performance-enhancing drugs in the world of pro gaming.

The Daily Dot reports that ESL is working alongside the World Anti-Doping Agency and the National Anti-Doping Agency to institute random drug screens for tournament participants. "We have known for some time that [performance enhancing drugs] would be a challenge at some point and we need to face that," the ESL stated. "As the stakes rise (we issue $500k per season of the Pro League alone) the athletes will push for whatever edge they can, however they can."

Due to the ramifications the ESL is hard-pressed to take action to put out the PR fire as soon as possible. Many key hardware titans have put their might under the banner of pro gaming, and these reports could very well blemish companies like AMD, NVIDIA, and Microsoft.

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Next 'Jurassic Park' film coming in 2018

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Jul 23, 2015 6:46 PM CDT

Just 24 hours from the news that 'Jurassic World' had rocketed past 'The Avengers' to become the third highest grossing film of all time, comes confirmation from Universal that the fifth film in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise is on the way. You didn't really think they'd replicate the 14 year wait between 'Jurassic Park III' and this year's film?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio isn't wasting anytime on developing the next film, and having already signed multi-film contracts, 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard from 'Terminator: Salvation' will be back. Sadly, 'Jurassic World' co-writer and director Colin Trevorrow will return, but not in a directorial capacity - that search continues, but I'm sure Universal are lobbying very, very hard to retain him.

Ready or not, 'Jurassic World 2' (or 'Jurassic Park 5' for that matter) is coming on June 22, 2018.

Continue reading: Next 'Jurassic Park' film coming in 2018 (full post)

Lenovo has faith in PC market, especially with Windows 10 coming

Michael Hatamoto | Business, Financial & Legal | Jul 23, 2015 1:30 PM CDT

The PC market has been all over the place in recent years, with vendors struggling to sell PCs and devices pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows 8. Chinese manufacturer Lenovo is the No. 1 largest PC manufacturer with around 20 percent of global market share, according to the IDC research group.

However, Lenovo is aware that the PC market faces problems - with the company noting a Q2 7.5 percent year-over-year drop, while the PC market dropped almost 12 percent.

"We are starting to see a big consolidation in the market... we think that probably within the next 24 months, maybe four to five players will leave," said Gianfranco Lanci, COO at Lenovo, in a statement to CNBC.

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Microsoft sold 1.4 million Xbox 360, Xbox One game consoles during Q4

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Jul 23, 2015 11:25 AM CDT

The Microsoft Xbox One may not be able to steal all momentum from the Sony PlayStation 4, but is giving Microsoft plenty of reasons to celebrate. During Q4, Microsoft sold 1.4 million Xbox 360/Xbox One systems, a massive increase from the 1.1 million sold year-over-year - but Microsoft declined to break down sales for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

It looks like the Xbox business is giving Microsoft increased optimism with the looming launch of Windows 10, with Xbox console sales, revenue, and Xbox Live transactions all increasing. In addition, the company's gaming division saw 27 percent year-over-year growth, and plenty of upcoming video games look appealing.

"Xbox platform revenue increased $86 million or 10 percent," according to a Microsoft report. "[That was] driven by higher volumes of consoles sold, offset in part by lower prices of Xbox Ones sold. Xbox Live transactions revenue increased $205 million or 58 percent, reflecting increased users and revenue per user."

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Repetitive motion injuries disrupting eSports careers

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Jul 23, 2015 6:30 AM CDT

When people think of eSports, they likely don't think of physical injuries that could keep gamers out of major tournaments and high-profile events. However, it looks like repetitive motion injuries are taking their toll, with players reporting tendinitis, tennis elbow, trigger finger, and carpal tunnel syndrome as some of the injuries they're facing.

Repetitive motion injuries disrupting eSports careers

Many professional eSports players spend the majority of their day practicing, both in teams and individually, and hours of continued gaming can pose major health risks. It's not uncommon for professional gamers to spend at least half the day gaming, with another couple hours invested in replay analysis and film study.

"If you don't rest the body doesn't have a chance to heal itself, to go into a homeostatic state and say okay, now I can repair myself," said Dr. Levi Harrison, a hand and arm surgeon, in a statement to Motherboard. "Whether it's non-stop gaming or non-stop MMA training, the body doesn't like that, and there's a price."

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