SUPERHOT will hit the PC, Mac and Linux on February 25

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 1, 2016 8:21 PM CST

SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT. Yes, finally - SUPERHOT will be released on February 25, according to the SUPERHOT Team.

SUPERHOT will hit the PC, Mac and Linux on February 25

SUPERHOT will be released through retailers and digital distributors onto the PC, Mac and Linux - look Ma, no consoles! - with the team releasing a new trailer to celebrate its impending launch. Check it out above.

The team released a press release too, which explains: "Blurring the lines between cautious strategy and unbridled mayhem, SUPERHOT is the FPS in which time moves only when you move. No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing the weapons of fallen enemies to shoot, slice, and maneuver through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets".

Continue reading: SUPERHOT will hit the PC, Mac and Linux on February 25 (full post)

Logitech CEO: 'you bet we'll jump into VR'

While VR is set to change everything from gaming to social interactions and entertainment, the actual virtual reality HMD's like the Oculus Rift have pretty much soaked up the limelight. But what about VR peripherals? Logitech is ready to jump into the new platform with a slew of VR-ready accessories.

Logitech CEO: 'you bet we'll jump into VR'

Although most HMD's like HTC's Vive and PlayStation VR have their own controllers, Logitech wants to create its own unique line of VR peripherals, too. In a recent interview with the Australian Financial Review, Logitech CEO Bracken Darrell discussed his plans for VR: "Just like with the mouse and keyboard, optimizing the experience of the peripherals that go with VR will be an interesting place for us."

Rather than jump in right away, however, the renowned PC hardware manufacturer is biding their time and betting on the second or third generation of VR hardware. "We're in the middle of many discussions in that space ... and at some point you can bet we'll jump in," Darrell continued. "But we're years away from viewing that as a serious category. We'd rather come in late and better than come in early and awkwardly."

Continue reading: Logitech CEO: 'you bet we'll jump into VR' (full post)

Fallout 4 1.3 update exits beta, includes performance improvements

Sean Ridgeley | Gaming | Feb 1, 2016 6:12 PM CST

The Fallout 4 1.3 update we told you about a couple weeks ago is now out of beta, so if you held off or just want the certified version, today's your day.

As before, it adds in HBAO+ (better shadowing at what's said to be less of a performance cost versus other options) and a Workshop Mode, fixes bugs, and improves memory optimization and general stability. And though not specifically listed, we hear performance on both AMD and NVIDIA cards is now much improved.

If you still find shadows hurt performance greatly, this mod may help you (use at your own risk).

Continue reading: Fallout 4 1.3 update exits beta, includes performance improvements (full post)

Google said to want greater control over Nexus program

Sean Ridgeley | Mobile Devices | Feb 1, 2016 5:05 PM CST

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is said to have told "colleagues and outsiders" that his company wants greater control over its Nexus program. Speculation says this means Google will adopt the Apple model, controlling its Nexus line from top to bottom and not relying on partners as much (and not at all publicly). In fact, Google is supposedly going down this road specifically to better compete with Apple at the high-end.

One might hope Google elects to give control of the program over to Pixel, who made the wonderful Chromebook Pixel and Pixel C.

Allegedly, HTC -- possibly still building this year's Nexus -- isn't too happy about the news, as you can imagine.

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Now you can use Windows 95 in your browser

Sean Ridgeley | Software & Apps | Feb 1, 2016 4:03 PM CST

A site spotted by The Next Web allows you to use Windows 95 in your browser, thanks to the power of Javascript and emulator software Emscripten and DOSBox.

To try it head out, head here and click the 'Start Windows 95' button. Be warned the disk image is 131MB uncompressed, so it will take a few minutes to load on an average connection, and even once loaded, it will probably run slower than you remember for a variety of technical reasons. Once you're in, click the Fullscreen button to gain control of the OS.

Windows 95 launched 20 years ago and was a landmark OS for Microsoft. Support for it ended just a day prior to 2002.

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Google is using drones to zap high-speed 5G internet from the skies

Derek Strickland | Connectivity & Cloud | Feb 1, 2016 3:30 PM CST

Google has a new ambitious plan to use solar-powered drones to zap high-speed internet from the heavens down to Earth.

Google is using drones to zap high-speed 5G internet from the skies

According to reports from The Guardian, the secret project is called SkyBender, and is centralized in New Mexico's Gateway to Space terminal. Google's Project SkyBender is using solar-powered Solara 50 UAVs from the Google Titan division to experiment with high-speed millimeter-wave radio transmissions. The drones essentially beam the transmissions from the skies down to one of two targeted transceivers, bestowing wireless internet to a given area.

High-frequency millimeter-wave transmissions may ultimately pave the way for 5G technology; the signals are up to 40 times more efficient and powerful than 4G LTE, and can transmit up to multiple gigabits of data per second. "The huge advantage of millimetre wave is access to new spectrum because the existing cellphone spectrum is overcrowded. It's packed and there's nowhere else to go," said Jacques Rudell, a specialist from the University of Washington.

Continue reading: Google is using drones to zap high-speed 5G internet from the skies (full post)

Dutch police training eagles to intercept drones

Sean Ridgeley | Drones | Feb 1, 2016 3:02 PM CST

Drones have become popular and cheap enough that their misuse and subsequent danger -- like when obstructing an air ambulance from landing -- is becoming a problem for Dutch police. Though they are investigating conventional methods to deal with it, they are also electing to train eagles to identify and capture them.

Dutch police training eagles to intercept drones

To this end, the "Politie Nederland" are teaming up with Guard From Above, a company that trains raptors. It's entirely possible things will go smoothly, as eagles are formidable birds of prey that already take down drones on their own, as well as handgliders, going so far as to take bites out of them afterward. Small drones seem fine, but larger ones could pose serious harm to the birds, so the impact on claws and a protection system and are being investigated by GFA (we're going to go ahead and assume it'll end up something like this).

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WildStar is coming to Steam with an immense amount of new content

Jeff Williams | Gaming | Feb 1, 2016 2:02 PM CST

WildStar is going to be making a big splash on Steam when it debuts sometime in the first half of 2016. The free-to-play MMORPG is adding a huge new area called Arcterra which will challenge players in seemingly new ways.

The new area is a frozen wasteland that's filled with mysterious ruins that need exploring, highly dangerous creatures that need slaying and a whole host of new challenges for single-players and group adventures. In the new arctic like area you'll have increasingly difficult boss-encounters as you rack-up more and more kills in the area. That is, you'll fight one boss, then two, battling your way up to the finale of 20 boss-like enemies in one encounter. Sounds exciting, no?

Once you defeat 20-person boss encounters you'll get a key, of which enough of those can unlock an exclusive dungeon beneath the quest hub, giving you access for 24 hours. The first faction to find enough keys gets access, however. And that's not all. The main story will continue with the second chapter to the Nexus Saga, the culmination of a very well tuned narrative story. The Vault of Archon will be that end-game, with new bosses, completely new environments and completely voice-acted NPC's.

Continue reading: WildStar is coming to Steam with an immense amount of new content (full post)

Microsoft wants to put data centers at the bottom of the ocean

We might be running out of room on the Earth for server racks and compute power. Or maybe not, but Microsoft still wants to start putting server farms and small clusters of data-centers in the bottom of the ocean. It might even be greener and more cost effective.

Project Natick is precisely the venture that Microsoft is concocting to put our data under the sea. The logic is actually quite sound, however. The idea is that containerized data centers can, if properly equipped, be cooled naturally and even use the energy from currents and waves to power them. It's a novel approach to making data, and the cloud, a more environmental friendly thing. If they don't leak and pollute the ocean of course.

And the researchers plan their submersibles to have a five year life-cycle, where they can be retrieved, refitted and upgraded with new hardware. And what if there's a malfunction or problem? Hardware failures happen, it's just a fact of life. So what if there's a HDD that suddenly can't write, and it needs to be replaced and the data restored? Presumably it'll have to be retrieved by boat and attended to, which could cost more money in manpower and equipment than just having a data-center easily accessible by humans.

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Bethesda announces E3 2016 show dates

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Feb 1, 2016 12:33 PM CST

This year's E3 event is only four months away--oh how time flies when you're having fun!--and Bethesda builds the hype by revealing the dates and times for its showcase briefing.

Bethesda announces E3 2016 show dates

According to Bethsoft exec Pete Hines, the publisher's pre-E3 2016 showcase will be held on June 12. 2016 at 7:00 PM PST in Los Angeles. We're not sure if Bethsoft's gala will be held off-site again, but the reveal is notably vague when it comes to venue specifics.

So what can we expect from Bethesda at E3? Before you get excited for Elder Scrolls VI, remember that Bethsoft has said that Elder Scrolls VI isn't going to happen for a "very long time". Besides, the devs are busily working on a number of projects, including Dishonored 2, the Doom reboot, new Elder Scrolls Online content, and Fallout 4's upcoming DLC. We'll also likely see Bethesda unveil their plans for Fallout 4 mods on PS4 and Xbox One to top it off.

Continue reading: Bethesda announces E3 2016 show dates (full post)

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